A Teddy Story
Once upon a time in 2001 a teddy was born to a family. The teddy arrived several months before the baby. The teddy was given in celebration of the expectation of a first born son.
The teddy and the baby were perfect. The teddy and the baby were the same size. The baby and the teddy shared the same bed. Sometimes the new mom hugged the teddy because he was much quieter then the baby.
Each month the mother took a picture of her baby next to the teddy. (Three months)
Each month the baby grew as the teddy remained steadfast. (Nine months)
Months turned into years and milestones were marked to the teddy reference. (Two years)
As the baby grew, he became attached to the teddy. Teddy provided constant companionship. Teddy slept silently beside him. Teddy could calm his toddler storms.
As teddy became increasingly necessary to daily activities, the wear and tear started showing…
A missing bow.
A lopsided mouth.
A floppy mended neck.
Because this teddy had been born to a very wise mother, a search was started for a duplicate teddy. A teddy to hug while the original was in the wash. A teddy to hold away from home. A teddy to relieve the increasing worry over potential teddy-loss.
The mother searched, hunted and Googled. The teddy replacement news was not good. This was a special teddy. A limited edition teddy. A teddy only sold for one season at Gymboree.
Yet, a glimmer of hope…eBay.
Surely someone in the world would sell teddy. The mother watched the site of auctions patiently. There were many teddies, but no teddies that would do.
Until…
One day the mother saw this teddy on eBay. He was perfect in every way. He looked identical in every way. He was bid on with excitement. He was won in triumph. The search was over. A new teddy is on his way.
The box arrived.
Something was awry.
The box was 6 inches by 6 inches.
How would such a small box hold such a dear prize?
Sometimes a picture is not worth a 1000 words. Sometimes dimensions would be helpful.
The wise mother was outfoxed by eBay. The wise mother knows when to call it quits. The wise mother called off the search and guarded the original teddy (now called BIG teddy) with her life.
Placing a mental GPS on his whereabouts.
Washing him gently.
Mending him with care.
To this day the boy still sleeps with his teddy (shhhhhh).
And on this day as the wise mother tucked the two in bed she thought how foolish it was to think that either one of them could be replaced.
This was originally published on August 20 ,2008
Ahhh – I always wondered what was up with the mini-Teddy…it’s all so clear now!
I can SOOO relate to this. My oldest has a lovey that apparently was only sold in 1 Wal-mart in the world for 1 day 4 years ago. I’ve combed eBay looking for a replacement with no luck. I guard that bear with my life. As a matter of fact, he’s under house arrest now because of my irrational fear of him being left behind somewhere.
Here’s the thing. He wouldn’t have liked the perfect duplicate anyway. I PROMISE!
I cut my daugther’s blanket in half because it was irreplaceable. She ONLY WANTS ONE HALF! The other half is like any other, stupid blanket in the house. They were once the same. But no longer.
Keep washing gently. Keep mending.
I will just tell you from personal experience-do not ever let a youthful and mischevious visitor to your house hide the teddy. It will take you 3 days to find and during that time your child WILL NOT SLEEP!
Well Texas Holly, that was just adorable.
That’s sweet. Our son Benjy still sleeps with his ‘blanky’ that my MIL made for him – it turns 14 along with Benjy in less than two months.
I LOVE stuff like that! 🙂
Beautiful! Simply beautiful!
i think it is the sweetest EVER that you bought teddy a teddy of his own.
will you take annual photos of the two of them together too?
🙂
Awww… my daughter has many lovies, I wish she had one all worn and tattered. how very special.
and darn, EBAY! But I suppose big teddy isn’t replaceable anyway.
I love the moral of your story!
eBay is quite the fox, it’s true.
Damn that eBay!!
I too have been hoodwinked by eBay on occassion… which has now forced me to refer to it as FleaBay at times.
No fooling the boy that he grew so much that teddy just seems that much smaller to him now?
Yeah, didn’t think so. LOL
BTW, I’ve added you to my blogroll!
Beautiful story! I got hoodwinked by Ebay too on sizes. I hate ’em now!
Ok seriously…why am I crying right now?
We don’t have a teddy, each boy has a blankie. And they’re careworn and stained and occasionally smelly. And they calm them like nobody can.
And I kick myself for not buying a backup for the exact emergency you mention. GPS hmmm.
Your Teddy looks “real.”
Yup. I bet we have all tried to “replace” or “back up” our children’s prized security blankets/toys/etc. It would be like my trying to “back up” my son’s thumb. It would be pretty darn obvious to him that it was not the real thing.
KEEP BELIEVING
I love this post! And I love the little teddy!
Perhaps you should consider micro-chipping his ear – the teddy’s that is!
