Lovey’s Journey

When my son was little, he had a stuffed bear. His bear’s name was….Bear, and he was a stinky, dirty, well-loved bear. My son started sleeping with Bear when he was still an infant, and as he got older, Bear was his constant companion. Over the years, we bought replacement “Bears,” but he always knew which one was the real Bear. By the time Bear was retired, he was full of holes, and we actually stuffed him into a sock so that only his head was showing. It was the only way to hold his stuffing in!

I still remember all of the times that we misplaced Bear. On one trip out of state, there we were, pulled over on the side of the interstate, frantically emptying the contents of the trunk, hoping to find Bear. We did! Another time Bear was left in a restaurant during a multi-state trip. He had to stay at the restaurant until the return trip home. I still have Bear, and I bet my son still secretly loves him!

Well, now I’m a Gigi, and my granddaughter has Lovey. Recently Lovey got to take an unexpected trip across the country.

Lovey travels to Florida

Our daughter, son-in-law, and 3-year-old granddaughter live in Italy. Lovey was a baby-shower gift that has been Adeline’s constant companion from day one. And Lovey is a world traveler. She’s been to seven countries already!

Last month our daughter and granddaughter (and Lovey) traveled from Italy to the US for a visit with the grandparents. Their first stop was Florida to visit her paternal grandparents. Of course, Florida and the rest of the US were having a terrible winter storm. Flights were delayed and canceled all over the country, so their trip to California to visit us was delayed by two days.

Lovey gets lost

Finally, they were on their way. They boarded the plane, only to discover that Lovey wasn’t with them! My daughter explained the situation to the flight attendant, but there wasn’t time to deplane to find Lovey. My daughter texted me with the news. They were both in tears as the plane took off. The flight attendant did her best to cheer them up. They arrived in California, and I met them at the airport. My daughter was still distraught and blamed herself for losing Lovey.

We all reached out to lost and found at the airport, but no one had turned Lovey in. We didn’t have a lot of hope at that point. I spent hours scouring trying to find a replacement, as Lovey is no longer being made. I reached out on Facebook and Nextdoor, hoping someone might have a spare. I found a couple on eBay and ordered them to ship overnight. As a last-ditch effort, I reached out to the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Department, which oversees security at the airport. I explained the situation and asked if someone could help by looking for Lovey.

Bedtime that night was a sad affair. Lovey was missed, and there were plenty of tears. In the middle of the night, there were more tears and cries for Lovey.

Lovey gets found

The following day, replacement “Lovey” arrived from eBay. Of course, she knew right away that she wasn’t Lovey.  Later that day, I received a call from Caption Chad Rewis with the Sheriff’s Department. Lovey had been located and was safe and sound with the deputies. He even sent a photo over to show that Lovey was in good hands. We were all overjoyed! Captain Rewis promised to send her on her way ASAP.

Lovey makes it home

We tracked her progress as she traveled across the US. After stops in Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and Arizona, Lovey finally made it to California 5 days later! As you can imagine, we have one happy 3-year-old!

Lovey has become quite famous after a post on social media went viral. In fact, the local TV station ran a story about Lovey on the evening news.

Lovey’s not expensive, and she’s not made of gold, but she’s our granddaughter’s most loved possession, and we are so thankful that the sheriff’s department took the time to look for her and make sure that they were reunited.

Leigh Ann – Your Oakland, CA, Family, and Newborn Photographer, serving perfectly imperfect families. And remember, I serve families throughout the Bay Area.

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P.S.S. Drop a comment below and share the story of your little one’s favorite lovey or stuffie.

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