Didi

Some of you on here will already be familiar with this little chap. Some of you have met him in the flesh...or cloth.

Didi has been a huge part of Henry's childhood. He was a baby gift and H became instantly attached. Didi accompanied us everywhere. H was a shy child who was slow to warm up to new situations and Didi helped him overcome his reticence. I believe Didi is what is known by those in the know as a 'transition object'. Well, with Didi in tow H made the transition first to nursery then to school. He accompanied H to parties (always a source of anxiety) and on holidays and to his first gymnastics lessons. H was rarely seen without him. Then, one day I realised that Didi hadn't made an appearance during the daytime for a while...he had been relegated to bed-time use only.

Today we went to see a Saturday music school, at H's request. Our council run music centres at weekends so like-minded children from various schools can play together in groups. H has been on at us for a while to take him and today one of the centres was holding an open day.

Just as we got to our front door H got suddenly became apprehensive and disappeared upstairs, returning with Didi. I expected the poor cloth scrap to accompany us in the car but suddenly H said, 'Nah...I don't really need him,' and left him on the stairs...which is where I blipped him.

H went in to the music school with us, chatted with the group leaders and a couple of the other children and has decided that he'd like to try a strings group this term and maybe add percussion next term.

He's growing up and part of me is very sad that Didi (for so long a part of our lives) is fast becoming redundant. The other part of me is proud that my first baby is becoming a confident young man with definite tastes and ideas of his own.

So take a good hard look at this apology for a comforter because I suspect it might be one of his last appearances.

Post Script: Didi got his name because when H was a baby he delighted in throwing him out of the cot and then calling for us. We always used to go in and say, 'Did he fall or was he pushed?' then one day H met us with 'DIDI'...and pointed at his toy. We realised that he was echoing what we said to him and Didi became Didi :-)

I almost forgot...HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!