OMG! I love this post! My 3 year old has a dear teddy she has been sleeping with since birth. She lost him a few months ago & I did the whole Ebay thing – thankfully my experience was a little better than yours, but the buyer must beware! LOL
Is this de ja vu again? LOVE the teddy though. That’s the kind that gets passed down to the next generation 🙂
awww. weep weep.. WE also have a “landry bear” aned luke has a puppy. Landry bear has been all over the country. and is now starting to look like it. he also can not goto sleep with out it. funny thing is I got “landry bear” from a boyfriend when I was 14.. shh Jason doesn’t know that..
Too sweet!
That’s so funny! My friend’s daughter has a doll that she will not go anywhere without. It’s disgusting at this point, even after washing. My friend looked everywhere for the identical doll, but couldn’t find it. I finally contacted the manufacturer, ending up on the phone with the owner of the company that made the dolls. I explained the situation, and an identical doll was mailed to me, free of charge, by the way. My friend carted the gross doll off on the pretext of washing it, and returned later with the new doll. Which was promptly rejected by her daughter. Who still carries around that disgusting doll to this day. The upside? My friend’s youngest daughter now has a similar obsession with the newer doll.
Forget Teddy, how about that gash in the head in the two years photo? There has to be a great story about that sucker!
What a sweet Teddy story!
That is too sweet. I think that teddy will be attending college.
Aww that is very sweet. I still have my teddy but I think he may have a little bug infestation
Awwww. Also…I think baby teddy is precious too.
I’ve just recently discovered that my three year olds beloved is a “retired” Boyd’s collectable. Damnit. None on Ebay either. Shit. I blame my sister-in-law who gave us the darn thing. She should have warned me!!!
Hey the original looks good to me. He’s broken in. You know, kinda like your husbands shirt that we talked about the other night… ; )
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Oh how wonderful! My mom threw away my teddy when I was four (along with my blankie)…I never forgot that (obviously). There is nothing like a well-loved teddy in your home.
Complete with a warm, snuggly ending. As it should be with teddy bears.
What a precious story!!
That is such a precious story and pictures
Oh that is SO SWEET! There is nothing like a boy and his bear!
You can tell that, that teddy is very very loved. 🙂
Yeah…those special items are irreplaceable
Aaaaaahhh… Lovely.
So sweet – mutual friend Julie suggested I check out your site. SOOO glad I did. GREAT stuff!! Every time I talk to a mom of three boys it makes we wonder why I stopped at two. Off to enjoy more of your links.
Ack. Tears. You got me with that last sentence. Complete surprise, no warning! Loved it.
It’s loved like the Velveteen rabbit—he also has much more character than any new teddy 🙂
I have had my teddy bear since the day I was born. I am 41 now. Teddy bear and I have only spent about 5 nights apart, ever. One night was a scary one because he had been forgotten in a hotel when I was in my 20s. EEEEKKKK! Luckily, he was there when I returned a day later. Teddy looks…. loved. And he has been. In my childhood he was washed many times. He no longer can stand that, but luckily I no longer puke on him, either.
What has saved my teddy’s life is that my mom gave him “pajamas” when I was a pre-teen. His first set of pajamas covered everything except his head. His second set completely covered him head to toe. He was shiny and new but none of his old self showed. It was ok, I knew he was in there, I could feel his heart talking to mine. He has had 3 sets of new shiny pajamas in his life (bright shiny new fur each time). At times he had a few face, too, but usually it would fall off, which was ok with me, I knew it wasn’t his real face. Teddy, under his current pajamas, is almost nothing but dust. His original fur body has fallen apart that much. So I can never give him new pajamas again by removing the current ones. Teddy has never been a problem in regards to boyfriends, or my husband. He has always been accepted nicely. I love my teddy so much. He is my #1 most important thing I own and could never be replaced. HE is the thing I grab in a fire. I’ve had lots of other furry friends in my life. But teddy and I have been together since day 1 and I plan to have him until the end of my days, squished beside me every night as I sleep. I love him.
Melissa R
I still sleep with mine. His name's Steve & he's more important in bed than the hubby.
Oh, how sweet! We have blankie, which she still guards with her life. I keep trying to frame it, but she won’t let me.
In our house, Grandma is on emergency standby for any necessary surgery on the necessary — discontinued and unavailable anywhere — stuffed sheep.
So Sweet. I have a little clown doll that was made for me 40 years ago…he has been “fixed” numerous times…hang on to that bear, he’s wonderful.
Very sweet…
My granddaugther had a cloth “doll” that we called “Cone Head Baby” because the heat came to a big point. Katya loved Cone Head Baby and she went everywhere. One day she dropped her on the sidewalk in Brooklyn, NY. My daughter searched for her and found Cone Head Baby in the gutter. She took her home and gave her a thorough soaking and washing so she could go back with Katya. Another day we were walking by a yucky second hand store in Brooklyn and I let out a scream, “Cone Head Baby”. There in the window was a new CHB in a box. We went inside and bought her. We figured it would be good to have a spare. The new CHB was not faded and had all her stuffing. Guess what? Katya did not like her like she did her original CHB. CHB II has been donated and she still has the original but she doesn’t have the attachment like she did as a baby and toddler. Katya will be 8 and has long moved on.
