Vive le Pepé!

I had been so proud that my son never had a “lovey” or, in my eyes, some object to replace the loss of affection he is starving for from his parents. Yes, this is what I actually thought was the reason so many children out there had toys, blankets and dolls that they had to have with them everywhere they went and could not be separated from! To an extent, it’s true. But the thing is, there is no person on Earth that could give the level attention these babies want…constant! If you’re not a parent, then please understand that word, constant, is not used lightly it’s meant to be literal.

When you become a parent, you are needed CONSTANTLY! For instance, since my son has been mobile and able to get about the house on his own volition I haven’t had a private moment. If I go to the bathroom, my little two-year old is right behind me wanting to flush the toilet, or his latest favorite, he asks to brush his teeth. If I take a shower, he’s in the bathroom with me throwing all his bath toys into the shower with me. I use bathroom examples because that’s when people expect to have the most privacy (at least non-parent lay people); but the constant need doesn’t stop there…if I’m cooking, he needs to be in there with me playing with the bowls, if I’m nursing the baby suddenly he needs a hug and sits almost on top of me (this, I admit is more sweet than clingy), it goes on and on. So it’s inevitable that they will have needs you can not fulfill and therefore the lovey comes into play – that constant companion who is never too busy to bend to your will.

So, Peter’s lovey is Pepé. This is his name for the used-to-be-white blanket he lugs around everywhere he goes and has had since before he was born. It was a blanket my Mom bought for him the day I told her I was pregnant. I don’t think he has named his blanket; it’s just his attempt at saying the word blanket. My husband and I thought it was such a cute mispronunciation that we started calling the blanket by the name Pepé.

Peter will very rarely go anywhere or do anything without Pepé. His need for his blanket has been steadily increasingly over the past weeks. It's the end of the world if it's not in bed with him. He often comes down stairs from his nap with the blanket in tow. He has started asking to bring it with him when we leave the house for errands...so far he has agreed to leave it behind, but very hesitantly.

We've washed this blanket so much that it's started to pull apart at the edges. I do hope Pepé stays with us long enough for Peter to have warm fond memories of it. Vive Le Pepé!!!