And we'll do it all over again next week

Laurel's bunny has been looking pretty rough lately. Laurel takes him EVERYWHERE - in the backyard, in the car, he's at the table when she eats, and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if she wipes her nose with him. It is a little difficult to wash him because she keeps him around every moment of the day. And I can't really wash him when she's sleeping because she sleeps with him too. So needless to say, his white fur has been looking...well...NOT WHITE.

I'd been meaning to try and wash him earlier this week, but every time I thought of it I couldn't because the stars were not properly aligned. But then this afternoon Laurel brought him to me, distressed. He had gotten in the backyard again (she's pretty sneaky) and was covered in mud. She wanted me to make it all better.

Seeing an opening, I knelt down next to her and and said perhaps Bunny should go in the washing machine. The washing machine was FUN! and SILLY! and Bunny would have a BLAST! inside. And when he came out, he'd be NICE! and CLEAN! and WARM!

She didn't buy it. I tried to put Bunny in the washer anyway and the utter fear and horror on Laurel's face was so extreme I quickly took him out. Perhaps another time - after all, it was only dirt. Laurel raced out of the laundry room clutching the bunny, and a few minutes later I saw her working on a puzzle with Bunny right at her side. It occurred to me that perhaps I could sneak Bunny into the washer and she would never notice, or at least not notice until the cycle was almost done.

So I sat down on the floor next to Laurel and started "helping" her with the puzzle. As we worked, I reached over, grabbed Bunny, and threw him a few feet away. Laurel didn't notice. I waited a second to make sure she was fully engrossed in the puzzle and then got up. I stuffed the bunny under my shirt and raced to the washing machine. Ten seconds later, Bunny was getting sprayed with soapy water.

I went back to the kitchen and started cleaning up a bit. One minute passed. Then two. Then three. I felt victorious - she hadn't figured it out! But then from across the room I heard the word - "Buhee." Her voice was a bit confused, and as she wandered around the house looking for him, it started to become more of a wail. She approached me and said, "Buhee!!" as in, "Mom, what the hell happened to Bunny? I swear I had him on the floor right by the puzzle!"

For a brief second I entertained the idea of playing dumb. Sure, I could go around the house "looking" for it and perhaps she would get distracted by a toy and forget what we were doing. But her voice was SO upset, "BUHEE!" that I just couldn't do it. So I knelt down to her level and explained Bunny was really dirty and was taking a bubble bath in the washing machine. I asked her if she wanted to go watch. "Da!!" she wailed, and sprinted off to the laundry room.

She was HORRIFIED. Bunny was right against the washer door so you could clearly see him tumbling over and over, and nothing I said could calm her down. Even Michael started crying. I tried to bring a chair into the room so she could sit with a snack and watch it like a TV, but I couldn't placate her.




So I started offering up every fun thing I could think of to "make it better." She hesitantly decided the park out back would suffice and we marched outside. But it look a while for the crying to stop. It was only later, after she was reunited with CLEAN! and DRY! Bunny that I realized it was really my fault it went over so badly. See, today is Thursday - the dreaded No Nap Because We Have To Get Michael Day. Laurel is always an emotional wreck at the end of these days, and yet this was the day I thought I'd try and sneak Bunny into the washing machine. BAD CALL.

But at least she isn't inhaling dry mud right now...