Fantastic story! And hilarious. I’m now off to Stumble it….
OMG – that actually made me tear up- how sweet!
Those ebay tricky bastards … I hate when I get something online and when it comes it’s way smaller than I thought it was. Kind of like when I was in college and I wanted to hook up with a guy only to discover … well … you get the point.
Teddy SHRUNK!
It’s too easy, I think, to believe that certain precious things can ever, ever be replaced. Better to understand that they will someday be lost, I guess.
What an adorable post! My brother was given a racoon stuffed animal by his daycare provider when he was about 2, that “coon” went with him everywhere, and still has a place in his bedroom…23 years later!
oh no!!
that’s so sad. i guess some things just can’t be replaced 😉
I love this. This particular mom has the same issue with a blanket. Although I was lucky to have purchased several of those blankets all at the same time.
I am still searching Ebay for a few extras – just in case. But no such luck yet.
http://www.momstop.blogspot.com
I was fooled by eBay also. I won my son’s teddy in a claw machine before I was even pregnant with him. Completely irreplaceable, but very very loved 🙂
We too fell prey to a limited addition Boyd’s bear that is no longer made. 2 in fact. Oldest is very good at taking meticulous care of hers but the little one, not so much, and that thing is held together with love, drool, and prayers.
Aw, so sweet-also, funny. My brother had a teddy, called (creatively) Teddy, which now belongs to his son. My lamby is now passed between my two daughters. I love the “loved” toys the best.
My teddy was given to me by my paternal grandmother on the day I was born. I have never been without him. I still sleep with him every night, I am 43. Once he was left at a hotel, that was scary but luckily it was kind of local so I rescued him the next day.
My teddy has been through a lot of “pajamas”. At first pajamas were made from new fur that covered everything but his head. But then his head needed to be protected also. So for a few decades teddy has been 100% covered. It’s ok, he is still teddy. He looks different but it’s what’s inside that matters.
Now, what is inside is almost dust. The fibers are disintegrating. The next time he needs new pajamas it will have to be on top of the current pajamas. He no longer can be washed (he was a few times when he got puked on etc…) because he would just fall apart.
I have a picture of me and my teddy when we were both brand new. I cherish that.
When I watch Toy Story and think about the toys that are sad about being left behind, I smile about my teddy bear. He will never be left behind. He will be cuddled and squashed under me nightly for the rest of my life. And, I fully intend to have him with me when I am buried. I love that guy.
That was perfect.
My son never had anything like that, which, truly, is a double edged sword. For all the panic that accompanies the potential loss of the teddy and what you will DO if/when that happens, at least there is *something* in the resource drawaerfor when the tantrum that you 1)do not understand and 2)cannot quell comes sweeping down the plains and you are standing there like Dorothy only without the dog and cute shoes and the Wicked Toddler of the East seems about ready to eat you for dinner.
But my favorite line, “Sometimes a picture is not worth 1000 words, sometimes dimensions would be helpful.”
Yep, perfect.
Oh my goodness! My heart breaks for you!
But I guess it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that your teddy was downsized. Everything but food is getting smaller and smaller nowadays.
Lovely story. Great storytelling. Kinda reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit.
What a great story. And it’s really a perfect slice of what it’s like to be a parent, isn’t it?
I thought Teddy was a girl and she had a baby Teddy 🙂 What a really sweet story!
Awwwww!!!! So cute:-)
None of my kids had a lovey when they were little. However, my nephew had a cute hand made rag doll when he was little. After it started to fall apart, my sister was able to substitue another toy, but that started to wear out, too. The final solution was a raggedy andy doll. They are usually available at toys r us /amazon.com. The new ones have different patterned clothes, but the features on the dolls are about the same.
I’ll have to ask him if he still has raggy (nephew is 19 now). 🙂
I LOVE this. Nothing beats a well loved teddy.
(When the hubs and I were getting married I ordered our cake topper off of eBay. This was before digital cameras were popular, so i blind bid on “Toy like Wedding Cake Topper”. We received CHEWED ON Fisher Price Little People – but they were a bride and groom, needless to say we didn’t use. That darn sneaky eBay!)
Oh my goodness Holly, you could replace the name Teddy with Floppy and it would be my 9yo boys story. Floppy has been lost a few times and has traveled by FEDEX, which is something I always wanted to do. He was thrown out the window once and my husband called me in a panic. I told him in no way should he go back and try to pluck that dog off of 820! I started calling stores looking for replacement Floppy. But dad did not do what I told him. He went back and found Floppy on the side of 820 and stopped and picked him up. I am lucky to have husband, son and stuffed animal today!
Then a year later came a pink dog called Fluffy. Ugh! Not again!
awww that is soo cute, I say this as a person who still has her teddy lol 🙂