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| Kissing Pooh Pooh |
The day after Julia was born, her father brought his
older two children to the hospital to meet her.
They came bearing gifts of desperately-needed preemie-sized sleepers and
onsies. Each of the children had also
picked out a stuffed toy for her.
Julia’s brother got her a little girl with the words “My First Doll”
written across it, and her sister brought a Winnie the Pooh with a blanket
attached to the bottom of it. Julia’s
nursery (her half of what was once my bedroom) was decorated with Pooh Bears
everywhere, and I was delighted that her big sister had remembered that this
was what I had chosen. Her father had
been against the bear décor from the first time I had mentioned it. I never understood this and probably never
will.
When Julia was around three months old, I asked her
pediatrician if she could start sleeping with a stuffed animal. I was elated when she said yes. I felt that it would help her transition back
and forth between the two houses. At the
time, she went with her father from nine in the morning until four in the
afternoon twice per week with roughly two to four days of mornings from nine to
eleven. I wanted her to have a familiar
face, even if it was that of a stuffed animal.
The bear began going back and forth.
It never left her side, and she became very attached to him. “Pooh” was actually one of her first words.
I began searching for a secondary bear in case a need
for replacement came about, but failed at all attempts. There were many similar ones on the market,
but they were all too different for Julia not to notice. I gave up looking since there had been no
incident. Pooh Pooh went to daycare and Daddy’s house and always came back,
because Julia almost always had him or would remember to go get him before
leaving.
Fast forward to just a few months before her
second birthday. The week of
Thanksgiving had arrived. We went to my
parents for dinner and stopped by with my in-laws. We left and headed to a few stores that were
open early for Black Friday shopping.
Poor Julia was falling asleep in the cart as we were leaving the final
store, but her little lovey was still in hand.
Her father came to get her early the next morning. When I picked her up a few days later, she
didn’t come outside with her bear tucked under her arm per the norm.
I
asked her where he was, and Julia looked down at the ground with her arms
crossed. I looked to her father, who stated
under his breath that, “We lost him Black Friday shopping.” He retrieved a similar bear of a different
color. I asked if he had any clue where
it was, and his reply was that he had already called everywhere.
“Well,
give me a list. I’ll call again and once
more in a few days,” I pleaded, but he refused for whatever reason he had,
which I probably will never really know the answer to. My best guess is that they were either at
some point in a store that would be inappropriate for a toddler or were at some
slut’s “friend’s” house.
When
we got in the car and started down the road, Julia suddenly cried out, “Mommy
lost Pooh Pooh!” I asked her who told
her that. “Daddy,” came the little sobs
from the backseat.
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| The last picture we have of original Pooh Pooh who had just received a bath that morning but needed another due to blue nail polish. |
I
couldn’t handle it anymore. I had held
myself in the most mature way possible up until that point, but I called my mom
practically hysterical about the incident and how my child now thought that I
was solely responsible for the disappearance of Pooh Pooh. I picture my mother whipping out her laptop
like a gunman going for a quick drawl like in the old western movies. She looked on the websites of every nearby
store to see if there was a bear close enough in similarity. No such luck, until Eureka! An eBay posting popped up in a Google
shopping search. Julia’s original Pooh
Pooh probably cost fewer than ten dollars.
The new bear cost almost thirty with shipping, but Grammy wanted to be
superhero for the day.
Once
we knew that a bear was indeed coming within a week, I assured Julia that Pooh
Pooh was just having a sleepover at Grammy and Pappy’s house. He went away for a makeover and would be
waiting for her the next time we visited them.
Mom even brought her a picture she had printed out from the eBay listing
for Julia to carry around until the package came. She asked for him at night the worst, so I
had to tape the picture to her nightstand.
Finally the day came when they were reunited. So far, this is the longest I have seen my
daughter speechless. She just held him
and stared as though she couldn’t believe he was really still alive and
well. Now, Pooh Pooh stays at Mommy’s
house. I told her that he needs to
hibernate.
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| Loveys can provide a lot of comfort |
I
would recommend a few tips to anyone who wants their child to use a lovey. First, always consult with your
pediatrician. SIDS is a very big concern
with loveys. You should take their
advice on what age your child to be and what toys are suitable for your
situation and for safety purposes.
Second, always have a backup before introducing your child to an item
with the intent of making it a lovey.
Sometimes, even a third lovey wouldn’t be a bad idea, because you never
know what could happen. Switch them up
every once in a while so that they all get a little bit of wear to them and
have familiar scents transferred to them.
Third, before introducing a lovey in a situation similar to mine, you
should sleep with the lovey yourself for a night or two before giving it to the
child. I know this sounds strange –
adults sleeping with stuffed animals, but our pediatrician told me that this is
a way to transfer your scent to the lovey.
The child can then smell your scent when they are not with you. This can be helpful with daycare, visitation,
or even if you just need to slip out to the grocery store for a bit and your
little one is stuck at home with Dad.
Hopefully my story and these tips can help you when choosing to use a
lovey for your little lovey. Feel free to comment any crazy stories about your own lovey mishaps.
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