Holt, as a baby, had a collection of stuffed elephants, we are Alabama fans of course. He never used a pacifier; great, no breaking that habit, but, he developed the nasty habit of sucking on the trunk of any one of his pachyderm herd. The time came to hide the elephants and break this practice; insert Teddy, the most adorable cuddly teddy bear we could find. My mom picked him up for Holt and he made the change with surprisingly little drama. Teddy was and is Holt’s pal, buddy, comrade. For 2 and ½ years now Teddy has been Holt’s Hobbes. There have been many nights when Teddy has been blamed for Holt’s failure to “just go to sleep.” It is also a common occurrence, that Jonathan and I are summoned to Holt’s room because we forgot to give Teddy his goodnight hug or kiss. Recognizing the bond forming, I asked my mom if she could find another identical teddy bear, just in case, God forbid, something were to happen to Teddy.
Flash forward to this Monday, early, early morning. “Mama! Mama!” I stumble from the bed, not sure of where I am, in a stupor, but responding instinctively to my baby’s cries. I get to his bedroom and he can’t find Teddy. Through his tears and my daze we make a cursory search for the friend, lost in a sea of sheets and pillows. As we (I) are (am) wading through the sheets, I have a flash of genius, remembering the matching teddy in our closet. I tell Holt that I think I remember Teddy sneaking into our room last night and that I would go get him. I run to the closet, pull the new teddy out, remove the tag that is still affixed to his paw and quickly return to Holt’s room. Meanwhile, in my head I am: A. congratulating myself for such a novel idea, and B. trying to calculate how much sleep I can still get before my alarm sounds.
I enter, thinking myself quite the hero, preparing for the hugs of thanks for reuniting these old chums, and I offer teddy to Holt. Holt grabs the teddy bear and hugs him as tight as you can hug a 12 inch stuffed bear, and then recoils. The look of disgust on Holt’s face was on one hand heartbreaking and on the other quite funny. I wasn’t prepared for such a turn of events; immediately aware that my plan was backfiring. He knew. It was clear I needed an alibi for my involvement. “Mama. I don’t know whose teddy this is, but it is not my Teddy!” I had to think on my feet, I couldn’t try to convince him, he is too smart for that, so I feign ignorance and outrage. “Oh my goodness! You’re right it’s a fake teddy. I’ll get rid of this impostor you keep looking for the real Teddy.” I had to move quickly, lest he suspect my involvement in the switch and the cover-up. I returned the counterfeit teddy to the closet post haste. After stripping back all the sheets and comforter we found Teddy nestled in at the foot of Holt’s bed. Holt immediately starts telling Teddy how much he missed him and that another teddy tried to trick him. I nod in agreement, making sure to add how shocked, shocked! I am that there was a teddy bear in our house trying to pull a fast one on us all. I try to convey with sympathetic looks that, I too, feel the pain of deception. The search, the ruse, and the cover up had sapped what was left of my early morning sleep. By the time order was restored the sun was beginning to add its morning light to the bedroom. “Come on Holt, you and Teddy go get in bed with Daddy, while I get a shower.” The three of us make our way to the bedroom and I tuck the two pees into the big pod with Jonathan, who is completely oblivious to the morning con and cover-up. What a beautiful, joyful, and amusing way to start a week!
Flash forward to this Monday, early, early morning. “Mama! Mama!” I stumble from the bed, not sure of where I am, in a stupor, but responding instinctively to my baby’s cries. I get to his bedroom and he can’t find Teddy. Through his tears and my daze we make a cursory search for the friend, lost in a sea of sheets and pillows. As we (I) are (am) wading through the sheets, I have a flash of genius, remembering the matching teddy in our closet. I tell Holt that I think I remember Teddy sneaking into our room last night and that I would go get him. I run to the closet, pull the new teddy out, remove the tag that is still affixed to his paw and quickly return to Holt’s room. Meanwhile, in my head I am: A. congratulating myself for such a novel idea, and B. trying to calculate how much sleep I can still get before my alarm sounds.
I enter, thinking myself quite the hero, preparing for the hugs of thanks for reuniting these old chums, and I offer teddy to Holt. Holt grabs the teddy bear and hugs him as tight as you can hug a 12 inch stuffed bear, and then recoils. The look of disgust on Holt’s face was on one hand heartbreaking and on the other quite funny. I wasn’t prepared for such a turn of events; immediately aware that my plan was backfiring. He knew. It was clear I needed an alibi for my involvement. “Mama. I don’t know whose teddy this is, but it is not my Teddy!” I had to think on my feet, I couldn’t try to convince him, he is too smart for that, so I feign ignorance and outrage. “Oh my goodness! You’re right it’s a fake teddy. I’ll get rid of this impostor you keep looking for the real Teddy.” I had to move quickly, lest he suspect my involvement in the switch and the cover-up. I returned the counterfeit teddy to the closet post haste. After stripping back all the sheets and comforter we found Teddy nestled in at the foot of Holt’s bed. Holt immediately starts telling Teddy how much he missed him and that another teddy tried to trick him. I nod in agreement, making sure to add how shocked, shocked! I am that there was a teddy bear in our house trying to pull a fast one on us all. I try to convey with sympathetic looks that, I too, feel the pain of deception. The search, the ruse, and the cover up had sapped what was left of my early morning sleep. By the time order was restored the sun was beginning to add its morning light to the bedroom. “Come on Holt, you and Teddy go get in bed with Daddy, while I get a shower.” The three of us make our way to the bedroom and I tuck the two pees into the big pod with Jonathan, who is completely oblivious to the morning con and cover-up. What a beautiful, joyful, and amusing way to start a week!
ok, sayward, this is a great story and very well written! i forsee you writing a book one day! love it... thanks for the smile!
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