Snoopy, Come Home!

Yesterday morning, Caedmon was up at 7:30, bouncing off the walls. It was one of those mornings that I was in no mood to bounce with him.

Who am I kidding? I’m never in the mood to “bounce” that early in the morning.

But yesterday I was particularly exhausted, still recovering from a few bad nights. So we watched cartoons in my bed for a while. Then we got up and around, and as usual, Caedmon asked his favorite first-thing-in-the-morning question. “Will you play with me, Momma?”

I didn’t want to. I wanted to do anything but try to use my imagination and put on a happy face. But I did anyway. I planted myself in his bedroom floor beside his “hideout” (blanket over his play table) and he went in and out, making cookies, cupcakes and apples for me for dinner.

Hey, at least he was feeding me.

Anyway, in the midst of all that, Caedmon wanted to read a book. (I think our cupcakes were baking.) So he chose a book off of his shelf and we read. When he went to put it away, I started to tell him the reason he was having trouble was because it belonged on a different shelf. But as his room was a complete disaster already still from the day before, I decided not to worry with it and just let him put it back on whatever shelf he wanted. At least he was putting it away.

Caedmon had to move his lunchbox in order to get the book on the shelf properly. We got that vintage-looking metal lunchbox for $1 at a going-out-of-business sale, and it’s been one of the best $1 bills ever spent on the boy. He loves that thing. He fills it, totes stuff around, dumps it, and starts over.

But today he decided it was a present for me. He loves to bring me “presents”, real or imaginary. I gladly accepted my lunchbox gift and opened it up to see what my present was.

You’ll never guess what I found inside.

I was shocked. I got up with it and ran into the kitchen to get the camera. Caedmon was running behind me. I couldn’t even get a picture before he snatched the contents and instantly became the happiest boy in the world.

Snoopy! I found you!

Seriously, have you ever seen a happier 3 year-old?

The lunchbox also contained a “special” nite-nite, one that Caedmon refers to as his “cold nite-nite.” As it is exactly like several others, I have no idea what makes it “cold,” but he was glad to see it again, too.

Is that not the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen?

Needless to say, Big Snoopy barely left his side all day. And Little Snoopy joined them. Even the Imagination Movers could not tear him away.

Husband was certain Snoopy was gone forever. I kept saying I was 99% sure Snoopy was in our house somewhere. And the only reason I left that 1% open was just in case he’d thrown Snoopy in the trash, which I couldn’t imagine. But we’d turned the house upside down and moved furniture and not found him. I was beginning to think we'd wonder where Snoopy was until we moved out of this house or the boy goes to college, whichever comes first.

I was even made to feel guilty about buying a new Snoopy. But I don’t think Caedmon will have a problem taking care of both of them. There’s a lot of love going on at our house right now. Big Snoopy. Little Snoopy. Cold nite-nite. All is right with the world.

For a little while, anyway.