Welcome Back, Sophie!

After a week of not really looking for, and as a result, not really finding Sophie the Giraffe, I had to admit defeat and accept the fact that a replacement Sophie was necessary.

I had naively assumed that in a world obsessed with image and material wealth, a posh, expensive rubber toy giraffe with a fancy name and a fancier French pedigree would be easy to find. And I was half right. Finding places that carry Sophie was an Internet search away. Finding places that actually have Sophie in stock was a different story. Either the demand for giraffe teethers is incredibly high or incredibly low. The result was the same - Sophie was on back order virtually everywhere.

Living in LA, we decided that a trip to one of our numerous chi-chi baby boutiques would be more productive. We set out with high hopes and great expectations, both of which were quickly dashed. One store owner looked at us with utter confusion. Another suggested an alternative - a plush bunny with a plastic teething ring in his hand. This would not do.

Fortunately, the universe intervened and blessed us with serendipity. The May issue of Los Angeles Magazine arrived, advertising the best LA baby boutiques right on its cover! One phone call later, the last Sophie was on hold for us at The Little Seed.

We arrived at lunch, and were greeted by a lovely sales associate who was more than a little disappointed that we actually showed up. Apparently, she had put dibs on Sophie for her daughter who is turning EIGHT but loves all things French. Had we not claimed the teether, Sophie would have become just one more gift for the tiny Francophile's birthday celebration - one that includes a limo ride around LA's French-inspired locales. Yes, a limo. For an eight-year-old.

Hopefully, Sophie II will be raised with lesser expectations.