China wankie to the rescue

Obviously, it's been a while since my last post.  For those of you wondering why, someone turned six, then we hustled out of town to a travel group reunion and between the two events, I haven't had a moment to sit down and write.  Usually, with this many events of note occurring I'd have a hard time deciding what to write about.  Then, the big event happened today and there was no doubt about tonight's topic.  

The big event?  We forgot "wankie" in LA.  For those who don't remember, 'wankie' is not only the Magster's blanket, but he (and she will tell you wankie is a boy) has been elevated to family member status. Not only does she sleep with him every night, she usually kisses him good-bye every time we leave the house and half the time she worries about him being lonely when she's away from him.  

Of course, I didn't realize our terrible oversight until we were nearly home and she was asking for him from the back seat.  And let me tell you, cold fear shot through my body.  Heart stopping, gut wrenching fear, because I knew I hadn't packed him and if I didn't pack him, chances were no one else did.  

The Dad at his sensitive best said, "Whatever, it's time she got rid of that thing anyway."  I told him with that attitude, I'd wake him up every time she woke up just so he felt my pain.  

I called the hotel from I-5 when we were in lovely Coalinga.   They recovered the lost blanket and agreed to fed-ex him home.  We should have him by Tuesday, which is great, but that left us facing two nights, 'wankie-free'.  

When I broke the news to the Magster, she howled in grief.  "Wankie, wankie, wankie..."  It wasn't pretty.

After we arrived home and unpacked, I pulled out a blanket we've long called "back-up wankie" and handed it to Maggie.  She looked at it and said, "Mom, I want my China wankie."  Then she went to a box I kept of souvenirs from our adoption trip with her and pulled out this blanket (towel really) the orphanage gave us in China.  

About then, I went into shock.  In China, she screamed every time she saw that blanket.   More recently, I tried to explain where we got it a couple of times, but she ignored me, so I dropped the subject.  Then tonight, Maggie went off to bed clutching her towel from China, and leaving me to wonder, what exactly she does think of her whole China story and what, if anything, she remembers of that old China blanket.