Lovey Dovey

Today a much anticipated package came all the way from Tasmania! Rhea's little "lovey" a sweet baby doll made just for her. She is made with all natural fabrics and stuffed with sheep's wool to retain body heat and capture the sweet baby smell of the girl. The premise behind a lovey is to provide a transitional object that a baby can form a positive attachment to. This attachment is supposed to provide security and comfort and help them self soothe in times of anxiety or during new situations...or anytime a baby might find herself away from her Mama.

Introducing a lovey to your baby is encouraged in every baby book I have ever read that deals with helping children sleep well....which of course peaked my interest. I started to look into getting her one (around the same time I was ordering the organic crib mattress..still yet to be used btw) and found that there are a frightening number of items marketed as lovey's...frightening just in the fact that the many options can leave you wondering where to start. I decided to narrow it down by looking at natural products and eventually ran across a dollmaker on etsy. I loved the look of her basic baby doll so I contacted her to talk colors and eye color and a few weeks later Rhea's little lovey was born.

There was something so special about getting the package in the mail covered in airmail stickers and hailing from Tasmania of all places. I made a bit of a production of opening the package with Rhea and you should have seen her face when she first laid eyes on the doll...she broke into a huge grin, immediately reaching for it while launching into a babylicious babble fest. It was too cute for words. We nursed with her before bed and she held onto it and scratched at it like she often does to whatever part of me she can get a hold of with her little scissor nails. We shall see if she takes to it or not...I think she would be much happier with a plastic bag lovey, but I knew I wouldn't be able to take the stares at playgroup down the road.

I tried to get a good picture to capture her sweetness with the baby...but was having difficulty because Rhea was so tired (workman outside her window have kept her from napping for two days now...that is another post altogether...a post in which I nearly lose my mind and the poor workman pay the price).

Anyhow...here is the best picture I could get given the circumstances. I think she looks very serious here...and of course she is reaching for me pleading with me to put her out of her sleepless misery.