I think it’s official. The search for an official transitional item has ended, and Taggie is the winner. Her attachment has grown stronger in the last few weeks, possibly heightened by Mommy’s absence.

The Proof: Today, we inadvertantly left the house on an errand without Taggie. We had the pacifier, which was just barely enough to get us through. We were gone for about an hour, and Felicia alternated between complaining, whining, and cuddling. When we returned, she marched straight into her bedroom, and wanted into her crib. She spent a minute or two in the crib, and then wanted out. But she wasn’t going anywhere without Taggie.

Further Proof: A few minutes later, she put Taggie down on the floor and went to play with another toy. I thought this was my chance to remove the fleece blanket and return it to her bed. Thirty seconds after I scooped up the blanket, Felicia returned to the place she’d left it, and freaked out! She started screaming, and took off running in a big circle. She flailed around the kids table and ran smack into the wall behind the couch, which prompted more screaming. She relaxed when I helped her find Taggie again, but I think I learned my lesson.

Wave Hello to Thomas! No, really, “Wave Hello to Thomas!” … it’s Felicia’s new favorite book, replacing Maisy’s Bedtime in her required bedtime ritual. We read it three times tonight; no other book was allowed.

It’s a “Lift-and-Peek-a-Board Book” and it’s our first foray into the Tank Engine (which was one of Jocelyn’s favorite characters, too). This exact book was also a gift to Jocelyn; we know this because it bears the famous “frog stamp” from Grandee & GrandPa … right inside the front cover, just below the pop-up window that hides Sir Topham Hatt. It’s fun to recycle favorites!

Since it’s now officially mentioned in their website Blog, I guess I’m free to celebrate! The Nashville Martins are pregnant! They are due in October (although Jocelyn says she wants her new cousin to join her in November).

Perhaps we’ll host the “Unofficial Baby Pool,” including winners for correctly guessing the birthday, gender, and arboreal name. Stay tuned, or just add a comment now!

Felicia may have developed a security blanket; I’m just not exactly sure what it is.

The official “transitional object” has yet to clearly emerge, but we have a few candidates.

Our preference (since we’ve been pushing it) is the small fleece square “Taggie” blanket, which features 20 small ribbons folded over into a variety of loops along the edges of the blanket. We were initially drawn to the design because baby Felicia liked to weave her fingers into tags on all of her other blankets and stuffed dolls. While she likes hers (we have two – one for the car and one for her crib), I’m not sure Felicia would completely support the Taggie proliferation that the makers desire. We’re cool with it, mostly because the Taggies are available in mass quantities.

It is also possible that her “transitional item” will be less specific. I’m betting she’ll acept almost anything made of fleece. I say this because it is June (80+ degrees last week!), and she still insists on wearing jackets (usually fleece ones) around the house.

Could her favorite book by a darkhorse candidate? I guess time will tell.