toad

Yesterday was Toad's first birthday! I remember his "birth" as if it were yesterday... I had been talking to my singing bird the night before and he had suggested that I get a bear to cuddle up with at night. I thought that was a pretty good idea, but told him I didn't know if that would work because I didn't think there were any bears with moustaches! We both laughed, but I knew where I would be going right after to work: to the Build-A-Bear Workshop at the old mall.
And so I did. Oh, my, the many choices!!! Not just bears, but other animals, too! Whoa... So, I took my time. After all, this was going to be my snuggle buddy and it had been a very long time since I had a bear. Oh, yes, I flirted with the idea of some other critter, but a bear was the snuggliest of them all and a bear it had to be. Now, WHICH bear???
Decisions, decisions! So many bears, each with different coloration, different textures, different little faces! None with moustaches (I asked about facial hair add-ons), but that could easily be remedied at home. So, which bear would it be? I finally decided that the "reading bear" was the one for me! Not only did his coloration echo that of my singing bird, and his fur was soft and lush to the touch, but he was also a very GOOD bear. How did I know? Because part of the cost for bringing him to life would go to a literacy program. Oh, yes, he was definitely the bear for me!
Then came the fun part: making him MINE. I was able to personalize him in so many ways! First, I chose a sound for him... that's right, I wanted him to be able to speak to me. Which sound? A bear's growl? No, no, no! A frog's croak! Oh, yes, yes, yes! And just that fast his name popped into my head: Toad Hopkins! After all, my bird's surname was HOPkins, so TOAD was entirely appropriate as the moniker of his snuggle surrogate. Well, alrighty then!
Then it was time to choose his heart (red satin or red plaid) and perform the little ceremony to make it truly his. First, it had to be kissed. Next it had to be placed at his ear so he would listen to me. Finally, it was placed into his chest, along with a tracking tag. Yep, that's right, a tracking tag! That way, should he ever get lost out there in the big world, he could be taken to a Build-A-Bear Workshop and they could read his tag... and help him get safely home again. Wow!
The final act was to fill him with cuddly bits and close him up. Toni let ME work the pedal that controlled how many cuddly bits went in, so he would be just the right amount of snuggly for me. Nice! We paused the process twice, so I could check on his status, then he was perfect! Not hard and difficult to hold, not squishy with no support, but JUST RIGHT.
He even has a Birth Certificate.
So he even has a birthday. Nice!
And the good folks who were there for his birth sent a coupon for him to come and get a birthday gift of his own choosing. REALLY nice. So, this morning, he came to work with me, then we went to the old mall so he could get his present. Mind, he already had an idea of what he wanted: a ball cap. That's right, you heard me. My bird almost always has a ball cap on and Toad wanted one, too.
So, we looked around the whole store and didn't find any. Oh, we found various headgear, but they were all part of outfits. You know, a baseball jersey and pants and ball cap, a football jersey and pants and helmet, that sort of thing. Not at all what Toad wanted. Sure, the motorcycle jacket was cute, but not for him, not at this time of year for sure. So, when the nice lady asked if she could help, I told her that it was Toad's birthday and he was looking for a present... a muscle shirt. Yep, that's what I said to her! And, by golly, they actually HAD some! So I helped him put one on, and he liked it, but it was missing something... and then we saw the ball caps, in the next bin, under all these cute outfits. Navy blue and red were the choices, and the blue won out. What a sweet birthday suit! Really perked me up, too! Happy birthday, Toad!