"Nannie"

This is "Nannie", Katherine's blanket that she has slept with, loved, and nurtured to the point that it no longer even resembles a blanket. She has to have it at bedtime, and on those nights when it's lost, she begs us to find it because she can't sleep/live without it. Sometimes, it seems like we've spent half her life looking for Nannie.

We actually have a picture of her with it on the day she came home from the hospital. It was made of a light pink, cotton pique, and it had a pretty white crochet trim. But, over the years, it has lost it's color, texture and crochet trim. It's been reduced to a gray, threadbare rag that is actually tied into several knots just to keep it in one piece.

A few nights ago while tucking her in, I asked the usual question, "Have you got Nannie?"

And just like that, she said it. "I don't need it."

You know, nothing prepares you for these moments. You expect to get teary eyed the day they go off to school, get married, etc. But you don't expect to be blindsided by your little girl declaring that she doesn't need her blankie anymore.

This story does have a happy ending, though. When I peeked in at her later, she was sound asleep, with Nannie balled up and wrapped around her left hand as usual. Apparently, she had decided she wasn't ready to be big yet. And I'm perfectly okay with that!