You can often find him (yes, he is a boy) in the pictures of Charlotte because he is her best buddy. He sleeps with her, he eats at the dinner table with her, and often he is there when she takes her bath. He has been to Minnesota, South Dakota, and Missouri. He might have missed a few naps in the car, but he has slept with Char for most of her life. "Where's Pinky?" is usually the first thing I hear from the depths of Charlotte's rumpled bedcovers when I wake her at 6:15.
This is Hop-Hop.
You won't see her (yes, she is a girl) in many pictures; she spends most of her day on Charlotte's bed waiting for night time and a chance to get a little love. Although she came first, she has not bonded with Charlotte as tightly as Pinky has. I don't know why.
Hop-Hop was given to Charlotte when she was born, and when Char was old enough to recognize her surroundings, Hop-Hop became very important to Char. In fact, she was such a big part of Char's world that Daphne went to Target to buy a replacement in case the blanket got lost. Unfortunately, Target was sold out and the closest item for sale was a pink giraffe (enter Pinky).
I don't remember the exact day of the transition, but I do remember Daphne tapping my shoulder before I carried Char out to the car, "No. She wants Pinky to go with her to day care." Although Char couldn't talk at the time, she was pretty good at letting us know what she wanted. Here's a video example. It's two minutes long, but you can see she pretty quickly that she wants a quilt that's on the bottom of a quilt stack.
Fast-forward to age four, and we now own two Pinkies.
One Pinky stays at day care (for nap time) and the original stays at home. Well, Pinky Monson is suppose to stay at home, but sometimes he has to go to day care, and sometimes the wrong Pinky gets into our bag when we're in a hurry to get home, and then sometimes someone drives across town to get the right Pinky in the right place. Even though the blankets appeared identical to us, Char could always tell the difference.
Years ago I went back to Target buy a third Pinky. I had the idea that I'd seal it up in a plastic bag, hide it in my closet, and then give to Char when she was old enough to move out on her own. Cheesy, I know, but that's me.
It reminds me of this comic by Phil Sloan.
The problem with that plan was I waited too long. Carter's "Just One You"/ "Mommy's Cutie" giraffe blankets have been discontinued. Check out what one eBay seller wants for one.
That price is pretty steep when you consider that this isn't a collectable. It's just a child's security blanket. I think this seller is banking on the chance that some little kid has lost their special buddy and the desperate parents are willing to pay anything to make things right.
This looks better. $23 is still too much, but considering supply and demand, the price isn't too over the top.
Funny thing is, when Charlotte actually leaves home, it going to be Mom and Dad who will need the extra security. Maybe I better save that Pinky for myself.
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