Teddy Bear

I never get tired of reading the boys the poems in "When We Were Very Young," by A.A. Milne, it's so wonderful.
Coming from a mother who loved bears (her name was Baerbel, and her sisters sometimes called her "Baerchen"), it so happened that I grew up with a number of bears my whole life. They reside with me still.
Now Cooper has a favorite bear of his own, who is very, very soft. His name is Beary. I'm not sure if it's Beary or Barry, or maybe Barrie, because Cooper doesn't spell, nor does he care (but I still wonder all the time). I often find Beary lounging around, and my understanding of his personality comes largely from the first section of Milne's poem "Teddy Bear."

A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our Teddy Bear is short and fat
Which is not to be wondered at;
He gets what exercise he can
By falling off the ottoman,
But generally seems to lack
The energy to clamber back.


My love for him grows greater with each passing day.