someoone's stolen ds's monkey.... and I'm devastated

[monkey]

I bought ds a monkey whe still pg with him. This monkey has been everywhere with us. He's made bit of a comeback in recent weeks as I'm again pg, and he's been really mad about hearing how i bought Ba, the monkey when he was in my tummy, and then i got ds2 Kanga when he was i my tummy & now there's a new baby in my tummy etc etc.

He had his 1st ever dentist visit today & Ba came & was great. Ds war really scared, so Ba sat on his knee, dentist was really good & checked Ba's teeth etc. straight after, we went to a playground & ds was going down the slide with Ba, then must have forgotten & wandered off. We realised Ba was missing, searched high & low, but he's gone.

I was so gutted. Honestly i don't usually cry, but definitely pg hormones here, I have cried on and off all day about Ba. (Once I start I can't stop) He's been there for every big moment, when ds had his op a couple of months ago Ba went into theatre with him. Every plane ride & trip away, Ba has come. Ds is coping quite well, I said I'd phone & check the lost property in a couple of days, so I guess he's hanging onto that. We're flying to Uk on friday & we've already discussed Ba coming on plane as usual. I am so upset it's rediculous.
So- any tips on helping ds (& me!) cope with the loss?

And a real outside chance - anyone bought a monkey in Ikea about 4 years ago that they still have. Obviously Ikea don't make it anymore. He was about 30-40cm long with a blank expression and straight black line of stitching for mouth. Light brown sort of fleecy material with beige face & paws & tail with knot in end. It wouldn't be the same anyway, and I know it's an impossible one.

Put a sign up in the playground! Small children have no idea about ownership and amother may be trying to find the owner. Do you have a photo??

I would be devastated if DS1 lost his bear as Gap don't sell them anymore.

Hugs!

Obviously that was ment to be from me TheOldDragon isn't usually that nice...

Thanks soupie. Only photo I have is with 2ds's sat with ba in middle. My 3 babies! Can't bring myself to look at it yet. How hormonal & pathetic am I! I'm off again

(((Hugs))) I lost Sam, my donkey when I was about 2 or 3. I loved him so much. Went to a summer fair on the village green and someone stole him out of my buggy. I was distraught. They bought me a seal and called him Sam but it just wasn't the same, I never got over losing Sam

Sorry, that's not much help is it? AGree about putting a sign up - someone might have an attack of the conscious and bring him back. Fingers crossed for you.

I think I'm going to cry myself and I've got no excuse!!!

Monkey, sorry but I did have to laugh, you sound so much more upset than your ds! Pregnancy hormones hey?! I've no idea what else you could do except buy a new monkey and keep asking in the playground/lost property. Good luck.

sorry about the monkey,i had a look at ikeas website in spain but they didnt have it,it might be worth looking in charity shops too,come on mumsnetters we`re on a mission,operation monkey!!
good luck in finding the real ba

Monkey, can I post your sad tale on the NCT Virtual Coffee list please? We've been lucky in the past finding replacements.

Monkey - can't help, don't have an Ikea monkey, but it does sound as though those hormones are making you take it harder than your ds.

I remember my younger brother losing his toy rabbit and being devastated - I gave him a bear (in a dress!) that he promptly christened Mrs. Bear (imaginative child!) and they were inseparable for years. He's 30 now and doesn't show any signs of being overly traumatised by his early loss.

I would replace the monkey - there's an excellent Helen Cooper book called Tatty Ratty about a lost toy rabbit - they console the child by imagining all the adventures Tatty Ratty is having, then go to a toy shop to look for him (forewarning the child with "remember he might look different" and "he'll be very clean and fluffy" !)

They have got lovely (very soft and touchy feely) monkeys in M&S at the moment but they are only about six inches tall - so if you did follow the Tatty Ratty route you might have to stretch the "might look different" to include a story about how Monkey shrank!

Monkey
I know how you feel as my ds has an blue/grey velour elephant(Ellie) from Ikea, which, although not lost is on it's last legs. I've been searching charity shops and have even taken to going to boot sales on a sunday morning in search of another one. I've bought about 6 different ones, but none but Ellie works.
I'm dreading the day when she disintegrates, and each time she gets washed, that time gets nearer and nearer!
I'll add looking for a Ba to my list- I'm sure the people at the boot sales must think I'm bonkers.

Monkey
I know how you feel as my ds has an blue/grey velour elephant(Ellie) from Ikea, which, although not lost is on it's last legs. I've been searching charity shops and have even taken to going to boot sales on a sunday morning in search of another one. I've bought about 6 different ones, but none but Ellie works.
I'm dreading the day when she disintegrates, and each time she gets washed, that time gets nearer and nearer!
I'll add looking for a Ba to my list- I'm sure the people at the boot sales must think I'm bonkers.

