Mechanic helps Kate with cuffs + Claire's photo & Aaron's whale

On the lamb, Kate makes her way to an auto shop. She gets some help from the mechanic, who releases her from her handcuffs for $200. He uses a punch press to release her from the cuffs and asks her what she did. Unlike in the past, she is straightforward and tells him that she's wanted for murder and then goes to change her clothes.

In the restroom area, Kate opens a bag to find a photo of Claire pregnant an other stuff for the unborn Aaron, including the same stuffed whale that Aaron had in the season 4 episode "Something Nice Back Home."

So how is it that Claire had the same stuffed whale in 2004 that Kate gave Aaron in 2007? This seems to be another connection of the two timelines.