Mother Of The Year

There are times in this job when I feel like Mother of the Year. I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible. I'm talking about the time, for example, when Sonya fell off the bed as a baby. Onto the hardwood floor. Also, that one time when Lana cried and arched her back for two whole months as an infant. Then we discovered she had reflux and needed medication. Ah what a proud parenting moment. Even little things like forgetting to send Sonya's snack to school with her, make one deserving such an award. Last week when I left the mall with Lana and Georgia, I won that award yet again. I lost GG's blankie.

Now for those of you who have kept up with my blog, you know all about my girls and their blankies. I've managed to dial Sonya back, and she only has hers at night now. The other two still carry theirs around everywhere. I will start weening Lana from hers a bit after her birthday. Georgia is still okay having hers all the time. Well, maybe not anymore.

We went to the mall last Wednesday morning and I put both girls in the double stroller. (Sonya was at school.) I gave them their blankies, even though I did debate with myself for a minute whether to take them or not. In the end I thought it was better to have them since I had to return a few things. This would help keep them quiet.

We did our errands and all blankies were accounted for. They rode the train, blankies still there. We went to the play area. Blankies? Check! We got to the car, blankie-Lana, yes. Blankie Georgia...CRAP!!

I looked in the van thinking I had already thrown it in there, but nope. I checked all over the stroller, in my bag, (although it wouldn't have fit in there) all with no luck. I knew it was SOMEWHERE in the mall. I was pretty sure it fell out in front of the play area. I needed to go back, but I had to pick Sonya up from school in 7 minutes. Both Lana and Georgia were already buckled into their car seats. I would have to get them both out, run back in there look for blankie, go back to the car, buckle them both back in, and get to Sonya's school all in seven minutes. Well THAT wasn't happening. These are the times you debate locking your kids in your car while you run in REAL quick. Only then I'd be getting a little more than the Mother of the Year award. Like a "mother abandons her children and gets a visit from Social Services" award. So I had no choice. I had to go get Sonya and just hope someone would turn beloved blankie in to lost and found.

I guess I wasn't too stressed out about it, because I did do something smart as a mother. All my girls have two of the same blankie. Whenever they decided they were attaching to a blanket, I found it on-line and ordered a new one to rotate in and out. That way they always had blankie to use. This has proved to be one of my better ideas, what with Sonya being a very pukey child and Georgia following in her footsteps. Not to mention Lana chews on hers, so I have to change that one out every other day for how insanely gross it gets.

After I picked up Sonya and we got home, I called the mall to check and see if anyone had turned it in yet. They had not, but it had only been an hour. Since it was in front of the play area, perhaps people were leaving it there to see if the owner would come back for it. In retrospect, I should have gone back after I picked up Sonya, but Georgia was falling asleep in the car. Besides, I was so sure it would get turned in. I mean who wants some other kid's blankie??

I guess someone did, because after five days there was still no sign of it. I called a few times and left my number, but never heard back. I had no choice but to go on-line and buy another "backup blankie". They still had the same style Georgia had, but no more in that color. Great. I got another color and I'm hoping the feel of the blankie, will make up for the fact that it's not the same color as the original. If not, I'm down one blankie for her and out more money than I care to admit to anyone that I paid for it.

I'm going to go prepare my speech now. I think they're polishing up my award.