Handed down to her.

This is teddy. He is my teddy bear. Actually the first stuffed animal I ever had, given to me the day I was born. He was bright white then, with hints of pink in his ears and on the bottoms of his feet. With a light pink ribbon around his neck. This is my dad rocking me in his arms with teddy alongside. After we found the bear I actually called my dad and told him to "guess this sound" then I wound it up and played a bit of the song for him. "Do you know what that is?" I asked him. "Of course, that is your teddy bear from when you where a baby" he answered without hesitation. I couldn't believe it, he remembered. I love my Dad. Of course he remembered, he is such a sensitive guy that way. I love this bear. You can tell he has been loved by the condition of his fur. He winds up in the back and plays a lullaby. It still works. He slept with me growing up, came with me when I got married. He had gotten put away with other old childhood things for quite awhile. Then one day we were going through the attic stuff and Deke brought him down. He took out the music box, washed and cleaned him and then we wound him up. His song played as clear as ever. I was admiring how good he looked when Emma crawled into the room. Smiling at him she pulled herself up and reached for him. I handed him to her and she threw her little arm around his neck and squeezed. I was a puddle. Something about her still chubby little fingers holding onto him tightly. Seeing my daughter get joy out of something that once was mine when I was her very size. I picked her up, wound him up and held her close while the lullaby played. It was a special moment. Putting teddy in her toy basket after she had gone to bed, him smelling like her heavenly scented baby lotion. Everytime I see her pick him up and carry him around, kiss him or walk with him in her hand my chest burns all warm inside. These are the moments I dreamed about when I was younger and thought about being a mother. Taking something that was special to me and passing it on to my little girl. I have a feeling that there will be many more opportunities like this to pass things that are precious to me on to my children. My life is so full right now of moments like this all the time lately it seems, with all of my children, and I am grateful.