A loved bear...

If you know my family or if you've been reading this blog for the last year, you're sure to know all about Bunny, Mary Jane's very expensive lovey that I had to replace last fall. She still carries it with her most places that she goes. Before there was Bunny, or even Mary Jane or Charlotte, there was simply Mason and Rooty Bear. Rooty Bear was a gift from a friend in Vancouver. He arrived soon after we brought Mason home. A little red bear that has bearly been able to withstand all of the love that he has received through the years.

I once spent 40 minutes back-tracking through the streets of San Francisco when we realized that Rooty Bear had fallen out of the stroller. I actually cried when we found him. On Monday, I spent an hour doing some repair work on the poor bear. He was about to loose an arm and a leg, Mason was not happy about it. For better or worse, Rooty Bear is made of fabric, not fur. When Charlotte was about 6 months old, I realized that she had a little pair of pants that matched the fabric. I'm still cutting those pants up for patches. Mason now makes a point of leaving his bear in his bed each morning. I don't miss the bed time Rooty Bear hunts. He seems so tiny and fragile now, Mason told me that I now need to patch his face and maybe make him some new ears.

I don't know why our kids get so attached to certain objects, but if a little red bear or a $77 bunny from ebay brings some comfort to my child, than I will patch or pay to keep everyone happy. So today's latte, from a house that needs to be disinfected because we've had too much coughing and sickness here this week, is to realize that sometimes there is no substitute for a bear or a bunny or a real latte with lots of caffeine!