the girlies zoo

i'd like to introduce you to three of my friends. on the left is froggy, in the middle is bunny and on the right is the newest addition of giraffe. i spend a considerable portion of my day retrieving the first two little guys for my girls. i tote them back and forth between upstairs and downstairs, hunt for them when we are in a stressful teary eyed situation, wrestle them from my girls lovingly to see that they are bathed with some regularity... i've been known to defend their sacred honor, do considerable amounts of backtracking to locate them when dropped in public places... the list of duties required for these little friends is long.

why do i do all of this for these little guys, you ask? well, it is because they are my girlies special friends. they have the ability to soothe my oldest babes to sleep, stop a tearful fit on a dime, and make physical and emotional wounds magically disappear. the value that my girls place on them, well, it's priceless.

the value that i place on them is priceless as well, but just for different reasons. for me, each of these lovies was given to my babes by women whom have a sacred place in my heart.

froggy was gifted to me at my baby shower for sweet e. the giver was one of my first friends in chicago, meg. before babies, meg and i and another gal pal would go out for monthly dinners. we met because our hubbies were good friends in college, so we spent a considerable amount of time together as couples as well. meg is so important to me because she is the one that made chicago feel like home to me. she was the first girl here that i could pick up the phone and chat with, meet up with on a friday night, or just hang. so every time i see e cozied up to her frog, it feels like she is wrapped in the comfort of a good friend... meg.

bunny was gifted to d by my sister heather. as most people who know me can attest to, heather has always been someone that i look up to. for about ten years heather lived in canada. we weren't very close during those years. i was in college and she was busy raising her babies. but right before d was born, heather moved back to the states. and it was then that we connected as adults, as women, as mothers, as jesus followers. and so when i tuck d into her crib each night and she squeals for bunny, it is as if she is giving out a squeal for her auntie who loves her.

this week, my very sweet and special friend steph brought us dinner and a gift. when i opened the gift, i was moved to tears as i discovered giraffe. how fitting that the momma that helped me navigate the transition from the city to the burbs (steph lived a few blocks away from me in the city and now lives a few blocks away from me in the burbs) would gift my sweet p with her lovie.

and as many things have over the past few weeks, it made me miss chicago already.