Lion

As a child my favorite stuffed animal was a teddy bear named Theodore. (I was pretty original & creative as you can tell!) Theodore survived my childhood just slightly lumpier for the love. I still have him and actually came across him and pulled him out of storage a few months back. It feels good to give my old teddy a hug.

Addie has a favorite lovey, but I am extremely doubtful that he will survive past her childhood. He has already lost his tail. Well, not technically lost since we very deliberately cut it off & threw it away. Here is the story of Addie's lion:

Addie was given numerous stuffed animals, a lion among them. When she started showing special feelings for the lion I realized I could be in trouble. So I went to my favorite locally owned toy store and bought an expensive, organic machine-washable lovey that was made in Germany. That lovey has not gotten much love. (I am sincerely hoping Etta forms an attachment to it.) Addie made it clear that Lion was her favorite. Since an early age she has found comfort in sucking on cotton and fabric. I don't know why - I really should research this fetish since Etta is showing the same interest. Anyways, she would suck on Lion's tail. It started to get really wet & smelly. Matt & I thought we were being pretty clever when we cut it off: remove the smell & the appendage that was being sucked on - problem solved! Nope! Instead she took to sucking on his butt, or occasionally his nose. So now we had a serious problem You know the wet dog smell? This resembled it: layers of saliva that slightly dried. Surface washing would not have solved the smell issues so I have machine washed lion a number of times (put him in a pillow case on the delicate cycle). He was made in China and had no washing instructions, but it is clear that he was not made to withstand frequent washings. Oh. He also lost his smile. The thread for his mouth came loose and we ended up clipping it all off.

The solution to our problem has been fairly effective and is twofold. First off, we gave Addie a blanket that was dubbed her "biting blanket" she was told she could cuddle with lion all she wanted, but if she needed/wanted to bite she needed to bite the blankey. Also Lion has progressed to wearing diapers. We have two thin cotton diapers (made for a doll) that he rotates between. Her biting happens the most as she falls asleep so sometimes Lion still gets gnawed on since her eyes are closed and she is half asleep. If he feels wet in the morning or after a nap we comment on it but do not make a big deal out of it or scold her.

Since the arrival of Etta, Addie has upgraded Lion to the status of a baby. He is now called Baby Lion. He gets nursed, he gets his diaper changed, he gets time on the play mat, he sits in the car seat, you name it. It is pretty cute to see her lavish so much affection on him. I worry, though, about how long this attachment will last and how long he will survive all the messy love he gets!

Here are some pictures:

Lion in his early days (Christmas 2008 when Addie turned one) notice his lush main. In this picture she is taste-testing a new stuffed dog so Lion is being spared for the moment.

Going in for a bite (post tail-removal). Notice that his hair is looking slightly more ratty.

When we had maternity photos taken this September, Lion had to be included in some of the family shots. Notice the wet ring around his rear.

And here she is trying to go in for a bite on his foot!