my Bubba’s back!

Sweet Bubba has returned after an extended stay at Hannah and Mariah’s house. I called Mariah on Sunday morning after Ava walked into our room crying, “My Bubbie didn’t sleep with me!” She and Hannah looked for Bubba, but didn’t find her until Ava was on her way back to their house Saturday night.

I know I’m in trouble for not posting this breaking news earlier. In my defense, I did not realize this was breaking news until three, yes three different people exclaimed, “Bubba’s back!!” upon spying her in Ava’s bed.”

It still blows my mind that when I hit publish the post goes out there into crazy-space and then you read it on your computer. And not only do you read it, but you actually remember what it is that I wrote. Between you and me, I rarely remember what I write. This tends to be a bit embarrassing when someone refers to a blog story in the middle of a conversation and I just stare at them blankly.

“You wrote about it … on your blog.”

Oh that’s right, I have a blog. And you must have read it. And yes, really that story that you are referring to really did happen.

You see, the publish button has become the-story-is-now-saved-to-a-hard-drive-and-now-I-don’t-need-to-keep
-it-in-my-brain button. (Have I ever mentioned that I like the hyphen key, cause I do.) So I forget about the story and forget that it’s out there waiting for you to read it.

So when I asked you pray for Ava and her like sweet little Bubba, you actually did pray about it. Which means that I should testify to all of you that the Lord heard your prayer and the prayer of little Ava, and Bubba was restored to her.

But not just Bubba and this part really blows my mind! Are you ready?

Okay, here’s the background before the mind-blowing part.

Each time Ava goes to bed she sleeps with no less than sixteen animals–the same sixteen animals. She does inventory every night before she goes to sleep and heaven help us if one of them is lost in the tangle of blankets or has fallen down the side of the bed. You know the story of shepherd and the ninety-nine sheep or the stories of the soldiers that were left behind and the troupe went back for them, well this archetype was imprinted in Ava’s DNA. There is no sleeping without the sixteen–and especially without Bubba.

Now for the hour or two while Ava is in bed, but not yet asleep she presides over her court of animals. The dynamics of this court are about as capricious and mercurial as a cafeteria table full of seventh grade girls. Who gets to sit by whom, who’s talking to whom, who likes whom is changing hands about as quickly as Ho Ho’s for Twinkies. Remember Froggy? He has since been excommunicated from the bed. He has been relegated to the dungeon/basement where he is still serving time for a crime Ava refuses to talk about. All in all, it truly a relaxing way to fall asleep.

While I don’t understand all the goings on of Queen Ava and her court, I do know that Bubba and Puppy are inseparable. The bulk of Ava’s Bubba-anxiety hung on this note: “Mama, Bubba needs her Puppy. She won’t sleep if she doesn’t have her!!”

On Sunday night when all sixteen were accounted for and I was tucking Ava in her bed, I saw Bubba snuggled up with Puppy.

“Oh, look Puppy and Bubba are together again,” I said picking up Puppy, but it wasn’t Puppy. It looked just like Puppy, but brand new.

“Who’s this?”

“That’s New Puppy.”

“Who’s New Puppy? Where’s he from?”

“Bubba got him. Bubba needed Puppy, so she got New Puppy.”

If you are confused then you are reading this right, because I’m still confused.

All I know is that you must have prayed really hard because when Bubba came home Sunday morning, she came home with a new puppy that looks frighteningly similar to her original best friend, Puppy.

If that doesn’t blow your mind, then you must not have a daughter with a room full of stuffed, cat-fighting friends.

P.S. Shanel–Did you ever think one little hospital gift could produce so much drama!