Not so long ago, Roary was just a random stuffed animal floating around our house. He was a present Jack got from his Grammy and Pappy, along with a book with a tiger on the cover. Jack liked him well enough, but no more than any other stuffed animal.
But last June, Steve was away for a week on a fishing trip on Canada, and I think Jack needed a little extra love and comfort. All of a sudden, I noticed that Jack had that tiger with him everywhere. If I look back at my pictures from that time, Roary is in just about all of them.
He and Jack quickly became inseperable. Jack spends most of his time with Roary tucked under his arm. When he's tired or just needs some comfort, he rubs Roary's tail. The two of them talk all the time, Jack whispers secrets into his ear, and reads his favorite books to Roary.
Jack and Roary have been through a lot together in the past year. Some of it was funny - like the times Jack snuck Roary into the bathtub with him, the incident in which Jack found some of the backup tigers (we have four Roaries), and when Jack decided that the tigers at the zoo were Roary's "mommy-daddy."
But some of it has not been so fun. Roary was there with him when he had the stomach flu, when he had to get the stitches in his ear, on all of our vacations, and helping him adjust to Temporary Wasser Manor and all the changes that meant in his life. When Jack went in for his surgery, I honestly felt a lot better knowing that Roary was with him, even when I couldn't be. It meant a lot to me to see him, still under anesthesia, but with Roary on his chest, the two of them in matching eye patches. I find myself in the odd position of being grateful to a stuffed tiger.
The least I could do, I figured, was have a birthday party for Roary. So, the four of us (because we are really such a foursome at this point that Roary was in our latest family portrait) celebrated the day that Roary changed from being a toy to being Jack's best friend. I made cupcakes, Jack helped him blow out his candle, and insisted on singing "Happy Birthday" to Roary several times.
Happy birthday, Roary. You're the best friend a kid could have.
1 comment:
This was so sweet! My son's security object is his blanket but it doesn't go with him everywhere. But you can be sure if he needs extra comfort that's what he runs to get.
I kind of wish he had a favorite stuffed animal too for the cuteness factor!
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