Peterson Family Saccarine

So, we've talked about our pet, Sprinkles, on a blog post or two, but there is another member of our household that we interact with on a daily basis that we hadn't yet named.  When I was at my last surgery at Mayos, both my parents and Andy bought me a couple of stuffed animals, with the specific intent that they were not only comforting but also as ammo to toss at Andy to get his attention when I needed help in the middle of the night when it was his turn to stay with me, since he doesn't stir as easily as either of my parents.  I received a tiny, white seal, a penguin with a hat, and Andy picked up a small, white unicorn with enormous eyes for his little body and a rainbow mane.

I'll admit that I was skeptical at first.  It was cute but, seriously, sugar overload.  And then Andy pointed out that according to its tag, the birthday was the same day as our anniversary.  Yeah, give the man some extra points, there.  Pixel the Unicorn was just a part of the house for a while, a silent figure by the nightstand.  I'm not sure when things shifted, necessarily.  I think it might have been a day when Andy was feeling particularly down and I insisted that he take Pixel to protect his dreams.  This eventually evolved to a point where we trade him back and forth every night, holding him close while we're watching a show in bed, and even holding conversations.  

Yes, we're both thirty-one years old.

This is a picture Andy had sent me when I was onsite at work.  

It still makes me smile.

I don't know why it's so fun to have Pixel (sometimes called "Pixelcorn" since "Pixel the Unicorn" was more cumbersome than necessary) "talk" in appropriately happy or concerned snorts or to have him emphatically kiss-tackle one another.  It's nice to have something to hold when going to bed on a summer night, particularly when another human body is going to be too warm too quickly.  He's part of our bedtime rituals, and there's something charmingly innocent about it.  As a result, Pixel is developing more and more "personality."  He occasionally sneaks along into overnight bags when one of us is away for a night or two  It's a different way that we can voice affection for one another, weirdly enough, insisting that a stuffed unicorn wants to snuggle the other or make sure that they have sweet dreams by sending Pixel to "recalibrate" the other's pillow.  I feel that I should be ashamed to be enjoying a stuffed animal this much at this age in the same breath I can't be bothered to.  It doesn't hurt anyone to enjoy it.  In the end, it's still about loving each other better and embracing a sense of play that is important to us both.