super sophie

So some people have a beach home or their mountain cabin. I have a second home at Amazon.com. You think I jest? Oh, how you wish. This started with my parents - they use Amazon for everything. And at Christmas time, we all make Amazon Wish Lists, which makes Christmas shopping really easy. And quite honestly, you can find almost anything on Amazon.com.

I did almost all of my Christmas shopping on Amazon. I bought a few things for Annabelle, and while shopping in the baby department, I noticed that Amazon kept recommending I check out Sophie the Giraffe (she's rated the number one teething toy). Of course I did (I always follow Amazon's advice), however, when I saw her price tag - THIRTEEN DOLLARS - I decided I'd pass her by. After all, who pays THIRTEEN DOLLARS for a rubber teething toy?

Oh, I'll tell you who. Grandma does. When my mom received the same recommendation, she too checked out Sophie. And as she fulfilled her duty as grandma (to spoil one's grandchildren ridiculously), she bought up a little Sophie for Annabelle. Christmas day arrived, and when I saw Sophie, as I did with many of Belle's presents, I went nuts. After all, she's so cute, and she's THIRTEEN DOLLARS I don't have to spend!

Little did we know, Belle would love Sophie just as much. She toted that rubber giraffe everywhere. I even witnessed her tucking Sophie in next to her in the exersaucer, as if to say, "You sit right here Sophe. I'm just going to play with a few toys here."

So although Sophie the Giraffe is indeed a rubber teether that costs THIRTEEN DOLLARS, I am actually going to go ahead and recommend her.

As her story goes, she was the first rubber toy made for children (in France in 1961), and her popularity since has never decreased. (For those that value a little history, her appearance and manufacturing process haven't changed either.) Sophie is the perfect size for little hands, and her soft (baby safe) rubber is the perfect texture for tender gums or new teeth to gnaw on. I think that the bumps in her mane, and then all her parts - horns, ears, legs, neck, etc. - feel good on teething gums. She does squeak - both from her tummy and her head - but she has to be coerced to do so, so she isn't a very noisy toy.

There is one potential downside to Sophie: because she's made of rubber, well, she smells like rubber. And "the singular scent of natural rubber" (as her promotional materials read) drives Jess (and others) nuts. I actually don't mind at all. And it seems that Annabelle couldn't care less.

We love Sophie so much, in fact, when she went missing (that is, got kicked out of the shopping cart at Target), I went ahead and spent the THIRTEEN DOLLARS to replace her. And it was totally worth it to see Belle's face recognize her favorite toy when we returned to Durham.

Now, however, Sophie does not accompany us on shopping trips.

NOTE: If you are indeed interested in purchasing Sophie, Amazon may be your cheapest route. I've noticed she costs a few more dollars elsewhere. And if you're shipping her, those few dollars might be worth the savings. Although if you happen to be an Amazon Prime member, that shipping is free. (Pretty sure I didn't live before Amazon.com existed.)