Meet backup puffy. Backup puffy is exactly the same as puffy except it is a different color. It is also technically Henry's, but Benjamin commandeered it almost a decade ago.
Puffy and backup puffy were one of the first toys that G-Ma gave to the boys back when we still measured the boys' age in weeks. Benjamin immediately developed a strange bond with the puffy that G-Ma gave him and pretty soon it became part of Benny's routine. In addition to hanging out with puffy throughout the day, Benny always finds puffy after he eats and he always seeks out puffy when he goes to bed.
Knowing how fond Benny was of puffy we also kept a close eye on backup puffy. To Henry it was just another toy, so we made sure backup puffy never got lost in the mix. We also tried to substitute backup puffy for regular puffy on the rare occasions when the whereabouts of puffy were unknown. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.
Even today backup puffy is a tough sell for Benjamin and whenever I see him carrying around backup puffy a little feeling of panic comes over me. "Oh, no! Where is puffy?!?" I think. Because there have been more than a few times that we have been searching the house high and low for puffy at bedtime. My favorite is when we could not find puffy anywhere in the house so we had to move the search to the backyard. There we were with flashlights searching the backyard for puffy with Benjamin standing watch. We eventually found puffy just hanging out in the backyard.
Well, it seems that Benjamin has become enamored with Auntie M, his new caretaker. I didn't see it coming, but my baby Benny has fallen for a new woman. And it's the "other" woman no less! I was eating lunch at my desk texting back and forth with Auntie M as she was sharing the events that were transpiring at home with the kids. Suddenly a text message popped up and it read that she was reporting that one of my boys has a crush on her.
Immediately I believe it to be Henry because as long as you have hands for petting, which Auntie M most definitely does, then Henry will be your best friend. But then I thought about it a bit more and while Henry likes his petting, he's not really a "lover" boy. But Benny, the lover boy, is more typically shy around new people. So I didn't think it would be Ben either. I was stumped and curious.
The follow up message read that Benny was indeed the one that simply adores her. And I am not sure why I was surprised. Auntie M is definitely Benny's "type". I guess it was just the realization of the first crush your son has when it is no longer you. It was that odd but silly feeling. As we continued texting, she explained how he just follows her around looking at her with his brown eyes gazing up at her. And that is the classic Benjamin falling in love insignia. Yup, that is Benny.
Then she shot me the photo seen here. (When Ben brings you his puffy it's like there is no turning back. He's all yours.) And that is when I know that I have officially lost my baby to another woman! Fortunately, Benjamin still has plenty of love for me when I get home from work. Benny is so full of love that there is always plenty of Benny love to go around. That's my boy!
This is pretty much the scene every morning. Benny finds puffy and hunkers down on the couch. Whenever Benny is feeling content, like right after he eats, you can be sure that puffy will be with him.
Part of me can't believe that he still carries puffy around. Puffy was the first toy given to him by G-Ma almost 9 years ago. The fact that it is still intact is amazing!
Thank goodness Benjamin was not around when this incident took place, but here is a little video of Henry playing with Benjamin's Puffy. Benjamin has very strict rules for Puffy and Rule #1 is, "No one touches Puffy except for Benny. Rule #2 is "Puffy is not a toy and should not be used for play."
Henry must have suffered some sort of momentary lapse this weekend.
