Bear

Bear has been around since before Magnus was born. Magnus loves Bear. When he was an infant, Bear would go with him everywhere. As parents we knew that one day we would accidentally lose Bear or forget him somewhere. So we came up with this great plan to buy more of him, just in case. One day we hid Bear from Magnus because we wanted him to play with the other ones so they would get the same amount of wear and tear. Didn't work out so well. Even though they looked exactly the same as bear, he didn't buy it. We decided to put all the bears together and see if he could tell which one was the real Bear. He chose Bear each and everytime. I guess it's like when a mother knows her child! Everywhere we went before we'd leave we had to do a checklist to make sure that Bear would be coming home with us. Fast forward to this day and this is what Bear looks like.  

He no longer has a smile, his stuffing is gone, the plushness of his face is no longer there, and he has a hole in his neck. Everytime we wash him, some of the beads inside of his legs comes out. 

I am not a sentimental person, but today I looked at Bear and I couldn't help, but tear up. He has been such a special thing in my son's life and one day we will have to retire him. I don't know how Magnus will handle it. I don't know how I would handle it. It will mark the beginning of a new phase of Magnus' life. I don't know if I am ready for him to grow up yet.