Army Staff Sargent Nicholas Paugam can't always be around for his 3-year-old daughter, McKenzy. Although her mom, Jenn, is always there for her, there's another special guy in little McKenzy's life: a stuffed giraffe named Raffe.
"I guess they call it like a lovey," said Jenn. "She always wants to go to bed with it. When she's sick, she wants it. It's like her friend, the way that she acts with it."
Whenever Nicholas is deployed, like Ruthie's teddy bear, Raffe is McKenzy's safety blanket. "When he's gone for weeks and months at a time, she still has this one thing."
Which is precisely why she was devastated when she couldn't find Raffe after her family moved from Washington to Pennsylvania. After 11 of the longest days in the little one's life, Mom finally found Raffe in literally the last box they had to unpacked.
"As soon as Jenn found it, she cut open the box and I was like, you know what, let me record this reaction," Nicholas said. They knew McKenzy's reaction would be heartwarming so they decided to film it — but they weren't expecting this.
Jenn hid Raffe in the refrigerator and when McKenzy opened the door — well, you'll have to watch her big response below!
Did you have a beloved toy when you were a kid? Let us know in the comments.
Please SHARE if McKenzy's reaction reminded you of what it's like to be a kid with a special bond!
