Like her brother

Cordelia likes her thumb just like her big brother Rion. She also likes the feel of tags and I wonder if she will latch on to a favorite lovey or blankie like Rion.

Rion latched onto a blankie quite early. I want to say he was only a few months old. He liked how one particular receiving blanket felt and he would rub it with his fingers. There were two of these receiving blankets. Rion had one while the other was in the laundry. He carried it everywhere so I always had to rotate them. Then one day we lost one in Menards. I called later to see if anyone had turned it in, but whoever found it probably just threw the rag away.

I had to wash the blankie so often that it began to shred. Soon he had multiple little blankies. He would carry a strand everywhere we went. If I took a picture of Rion the blankie would also be in the picture. Rion also went through a phase where he liked to hide things, especially his blankie. Part of our bedtime routine was to find a blankie strand. When we finally had discovered all of his hiding spots, he would find another one. Many nights I ran around the house frantically searching for the blankie. When we found blankie Rion would curl up, thumb in his mouth, and run the blankie through his fingers until he fell asleep.

After many washings, his blankie was nothing more than a few small strands and it "disappeared." Rion was devastated and it made me heartbroken. I couldn't wait to get rid of the darn thing, but my heart was breaking for the lost of my son's blankie. He loved it so much. I put the last few strands of blankie in his hope chest so they will be reunited again some day. For months after blankie had gone away I still would come across a strand hidden by Rion. These strands ended up in a keepsake box of my own as I reminder when my growing too fast boy fit in my arms. Not too long ago Rion saw a picture of himself with blankie in his hands. "I miss my blankie," he said. "I know," I told him, "I do too."