Alice found and lost her best friend

My longtime friend Dr. Joanna kindly bought our Alice a mobile for her crib. I want to thank Joanna again before I tell this story. Her gift was much appreciated.

I waited a bit to put up the mobile while Tony and I established that the crib was for sleeping. These days Alice is consistently sleeping in 4-6 hour stretches. On Wednesday I desperately needed to distract the kid while I used the bathroom so I decided to introduce the mobile.
As a mother my heart was not prepared for the abject joy that spread across my baby's face when the mobile animals started to turn above her head. She followed each stuffed critter and was shocked when it appeared again in each rotation. As soon as the music stopped she became terribly excited and seemed completely sure that Mommy was going to start the whole happy process again. This delight just increased each time I wound up the spring inside her toy. I took a video of the last few turns when Alice had time to chill out a bit, but you can still see how delighted she is by the whole affair.

Two days later after we came home from a long string of appointments and errands. Alice was in a fussy mood and I was starving. So I put Alice in her crib and turned the mobile's crank. Instant baby laughter and smiles! Just as I turned to walk into the kitchen to prepare my own lunch I hear "PING!" and the music stops. The F***ing spring broke. No more mobile.

I look into the crib and my angel is smiling beatifically up at me seeming to say, "Mommy, please make the happiness start again." My heart tore up into tiny pieces just looking at that sweet expectant face.

Happily Alice also likes it when I swear loudly at toy manufacturers, so she was entertained either way.

P.S. Babies also love ceiling fans, though it is a more reverent and cooing sort of love. Tony wonders if Alice thinks the ceiling fan is her baby vision of the divine.