Hopefully you might be able to find a replacement but, if not, maybe try to replace. POssibly another monkey might not be a good idea but, if you do want a monkey I saw that lovely knitted monkey that used to be on TV in the Gadget Shop, a nice big one. You can probably get it at their website if no store near you, I usually go to Brent X or Covent Gdn.

poor monkey.

and my daughter seems to have misplaced her pengie (penguin) blankie. i'm just hoping she has hidden it and not lost it outside. i had to console her with her sisters blankie which didnt settle her as well as good old pengie does.

Monkey-poor you! (and ds) I've got a monkey but it's not from Ikea. Following the tatty whatever tale, do you want it? It's also well worn, his tail needs sewing on and you'd have to change his name(I can't beleieve I just said that!) as he's called Affa, which means monkey in German. He's my 13 year olds so I'd have to ask him, but hey, it might just help. LOL

Message withdrawn

Monkey ... poor you! I so understand why you cried. When I was born my grandmother (who lived in another country) sent my sister and me a doll each wearing clothes that she had knitted ... right down to little bloomers underneath. We both treasured our dolls. When I was 3 a plummer came round to fix the sink and my mum remembers putting my doll on top of the fridge when he knocked on the door. After he left it had disappeared. My mum was gutted ... I was apparently devastated .... and the plummer denied all knowledge when she rang and asked him if he had seen it.
To this day my sister still has Granny's doll and every time I see it I can't help but get a little lump in my throat. My grandmother was the only one of my grandparents alive when I was born and she died when I was 7. The doll was the only thing she ever gave me.

Thanks so so much for your messages.

when ds woke up this am the 1st thing he did was wimper that he missed Ba etc etc, so I told him we'd make a 'wanted' poster and put Ba's picture on to see if anyone found him. He told me that I should find a picture of him holding Ba, so that everyone could see that Ba was HIS & that he was special. Bless.

I've found a lovely picture of them - now I've got to fathom out how to use the scanner, which I haven't done in a very long time & my brain is pure mush. strange you shopuld say that, Jollymum, 'cos I'm in Switzerland, and I'm dreading having to write this poster in German - here he's Affeli (little/pet monkey). My spoken German is fine, but don't have much occasion to put pen to paper.

WWW, I guess I am more upset that ds (just!), but Ba isn't just ds's special toy, but he just brings back memories of all of those difficult times that Ba's helped us through - the operation - the doctors even made a surgeon's hat & mask for Ba to go into theatre & put matching dressings on him. I'm also dreading our trip to the UK without Ba, especially as for part of it I'm going away on my own without the boys (seemed such a great idea, now I'm getting very nervous) and he won't have the 1 thing he always has to hold onto.

SueW and all others - that would be so fab for any help with NCT appeals & charity shops - obviously not being in UK, I can't do any of this myself.

Finally, re the replacement, I haven't mentioned this, as 1stly it's a final acknowledgement that BA IS GONE. Also, like someone else said, a replacement just won't be the same (unless 100% believeable twin copy). If he says he wants something else, of course we'll get it, but, like every home, we've got about 200 cuddly toys, including another monkey & a gorilla, but Ba is Ba. If I had any idea how, I'd put a picture of Ba up, so the mums army can search(!), but finding the on/off switch for the scanner will be challenge enough for me.

How frustrating we're going away in just 2 days.

Meant to say, all of your tales of loosing your "ba" were so sad.

I'll buy 2 'whatevers' for number 3 I think, after all of this. I guess judging by the number of replies, this is a hot topic for many parents & children.

BTW, cannot fathom out, as I thought, how to use the scanner - once I'm going I'm fine, but fallen at 1st hurdle - click on 'presto' - can I find presto anywhere??? Oh well. I'll dig out the dunces cap.

Can't really help with the scanner but there must be a German speaking mumsnetter who can write the text of your poster for you

Monkey, I didn't mean to be flippant, sorry. I hope you manage to work out the scanner (bet someone here will know if you post) and get some posters up.

Monkey, if you can let me know what you want to say on the poster, I'll put it into German for you. Anything to help!

monkey, can I suggest that for number three you get them attached to something replacable. After a "Ba" episode of our own with ds1 I always gave ds2 a muslin to sleep with. He now will only sleep with his "mussy" and wants to cuddle it whenever he's miserable. I have a stack of these - with more at mothercare if we were ever to run out (unlikely!). And every couple of days they go in the wash and get replaced with a clean one - and no-one is any the wiser !!!

I've done the poster & even managed to sort out the picture - the scanner was a non-runner - not me being thick after all - we've got a new computer & don't have the software for the scanner, but managed to find a pic of the 2 of them together on the digital camera.

Only question with the German - is it beliebte or geliebte? Obviously not make or break, just don't want to look too much like thckey foreigner.

It's beliebte - the sense of 'much-loved' as an adjective for the monkey as opposed to the monkey having been ' geliebt' which would imply doing things to the monkey that are completely inappropriate!!

Phew - guessed right then. Thanks. I'm off to try and photocopy a few (sods law printer cartrigde runs out now - can you believe it?? Still, at least got one good colour copy)

Then off to the place to ask if he's turned up. Fingers crossed.