“And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.”
Peeper recently adopted Sheep as her go-to lovey, and while its fleece used to be white as snow, it has already acquired the dingy dishwater hue of a much-adored stuffed animal.
One day, out of nowhere, Peeper grabbed Sheep—a stuffed toy she’d never had much interest in—right before we went on a hike. Then, when I unloaded her and Finn, she wouldn’t let go. “Sheep come on hike,” she said, so I figured what the hell. Sheep has been Peeper’s Number One Partner ever since.
Sheep comes on our hikes. Sheep rides with Edie in the stroller when we go for morning walks. Sheep even accompanied us to IKEA—then to Mexico. Now that Peeper has formed an attachment to a lovey, many parents have cautioned me to buy a backup Sheep—or several. The toy was a gift from my college host family in Argentina, though, so we won’t be getting a just-in-case replacement anytime soon.
We already had a brush with disaster on that front. We had just finished a 45-minute walk and were a half-block from home when I looked down at Peeper in the stroller and realized both her hands were free. Panic gripped me. Where’s Sheep? Thank goodness it had abandoned ship at the corner, and we didn’t have to put out a missing person’s report or a Facebook plea to please please please bring home my toddler’s AWOL lovey.
Eric still remembers the loss he felt when Scoot, his mangy stuffed dog, was forgotten at his grandmother’s house. The separation, to hear him tell it, was nearly unbearable. Some time later, his grandma found Scoot and mailed him back—but only after the attachment had dissolved.
Yet Scoot won’t be soon forgotten. He now holds a place of honor in our house, as does my no-eyed, thoroughly patched childhood bear, Pooh.
Scoot and Pooh are proof that I don’t have to sweat the stains already accumulating on Sheep’s less-than-snow-white fleece. Peeper doesn’t care now, and when she grows up, the discolorations will just be evidence of a life well loved.
So Sheep continues to take a sit in the middle of a muddy trail mid-hike; I don’t mind. I’m sure there’s a good reason in Peeper’s imagination to put a white toy in a parking lot puddle. And if Sheep ends up covered in blueberry-banana squeezie on a car ride, it’s only fair: Peeper is soaked in it, too.
Sheep is part of the family now.
What a great little spotlight on your close family friend Sheep and some of the fun adventures with Peeper. It really is a mystery how each child picks out their companion isn’t it!
Definitely is! I still wonder why she suddenly picked Sheep, but that’s a mystery I’ll have to live with. 🙂
Love this. So much. My son has Bear, a stuffed animal he grabbed off the shelf of an Old Navy when he was 6 months old and has been part of our family ever since. Peeper will have great memories with Sheep, and photos too! The photos you share here are adorable!
Thanks, Marlynn! I love that your son chose Bear—he knows what he wants! 🙂
this is the cutest! i’m still in love with my stuffed animals… and i’m 25!
They hold a special place in my heart, too!
So cute! My son has his monkey, whose official name is Tangerine (according to the tag that came on his ear), but we always just call him “Monkey.” He didn’t become attached to a lovey until he received Monkey as a Christmas present when he was almost 2.5 so for the longest time I thought he would never have a single lovey. Monkey is definitely a part of our family too! He’s included in nap time, story time, and if he’s gone missing for bed time, we must find him before Jayden can fall asleep peacefully. 🙂
So sweet! Peeper’s allegiance to Sheep isn’t exclusive—she’s also (usually) happy bringing along Baby or Giraffe, though Sheep is her fave.
Years ago I bought this book because the photos and stories about beloved stuffed animals are so sweet. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TL74YO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001TL74YO&linkCode=as2&tag=adrada-20&linkId=6J62NMOQ5SZZQANS Some day Sheep will be floppy and threadbare, so loved!
What an adorable book! Thanks for sharing!
Sheep actually still looks in amazing condition for the wild ride he has had so far. My daughter’s bunny now has a permanent gray hue of fluff where it was once white. We finally found a “Back-up Bunny” and it’s quite the expense at $80 so we have hesitated in purchasing it. I left my blanky when I was three in a hotel in Austin. The hotel claimed they could not find it, and it was not the yellow knit that missed, it was the smell of home that it had accumulated over those short years. I remember the trauma to this day…mom replaced it with a blue large blanket she had on hand in a linen closet. It took several months to accumulate the smell again, but now in pieces and rags it sits at the top of my closet…funny how I still can’t let it go.
I’m sure Sheep will look a little worse for wear soon enough! We wash it pretty regularly to get the sand/dirt/grit/mud/food out.
Ya, I wash Bunny atleast once a month after soaking her in oxy clean…but it doesn’t seem to be doing much for her anymore sadly. 🙁
Such a beautiful post – and feature on the little furry member of your family 🙂
Both my daughters have stuffed bunnies they love. My eldest’s was pink once upon a time. She’s five and it goes EVERYWHERE with us. My youngest has a brown bunny who, while much loved, I think is more so because she feels she’s suppose to have a bunny like her sister, and less because they are soul mates – like use to be pink bunny and my eldest so obviously are …
Haha, lovey soul mates—I love that idea! I wonder if Baby #2 will pick a sheep as her go-to pal, too, once she arrives.