Tragedy Strikes...Almost. Phew.

On Friday afternoon on the way to the park Isa dropped her favourite stuffed animal 'Bear'. I did not become aware of the incident until we were on our way home from the park one hour later. You can imagine my panic. Up to this point, Isa had not become aware that Bear was missing, but I knew that she could ask for him on the way home.

I don't have to tell you how worried I was, how was I going to explain to her that Bear was gone? How would she react? Cry? Scream (the most likely thing)? Will she sleep? Can I make it to the store and get another one? These were all thoughts that were going through my head as I walked home with her.

My friends whom we had gone out to meet told me that given the neighborhood that we lived in, someone probably found him and just left him somewhere where I would see him. This was my hope. So we left the park and re-traced our steps home. Nothing. No sign of Bear.

Then as we were half way home, Isa asks for him. I tell her that bear is at home (hoping that maybe she had dropped him as I was putting her into her stroller). She does not believe me, I think that she knew that she had brought him and I was keeping him away from her.

Screaming begins...I try to explain that bear was at home and that she would see him there. Screaming. I give up and begin walking pretty fast, still re-tracing our steps. People stare, she keeps crying, saying 'Bear, please' 'mama, Bear please'. You can imagine how absolutely awful I felt, by this point I wanted to cry as well.

Then, one block from home, I saw him ...Bear. He was found, I am just so happy that I almost start crying. He was hanging out with some flowers in the little bag that Isa carries him in. I am so grateful to whomever picked him up and placed him there. I think that it was probably some mother who understood the significance of the little guy.

I picked him up, brushed him off and handed it over to Isa. I know that I probably should not have done it because I don't know whom he had been hanging out with and because she had just been crying for him and having a nice tantrum, but I did not care. I was just so happy to have found him and to give him to Isa who missed him so much.

She grabbed him, smelled him and squished him real hard. The entire way home, she kept looking at him and saying 'Bear', she would show him to me and say 'mama, Bear' all the while hugging him for dear life.

Bear means the world to Isa, he is her most favourite stuffed animal. He was there for her when she transitioned to day care and helped her during the first days with no pacifier. I have got to find myself a second Bear because if we loose him again we may not be so fortunate.

Isa and Bear