Blankie

I come from a family of quilters. A long line of ancestors passed it down as tradition and while today it is seen as perhaps a bit old fashioned or too domestic for the average modern woman, it's still a favorite family hobby. Giving someone a quilt is the chance to invest part of yourself in a meaningful gift and the opportunity to share your talent and time, as well as something fluffly and beautiful to keep you warm. My favorite quilt was given to me by my grandmother when I was twelve. It's name is Duckie (in honor of the swans stitched across it, who were called by the wrong name by my dad and brothers in effort to annoy me). Duckie and I have been together so long that she has lost her fluff and the binding is literally wearing through. But still, she's good company for watching a movie or cuddling in the car. My childhood blankie was strawberry shortcake, which I vividly remembering carrying around and cuddling. But sadly, she worn out and eventually disappeared.

As an adult, I still like to quilt and the quilts I have been given mean so much to me. To those who know how important this tradition and hobby is to my family will probably not be surprised to hear we recieved nearly 2 dozen quilts, blankets and afghans for our wedding. I marvel at the time an afghans takes (especially because I have never mastered the art of crochet) and appreciate the giver's thoughtfulness. Especially stunning is the white treco quilt with the temple beautifully stitched into it by my grandmother or the purple quilt with squares of delicate embrodiery that my mother made. Each is beautiful and appreciated as I know the giver intended it to be both practical and a demonstration of love, well wishing and happiness.

But I digress. (as I often do.) Today's post is to tell you about another girl's obsession with blankets. Both of my babies love to be wrapped and cuddled. In the classes we took as we prepared to be parents, and again in the hospital, we were taught about swaddling. Babies have a natural reflex to startle (called a moto relfex), as their muscles are not fully developed. Swaddling, or wrapping a baby tightly, helps surpress that reflex so they can sleep peacefully (it also reminds them of the comforting confinement of the womb). So we became swaddling experts, wrapping them up as soon as they began to drift off and quickly found that they would sleep deeper and longer this way. It also became the perfect trigger for a naptime or bedtime routine. Eventually, they outgrew swaddling and preferred to wiggle or crawl around in their sleep. But, they each still insist on having their favorite blankets at bedtime. Fortunately, we were given many as baby shower gifts. So many in fact that I hesitate to admit a number for fear you would think me ungrateful. My initial reaction was wondering how on earth we would ever need or be able to use so many. But I soon learned better and became even more grateful for them.

Our Butterfly loved to be swaddled and it was cute and fun to cuddle her this way. In fact, friends were amazed at how she could be so fussy and upset until I finally wrapped her tight and she would instantly settled down and almost always, fall asleep. But our Ladybug is truly the baby with the blankie obbsession. As a newborn, we swaddled her to give her that comfort and security. As she got older, she began to play with the blankets more, esecially enjoying feeling the ones with the crocheted edges. This particular type of blanket has become her obvious favorite. She has several of this kind, different patterns and colors. She doesn't mind which one it is, as long as it has the crocheted edging. She insists on having them when she goes to sleep and will not settle for just one. She wants a whole pile in her crib so that she has plenty in which to crawl around and cuddle throughout the night. She wants her blankie in the car, anytime she cries or whenever we cuddle. She carries is throughout the house, dragging it behind her and when she's feeling tired, likes to collapse in a tangled heap upon the floor until I get the hint and take her to bed. But this picture gets even better. When she holds her blanket, she doesn't let it simply hang from her hand but must have it, at all times, pressed against her mouth. She finds a corner of the crocheted edging and with both hands, holds it to her face. It's absolutely adorable. From behind the blanket you can still see her expressive eyes and this endearing habit makes her just that much cuter.