Act 2; Scene 46: Meet Rufus

A while back, Robert proposed a plan to me. He said that he wanted to get each of our kids one special stuffed animal hand-picked from Mom and Dad when they are born. We're both big stuffed animal junkies, and both liked the idea. Robert proposed that we go to Build-a-Bear and pick out a bear, stuff it, and choose a special outfit (or something like that) just for our baby from Mom and Dad--his first teddy bear.

So last night we decided to head to Build-a-Bear to start our tradition. And here is the result:

Rufus

You're right--he's not a bear, he's actually a puppy. But we both liked him and his cute little tongue the best. After stuffing him (and being prodded by the "stuff helper" to make a wish on a heart and stick it in the stuffing) we searched the entire store over to find the perfect "outfit" for him. We thought it would be fun to go with something 4th of July themed for our July 3rd due date, but there just weren't many options. At least not for little boy teddy bears. Funny how even at Build-a-Bear you can't escape the walls and walls of girl outfits compared to the one rack of boy outfits :-).

We finally decided on a red polo shirt (sort of patriotic, right?). Then we found a Happy Birthday cupcake that he could hold, which we couldn't resist. 

We even received a birth certificate for him, and registered his name into a computer (what?!?). Robert thought of the name Rufus, and I concurred. It's kind of perfect for the little guy, isn't it?

Rufus now sits in the corner of the crib, waiting to say "Happy Birthday" with a cupcake to his new best friend, whenever he decides to show up.

My favorite part of this whole thing? Seeing how excited Robert was to go to Build-a-Bear, and watching him (not me--him) look through every piece of teddy bear clothing to find the perfect outfit for his son's stuffed puppy, and hearing him declare this morning, "I like Rufus."

Oh yes, this will definitely become a tradition.

Hope there's some company in that crib with you real soon, Rufus!