Lost on Aisle 3

What was supposed to be a lazy Sunday afternoon at home turned out to be anything but. Gaby was at lunch with her girlfriends and I was relaxing on the couch while Isaac was taking what was supposed to be a long nap. Just as I was about to take a quick nap of my own, the hysterical cries began. I got up and tried to get him back to sleep to no avail. So I got him up and played with him for awhile, but he was still quite fussy. It was going to be awhile until Gaby got home, so I decided to go for a long walk with Isaac. The stroller can usually calm him down.

I needed some things at the hardware store, so I headed that direction, about a 20 minute walk away. Sure enough, Isaac calmed right down as he held onto his beloved stuffed animal "Bunny" and sucked his thumb. As I wandered around the store, Isaac eventually got interested in all the merchandise and so I got him out of the stroller so that he could explore a bit. I knew Isaac wouldn't last for the walk home, so it was a blessing to have Gaby come by and pick us up in the car to take us home. Mission accomplished, a calm baby and I got my hardware items!

But hold on... I got home and was returning a phone call when Gaby asked, "Andre, where is Bunny?" I immediately realized that I hadn't seen Bunny since we got to the hardware store. I panicked. I told the person on the phone that I had an emergency and would have to call him back. I checked in the stroller, but Bunny wasn't there. I checked in the car, but no luck. I figured he must have fallen out along the way or more likely in the hardware store. I was going to have to go out on a Bunny search.

This Bunny losing thing may seem trivial to the uninformed. But Gaby and I have actually joked about someone holding Bunny for ransom, or that if our car got stolen with Bunny in it, how we would be more upset about the stuffed animal than the car. You see, Isaac cannot fall asleep without his Bunny. It is magical - place stuffed animal into screaming baby's arms and thumb goes directly into mouth. Isaac even recently began to call him "Dunny" (and he doesn't even say "Mommy" yet). This is not just any stuffed animal to my son.

So I got in the car and retraced my steps. No Bunny to be found on the sidewalk along the way. I prayed as I drove and started to wonder what else we could possibly use to try and replace Bunny. I got to the hardware store and ran inside. Almost to mock me, just as I got inside the door, the cashier looked right toward me and said, "I have it right here." But I realized she was talking to another person that was coming back for a lost cell phone. So with my heart beating hard, I went over to the area where I had shopped. Nothing on the first aisle, nothing on the second. But then on the edge of the third aisle, tucked next to the garden hoses, I found Bunny. He had been stepped on a few times, his tan fur turned to a dirty gray. But he was intact. What a relief. I called Gaby right away and told her that Operation Bunny had been successful. Now Isaac can sleep soundly tonight.