Lost and found 

Noel and I went out to see Ratatouille tonight -- verdict: awesome -- and our usual babysitter L. arrived at 7 pm to man the house, both kids being asleep.  But when she got here, we were turning all unoccupied rooms upside down trying to find the bear pictured at right (circa 2005).

Soft Bear, as we call him, has been Cady Gray's constant companion since birth, a felicitous gift from one of my colleagues.  To this day, she tucks him under her arm about every other morning when she leaves the bedroom.  He sometimes sits (or slouches) on the table while we eat.  Just today she was carrying him while we did some bathroom business, and I asked her why she liked him so much.  "Because I put him on your head!" she giggled with typical 2-year-old humor, and sure enough, he makes an excellent cranial adornment, his weighted beanie feet tending to keep him stationary through a surprising range of motion.

Well, when Noel tucked her in with her Elephant Small book, he noticed that Soft Bear wasn't on the bed, and he didn't spot him in a quick look around the room, either.  We knew SB was at home, because he'd made an appearance at naptime and we hadn't been out of the house since (although various door-to-door salesmen and playdates had passed through).  Fearing that she might notice his absence and request him while we were gone, we spent half an hour looking in every nook and cranny we could imagine her setting him down.

If you've got kids, you know that searching for their stuff involves a lot of lying on the floor looking under furniture.  You also know the sinking feeling that one of their treasured, not-easily-replaceable possessions is missing.  You can already hear the wails and tears when they become aware that it's not within reach.  You begin plotting what substitutes might temporarily mollify them, and consider online searches to see how quickly a twin may be procured.

We actually went back into CG's room (where she was happily reading to herself -- have I mentioned lately that she's reading? and she's not yet three?) to take another looksee before leaving.  No dice.  We went off to the movie with heavy hearts, put it out of our minds long enough to be enraptured, then returned to the subject on the way home.

Whereupon Noel, for some reason, pulled back the curtains at the kitchen window, revealing a sill completely inaccessible to a child due to the placement of a breakfast table and several plants in front of it -- and there he was.

How he got there, we have no idea.  Perhaps this bear takes the air when we're not looking, and we caught him sneaking back in.  Whatever, SB.  We're not going to ask questions.  We tiptoed into Cady Gray's room and tucked him in beside her.  Best friend found -- disaster averted.

Posted: Saturday - June 30, 2007 at 10:03 PM         |