The Sweetest Toy By Far

The Sweetest Toy By Far... Current mood: contemplative
When my son was born we received a bevy of baby blankets as gifts. They were cotton and cashmere, manufactured and handmade. I used them all, mostly for different purposes. I had the tummy-time blanket, the car seat cover-up for inclimate weather (so in Northern Virginia that was, like, ALL the time. That place was like freakin' London!) And, of course, the sleeping blanket. I chose a little green and white number given to us by our dear friend Kim (who is now, I must brag, a veterinarian!) Her mother hand-crocheted it, which made the blanket even more special to us. But all sentiment aside, I chose the blanket because due to the nature of crochet, there were holes throught it's body which meant that if Max's head was ever accidentally covered, he could still breath. Yes, I am that much of a FREAK as a mother. Be glad my kids aren't running around with helmets on!
We have pictures dating back to Max as a preemie, covered up so soundly by the green and white blanket. Back then it's color was so vivid. I just couldn't help capturing his sweet slumber on film (or pixils or whatever it is that's in a digital camera!)
My son is now 3, and he still loves his "Blankie" which evolved from "Lankie." I was so hoping he'd always call it his "Lankie." It just sounded so "Linus" to me, but such is life. And just for the record, I will NEVER, ever be, one of those parents who accidentally (on purpose) leaves a child's security object back at the hotel. NEVER.
This morning, my son's other security object, a black and white "Kitty Kat," fell beside his bed. As I went to wake him for preschool, I scooped it up and gave it to him. He immediately began pretending with his cat, and in his best cat voice (?!) said "I need some cat food!" and then proceeded to "feed" his cat from his Blankie. I don't know if the blankie was supposed to be a cat bowl or if it was "nursing" his cat or what. But it made me think. It was not the first time he's pretended his blanket was something else. In fact, if he were a super hero, he would most definately be "Blanket Boy" with the ability to transform his blanket into anything in order to save the day.
Max likes to lump his blanket into a mound and park his 14,392 matchbox cars around it. Recently he's started to incorporate "Little People," too, calling it a "house." In the nooks and crannies of the blanket, he places his "People" and cars. That's the "garage." The final product ends up looking like a model for "Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind." I love it!
A few months back Max approached me and told me he was going to listen to my heart. He took a corner of his Blankie and placed it on my chest and said "Boom, Boom...Boom, Boom." Then he had me open up and say "Ah." He used his Blankie to look down my throat. Dr. Max doesn't need extravagant doctor instruments, apparently his Blankie is Board Certified!
It thrilles me to have an imaginative and inventive child who is aptly able to entertain himself (and those of us lucky enough to know him.) So for today, his Blankie was a food bowl/cat wet nurse for his Kitty Kat. I didn't think to ask him at the time what he was doing, and my sadly unimaginative eye didn't think to post a query. But in the future I will take note. Having a ton of toys works for some, but in the absence of clutter and overabundance, imagination takes flight. At the end of the day, with the innocent and unspoiled nature of a child, all Max really wants or needs is the sweetest toy by far, his beloved Blankie.