The Saga of Sophie

Meet Sophie:

The giraffe in question.

Sophie is a teether. Sophie is an expensive teether. She retails at $25. This is opposed to those freezy gel-filled teething rings you can buy for a couple of bucks. Or Maciek’s other toys, which all cost less than $5 each.

So you would at least expect Sophie to be pretty decent, right? Well I’m here to tell you, friends, that…

SHE IS.

Honestly, if my experience and that of any other Sophie-toting parent is to be trusted, this teether is worth its weight in gold. Seriously.

Why so expensive?, you might ask. Well, from what I understand, she’s made from natural rubber, painted with natural, safe paint, and I believe she may also be handmade. Or at least very well-made, even if she’s mass-produced. She celebrates her 50th birthday this year – yep, she’s been made the same way for the past 50 years, in France. Don’t fix something that ain’t broke, eh?

Maciek with his Sophie, a couple of months ago.

Anyway, why is Sophie worth her weight in gold? Because almost every baby that I’ve ever heard of that has one – including Maciek – loves their Sophie giraffe. She is the only toy I can give to Maciek that he will immediately smile at when he sees her. I can give her to him on a car ride and he will hold onto her and play with her the whole way. Compare this to all his other toys that get about 32 seconds of play time before they’re unceremoniously tossed to the floor. This giraffe is brilliant.

So, why would I bring up Sophie like this? I mean, why would Maciek need a teether anyway? It’s not like he has any teeth yet

EXCEPT HE DOES.

Yay! That’s right! As of last Friday (9 days ago?), Maciek has a tooth! It’s his front lower left one, and it’s adorable. And sharp. So now we’ve officially entered the glorious world of teething (random bouts of incurable fussiness, anyone?) and we couldn’t be happier because his little snaggletooth is just so gosh darn cute. Although we will miss his goofy toothless grin. Ah well, these things have to happen, I guess, right?

Chewing her head will make my teeth come in faster, right Mama?.