"Crabby"

This is Max and Crabby. Max takes Crabby everywhere. I brought the beanbag crab back for Max from Hawaii. That was in August. Since then, it has usurped all his other objects of love, except for "Red Blanky." But as Crabby is more compact, he goes with Max everywhere. It is kind of ridiculous.

In September, Max brought Crabby to Target. He set him down to pick up a toy. He forgot Crabby. That night at bedtime, he noticed. He cried and cried. All the kids felt so bad for him. I felt bad enough to call Target and ask them if they had found a crab. They hadn't. We checked back a few days later and Crabby was in the lost and found (I think Target realized that a much used crab without a sales tag probably was not part of their inventory). Now that Max realized the joy of finding a lost object, Crabby became all the more dear to him.

In October, we went to Disneyland. Crabby was momentarily replaced by Goofy and Pluto. I thought he would be put on the shelf to dust. But no, a few days later, Goofy and Pluto were forgotten. Crabby still holds his place.

But the last week, Max has taken his love for Crabby to a whole new level. Once a source of comfort, now Crabby appears to be Max's best friend. Sometimes it's cute, but most times it's downright annoying. Two nights ago, Max woke up screaming for Crabby. I don't exactly like being woken to look for a crab in between sheets. Then yesterday, it was my turn to drive the kindergarten carpool. It is quite a feat to get Max in the car, so I was feeling good about our timing. Then Max realized he didn't have Crabby. He went nuts. I had to go inside and find him, all the time while George was complaining that we would be late.

Crabby had to go in the wash. Max cried when he found out where Crabby was. He then watched as the washer went round and round. He saw Crabby and declared that he would like that ride also. I told him that people could not go in the washer. He came out of the dryer looking and smelling clean. Max hugged his clean Crabby and said that he would not tell Maddie or Sam about Crabby's adventure because "they will say Crabby can go in the tub when he can't."

Perhaps my favorite was the other night. We all sat down to dinner. Max declared that he wasn't hungry. I said, "Fine. You don't have to eat." A few minutes later, Max came up to me and said, "Crabby's hungry. He wants beans." Crabby proceeded to eat three helpings. Since that night, Crabby accompanies Max to every meal. I have seen Max attempt to feed Crabby before feeding himself. Crabby makes a clicking sound when he walks and a purring sound when he talks.

In short, Crabby has become the new family pet. An easier addition than I could have imagined; I just fear for the time Crabby gets lost.