The Bs and a P: seeking comfort and security

Since Ellie Bear was a wee little bambina, her pale, pink lovie has been her security blanket.  She needs it to sleep.  Seriously, no blankie equals no sleep. She chews on it when tired, ill, or in pain.  Andrew and I used to keep it safely stowed away in her crib where she could only have it at night, but well, we got rid of the crib and since then she has full fledged access.  That and she can now reach the top dresser drawers that house the "spare" lovies.  Heaven forbid there is ever perfectly clean, fresh lovie in the house.

We currently own 4 of these blankets.  We have owned a grand total of 6 thus far, but not all at the same time as one is hanging out in some dirty, dusty corner at Lakeline Mall and another was eaten by our washing machine or the dog or is also in a dark, dusty corner of our house.  (I seriously need to do some deep housecleaning.)  Every parent knows to keep an "emergency lovie" on hand in case the precious item is in the wash or worse, lost.

Oh the things that we must do to integrate the spare lovie into the household.  The things we must do to pass it off as THE lovie.  I have a friend who has thrown the spare blanket in the mud, rubbed it in the diaper pale, and washed it multiple times so that it has the "look" and "smell" of the beloved original blankie.  Believe me, her son knows the difference otherwise.

I say all of this because I am now on a lovie mission.  I need a spare stuffed puppy and a baby doll.  The baby I can handle easily.  The stuffed puppy, not so.  It has been so loved that I cannot even read the fabric tag to see the brand.

This past week, Ellie has decided that it is imperative to carry not one but TWO blankies, her baby, and her puppy to every single room in the house.  The Bs and P have lovingly been placed into her highchair before she herself climbs into it demanding to "eat".  They have ended up in the bathtub, thankfully before I turned the water on, because I told her it was time for her bath.

Of course, The Bs and P are now leaving the confines of our house and you know what that means. . . a high risk for misplacement.  I do not let them leave the car, but toys have mysteriously vanished from the backseat before.  That and The Chunky Chicken has the tendency to just fling items at full force out of the car when I open the door.  More times than not, the said items roll far under a neighboring car unable to be retrieved.  Hence, my mission.  Google, you and I are going to be good friends.

I am not sure what brought on this need for extra security items.  Perhaps the bed transition?  I am certain that there is some psychological or developmental theory about this involving the toddler seeking independence, but needs a transitional item to feel secure during their new endeavors or some such.  To be honest, I do not really care.  Is it hurting anything?  No.  It is too cute to watch my 23 lb toddler carry around an armload of toys trying not to drop them along the way to her destination.  So The Bear needs two blankets, a puppy, and a baby to go with us to the grocery store so be it.

What sort of lovies does your child have?  What sort of drastic measures have you taken to disguise the replacement lovie as THE lovie?