Burn Victim

I wrote in this post earlier in the summer about Jacob's favorite stuffed animal, Lion. They are inseparable. If anything, Jacob has become more attached to Lion since I wrote that post. He now likes to take Lion on walks with us in the stroller, as well as on car rides whenever we go somewhere. Lion is his constant companion. He sleeps with Lion every night, and plays with Lion every day. One of his favorite games to play is "Go Lion", where he throws Lion as high in the air as he can while yelling "go Lion!" and then he has to find where Lion landed.

He was playing just this game on Saturday morning when Lion landed in the lamp in the boys' bedroom. Lion landed directly on top of the hot lightbulb. It took me a few minutes to notice, and by the time I did, Lion was stuck to it. I had to rip him off of the hot bulb, only to find that Lion's "fur" had melted and in its place were three holes, exposing his stuffing.

I was devastated. I know that Lion is irreplaceable - literally - he isn't sold anymore. So I had prepared myself on how to deal with a situation where Lion might get dirty, or torn, or even thrown in the toilet. But I had not prepared myself for the event where Lion would become a burn victim.

I enlisted the help of my mom, and she  performed emergency "surgery" on Lion's damaged backside. The whole time Jacob kept coming over to me, tugging on my arm and saying, "Lion? Lion?" I knew he was wondering where his little blue friend was, and it broke my heart.

Once my mom finished the stitching, the big moment came when they were reunited. I was so worried Jacob wouldn't accept Lion with his new "band aid", but he barely even noticed; he was just happy to have his Lion back. 

Lion is holding up well, and things seem to be back to normal for the time being. Thank goodness for needle and thread! 

Oh, and thank goodness the house didn't burn down.

Favorite

Before my children were born I remember looking through all of the adorable and soft stuffed animals and blankets that family and friends and gifted to them. I wondered which ones would they like? Would they have a favorite stuffed animal, or a favorite blanket? I think it is so adorable when a child has an attachment to an object, something that brings him or her comfort. It is helpful to parents, but can also cause serious issues should that favorite object ever go missing!

I mentioned yesterday that Jacob has a favorite Lion, who was not too badly injured in our disaster.

Jacob's Lion, fresh out of the dryer

Richard's Grandma Doris, (Jacob's Great-Grandma), bought him this stuffed lion when she came to visit us right after his birth. For many months it was just another stuffed animal in our collection. But one day, inexplicably, several months ago, Jacob decided that "Lion" as we creatively call him, was his favorite. Jacob gets a huge smile on his face whenever he spots his beloved toy. He will immediately hug him, or hold him close to his cheek and cuddle. I have seen him give kisses to Lion, and even try to feed Lion snacks; Lion is also Jacob's pillow every night and every naptime. Lion is so special to Jacob. Often times, if Jacob is crying, it's because he can't get to Lion. A few nights ago we spent the night at my parent's house, and Jacob was playing with Lion and accidentally threw him over a gate. Jacob started sobbing and screaming, I ran over to see if he had hurt himself, but quickly realized that he was just upset because he couldn't get to his friend. I think Jacob's bond with this stuffed animal is so precious. I love the way he lights up over Lion. I know that we may have a problem in the future, though. When we discovered how much Jacob loves that Lion, we began researching who made it and where we could buy more, should we ever need to replace him. Sadly, Lion was a limited edition, and is no longer produced or sold. Lion is very well-loved and well-worn. I am already sad for the day when we will have to say goodbye to Lion. I hope it isn't any time soon.

Jacob reunited with Lion

"Hello, my friend!"

Hugging Lion