Missing "Gato"-- send the search party!

My son has a special toy which he's had since he was 12 months old... His favorite stuffed animal... a TY Beanie Baby stuffed cat. They've been discontinued and quite impossible to come across. About a year and a half ago I found one on EBay, and went ahead and ordered it. It immigrated from Great Britan, and at a $40 fee to purchase the cat and transport it here, I felt like it was worth every penny since my son would have TWO of his favorite toy now... But I was wrong. My son took one look at the new cat and immediately knew the difference.. And how could he miss the HUGE difference between the cats... one was brand new, the other was not.


He brings his cat everywhere!


The grocery store


North Carolina--on our way to Florida


Disney World


To work-- his playdates


To church-- first communions

I mean EVERYWHERE! My son is always seen with his trusty companion and life-long friend, Mao (the new cat is Pao...). Imagine his sadness when he loses his dear Mao. It is very sad to seethe sadness in his eyes, and then the search begins... He lost his gato yesterday while at work, we looked EVERYWHERE. Under the beds, in the laundry room, under the toys, in the toy bins, garbage cans, toilets, in between the couch cushions, in the TV compartment... No sign of Mao! I was about to go crazy, because here I was calling out "Mao... where are you??" expecting an answer from a stuffed animal.. (Having Mao is like having a second child, except it doesn't answer back when called on...) And to make things worse, when asked where Mao was, JJ would answer "I don't know"....

Last night was torture to putting JJ to sleep since he can not sleep without Mao... He had Pao and boy it was different, but at least it was enough. This morning I decided to take another looksie around the house. 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 3 floors and numerous closets later, I ventured to the basement to look around, trying to think "If I were a stuffed cat where would I hide?"... (It's not as easy as they make it seem...)

Finally, about to give up, I looked in the entertainment center in the little doors (JJs in the stage where he likes to put his cat in its crate especially to sleep...) and who do I find sitting in the very back of the top shelf inside the dark little closet? MAO!!!


Moral of the story, put yourself in a stuffed animal's position and maybe you'll find that special toy! I'm off to knit it a collar and leash...
-A