Friday, January 23, 2015

WAITING . . .



Today is Mike’s birthday, but never mind that. I’ll make him a mystery pecan pie and give him a hug and the gift he bought for himself (whatever it is). But enough about Mike. This is the day that my teddy bear comes.

I admit it – when I heard that Emmy’s American Girl dolls were under the bed, I felt a little lost. I wondered where I would go from here in an effort to be an absent but supportive grandmother. The fact that the bear was wearing the doll clothes was somehow not inspiring.

My first teddy bear clothing book
Things turned around with the special order. Knowing that Rosabell wanted clothes of her own, I researched online to learn about the Build-a-Bear Workshop where Rosabell was born, and I was totally captivated. Then I could understand that Rosabell means so much to Emmy because she was involved in the process. Rosabell came to life before Emmy’s eyes.

With further research, I discovered another facet of adult involvement in childhood things, including clothes for 18-inch bears and how to better fit a bear with doll clothes patterns, or conversely, to fit your doll with bear clothes. And with that, I wanted my own bear.

ANNABELL
Messaging with Kelly ensued. “What am I looking for in order to have a bear like Emmy’s?” I wanted to know. Long story short, Kelly (a very busy person who travels frequently for her job) took Emmy to a Build a Bear Workshop, and Emmy made a bear for me. Together we agreed on the name “Annabell.”

I’m waiting for Jeff, the UPS driver, to deliver Annabell. Jeff usually comes in the mornings . . .

And she’s here!! Isn’t she cute? “Don’t mess with me when I’m in my pajamas,” she says. Perfect! It just doesn’t get better than this. KW

6 comments:

Chris said...

She is adorable!! She'll be a model, but more than that, she'll be your bear, and everyone needs a bear (or two, or three...) Did you order the crochet book?

Kathy said...

Hi Chris! Thanks for sharing my excitement over the bear.

Yes, I ordered the book through Amazon. It's "Crochet for Bears to Wear" by Amy O'Neill Houck. I believe she wrote one for knitters, too. It's helpful that she includes areas to write the bear's measurements so that the pattern can be altered. I haven't tried it yet so I'm not sure how that works.

Chris said...

I completely forgot to wish Mike a happy birthday! Hope he enjoyed the pie, the hug and his gift (whatever it was)!

Kathy said...

Thank you for the birthday wishes on Mike's behalf. His gift was an 18-volt electric drill to replace the previous one which died. It has two battery packs so he always has a charged unit in reserve. And it levels both horizontally and vertically. (See? I was paying attention.) He wishes he'd had it when he was installing the new weather station. There was no reason he shouldn't have used it. He was just waiting until his birthday.

He said the pie turned out great, and he enjoyed reading a volume of John Grisham. And he can always have a hug.

Hallie said...

What are the customizable components of the Build-A-Bear? She's very cute--not fierce at all, despite the intimidating t-shirt.

Kathy said...

I've never been to a Build a Bear Workshop -- have only read about it online. I think you can choose your bears fur, and I understand that you insert a heart during the stuffing process. You can record a voice for it. You're encouraged to name it. You see the bear being stuffed and sewn. And then you can select outfits according to the bear's gender to further bring out its personality. I just think the process would be really appeal to a youngster.

Don't you think its funny that Emmy chose that outfit for my bear? Pretty spunky!