Sophie

If you are the parent of a baby or are expecting on in the near future, it is likely that you are familiar with Sophie the Giraffe.  I wasn't aware of Sophie when Sarah was a wee one, but when Chris was a baby I found out about this must-have item from some other moms of new babies.  They all said their babies LOVED their Sophie, so I decided that we needed one.

Here's what you should know if you're considering a Sophie.  Sophie is from France.  And she's expensive. Today Amazon.com lists Sophie at a little over $17, which is crazy expensive for a teething toy for an infant if you ask me.  I had to have one.  I stalked her on Amazon for about a month before I pulled the trigger (I think it was $14 - a deal!! - when I got it).

I waited for her arrival with such anticipation - as if this was going to be THE thing that pacified my crankypants baby.  When she arrived, I ripped that sucker open and was a little disappointed.  She's a little creepy looking and holds her neck at unnatural angles.  She is very rubbery and loud.  I was in denial and convinced that my child would eventually fall in love with this thing, but I had basically spent $14 on a dog toy for my baby.  He never liked her.  He paid her no attention.

Somehow that stupid giraffe always ends up on the floor in the middle of the flow of traffic in the house and inevitably I step on it 2-3 times a day.   Every time I step on it, I pick it up and chuck it into a corner and by the time I'm meandering through the room again it's back.  The loud squeak is jarring when you're watching TV in the evening.  It wakes the dog.

The dog LOVES it.  At first I wasn't too keen on Rosie playing with one of the kids' toys.  I thought it was setting a dangerous precedent and eventually I'd be dealing with her stealing everything from them, but Sophie isn't really Chris' toy anymore.  Now Sophie belongs to Rosie.  I'm just glad she has someone who really loves her.