My mom makes baby blankets for all of the grandkids. When she gave me Blake’s we hung it on the crib for a while and then put it away so it wouldn’t get dirty or ruined.

Exhibit A:

(Blake’s Blanket)

Clark was born in the summer though, so it seemed like a perfect light-weight blanket to use while he was sleeping.

Exhibit B:

(Clark’s Blanket)

And after a few months of losing his pacifier, he started sucking his thumb.

Exhibit C & D:

(sucking his thumb at about 3 months with Grandma Hersam)

(4 months old – looking like an old man with his crazy hair, but still sucking his thumb)

And then somehow this action (thumb-sucking) got entangled with the blanket…literally.

It turned out that when he went to bed he would run the little strings from the blanket through the fingers on his left hand and suck his right thumb at the same time. This has become a habit that he still does at age 4.

He never sucks his thumb during the day, only when he is holding this special blanket.

And that brings us to the story of Clark’s “lumper.”

For the past year Clark has lovingly been showing friends and family his “lumper.” It is a tangled up knot on the strings of his blankie. Why he is so fascinated by it, I don’t know. But I do know that each night he finds his lumper and holds it while he sucks his thumb. It is his favorite spot.

But this morning he came to us with his little lumper and no blanket.

It has fallen off.

Exhibit E:

So long good little lumper. You’ve been a good friend.

Perhaps we can break Clark of his thumb-sucking now that you are gone.

Mom: Blake, aren’t you glad that you have the BEST father in the whole world! (hinting to Blake to say this on Father’s Day)

Blake: Well…how do I know he’s the best in the world? There may be other dads that let their kids have treats whenever they want them.

(the boys eating dessert – we DO let them have it occasionally)