We hope you are well.
Last July when Kimberley and I went to Idaho for a week without the kids we brought them back a present. I can't remember what we bought Olivia because she probably ate it or tore it up but we did get Lyla a little, brown, stuffed monkey with a cute button nose and a long tail. Her eyes lit up the second she saw it and she's been inseparable from her monkey since the day we gave it to her. She carries it with her everywhere she goes and she screams and falls to the floor whenever Olivia wrestles it away from her and takes off running. A few weeks ago we couldn't find the monkey for a few days and Lyla had to snuggle at bedtime with Charlie Horse (her stuffed horse). She would look at Charlie Horse before we tucked her in and she would say, "This is not my monkey." Then, with a sad little face she would snuggle up to Charlie Horse and try to fall asleep.
The monkey was discovered after a while hiding under some fisher price barn in the bottom of the toy box and peace was restored to bedtime.
Then came last night. All day Lyla had been complaining that, "my tummy sore Mama," and she had eaten next to nothing. As the evening wound down she become more energetic and seemed to be getting some life back into her. She even ate some food and seemed nothing but tired when we tucked her in and said goodnight around 7:30pm. At 9:30 I was sitting in the study when Kimberley rushed up to the door and said.
"Tony I need your help,...." I didn't catch the rest of what was said because Kimberley ran off but i followed her down to Lyla's room.
The first thing that hit me when I opened the door was the awful smell and I thought that Lyla must have messed in her diaper. Then I noticed that there was a large red stain spreading out from Lyla's bed onto the hardwood floor and reaching over to the dresser. Did I mention that what Lyla had eaten right before bed were 5 giant strawberries. Now five giant strawberries in various shapes and forms were covering the floor, the elephant chair, all 6 of Lyla's books stacked on the bed. The sheets, pillow, her blankets, her hair and pajamas had also taken some of the blast. But the biggest casualty of all, lying there in a big pile of red puke was Lyla's beloved monkey.
Kimberley and I spent the better part of the next half hour cleaning up. I took care of the room and all it accessories and Kimberley took care of Lyla. I bundled up all the sheets and pillows and the monkey and threw them in the wash making sure I set all the levels to, "extra water, extra soil, extra soap, extra cycle," just in case. I then mopped the floor and wiped down the dresser and the bed. Lastly I collected all the books and took them to the kitchen sink. As I was wiping down the books I was reminded of the story of the Velveteen Rabbit. At the end of the story the old wooden rocking horse tells the Rabbit that, "you're not real until somebody loves you." "Well," I thought, "I hope Lyla's monkey feels loved because that is about as real as it gets."
We love you Grandma. Tony, Kimberley, Lyla, Olivia and baby (and monkey)
