Bye, Bye Ralphie!

Goodness. I just wrote about Ralphie, Ethan’s beloved giraffe security blanket and now he is missing. He sure did love that thing.

Does anyone remember how I sadly lost Carter? That was Ethan’s other beloved stuffed animal and I felt so terrible that I allowed him to be gone. However, Carter was quickly replaced with Ralphie and Ethan never looked back. In fact, he had more love for Ralphie than he ever had for Carter.

Well, just yesterday, Ralphie went missing. I was at a gas station right down the street from home and Ethan was sitting in the back seat snuggling with his friend. While I was filling the tank, I opened Ethan’s door so that he could have some air. At some point, Ethan must have thrown Ralphie out of the car and onto the pavement. I didn’t notice that it was missing until a few hours later. At that point, I called Garrett and told him to scour the town. He went back to that gas station and searched the entire area. He talked to witnesses, put our name and phone number at the front desk, and he even went so far as to search the trash cans. No luck.

I went to two different Targets, which is where Ralphie was originally purchased. He was nowhere to be seen, so I picked up an imposter. I bought a frog head on a blanket that sort of resembles Ralphie. It has the same types of colors. I slipped it into Ethan’s hands and he was disgusted. He picked up the frog with two hesitant fingers and quickly tossed it onto the floor. So, that didn’t go over so well.

We searched on Ebay for a Ralphie replacement and we found several. However, they are selling for upwards of $50! Are you kidding me?! We finally found one for $20 after much searching and we ordered it. Ralphie Part Deux should be hear in 7-10 days. In the meantime, the frog blanket is named Frankie and we are telling Ethan that he is Ralphie’s cousin. They are both Italian, apparently.

Once Ralphie Part Deux gets here, we will absolutely be ordering another one off Ebay so that we don’t have to deal with this again.
Lesson Learned: If your child has an attachment to a toy, buy two or three or ten NOW! Do it before you have to order it on Ebay for a 500% markup.

Another Lesson Learned: If you have your minivan door open to let in fresh air, check the ground before you close it. There could be valuable items on the ground.

Final Lesson Learned: If you ever find a toy laying on the grounds of a shopping center, please turn it into the front desk. There is probably a family searching for it desperately.

Here are a few memorial pictures of Ralphie (by the way, if any of you have a Ralphie that you are willing to part with, I will pay you the going rate… seriously)

Here is Ethan holding Ralphie, while looking at this friend Allison:

Here is the Ebay photo of Ralphie:

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Hayley

Hayley Crouse is a wife, mother and multifaceted designer. Her love of sewing, crafting, cooking and interior design infuses her daily life and naturally spills over into her online presence. She pushes the envelope of her creativity and hopes that others will be inspired to do the same. She currently authors the Welcome to the Mouse House Blog, is the pattern designer behind Mouse House Creations and is a collaborative designer with Willow & Co. Patterns.
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5 Responses to Bye, Bye Ralphie!

  1. The Yorgus McGorgus Family September 15, 2008 at 12:49 am #

    AWWWWWWWW…..that poor boy can’t seem to catch a break with his beloved animals. I can’t believe they are going for 50 dollars on Ebay…..OMG!!! Well, hopefully he loves part duex as much as the original.

  2. Amy September 15, 2008 at 1:16 pm #

    Oh I feel for you Hayley! Poor little guy! I was thinking this week that I had to go find a back up of “Lovey bear” for my dd… this just gave me the kick in the pants to go do it today. LOL

  3. Mainegirl/Pauline September 15, 2008 at 5:43 pm #

    OMG, how funny! Not about losing Ralphie but look at the pic of him holding Ralphie and looking at Al. Ethan looks like he is thinking…”and don’t you touch my Ralphie!!!” Poor boy! WE love you Ethan!

  4. That Nora Girl September 23, 2008 at 1:56 am #

    I can’t even imagine why someone would sell it for so much! Is it just in hopes that some parents will be desperately seeking a replacement? Harsh! I hope Ethan has better luck in the future with his loved things.

  5. Liz September 27, 2008 at 2:57 am #

    Oh man! That is exactly what Kai would say. He would be right.

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