Sippy cups

I spend my days seeking out antiques and collectibles. My searches put me into places that most people would never consider going into. I have crawled into dirty attics, feces covered barns and water filled basements. I regularly get up a 4:00 am to start my days so that I am the first one at the estate sale or garage sale. I am involved in daily duels with other dealers who are as intent on getting the items as I am. Last night one small child missing her sippy cup showed me just how incompetent I am at finding and digging out these "lost" items.

Vera had come to spend the night. Sweet, happy and two years old. Her evening was spent laughing and running around the house. She played with the dogs. She played with "Nanny". She watched videos in a space specially set up for her. Her special evening ended with a quiet ease brought on in its final stages with a visit from the Sandman. Anyone who has ever spent time with a two year old knows about them waking up in the middle of the night needing a drink of water, Vera's wake up call required that the drink had to come from her sippy cup. The now missing sippy cup.

The search was on. The now screaming child could only repeat "siiipppy cuuup" over, and over, and over again. The tears were prolific, the anxiety intolerable, the time 2:45 am.

The obvious answer was it was in or near her bed, nope. Next the search proceed throughout the house where she had been wandering all evening, nope. I knew where it was the car! No go (due to some good fortune none of the neighbors were up to see me half dressed in the driveway). Meanwhile "siiipppy cuuup" and even louder crying.

Since beatings, tranquilizers and muzzles are frowned upon by the local children's services (though my parents used them quite effectively) all we could do is comfort her. Finally after 45 minutes she fell back to sleep. But not for long. Apparently when you are 2 once something is on your mind it just plain doesn't stop. So just for good measure she woke back up at 4:15am, for another agonizing 45 minute rendition of the new hit song "siiipppy cuuup". For a moment I considered recording her for American Idol, but my recorder was as lost as the sippy cup.

Finally, mercifully the morning arrived. A tired looking, somewhat grouchy 2 year old faced all of us. The accusing eyes watching the expert who could find a wheat penny in a bag of Goodwill clothing but was unable to produce her sippy cup. Then all of the sudden it dawned on all of us where the sippy cup was, Nanny's purse! That's right Nanny's purse. It seems that Nanny (Stephanie) had picked up her sippy cup and put it into her purse so that it would be forgotten at the restaurant. It is amazing how happy the 2 year old was upon seeing it. All of the problems of the previous night disappeared in an instant. The sippy cup now refilled with chocolate milk made the world a wonderful place again.

I pride myself in my ability to find those hidden items at auctions. No item is so small or so well hidden that I can't find it. Sippy cups however, not my thing. Vera went home this morning with her mom and dad, she carried her stuffed toys, her new video tape from Uncle Justin and Aunt Renee, her blanket safely in hand she was again the happy go lucky 2 year old.

After they left we performed a quick clean up of the house. The beer cans were put to recycling (did I mention there was a small celebration going on) and the rooms picked up. The sippy cup was found laying on the floor near the dogs bed in the living room...Vera was already well on her way home.

Good luck tonight kids!