My Favorite Toy

Josh and I finally went to see Toy Story 3 yesterday.  It was so good!  I truly enjoyed it, and yes, the ending made me cry (I won't spoil it in case you haven't seen it yet).  We started talking about our old toys when we got in the car, and I've been thinking ever since.

My favorite toy that went everywhere was Baby.  That was not how she arrived though.  I won her in a baby show, and I haven't been parted from her since.  Baby would have been sold as Raspberry Tart, one of Strawberry Shortcake's friends.  I've actually found one in near perfect shape so that I remember what she used to look like.  She actually even smells faintly of raspberries!

I wasn't very creative in my naming - I probably didn't know at the time she had a name.  She's been Baby ever since.  When I was a thumb-sucker, I had one of those blanket puppets in the shape of a rabbit.  His name was Bunny, lol.  He was retired when I quit sucking my thumb - he was too much a part of that habit to stay.  Baby always had a place in the crook of my arm, but I didn't give her up.

Baby has been there through good times and bad.
She traveled with me, and has been to Arizona, Colorado, Virginia, Florida, Canada, and other places that have been forgotten.  My mom always made sure she was back in the car before we left - she was never packed.  As I grew older, Baby didn't have to be present all the time and everywhere, but she was always on my bed waiting for me to sleep.
She kept me company through many sicknesses - the flu, pneumonia, the chicken pox in Kindergarten.  She accompanied me to the hospital when I had my tonsils out in fifth grade - because of her make-up, she was even allowed in the operating room with me, so I was never separated from her.  She was there for me when I had to have an MRI done - even though I was in high school and should have outgrown the habit.  It was quite a humorous experience: to be sure that she was not metal and could be in there with me, they took her in, turned the machine on, and threw her in!  Since she didn't stick, she could go in as a comfort, always nice when you are stuck in a long tube.  She went with me to the hospital when I needed an IV for a migraine.
Baby was there for me when I needed to cry and didn't want anyone else to see.  She's soaked up tears and been there to hold.  When my parents told me we were moving to Indiana, Baby was the comforter when I was afraid of what the experience would hold.  She even went to college with me - I have no shame.  She was such a part of my sleeping habit that I could not have gone without her.
I've thought of retiring Baby, but I think she still needs me.  She's showing signs of her love - threadbare holes on her face, lack of stuffing in her limbs, dirty spots galore.  Jager (my dog) encountered her when I first got him - I was heartbroken to see him gnawing on one of her feet.  A friendly sewer made her some shoes to help cover the damage.  Years and years ago, we took Baby to our friend who is a dry cleaner.  He told us that he would wash her if we insisted, but that he feared she would fall apart.  She's been spot cleaned and loved instead.

Baby still has a special spot on my bed.  I think that when I get married, I will have to find a spot for her in my new home - I can't imagine not having her around.  Even knowing what happened at the end of the movie, I could never do that for Baby.  She'll be with me for a very long time, even if her purpose in life has changed many time!
Photos are personal photos taken by me.  The first is the "like new" version, while the second is my well loved Baby.