Today was yet another crappy and rainy day. We weren’t very hopeful about our plans for the day since everyone was busy with something and it certainly wasn’t looking like going for a walk to the park was going to be an option.

George went to Loblaws to get some groceries for supper and other necessities. While there, he noticed they were selling Ernie dolls and Elmo dolls for only five bucks each. He picked up one of each and brought them home as surprises for the girls. Breanna loved her new, bigger Elmo and walked around chewing on his eyeball for awhile, occasionally shaking him wildly for good measure.

Ernie proved to be quite the hit with Hayley though, and I never would have guessed since she never expressed any particularly huge affection towards him when we watch Sesame Street. We ended up passing a lot of time playing “Journey to Ernie” from the show. One of us would hide the Ernie doll somewhere in the apartment and then we’d give Hayley clues until she found him. It was amazing how many times we were able to keep doing it and she never got tired of it. He only got set aside for two board games (a Hide and Seek Farm game that is pretty cute), and otherwise, everywhere she went, Ernie went too.

He was also useful at bedtime. For all the compliments people dish out about Hayley’s hair, they’d take them back if they ever had to try to brush it. I’m amazed none of our neighbors have ever called CPS, considering how loudly she screams when I do it, with the occasional, “please STOP, Mommy stop!” thrown in for good measure. I’m sure the people downstairs think I’m killing her. However, tonight every time I hit a knot, she just squeezed Ernie as tight as she could and she barely whimpered. I had her hair brushed and braided in record time.

When she went to bed, I heard her talking and I peeked around the corner to find her reading a Caillou book to Ernie. Just now it was all quiet down the hall so I checked and she’s sound asleep, snuggled up to her new Ernie doll.

I’ve always been a big fan of Sesame Street anyway, ever since I was a little girl but if one of the characters can entertain and soothe her this much, I think Ernie can stay.