"Bear"

This is Oak's Bear!

It is a special gift from some special people.

 When she was about six months (maybe a little earlier) old she ditched her binky and started exclusively sucking her thumb. She really only sucks it when she is sleepy. But we noticed that she liked to grab onto something, with the same hand, when she was sucking her thumb.

 I wasn't comfortable, nor am I now, with letting Oak have a blanket in bed yet. So I was wracking my brain on what to give her to help her be more comfortable when going to sleep. So one night I just grabbed this bear on a whim and set it on her tummy when I layed her down. She grabbed onto it and it seemed to do the job. So I started giving it to her every time I layed her down to sleep. She ended up growing attached to it and gets so excited to see it in her crib when I go lay her down or sometimes she won't leave the crib without it. She will squeeze and hug it with delight and when she want to suck her thumb she will grab the ear (like in the picture). When we are playing on the floor, you can ask her "Where's Bear?" and she will look around until she sees it and when she spots it she will scurry to get it. It is so sweet and I love seeing her attached to something, especially something so special.

Even though this particular bear is very special, I found the exact same one at a store and bought an extra one. You know just in case that one gets lost or needs a good washing.