a beanie story

When Boo was a toddler, she got her first Beanie Baby. And then she got a few more. Before long we had a whole bundle of them. But of course, a few favorites floated to the top of the heap. And they were the 'go to' buddies when she needed a cuddle. She also carried at least one Beanie under her armpit while at home for about three years. Anyhoo...

She got these two beanies. Kitties, of course. One's name was Amber. And the other one was Pounce. These were their given names on the tags, and she decided those were their names. So things went merrily along with Amber and Pounce. Until one day...

Pounce came up missing! We tore the house up. But she was gone. Boo was coping pretty well with it, even though it was a fave. I thought we had skated by on the whole Pounce thing. And then one day I went in her room and she had Amber and she was pointing Amber's little kitty paw at it's chest and telling me that Amber misses Pounce in her heart.

Well that did it. I just couldn't take it anymore. She was crushed that her buddy was gone. And I felt a little sorry for her. So I called an antique store around the corner from me and asked them if they had a Pounce. They did! I told the hubby to pick it up on the way home. So we replaced Pounce and I don't think she ever realized it was a new Pounce. Until one day...

We were in her room playing and I was sitting on the floor and I was sort of leaning back and had my hands stretched out behind me and I felt something. My fingers couldn't believe it. I had found Pounce! The first one! The real one! So then I had a problem. What to do with one of these Beanies.

I talked to her about it, and she offered to give the new Pounce to Bub. At the time he didn't have very many Beanies since he struggled with asthma some earlier in his life. He couldn't have a lot of fuzzies. So it was decided. We gave Pounce to Bub. He was thrilled. And quickly named him/her Kitty. (clever, I know!) Not long after that, he got another Beanie and he named that one Meow Meow (clever, I know!).

Even though he had many many Beanies in his life, Kitty and Meow Meow were his constant buddies through everything. Every nap, his third birthday. The church nursery. And then he got sick. And they were there for every test, every poke, surgeries, radiation, clinic visits...you name it and I've got a picture of him with them tucked under his arm pit or sitting loyally beside him.

And they were his buddies to the end. After we lost him, we went into his room and gathered up his Beanies. Kitty and Meow Meow were on his chest. Now they reside in the china cabinet.

Meow Meow on the left.

and Kitty on the right.

Notice the bandaid on Meow Meow's little wrist. That was put on by a sweet clinic nurse.