I have a new book that is just about finished and should hopefully be available in June! I wanted to share the story that brought this new book to the life!
When Karsyn was just one month old we were visiting with family and my cousins got her this beautiful, big, fluffy FAO Schwartz stuffed animal. She could literally fit in it’s lap. The elephant was a gorgeous decoration in her room for so long, one of those things I didn’t think could be a toy because it was too pretty. When she got old enough to not have pretty toys, it became one of her favorites to sleep with. She named it and slept with every night.
There was one night a few years ago, Hartlyn thought she had something that was worthy of a good trade so she could sleep with the elephant for a night. She offered up a free squeeze of her cheeks to Karsyn if she could sleep with it, and well, obviously, she took her up on it! Hartlyn’s squeezeable cheeks are a hot commodity around here!
When they told me their deal I couldn’t really believe my ears, that 1- these are the kind of deals we are making, and 2-Karsyn was going to give up the elephant! Thankfully she still had dolly, and bubble gum, and her unicorn, and her blanket and about 57 other things she slept with so I knew she wouldn’t be too lonely.
When I would say good night to the girls, hugs, prayers, kisses, how many butterflies to count to help them get to sleep and all of the things, I would turn off their light with only their nightlight on, shut the door and that’s when the real magic would begin.
They were the mommy to all of the babies in their bed. They would sing, play, tell stories, whatever it took in the next 5-10 minutes so that they felt tired enough to sleep and accomplished knowing that their babies that waited for them all day, were taken care of.
The Elephant was a big part of this time. Sometimes I would sit outside the door and listen to them and it was one of the best and sweetest things I ever heard. It was their time to unwind, their time to take care of others.
It was a moment in time I had to capture and share in a story of my own that I hope other kiddos and parents can enjoy together, ending the night remembering that there are people out there always waiting for you to be you! The Bedtime Theater coming soon!!
Do your little ones have something special they sleep with?
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