Danica's Blankie

The original blankie :)

The new one...i think she loves it.

Shortly after Danica was born, I bought her an AlllyZabba blanket from BabySteals. I wanted her to have a special blanket that she could take places with her (she had a special quilt from grandma, but that had to stay on the bed). I loved the idea of the minky and satin together, and thought it could be her "special blanket." Little did I know just how special that blanket would become!
In three years she has only spent 4 nights away from it...and those were hard night, let me tell you!
"Polka dot blankie" has been hallway around the world with Danica, helping her sleep every night when she rubs the satin between her fingers. It helps her feel better when she gets hurt or is sick, and when anyone else in the family is down, she generously offers her blankie to help us feel better.
It's been a fort, a picnic blanket, a blanket for sick stuffed animals, a cape, and anything else her little imagination comes up with!
One night a few months ago we couldn't find it. Finally, after looking for an hour and a half past her bedtime, we told her that she would have to try and sleep without it and we would bring it in right away of we found it. She reluctantly agreed and left us with this: "if you see a blankie that has colored polka dots and feels soft when you do this (rubs her finger and thumb together), then that's polka dot blankie."
The blanket has held up really well for the past three years, though it's not without it's scars. There is a nail polish stain on it and a spot I had to sew back together when myka accidentally snipped it with scissors. It's not as soft as it was because you are supposed to air dry minky and, well, that didn't really fly with her. It hasn't been an issue now that she's older, but when she was two, even waiting for blankie to finish getting washed was a challenge!
I've been wanting to store the blanket in her hope chest when she's done with it, but have been getting nervous that it would get wrecked or lost before that point. Daniel suggested that I get her a new one last time they were on BabySteals and try to swap them. The new blanket arrived yesterday :)

Daniel held it up to show her and asked if she wanted to trade. I could tell she was thinking about it but said, "no, I don't want to."
"Are you sure? You should feel it!" He said.
She reached out and touched it, then quickly, almost timidly, she handed Daniel hers, grabbed the new one and ran to her room.
We walked in to find her snuggled up on the bed with it and her eyes closed. 20 minutes later I went in and found her fast asleep :)
"New blankie" has found it's way into her heart and now I'll store the old one in her memory box. And what sweet memories it holds!