A Very Sad Day Indeed

If you know my girls at all, you know that they are EXTREMELY attached to their "bedtime friends". Many people call these sweet items, "Lovies". When Karson was learning to talk, all of her "l"s sounded like "y"s and her "v"s sounded like "b"s, so her "lovies" were "yubbies". Oh my goodness, Yubby is VERY special. She was given "White Yubby" when she was just 3 weeks old. It looked like a small white kitty cat face attached to a tiny floral blanket (about 1 square foot). We quickly realized how attached she had become and began to worry about losing "White Yubby". We set out in search of another yubby, and found one that was the same brand. It was a brown teddy bear head attached to a small blanket. Creative as we are, it became known as, "Brown Yubby".

Now, Brown Yubby was acceptable for taking to preschool and in the car, but it was definitely a second class citizen to the original, White Yubby. As time progressed and Karson was no longer taking naps at preschool or needing to take a yubby with her in the car, Brown Yubby found itself in the drawer and was no longer used at all. White Yubby was a prized possession and came out each night to help Kars go to sleep. She would take one of the ears between her first 2 fingers and rub it gently until she drifted off. It was truly precious to catch her in the act! By now, White Yubby has several holes and is extremely faded due to being washed so many times. We say it looks "well loved".

Before Campbell was born, we set out on a search for a Yubby. Nana found her a precious giraffe that we knew would be perfect. She was also given a super cute princess by my friend Lauren. Both of these yubbies were the same brand as Karson's and were attached to small silky blankets. Campbell attached herself instantly! We made sure to change them out frequently so that she wouldn't prefer one over the other (we had learned our lesson with Kars). It was so sweet to see Campbell with her yubbies! We even overheard Karson trying to teach her how to rub the ears properly! :)

Needless to say, yubbies are VERY special at our house.

For the past month, my parents have been adding on at their house. The latest in the project was that the floors were being sanded and stained, and so they had to spend several nights at a hotel. This past Friday night, I took the girls to stay with them at the hotel and go swimming (yes, we are "those people" - don't judge). Later in the evening, as we were winding down, I got out the girl's yubbies and handed them to them. They both drifted off to sleep and all was well. Around 1 AM, Rus arrived at the hotel (he had been in Stillwater for the Union game) to take the girls home. I was staying the night because I had to get up early and drive to Arkansas. forshadowing...

Saturday morning I called to check in on them, and Rus informed me that Karson had left White Yubby at the hotel. I quickly called Mom and Dad to let them know. I wanted to make sure they grabbed it before the cleaning ladies came in. I had a fear that it would get tangled up in the sheets/towels and taken to the laundry. more forshadowing...

On my way home from Arkansas, I called Mom and found out that Yubby was no where to be found. They had searched all over the room and all over the hotel. They had the entire hotel staff looking for it, and no one had seen it. Apparently during the transfer from the room to the car, Yubby was dropped and LOST. shudder. I quickly called Rus to see how Kars was taking the news. He said she wasn't handling it too well, and that quite a few tears had been shed.

After I arrived home, we talked about what had happened, and got Brown Yubby out of the drawer. Mr "Second Class Citizen" has now become her new best friend and is filling a much needed void. She still says his ears aren't good for rubbing, but that it's okay. We haven't had any tears at bedtime, so I guess that's a good sign.

I think my heart may be as broken as Karson's. This was a special item that symbolized her childhood. It was one of those that I hoped to keep forever and be able to give to her when she had a baby of her own. Ugh. It's been a sad few days here at the Zumwalt house, but I guess life goes on. It's all about perspective!

Here are a few pics of Yubby...

I took this picture last summer. I was going to write a post about Yubby (ironic, isn't it). That's White Yubby all tucked in by her chin. I laid Brown Yubby out beside her.

This picture of Campbell makes me laugh! I wonder what she was dreaming about? These are her 2 yubbies! Pink Yubby goes to school and church with her, while her White Yubby stays at home in her bed.