Annie goes to Build-A-Bear

Annie's Aunt Jenny decided months ago that she wanted to take Annie to Build-A-Bear and build her a bear exactly like the one that she has.  Steven's parents told Jenny that if she wanted Annie to have a bear, that she would need to pay for it.  Jenny has been doing extra things and saving her money over the last few months... so when they came to visit this weekend, Jenny had enough money to build Annie's bear.


Picking the Sound

Daddy and Grandpa went fishing, so Granny, Aunt Jenny, and I set out to Build-A-Bear.  Jenny knew exactly what she wanted, so there was not a lot of shopping around when we got there.  Jenny went straight to the bears in search of the one that she had.  We found it and it came in two colors: White and light brown.  Jenny's bear was white, so Annie's bear had to be white.  Next came the sound. 


You could choose one of like.. 15 sounds to have put in your bear for an additional cost.  Jenny chose the 6-in-1 sounds that says "Let's go home," "Let's play," "What's your name," "I love you," "Give me a hug," "I'm so happy you're my new best friend."  She wanted the sound to go in the bear's left hand, so in the left hand it went.  You can also have a scent put in your bear, but we decided against that since Annie is still pretty little.  Next, you choose a heart.  There is a free one (I think its just made of plastic) or one that actually beats.  Jenny wanted it to be just like hers, so she chose the free one.  Before you put the heart in your bear, you have to do something very special to it to make your bear "come to life."  You warm the heart in your 

Aunt Jenny warming the heart

hands, you rub it on your heart so your bear will know that you love it, you rub it on your knees so that it will always need you, you rub it on your tummy so it never gets hungry, you rub it on your head for...something... and then you give it a kiss and make a wish.  Since Annie is so tiny and this bear was made especially for her from her Aunt Jenny, we let Jenny do all of those things with the heart to make it extra special.  Once the attendant (or Bear Builder) inserts the heart, it's time to stuff the bear!  Jenny got to push the pedal and fill the bear with stuffing.  She tested it to make sure there was just enough stuffing - not to much, not too little.  And once she was satisfied, the Bear Builder closed up our bear.



Adding the Stuffing

 

Before you can take your bear, there are a few last steps: bathe, clothe, and give your bear a birth certificate.  Jenny took the bear over to give it a "bath."  The showers blow air and there are little brushes that you can "scrub" your bear with.  Annie sat by and watched... she wasn't too sure what to think of the air blowing.  Jenny's bear doesn't have clothes, so Annie's bear didn't get any clothes either.  The last step was giving the bear a birth certificate, which requires naming your bear.  Jenny already had a name picked out that she thought long and hard about.  Her bear's name was Jenny Bear, which only meant that Annie's bear would be named "Annie Bear."  Once we had the birth certificate printed up, Jenny paid for it and away we went!

 

 

Once we got home, we let Annie play with her bear and she squealed over it.    She is one week shy of 9 months old, so she didn't really participate much in the process of making her bear, but she definitely enjoys having it.

This was my first ever trip to Build-A-Bear too and I think that it was really special watching Jenny make this bear for Annie.  She has been planning and saving for months and to see the joy and excitement she had while building "Annie Bear" for her niece was truly priceless.  What a great memory we will all hold on to forever.