Bunnies.
These bunnies have stories.
It was my 6th Easter. I always got Easter baskets with stuffed bunnies in them and this was my first Easter with a little baby sister. I remember I got to "find" her basket,too. This bunny was overstuffed,brilliant white with beautiful pink ear linings and a springy bright pink floral jumper. She had these ribbons around her neck by her lace collar and they were the perfect silk feeling that I HAD to have to fall asleep at night. She was IT. From that day on she accompanied me on every vacation and sleepover and adventure even well into adulthood. She's seen hotels and bedrooms and sickness and tears. Heck, she was in the hospital when Jameson was born. She is missing both her arms now (one,a casualty of a bratty aforementioned little sister),her eyes are scratched up and her legs are held on with hair ties after every attempt to seam and reseam has failed. Her fur is dingy and grey without a hint of white and though she has been re stuffed she's still lost most of her mass. She's perfect and I love this rabbit. 23 years old.
When I unexpectedly and fearfully found out I was pregnant with my first child, a boy, I knew I wanted something special for him to grow with. We went to Build A Bear and I found the sweetest little Almost-Velveteen-Rabbit. I put a little heart beat in it, named it, and stuck him in the corner of the crib to be Jameson's first friend. He loved that bunny from the beginning. "Munny" had a theme song and he was taken to parks and on car rides and to visit pumpkin patches. He was dragged around by his ears and served as an honorary chew toy for a teething toddler. Munny was with Jameson through some big life changes and never left his side. He even got a small version of Munny along with a hard copy of the book "The Velveteen Rabbit" one year and affectionately named him "Baby bunny". Bunny is now almost 7 years old-he resides on the top bunk and gets the occasional adventure to the living room couch. His little heartbeat doesn't work anymore and his fur has matted together to show his age and just how much he's been loved,which is a great deal.
Jameson was excited from the second he found out he was gaining a sibling. He never once had an issue with the new idea of sharing his mommy and loved being included in all the details. We took him to the same Build A Bear as before and he picked out a bunny "like his but not the same so they know the difference" and brought it to life with a recording of his voice yelling "I love you,BROTHER!" He filled out the bunny's "birth certificate" on the computer and named it Jackson ,his favorite name,the name he begged us to call the baby even after the baby was born. This bunny is fresh and shiny and clean and new. Carlin is 5 months old and can identify with every one of those adjectives himself. I can't wait to watch them grow together.
