The Story of Katie & Pooh

Katie and Pooh @ 3 months old.

Katie was born shortly after 6:00 AM on December 16th 1986.  After the excitement of the moment had settled down and Katie was taken to the nursery and Amy was in some much needed rest, I ventured home to freshen up.  Before returning to the hospital I wanted to pick up something special for my new born daughter so went to the local Sears and searched through their plush stuffed animals.  I found this wonderful Pooh bear made by Gund (my new friends, the Hoffmann's, assured me that a Gund would last forever).  Upon returning to Highland Hospital in Rochester later that afternoon I placed the Pooh bear into the crib of my new born daughter.  To this day, without exaggeration, Pooh bear has spent every sleeping night with Katie.  He has travelled on camp out trips with the Girl Scouts, gone on class trips and every vacation our family has taken.

Katie and Pooh at the Churchville-Chili 2004 Graduation

When Katie graduated from high school she was valedictorian of her class and was to give a speech at graduations, as is customary.  When she took the podium and completed the requisite thank-you acknowledgements to the attendees she began her speech by telling everyone in the Eastman Theater that there was someone special in her life that she'd like them to meet.  She then reached into the podium and pulled out Pooh bear, held him up to the full auditorium and said "Everybody, this is Pooh bear.  Pooh bear, this is everybody".   This is how her valedictory speech began and it continued using the story of Christopher Robin's departure from the 100 Acre Wood to go off to school and his promise to return and to always keep Pooh in his thoughts.  Katie's Pooh bear was a metaphor for the comfort and security of home and family.  The speech was very emotional and memorable.
Unlike Christopher Robin, who had to leave Pooh behind, Katie has never left Pooh behind.  He has been through 4 years of college at the U of R, 5 years of graduate school at Northwestern University in Evanston, Il and is now traveling the rest of the way across the country through exotic desert like terrain and through enchanted forests to be with Katie in Seattle as she starts her next chapter in a post-Doc position at the University of Washington.

Pooh always willing to go wherever Katie leads.

This one plush stuffed bear from the premier stuffed bear company that was a gift from me has meant so much to my daughter throughout the years that it only seemed appropriate to give him a major role on this biggest journey to date in Katie's young adult life.  Hopefully this little history will answer some of your questions you may have had about Pooh and Katie and why this blog is being done the way it has been done - featuring a ragged 26 1/2 year old stuffed Pooh bear that certainly showing his age.  This particular Pooh bear has seen a lot of life with Katie and for both his sake and hers, hears to hoping my friends Marty and Jeannine were right and he lasts forever.