A few months ago Reese adopted a pink stuffed elephant as her "lovie" for bedtime and naps (first image below). She quickly became attached to the elephant and it could soothe her instantly. While the elephant was primarily a buddy for bedtime, if we allowed, Reese would crawl all over the house with the elephant in one hand. Once, she even scaled her bookshelf with elephant by putting its ear in her mouth so that both of her hands were free. All of the loving she showered on the elephant was leaving it's mark--the elephant seriously needed to be washed. Unfortunately, elephant had a music box inside that played a tune when you pulled on its tail. This neat feature rendered the elephant un-washable except by damp washcloth...and the damp washcloth just wasn't cutting it. I began to explore the option of getting a second elephant of the same kind. My plan was to perform "surgery" on the second elephant to try and remove the music box so that it could then be washed in the washing machine; this would also ensure I had a second elephant on hand for emergencies. I dare not try this move on the "one and only elephant" since if things went wrong, bedtime minus her elephant pal might not have been pretty. Alas, her elephant was discontinued. Some enterprising folks on eBay are currently trying to sell theirs (their beginning bids range from $25-$50+).
So, I took to Amazon to search for a similar elephant to replace the original. I came up with an elephant of similar size and color that was touted as machine washable (image below). BINGO! For a little over $20 I got two elephants shipped to my house. When they arrived, the old elephant "disappeared." Kevin originally thought it was overkill to get two elephants, but when Reese puked all over one last week just minutes before bedtime, I was pretty happy to be able to pull the identical replacement out of the closet while throwing the other one in the wash. If this elephant is going to be the security blanket of choice for the next few years, a back up is absolutely necessary. Just ask my mom sometime about my childhood traumas with "Bun Bun." As I recall we lost one down the toilet and there was a terrible tantrum episode when he had to be washed one day...
So, I took to Amazon to search for a similar elephant to replace the original. I came up with an elephant of similar size and color that was touted as machine washable (image below). BINGO! For a little over $20 I got two elephants shipped to my house. When they arrived, the old elephant "disappeared." Kevin originally thought it was overkill to get two elephants, but when Reese puked all over one last week just minutes before bedtime, I was pretty happy to be able to pull the identical replacement out of the closet while throwing the other one in the wash. If this elephant is going to be the security blanket of choice for the next few years, a back up is absolutely necessary. Just ask my mom sometime about my childhood traumas with "Bun Bun." As I recall we lost one down the toilet and there was a terrible tantrum episode when he had to be washed one day...
Wow I have that Elephant. I think it is the one that Teresa gave us as a shower gift. I can not believe someone was trying to sell it for 50+ That is crazy. Someone who new some desperate mommy like you would need that elephant. Haha! Let me know if you ever need it. I think ours is stuffed in the toy chest.
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