Adventures in Dougland (The Gooka)

Meet Doug’s “gooka."


Doug has made it clear time and time again that no sleep will be occurring unless his beloved blanket is somewhere in the mix.

The gooka has been washed so many times that sleeping with steel wool would seem a comfortable alternative. This is of no consequence to Doug. He loves that gooka.

Grandma Aidy crocheted Doug a replacement gooka, identical in size and color, just infinitely softer. Doug was not fooled when we swapped blankets. Instead of snuggling with the imposter, he began eating it… strand by strand (I found little blue fluffs in his diaper for weeks).


“Why did he eat the blanket” you may ask. Well, I’ll tell you. For the very same reason he licked the television screen or combed peach yogurt through his hair: just because.

So we returned the only true gooka to its owner.


Before we go to bed each night, we tiptoe into Doug’s room to give the sleeping boy a goodnight kiss. For the last few weeks this is what we found in his bed:



Don’t be alarmed. It is not a headless toddler. Doug’s head is wrapped beneath layers and layers of gooka. Either Doug thinks he is a tootsie pop or the gooka has become a more advanced form of sleeping mask. Either way, we slowly unwrap Doug’s head and tuck the blanket in his arms. He can’t sleep without his gooka, after all.