Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Hah. Like I really take bubble baths

Dear Junior,

At one time, you slept like a butterfly in something my friend liked to call that sack.



You loved your Amby Bed sack, so much so that I worried you’d always need to sleep suspended in the air. But one day, after I learned that putting you to bed earlier—rather than later—made falling asleep easier, you spent the night in a crib. And there you’ve slept for a year and a half.



You never once tried to climb out of your crib, which surprised me. Isn’t that a rite of passage? Weren’t we supposed to awake one morning to see you standing by the foot of our bed?

I guess there’s plenty of time for that now, because your father found this on craigslist:



When your father told me it was a train bed, I didn’t make the connection. Or maybe I did and I just didn’t want to accept the fact that another piece of your life had fallen prey to that fat-faced train.

I’m happy Thomas brings you so much joy, but between the Thomas lamp, night light and train station set, our home is starting to resemble the Island of Sodor, and that freaks me out. Some days it bothers me because the Island of Sodor sounds a lot better than Mulletville, and I don't really want it to be my go-to place when I'm in the bubble bath.

Unless Sir Topham Hatt suddenly started looking like this:



Other days it bothers me because Thomas the Train seems like a big commercial machine. None of the other characters you could have chosen to embrace seem as heavily outfitted. Curious George doesn’t have a shed he sleeps in or a platform he puffs up to (one that retails for $19.99 anyway). And Clifford the Big Red Dog doesn’t even have a dog bowl—at least one that I’ve seen in the stores.

I want to be sure you don’t become the kind of kid who walks into a store expecting five new Thomas friends. I know that has a lot to do with us, your parents, but the Thomas the Train empire is the size of planet earth, and your father and I are the size of, well, just middle class Homo sapiens.

Everything seemed so much simpler when you were dangling from a metal spring. Your gray, creepy-faced train bed has made me realize that I'm not ready for you to be ready for a real bed. I had a lot of wine tonight and I'm really, really crumpled up over your sudden leap into big boyhood.

Could you please slow down? Could you please give me a second to absorb all this? Could James or Percy possibly talk to the Fat Controller about starting an exercise regime?

No? I didn't think so.

P.S. If you have an Amby Bed, the company did a voluntary recall in January. All the details are here.

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Our boys went through a massive Thomas phase. We have it all packed away now waiting for our one-year-old to discover Thomas. Or maybe he won't. Wouldn't THAT be awesome? LOL. Either way, sign me up for a ride on YOUR Sir Topham Hat. He's much hotter than the one I remember! :o)

brokenteepee said...

He looks more like Sir Tookem Off

Small Town Mommy said...

We never did Thomas in my house, but we more than made up with it with the princesses. I bet if Sir Topham Hatt looked like that, viewership of Thomas would increase even further (as well as merchandising opportunities).

kyooty said...

AWWW! more firsts

Lindy said...

My daughter never climbed out of the bed either. I almost wished she would have so I had a reason to blatantly switch her to a big girl bed.

The Mother said...

There has been a significant amount of complaining from left-leaners that Thomas and his friends are bastions of conservative values, woven carefully into the thread of the stories.

I haven't seen anyone take on Sesame Street yet. That could be fun.

Buggys said...

The transition to a big bed is a shattering one, for the parents that is. I remember each of them with a little prick to my heart. They grow up so quickly. I can't believe my buggys girl is going to be 6 already! I want to squish her back to 2.

heather said...

I'm dealing with the ever present Disney Princesses. Try convincing a six year old girl that there is more to life than princesses. LOL

Brandy@YDK said...

i think you just gotta go with the flow. maybe one day at thanksgiving with his wife and you. He will fondly recall his thomas phase and how you let him have a thomas bed.

Sara said...

Wow! That is an awesome bed!

I'd take that bubble bath with that sexy man. :)

Unknown said...

I just totally licked my screen when i got to the bare chest photo...

Mammatalk said...

There was a recall on the Amby??

Stephanie said...

How exciting and sad at the same time at how fast they grow up! Enjoy it as much as you can!

Mrsbear said...

We're still holding off on switching to the big boy bed, it would involve a whole bedroom furniture layout rethinking...and I'm just not ready.

I'm kind of glad my boys have never gotten in to the Thomas trains, their fat faces always weirded me out.

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