My Friends, Meet Bear

This is Anna’s bear.  He’s very pleased to meet you.

Every child has some sort of lovey or thing they are attached to, right?  Actually, I don’t remember having one as a child…. oh wait, I did.  It was my thumb.  If I could go back and change things up, I’d pick a bear.

There’s a special project in the works for this bear, though, so I thought I’d introduce you ahead of time.  And this is a special bear for our family.  Special as in, “Oh my LORD we can never, EVER lose this bear because there is no replacement” kind of special.

When I was in 7th grade I had a cyst in my left hand.  It was no big deal in the grand scheme of life, but to a 7th grade girl who is falling in love with the piano it was a rather big deal (and I was pretty dramatic in general- I’m sure my mom and sisters would back that up).  I needed surgery to have it removed, and to our surprise, they put me out for it.  When I woke up in recovery, my hand bandaged up and head throbbing, this bear was the first thing I saw through the hazy effects of the drugs wearing off.   It was the holiday season, so he was actually holding a candy cane and wearing a little knit hat.  He was wonderful- and actually a very well-made bear.

Fast forward to Anna’s arrival.  I’m not sure when Bear came back to me.  Maybe I grabbed him during a home visit, or my mom sent him out with some of my other belongings.  Somehow Bear made it into Anna’s room with her stuffed animals, and somehow she zeroed in on him as “the one” she needed for comfort. Needless to say, I was elated.  I’ve also been heartbroken in the last few months as 4-year-old Anna selects other friends as her #1 choice for playing, comfort and general preschool fun.  But I’ve come to notice that when in a pickle, Bear is the only one who will do.  He goes to school, and just this past week he accompanied us to the dentist and even had his teeth cleaned.

Over the last 4 years he’s gotten a little tired in a few areas…

…but overall he is sturdy.  I haven’t had to sew any holes shut, and when we wash him, he holds together just fine.

Anna also waxes and wanes about Bear’s gender.  Sometimes Bear is a boy, and his name is Bear.   Other times she will proclaim that Bear is a girl.  I’ll ask her, “Well, what’s her name going to be then?  If Bear is a girl we need to be able to tell.”  “Just Bear, Mommy,” she’ll say.  Hm.

However, our upcoming project will perhaps define that scenario a bit more.  Here’s a little hint:

I can’t wait!  More to come!