Animal Brothers

Completed May 2008

To help welcome Monkey One's baby brother last year we made this little stuffed giraffe. (Inspired by these animals from Target)

Monkey One (then 3 1/2 years old) helped out quite a bit...


He did some (limited) cutting and pinning...


...sat at the sewing machine with me, and helped hand-sew on the wooden bead eye.


Then came the waiting (this picture). Finally, on the day of Monkey Two's birth, Monkey One gave his brother the gift.


In return, Monkey Two "gave" his big brother this corduroy monkey as a surprise.


The animals (and the brothers) proved to be a good pair.


Here's Monkey Two at four months old with his giraffe. I don't know if you noticed, but both giraffe fabrics were also used on Monkey Two's zoo blanket. I love how the giraffe's neck is twisted. It gives him character, though it was really just my sad sewing skills that did it. I was much happier with these animals than I would have been with the ones at the store I almost bought. Besides, they are really special since they were homemade by mamma and brother. What do you think?

Christmas 2008

For his first Christmas Monkey Two got a zebra to go with the growing homemade animal collection. Monkey One also helped with the zebra (along with the zebra's twin, who went to a cousin). What's next? An elephant?