Puppy Love

Jack has always been a stuffed animal kid and fell in love with JoJo pretty quickly. JoJo was the perfect stuffed animal: sewn on eyes (not plastic pieces that could fall of and be a choking hazard), perfect size, cuddly and cute. Bunky came along when Jack started to suck on JoJo's face too much while teething, thus causing him to get a face rash. Now he carts them everywhere with him.

I have been looking for the perfect stuffed animal for Dani since before she was born. It seems like everywhere I go, they have nothing that fits the bill. The eyes are plastic, there are beads in the bottom, it's too big for little hands to hold, its not machine washable which will cause problems when she drools and snots all over it, it's not soft, it's got a music box inside, or it's an annoying pink color for girls, or it's a monkey. I have never realized just how many stuffed monkeys are out there. And the only off limits stuffed animal for Dani is the monkey, since both of Jack's are monkeys.

Today we hit the jackpot. We were at Buy Buy Baby and I was testing various animals out with her. None of them were perfect since they usually had one or more of the characteristics I mentioned above. But I was desperate to get her her own little buddy. She smiled at some but then I found him. A little stuffed puppy. Sewn on eyes, no beads, a normal brown color, good size. machine washable, and NOT a monkey! I showed it to her and she broke out into a huge grin, squealed and laughed. I knew they had found each other. So I bought two so we could have a back up in case anything happens to him!I have to admit, he is a little odd looking--he has a realtively small head in proportion to his own body. But maybe that's why she likes him, he reminds her of her brother.

By the time we put her in the car with her puppy, he was already all wet from being slobbered on. She squealed and squawked in delight in the car as she hugged him and cried when she accidently dropped him. We named him Sammy--a unisex name like Dani. We figured she could decide later if he was a boy or a girl. Now the only trouble is that Jack, lover of all stuffed animals, really wants him. He grabs the puppy and kisses it and says, "Dats Dani's puppy," but then he won't let it go. We'll see what happens. I'm just glad we finally found a match. I can't believe it took this much shopping just to find a stuffed animal!