How much would you pay?

Maggie hasn't really had a "lovie" -- that constant companion that she's used in her short three years to comfort her. Growing up, I had a true lovie, my blankie that was probably with me constantly until I went to school and then just in my bed. And truth be told, I was an adult when it stopped being a part of my bed (though I did take it out again for a few nights after 9/11). My blankie was made by my grandmother and she lovingly put several new backs on it. I don't remember how old I was when she finally said she wouldn't fix it anymore. Now it is in several pieces in the crawl space of our house. I could find it if I really wanted to.

When I was induced with Maggie, Rocky bought Slush, a beanie baby Husky dog, in the hospital gift shop. I think Slush was the first non-essential item Rocky bought for Maggie. It was quite some time before Maggie even noticed the toy. And it seemed Slush would probably end up meaning more to me than he ever would to Maggie. But lately, she seems to look for him. And unfortunately, yesterday when she looked for him, we couldn't find him. We've retraced our steps, looked throughout the house (I even did a cursory look around day care, just in case she brought him there one day that we forgot about), but no Slush. Which then brought me to the questions:

1. Do we just buy a new Slush?


2. If we do, how much are we willing to pay? After all, this is a Beanie Baby we are talking about. And not a small one. Slush was just a tad smaller than Maggie when she was born. What if he's been discontinued?

Well, thank God for Ebay. I found Slush on Ebay today in jolly old England and Slush is currently on his way to Billings Montana for only $16 (including shipping). It was a buy now offer so I didn't have to mess with an auction and possible inflated prices, because when does it become too much? (really, probably around $25) But then when there's that little 3 year old face looking at you and saying "Pease, Mommy, find Slush."

Of course, now that I have purchase the toy and it's been shipped out, Slush will probably be sitting on the kitchen counter or Maggie's bed or somewhere when I get home.