Frankenbean

Bean has had a rough life. I documented her descent from chipper baby blanket to sad greying rag, in a post called the evolution of bean. Since then, things have only gotten worse for poor bean.

Her border ripped off, and she became long and thin, stretching out as Dulce decided the best way to exploit the changes in bean was to wrap her around and around her little fingers until little bits and bean fibers tore off and fluttered to the ground.

I have quivered in trepidation every time the washer spins with bean inside, certain that I was sending the lovely to her death. To stop her from disingrating into nothing, we tied her up in knots wherever she was getting too thin.

Bean's days were numbered.

I knew though, that if I could keep bean alive until we got to my mother's this week, some solution could be found. My mother did minor surgery on bear (Natalina's lovey) last year, so the babies had faith in her ability to fix things. We talked it up in my house, so that Dulce would be semi-prepared for any changes.

Of course, it wasn't enough. And I can't say I blame her. While my mother did a beautiful job rendering pink and purple bean into pink/purple bean, there is an obvious difference now. I present to you, Frankenbean.

My mother skillfully sewed the remaining pieces of pink bean onto the stronger base of purple bean.

Dulce was inconsolable.

"No, open bean. Open bean," she said, imploring us to restore her beans to their former glory. She cried. She whimpered. She begged. She tantrumed. She tried to open bean herself. She threw bean across the room.

Finally, my husband and I found a way to convince her to accept bean's new look...kind of. First, my husband tied bean around her neck as a cape (which has regularly been purple bean's role), and Dulce got to play Super Dulce. Next, I told her that bean was still in the process of being fixed, and that she would open when she was done being fixed. Could Dulce love her even while she was being fixed? Dulce decided she could.

This is hopefully a lie that I told to my daughter, but not necessarily. If worst comes to worst, we will unsew beans, opening them again, and wait for pink bean's slow demise. But Frankenbean is showing promise. Less than 24 hours later, while Dulce still asks for her to open, she's also now talking about her new bean, as if she is understanding that Frankenbean is fixed bean, and that it's okay.

I hope it is.

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