Previously Bosley the cat lived with us. But when he started chewing on Eliza's O2 tubing, he moved to Casa de Nana and Papa. He never made the return trip to NYC since my parents became very attached to him. After my father died, Bosley served to keep my Mom company, and he is now officially her third child and is not making the trip back across the Hudson.
It seems Eliza is, well, confused as to what constitutes a pet. Would you like to meet her new pet "Spotty?"
Here he is:
Yup. It's a pumpkin. A pumpkin that she lovingly decorated with a cute face, one heart shaped eye and spots. Because this is a Spot Leopard Pumpkin. Now given Eliza's almost encyclopedic knowledge of animals (the kid knows what a quetzel is whereas you'll have to google it) you would almost start to think that there is such an animal as a Spot Leopard Pumpkin. Sadly no.
And here it the dilemma. Eliza loves Spotty so much, she has him sit on the table when she eats, brings to the side of the tub during bath time and, yes, brings him to bed at night. Yup, this kid sleeps with her beloved pumpkin:
So far Spotty has been holding up OK, if you know what I mean. But one day Spotty is going to go the way of all gourds (unless of course some reader knows how to preserve a whole pumpkin). When that sad day comes, we may have to search for a spotted fish. Or maybe Nemo's cousin.
She even sleeps with the pumpkin? That's actually kind of cute. Some kids have a security blanket, or a favorite stuffed animal, Eliza created her own favorite friend.
ReplyDeleteSorry, no ideas as to how to preserve her pumpkin. Hope it survives until you figure something out!
Seriously, she sleeps with it. Once Eliza is asleep I carefully remove it because I do not want to have her wake up to "smashed Spotty" on the bedroom floor!
ReplyDeleteThink Polyurethane would work? :)
Maybe she can feed Spotty and he can encourage her to eat????
ReplyDeleteLet me say again...I love Eliza. She is so funny.
Hmmm...maybe creating a mold of some sort? I'd say wax, but somehow that probably wouldn't fare well. I'm thinking you may have to buy a 25cent goldfish (the kind that all look the same in case you have to replace them). Ummm...if you do, do you think she'll try to take him to bed with her--that may not work so well. :( How do you feel about frogs? LOL!
ReplyDeleteI ♥ Eliza & I ♥ that you share her with us! :) Hugs & Blessings!
I'm sure Eliza would love a frog. She helped dissect an owl pellet a the Botanical Gardens. Eliza enjoyed it but I was horrified to find out an owl pellet is a ball of regurgitated mouse/shrew/vole fur and bones. Blech! I did try to look enthusiastic as she was holding the skull of a shrew trying to identify it. I'm in trouble :)
ReplyDeleteHilarious. Sam also insisted on sleeping with his tiny pumpkin for several weeks (and it didn't even have a face) until one day he actually lost it all by himself. I'm sure we'll find it when the smell of rotting gourd wafts into the living room, but for now he's happily moved on to sleeping with his panda bear and his tractor book.
ReplyDeleteBTW - quetzal is not a mystery to any child (or parent) who has sat through Dora's alphabet book advneture in which she and Boots have to figure out where all the animals in the alphabet have disappeared to. I had never heard of a quetzal before then, but now I've sat through that episode so many times that I know that as well as an x-ray fish. :)
Didn't even know Dora did the alphabet! I am eternally grateful that Dora and Diego were short lived at our house. Last week Eliza was arguing with someone who called a greater kudu a "deer" at the museum. Thankfully she has not figured out that the museum animals are stuffed ... maybe the museum taxidermist would help me out with Spotty?
ReplyDeleteMy three year old thinks it's funny that I don't know a caiman from a coati. He has to help me do the Go, Diego, Go puzzle.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, there must be some way to preserve that pumpkin. It's so cute!
You guys are too funny!!! Last year we didn't throw our pumpkin with other Halloween decorations and it was in our garage because my children didn't adore it and stayed really well over seven/eight months. So don't worry and I am sure Eliza's affection will be replaced with something else by then. She is an explorer!
ReplyDeleteKathy.