(thanks aunt jamie)

"i love you, mankie"

"awww, mankie"

"you're so soft mankie"

"hayden, give me mankie back!"

"mom, i can't find mankie!"

"can i bring mankie?"

"daddy lets me bring mankie..."

since hayden never had an object of such 

affection, her obsession with "mankie" 

fascinates me to no end. what started out

as the softest pink baby blanket with pretty

little silk appliques has become a grayish, 

tattered, treasured necessity in her life.

there is a "big one", a "little one" and soon

to be a "new one". she sticks one corner up 

her nose, she wraps it over her head like a 

hijab, and around her shoulders like a little 

old lady. i peel it off her several times a day

so we can leave the house, eat breakfast, or 

(dare i say) wash it... occasionally (i 

imagine when it starts to smell really bad), 

she allows me to add it to the laundry. 

someday, i promise to video her response

when i remove it from the dryer and wrap it 

around her.... warm and smelling like my 

favorite scent of bounce. 

positively joyful.