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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.

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