Baby

Yesterday, as I do from time to time, I asked Gwen "where's your baby?" because she was cuddling on her chair with some other toys and I  know that she loves cuddling with her baby.  I went to grab it from her little toy corner and it wasn't there.  By the time I realized I didn't know where baby was, Gwen was already on her way over to find her - only to look up at me with big sad eyes when she couldn't find her.  I instantly had a flashback to the day that Kristen lost her Blueberry Bunny.  I've never been a sentimental person, and surely Gwen wouldn't really remember the baby after a day or two, but I kept thinking to myself that every time I say the word "baby" she would be looking for her lost toy and it broke my heart.  Then I thought about how I haven't realized it until now, but that baby doll is "THE" toy.  The first toy that she actually remembered and cared about and showed a connection to.
I was laying in bed last night, trying to figure out where baby could be, the only thing that made sense was that maybe Gwen threw her in the office trash (I find toys in there from time to time because she loves putting objects inside other things now).  I became anxiety stricken when I realized that tomorrow is trash day and baby could be out in the trash can at the edge of the driveway!  It was 12:30am and with Justin asleep next to me, I was ready to put on my sneakers and run outside.  I finally calmed myself down and thought where else could she be?! Something told me to go downstairs and look behind the toy bin where we usually keep baby (duh, so obvious, why hadn't I just moved the bin to look before?).  So that's what I did, and what do you know, there she was.  RELIEF came over me and I brought baby upstairs so I could give her to Gwen as soon as she woke up the next morning.