Stuffed Animals

Friday night RR went away with his friend and family for the night, to celebrate his friend's birthday. Husband and I took the opportunity to purge RR's room. We gave it a good old fashion deep clean.

As I was putting his bed back together I was amazed by all of the stuffed animals he was still sleeping with. A giant stuffed snake wrapped around the headboard. A stuffed alligator that has to be 4-ft long. A floppy giant red stuffed dog. Several pillow pets and enough stuffed animals from Build-a-Bear to open our own shop. In fact it had been birthday tradition for years to go to BaB and get a new stuffed animal. We haven't gone in a year or two. In fact that last stuffed "animal" RR has gotten was a giant stuffed donut he won at the fair. But he did take that giant stuffed alligator away to summer camp... so...

So while I am going through his stuffed animals it occurs to me, that at some time in the not so distant future; the stuffed animals will be moved off his bed. Moved to the closet perhaps... like he did with half of his collect several years back. Or maybe moved to one of his brother's beds. But he will in fact, be growing out of his love of stuffed animals at some point. He is certainly going through that transition, the period between child and teenager. Where toys are still fun, but for how much longer.

Part of me remembers those days like they were yesterday. I recall pining for an American Girl doll, Samantha, back before they were the most have doll. Before Disney bought the company. And I got the doll and I still have the doll. Will RR keep some of his stuffed animals like that? Put away, but not forgotten?