Build A Bear - January 2012

I had read that a girl with a daughter diagnosed with Trisomy 18 (similar to Trisomy 13) had taken their son to Build A Bear to make a bear to go to heaven with his sister.  I liked the idea of making a bear, but didn't want to use it to go to heaven with our Landon, since we still had hope that he might survive.  I didn't want to have the boys thinking their brother was going to die.  But we thought instead, we would have them make a bear each to give to Landon when he is born.  We told them that if Landon was too sick to stay here on earth, and had to go back to heaven, then they would have the bears to remember their brother by.  They LOVED Build A Bear.  They picked the bears and then when it was time to put the heart and stuff it into the bear, they had to make a wish.  Jacob's wish was that Landon wouldn't be sick anymore.  Cooper's wish was he said, I love you Landon.  They both whispered it to the heart and stuffed it into the bear.  

 They had to prep the heart and make it strong for Landon.  So she had them wiggle their arms, legs, etc to strengthen those parts of the bears' body to make it strong.  

 Kissing and making a wish with the heart

 Stuffing the bear

 Sewing the bear

 Stuffing the Bear

 Brushing the bears

Jake picked a karate outfit with all sorts of different colored belts.  He's been taking karate so he thought this bear fitting.  Cooper picked some overalls and when we went to put the overalls on Cooper's bear, he got so mad.  He kept trying to put the overalls on himself and thought we were buying him overalls, not the bear.  Needless to say, the bear hasn't really been clothed at all since we got him.  It was a great experience and we are glad we took them to make bears for Landon.