Tales of the Garzon Family: July 2012

Kyle, our sweet, adorable, helpful, cuddly, mischievous, wild tempered, funny, 4 1/2 year old, has a lovie/snuggle/comfort/whatever you want to call it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but one that I do not know when nor how to address with him of breaking. Kyle has a blanket. It started out innocently enough when he was a TINY baby. Someone gave him an ADORABLE Swankie Blankie security blanket. I thought it was so cute that I gave it to him a lot when he was little. He was my easiest baby and rarely fussed. But, when he did, his little blanket would do the trick and calm him down. As he got older, he wanted a bigger blanket. We had some "silkies" that Elijah had used as a baby so in true second born form, Kyle got the hand-me-down blankets. Somehow, this has evolved into something I NEVER imagined! Kyle is rarely without a "baby". I'm not exactly sure when he started but long ago he started calling his blankets baby. We started out with a "blue baby" and "yellow baby". "Blue baby" sadly got lost but was replaced with another "yellow baby"(that is identical to the old "yellow baby" so thankful to have 2!!). We also added "brown baby" that stays at school. (Before I go on, I will tell you that he is not allowed to carry his blankets around outside of the house. IF he takes it with us, it is left in the car. But, for the most part, "babies" stay at home!) "Babies" have become a way of life around our house. We know that a baby MUST be present at nap and bedtime. He, himself, will tell you that "he"(yes, all of his babies are boys) makes him feel better when he is sad. "Baby" is not only for sleeping but also a toy and sometimes even a playmate! Most of the pictures I have of "baby" are when Kyle is sleeping but I assure you that a baby is nearby in MOST pictures. Honestly, I haven't given much thought to this. But, two nights ago as I was on yet ANOTHER frantic search for the lost baby at bed time, I wondered if/when Kyle would give up his blanket. All three of our kids weaned themselves both from being nursed and from the bottles. None of our kids used the pacifier past two months. But, this blanket, this blanket maybe a little bit trickier. Now, I'm not saying that I'm ready or wanting him to give up his beloved "baby" just yet. I just hadn't really thought about it until Tuesday night. What will this look like? Will it happen on it's own? Will it be a battle? Will he go to college with his blanket? Or worse, will he still have it when he gets married? I'm really not sure! But, I do know that Kyle LOVES his blanket and for now, these blankets make naps/bedtime and sad situations a LOT better!

Just for fun, I went through and found pictures of Kyle with his baby. I didn't have any with his Swankie Blankie or his "brown baby"(that one is for school) but I did find LOTS of pictures with the other two. Here are just a few!