Almost two years ago on a trip to the Dells (on my Birthday) I wanted to get the boys a little something to make the trip special. I ended up buying them both a stuffed dog, slightly different from one another, and didn’t think much of it at the time.
Ben was happy with his new toy and played with it for awhile. He still has it and sleeps with it from time to time.
When Brodie got his, his face lit up and he exclaimed, “DOGGIE!” It was as if he had just come back to a long lost friend. Doggie has hardly left his side since.
He’s well loved now. His fur is quite matted. At some point he lost his nose. His neck is stretched and loose as that’s where Brodie hooks his arm to carry Doggie. Still…no other stuffed friend will do.
He’s very gentle with Doggie. He’s always careful when he puts him down. Gives him tiny kissed and whispers “I love my Doggie” softly in his ear…always talks in gentle tones to him, actually. He makes sure Doggie is warm when it’s cold, wrapping him in a blanket or making sure he’s under the covers properly. Doggie comes nearly everywhere with us.
It’s just so…gratifying to see him act so gentile and sweet to something he cares for. He’s very much a “boy” and he can be quite rough with his brother and us, so seeing this side of him…it touches me as a father.
On the rare occasion that Doggie gets misplaced, we all search for him calling out his name as we go. When found, Brodie hugs Doggie tightly and says, “I knew you’d come back!” It’s just nice.
I hope Brodie loves Doggie for a long, long time.
