Thursday, November 4, 2010

My First Love :)

I met my first love on my first birthday.

It was love at first sight.

We were together all of the time.

I lost him a few times and got very upset. I usually found him again, except for once.

He gave great hugs.

That's because my first love was my stuffed animal teddy bear named, "Snuggles."

This is what he looks like all nice and new (which I never recall my Snuggles being...)


snuggles2.gif
I got Snuggles on my first birthday from my aunt Laurie. Snuggles is a Gund teddy bear that is actually named "Snuffles." I'm not sure if I was incapable of saying the sound of "f", or if perhaps my parents liked Snuggles better, but I actually like the name change.

Snuggles slept with me every night. I brought him everywhere when I was little, and continued to bring him on trips and sleep with him every night for the rest of our time together. I never recall being ashamed of Snuggles at all, and anyone who was friends with me back then was fully aware of his importance in my life.

In my house there were lots of Snuggles...

Snuggles.jpg

That's not really my picture, but it could have been. My mom had a pink Snuggles. My dad "had" a dark brown one (pretty sure it wasn't really is, but I was told it was his haha). Caroline and Jake even had them and Jake actually slept with his for awhile until he got a giant polar bear stuffed animal named "Beary" that sort of took over. Caroline was more into her doll named "Baby" but I'm pretty sure she had her own Snuggles too. But THE Snuggles was my Snuggles.

There are a couple of noteworthy stories about my first love, Snuggles. The first was the day that I lost Snuggles at Marshalls (at least I think it was Marshalls). I had to be 3 or 4 years old and I was, as usual, carrying Snuggles around with me. Somehow I managed to lose him. Of course like any melodramatic toddler I was VERY upset and we HAD to find Snuggles before I could leave. FINALLY, after a long period of searching, I found Snuggles on one of the shelves like he was for sale. Yikes! Close call.

My Snuggles also did not look much like the ones above. He had much less stuffing because he had to be washed often. At one point my mom had to sew him because stuffing was coming out of him. He was much more "loved." In fact, it was not uncommon for my mom to have to sneak him out of my arms while I was sleeping so she could wash him. I really did not want him to be washed. Not sure what my deal was...

In fifth grade we studied immigration in my class. One day we had to bring a bag to school as though we were coming to the United States from another country. My teacher replicated the whole "Ellis Island" experience with us. I brought Snuggles in my bag and he was TAKEN AWAY!!! I remember, even as rational 5th grader that I was (ahem), being angry that Snuggles was being taken away at all! I remember thinking I would NOT come to the US.

However, my life with Snuggles came to a sad end on Columbus Day weekend of freshman year of college. I know, it's kind of a cliche... going to college and deciding you need to "see what else is out there."
Sadly, I brought Snuggles to visit my friend Sarah at UConn (clearly you didn't understand when I said I brought him on EVERY trip). Somehow he must have fallen out of my backpack and I didn't realize until I got home. Sarah looked around but never found him :( And that was how the story ends.

Or begins, because now I have this love instead...

kelly_eric 0608.jpg

...and his stuffed dog that I get to sleep with :)

I am seriously considering buying a new Snuggles though. It's the 30th anniversary :)


15 comments:

  1. OH NO, I'm sad about the way your relationship with snuggles came to an end. That sounds kind of devastating!

    Also? LOVE LOVE LOVE that wedding picture! It's one I haven't seen yet and it's one of my favs so far!

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  2. this is my nephews favorite little animal (he has two) and is 14 and still sleeps with it.

    i think we have one kicking around our house if you want me to find it. or i did a quick search on ebay and up came lots of snuffles!!!

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  3. That is a devastating story how the love came to an end!

    I love this post! :) Too fun!

    And that wedding picture is increcible!!!!

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  4. love the picture :) and i totally had a "teddy beddy bear" that was the love of my life :)

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  5. this was awesome. haha. such a dramatic story over the mis-placings, washings, and ellis islandings! i would not have come to the US either.

    i was a pillow kid. i had a brown square pillow that had a cat with a teal collar on called "brownie", but it got left behind one year at the beach house and my parents wouldn't call the rental company to see if they would look for it and mail it! HOW MEAN!

    so i came to love a second pillow - it started out as a regular-size sleeping pillow but the stuffing somehow wore down over time and was eventually all in stringy/lumpy pieces... so this one was called "lumpy" (we are so great at naming things!). i still have lumpy today. well, most of him. i kept wearing holes into it and my mom would resew it/transport the "stuffing" into a new case. he's now about the size of one of those skinny rectangle throw pillows for a bed. andddd he still travels with me as well. josh loves it.

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  6. I had several of these bears in various colors and sizes: white Mama Snuggle Fluff (big size) and Baby Snuggle Fluff (little size) and Pink Snuggle Fluff (pink little size)

    I'd love to either find my childhood bears (probably at my parents' house) or buy a new one just to celebrate!

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  7. As soon as I saw the picture I was like "SNUFFLES!" I have a white Snuffles that I love. That was sad how yours was lost. I would defintiely treat yourself to a new one!

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  8. I love your story about Snuggles! How cute. I still have a baby I got when I was 7 for Christmas and she has been through so much with me. My grandma used to take her on our shopping trips and put her in the kids seat on the cart. (She looks like a real baby, so people would get confused sometimes, haha!)

    I think you should buy a new Snuggles. :)

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  9. I had a white one of those! I loved him, although he was not my favorite toy to sleep with. But, I got a polar bear (from Build a Bear) from John in college for Valentine's Day and I still sleep with it every night, especially during this time away from John!

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  10. I had a baby doll that went everywhere with me! I still have her. How sad that Snuggles was lost. You should definitely get a new one!

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  11. Why did I think a hard plastic doll was better than a soft snuggles? I was a pretty dumb child...
    But yes, I had a snuggles, a mini snuggles too! I always admired your relationship with snuggles.
    So sad that you lost him : ( Definitely need to get a new one!

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  12. Ha, that is awesome! I never had a stuffed animal that i was attached to. I do have a blanket that i got when I was 4 that I still use (it's on my lap as I type this). I got it from my grandparents and it's just so cozy. But it has seen better days....

    You should def get a new one!!

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  13. AWWW super cute story. Especially the ending. :) But you totally need to get a new Snuggles!!!

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  14. So cute!! And now you have a new love...who you will be with forever. TEAR!
    I had a "Snuggles" when I was young, and I can still remember the day I had to say goodbye :( Nick had one too, and when his mom moved she got it out of storage to show me.

    I think you should buy another one, to give to your first child!

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  15. Oh, what a lovely story :)

    I still have my blankie that I got when I was three months old.

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