animals · slice of life

A Debbie Kind of Morning

Lynne Dorfman spoils my kids. There, I said it.

Over the past few years that Lynne and I have been writing partners, she has graciously sent Isabelle and Ari presents for birthdays, holidays, and sometimes for no reason at all. She’s given them books, signs, and blankets. But some of the most beloved presents have been the stuffed animals.

Lynne buys the best stuffed animals. Seriously, I dare you to compete with her on this front!

This morning, I was packing Ari a snack. He insisted on having “one pretzel” while I prepared his snack. But that wasn’t all. “Debbie need a pretzel too!”

Do you know who Debbie is? She’s a stuffed ostrich! Lynne gave the ostrich to Isabelle, but Ari adored it so Isabelle bequeathed the ostrich to Ari.


And now, Debbie eats pretzels. (Well, she pretends to eat pretzels. Ari made munching sounds for Debbie and then popped the pretzel in his mouth.)

I needed to take Ari upstairs to brush his teeth before leaving the house. Ari had other plans. He decided to sit with Debbie.

“Do you want me to take your picture with Debbie before we brush teeth?” I asked keeping an eye on the time.

Of course, Ari had another idea. Instead of taking a photo with Debbie, Ari insisted on gathering some of his favorite stuffed animals (All purchased by Lynne, of course!) for a group photo.

Clockwise from bottom left: Debby, Quincy, Ari, Bunny, and Puppy. (The last two need better names!)

Once the photo shoot was over, Ari agreed to brush his teeth. I’ll give you one guess who came along…

Debbie and Ari climb the stairs.
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22 thoughts on “A Debbie Kind of Morning

    1. You may be right! This is how stories are born, right?

      Lynne has an amazing store near her home where she buys these stuffed animals from. Perhaps she can share the name of it with you so you can buy an ostrich of your own. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  1. This is awesome! What a precious way to spend the morning! Iโ€™m thinking my stuffed animal obsessed daughter might need to befriend Lynne… ๐Ÿ˜‰

  2. I love the precious picture of Ari climbing the stairs with Debbie. It reminds me of our oldest, Libby, now 26, who at that age gathered all her stuffed animals up in her arms to climb the stair to bed. Precious memory! Thank you for reminding me of it. And an ostrich….who knew they could be so cuddly!

    1. Aw, I’m glad I could remind you of Libby as a little girl. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Debbie isn’t just cuddly… she has multiple looks. There’s slicked-back Debbie and wild-hair Debbie. (That’s another post.)

  3. This is just full of adorable softness. That ostrich is hilarious. I need to find one of those for Leo; although, he’s a little way from dragging around stuffed animals. I also love that the ostrich’s name is Debbie!

    1. We auditioned a long list of names when Ari was much younger. Debbie was the easiest one for him to say. AND, he smiled immediately when he heart the name Debbie.
      I went online and looked for Debbie. Hereโ€™s the link to the companyโ€™s website (so you can get one for Leo): https://www.jellycat.com/us/odette-ostrich-xyzode2o/. Looks like you have to go to a store to buy it, rather than order it online. I found a few stores near you, https://www.jellycat.com/us/storelocator/.

  4. This is so adorable. His photoshoot with his furry crew is my fave! And I’m pretty sure EVERYONE needs a Debbie.. and a Lynne!

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