Now Where Did I Put That...

This may not come as a surprise to anyone, but it really bugs me when I lose things. Even though things are generally just misplaced and not permanently lost. I cannot stand to lose...misplace...ANYthing. The smallest thing missing will drive me insane. The same cannot be said for Jim. If anything, he is the polar opposite in this regard. He is quite content to be missing or misplacing even very important things (passport, credit cards, wallet, car keys). Doesn't bug him in the least.

Lucky for me, my children seem to have taken after me. Well...I don't actually know if it bugs them if they lose things, because they always seem to know where things are. They are

amazing that way.

Tonight during my nightly round of straightening, sorting, and picking up after the kids were tucked in, I realized that I could not find Natalie's tiny Disney princess dolls. For those without small female children, the term for these dolls are Polly Pockets. They are only about 4 inches tall and they come with tiny rubbery dresses that are excruciatingly hard to get on and off, and even tinier shoes that are approximately 3 millimeters long. Oh yes, and necklaces that are also about 3 mm around. I know, just the right size for a 2.5 yr old. But she does really well with them (other than wanting ME to dress and undress them 10 times in a row every day - Grandma will learn this when she visits next). I really don't worry about her swallowing anything - she loves them too much to eat them. I do worry about losing the tiny accessories, but Liam keeps pretty good track of their wardrobes. :-)

Tonight, however, I could not find the dolls themselves! Horror! I wouldn't have been quite so disturbed by this (really) except I had just taken out the trash, and Natalie does occasionally play in the kitchen pantry where the trash can is kept (yes, another good play thing for a 2.5 yr old). After 20 minutes of searching the entire house, obsessing over whether they were in the trash can (and should I start digging through it on the driveway), or even in the sand box outside...I finally went into Natalie's room to look there. I even turned on the closet light and woke her up. Yes, I am horrible. I was so worked up over having lost something that I would wake a sleeping 2.5 yr old. She sat up and asked "Mommy, what are you looking for? It's over here." She pointed me to a pacifier wedged on the side of her bed. Then, feeling guilty about being there in the first place, I finally just had to ask. "Do you know where your princesses are?" (Running the risk here of making her upset when she realizes I don't know where they are.) "My tiny princesses?" she whispered. "Yes, are they outside in the sand box?" I asked. "No, they are hiding under the couch." I swear to you, she told me this without a moment's hesitation after being awakened in the night. And she was RIGHT! I came down and pulled up the couch cushion and there they were! Hiding! I love my children. The tiny princesses...not so much.