Clayton's Guys, OCD in my DNA, & New Swanky Hankies Products

I severely dislike (can you tell that I am working on eliminating my use of the word "hate") stuffed animals. I am not sure exactly why... I think that it has something to do with my clean freak/germophobe medical background. I feel like they carry germs and allergens (even if you wash them frequently). Well... despite my dislike for these asthma-attack-inducing creatures, my kid adores the darn things. He started off sleeping with one or two stuffed animals. As time as gone by, he has acquired more and more that he must have in his bed before he goes to sleep. He calls them his "guys." At the moment his "guys" are: Shrek, Buzz, Woody, Rudolph, a big nanny (silky blanket), a little nanny, a white kitten, a little beagle (Sydney), a little brown bean bag dog (Brownie), and a turtle pillow. What is a girl to do???



I have always had a touch of OCD (self diagnosed, of course). Most of my quirks revolve around organization and structure. For example, my closet is color coded. My shirts are then sub-categorized into tanks, short sleeved, and long sleeved. I have backed off a lot on my cleaning and organizing since I had Clayton (who has the time for that anymore?). However, I am pretty sure that I have passed some of my OCD along to my offspring.

Clayton has a bed time routine that he is religious about. It consists of taking his medicine, brushing his teeth, having his "guys" fly to him (Wade throws them in the air into his bed - thus catapulting dust and allergens into the air), saying our prayers, playing the "Thank you Jesus for...." game, giving hugs and kisses, getting a sip of water, turning on his Fisher Price ticking clock, and turning on his fan (another allergy/asthma no-no). It only takes about 10 minutes, but it has to be done in order. He will immediately let you know if you miss a step. Oh my - he is doomed!

I have been making some new baby things for friends, baby showers, etc. I have been making bow holders for little girls and picture frames. Here are some of the new items. What do you think?