Packing away "teddy" named Octopus

I wanted to tell you about the octopus Eli got for his 1st bday. It was a blue Baby Einstein Octopus that Eli named Octopus. He literally stopped sleeping with it last week. It has been the "teddy bear" for the last 3+ years. We were going to have him give it up for the 4th bday in Aug. and mail "it" to my new nephew who "needed" it--(because Eli sucks his thumb when he holds the octopus) ---but I couldn't. Of course I was going to mail a new one, and keep my germ-infested one in a keepsake box. In the 3 years, I've washed octopus once. So I hate to think what might live on it (but hey, my kids are pretty healthy). As of a week ago, someone told him he was going to turn into a zombie if he sucked his thumb and he hasn't used his octopus now for a week. I hate that he thinks he'll turn into a zombie, but am somewhat glad he isn't sucking his thumb. I will be sad to pack the octopus away. We still are going to get my nephew, Mason, one for Christmas. He turns one in Jan. In Eli's scrapbook, I have a page devoted to his octopus, although he was only one when I took the pictures. Don't think I even knew the extent to which he would love that octopus. It is weird when you see those commericals of kids where they can't function without the teddy bear or blanket. My Eden never had a lovey that she had to have. But if we took Eli on any over night trip and forgot octopus, you might as well drive back to the house to get it because you were not going to sleep that night anyway. It got really hard last year when he had to go to the babysitter 2 days a week and I could never remember to pack octopus. They had some bad naps. Anyways, again I will be sad to pack away that little part of his life. Now to move on to the pacifier and his baby brother.......