Ba Ba the Bear in a bunny suit

Every child I have met has a lovey of some sort, whether it be the pacifier, a giraffe, a blanket, or in my case a bear in a bunny suit

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This bear has a history dating back 4 years! At my baby shower for Jackson, I was given a bear. It was a TY pluffies bear in a blue bunny suit. I put it in Jackson's crib and he never once touched it or even messed with it. It sat in the corner of the bed until he moved into a big boy bed. I packed it in a box in the attic until Andrew came along. Again I placed that bear in the corner of the bed, expecting Andrew to take a paci like Jackson did and never even touch the bear. What I didn't realize when I had my second child was that no two children are alike. Andrew spit out the paci and grabbed the bear in the corner. It has been a love affair ever since.

Andrew affectionately named him "Ba Ba" and we just kind of ran with it. Well as soon as I realized that Andrew was in love with Ba Ba, I immediately went on the hunt for a replacement. I soon found out that he was officially a retired TY doll, which means he can cost anywhere from $40-60. I did find one for $30 on amazon one time and bought it immediately, only to find when the bear arrived it was the same but different. It was not the same material, it was softer and it didn't have bunny ears which is Andrew's favorite feature. I tried giving it to him and at first he got excited until he realized it wasn't his friend at all and then proceeded to throw it at me. I complained and got a refund but they let me keep that bear. So now I have a Ba Ba imposter that Andrew on occasion still gets confused by.

Yesterday, we had an emergency! Just a mini one, no major damage but I needed Andrew to let go of the bear and he didn't want to. I jerked a little and Andrew put the death grip on the ears and all I heard was Riiiiip. SCARIEST SOUND EVER, especially when it comes from your child's favorite toy. So Ba Ba went to the "hospital" this morning, Andrew cried the whole time. I don't know if he was more upset about the ear or about the fact that mommy wouldn't let him have him, either way, very aggravating. But he was repaired and you can't even tell there was a problem.

I know that people say kids shouldn't hold onto there loveys for too long, but I just don't have the heart to take away his best friend. So I will continue to watch Ba Ba like a hawk, bathe him weekly, and patch him up whenever necessary, because there is nothing in this world that makes my baby smile like his Ba Ba!