Skip to main content

Teddy





So... Jonathan has this Teddy bear. It's not just any teddy, it's THE Teddy. He (and I ) has become emotionally attached to it, and I can totally see why: it's the kind of Teddy that ANY kid would fall in love with. Anybody remember Corduroy? Teddy looks like him. Grandma gave Teddy to Jonathan when he was born, and J became attached to him around 1 year old. Teddy came with us to the ER when Jonathan had a high fever (aug. '09), Teddy came with us to a family photo shoot with Caitlin Hooper (Cait Designs- look her up!), and Teddy has been snuggled, pee'd on, puked on, hugged, loved...
I remember the first time I washed Teddy. It was a rather emotional experience for me. I had to strategically plan when to wash him (he was becoming more stinky than I could ignore...), so that J could have him for both nap time and bed time. I don't think I told Jonathan that Teddy was going to be washed, but I felt SO GUILTY dunking him under the soapy warm water in my sink. I was too afraid to ruin him, so I didn't put him in our washer. I hung him over the shower curtain to dry, and the poor bear looked so forlorn, bent over up there all by himself! (and Jonathan didn't even know...)
I've gotten braver about keeping the bear clean, especially as Jonathan entered the wetting-his-bed stage of potty training. Teddy looks so loved already, that the washing machine actually makes him look BETTER instead of worse.
All this to say, I washed Teddy again today, and I still felt sad about it. I told Jonathan that he needed washing, and when I put him in the dryer, Jonathan came to watch. I set Teddy in so that he could peek out the front-loading door. I had Jonathan wave g'bye before closing it, and we both laughed as Teddy spun in circles!
It's so funny that I'm as attached to the bear as he is. I think it's because I see the bear as the symbol of childhood comfort. It brought me great pleasure when Henry formed a similar attachment to a Monkey that Jonathan had given him for Christmas. I love setting the boys next to eachother on the couch for a movie, both boys shamelessly clutching their not-so-fluffy-anymore animals. Oh, childhood simplicity... I aim to keep life a simple, fearless adventure for those little boys, as long as I can.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Snag

  Are you tired of hearing about sickness yet?      Seems like a swirl of illness has been making its way through all the pods of community around us. Despite all our elderberry and all the home remedies this grow-your-own geek Mama could muster, the germs entered our household too.    The big ones were down first, a sister shortly after. Then the Little Bear, and Papa Bear. One sister and I escaped, and eventually even the combination of our introverted selves and a can't-go-anywhere week finally gave way to some restlessness. She began begging to be dropped off at a friend's house, and I think I inwardly begged the same- ha!    I hadn't quite counted the cost of it all. The week wrapped up, and the nights settled, but the sour and the "hey Mama"s continued. All of a sudden my heart began to resist. The quiet, restful days had been nice for a little while. I got some projects done that I don't have time for during full-swing school at the table. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Small Victory

I have a small victory to share with you:  Let me give some context... I blogged about the loss of children recently, verbally stomping my feet and telling the enemy that I will have no more of it- and that I have chosen my side and refuse to budge. The children God has given me "on loan" are all so different... Jonathan was an easy baby, and is currently a whirl-wind 3 1/2 yr old- he is FULL of energy, curiosity, music, rythm, he is friendly, relational, deep (yes, deep!), always thinking, processing, talking... He knows about God and that Jesus is real, and he knows that his baby sister Evelyn is safe with Jesus. Henry was a difficult baby, and is an easy 2 yr-old!  He adores his  brother and wants to be where he is, he gives AMAZING hugs, likes to be held, likes books, connects quickly with people, is caring, noisy, talkative, fast... and still has his innocence. He likes to pray. Evelyn has changed my life more than anything. Her body was tiny, but her exis...
11 comments
Read more

Windows

I've been working on allowing God to walk the dusty corners of my heart- places that have seemed foundational, and therefore needed to stay unchanged so that the structure of my heart wouldn't be threatened. As God gently earns more and more of my trust, I allow Him into those places because I trust that the changes He makes will not crush me. I trust that as he walks my dusty corners He will pull aside heavy drapes, flooding sunlight through windows I did not know were there. It becomes a beautiful experience, full of discovery and fresh freedom and light. Somewhere along the line I disconnected between head and heart that God is very, very wealthy. I felt stuck in my humanity, limited by what I, as a human, am capable of. I could only earn as much money as the amount of work I did, I could only reach as many people as I "witnessed" to, I would only be good at something if I put in hard, hard practice hours. Self control became not a fruit of the SPIRIT, but a ...
Post a Comment
Read more