New Babydoll for Sophie...I think

For those of you who knew me when I was a little girl, you will remember that I have always been a mommy. I LOVED my baby-dolls more than anything in the world. First there was broken-leg baby (I’ll call her BLB for short). My best friend Sarah and I would fight over BLB because she had mobile joints and eyes that blinked. Ironically, she wasn’t actually mine. My mom gave her to my sister when I was born, as a consolation prize. However, Wendy was more interested in Big Footed Darcy…the barbie doll with the biggest feet ever made, and simply neglected BLB. I hated her (Darcy…not Wendy). Anyway, back to BLB, it was the moveable joints that were her downfall and the impetus for her name.

I must digress a little to paint a picture of this doll. I found her not too long ago in my parent’s basement. I was tempted to send her to Sarah after all these years, but I resisted. Anyway, she is pathetic looking. She used to have hair, but I never remember her that way. I’m not sure she was ever “mine” when she had hair. By the time I got her she only had a few rows of hair in the middle of her head left. I used to make them into pigtails that stuck straight out of her head. Really…she’s quite a sight. My sister used to carry her around by the hair so it all fell out, are you beginning to understand me a little better knowing this fact? I’m 4 years younger than my sister, that’s all I am saying.

Anyway, I’ll never forget the day. I was probably 6 years old and BLB and I were playing on my grand-parents’ screened-in porch, which was one of my absolute favorite places in the world! Anyway, we were having a great time bouncing up and down on the glider (BLB was bouncing, not me). When all of the sudden her leg came flying off. I actually think this was the 2nd time, but I can’t remember the intimate details of the first…mostly a lot of finger pointing as to who was responsible, etc. Anyway, I was DEVASTED. I don’t mean sad, run to your mom to fix it, I mean DEVASTED. I thought that was the end of BLB. Thankfully she was fixable and lived on as my favorite for many years, until…Genny Felise (oh yes, I remember her name).
Genny Felise was my 1st cabbage patch kid (CPK). I actually got her before people started pulling hair and trying to kill each other over CPKs in the stores. I LOVED Genny. She doesn’t look all that great anymore either. Then came Daniel Foster (originally Foster Corwin, but when I officially adopted him I changed his name). Daniel, ironically, was a preemie CPK. He also only had a tuft of hair in the middle of his head. My 3rd CPK was Madeline Doris (originally Doris Faye). I kept the Doris because it was my Grandmother’s name. She was a corn silk CPK. You couldn’t brush her hair now if you had to.

I loved these baby dolls so much it used to drive my sister crazy. I took them EVERYWHERE with me. I can remember one trip to my grand-parents’ specifically. I had all 3 dolls in the car ready to go and my sister started whining “does she have to take all 3?” to which my ever practical father said “Kate, just pick 1, you don’t need all 3.” OMG the insanity. Are you kidding? I have to pick 1…above the other 2…and leave the other 2 behind. Oh no…I don’t think so. You have to understand that when I was little I would lie in bed at night and think “if this house burns down, I don’t care what they say, I’m taking all 3 with me.” (Yeah, I was a strange child, I also used to play with receipt books, but that’s a story for another time). Anyway, I was completely horrified, and I’m sure pitching a pretty good fit. My mom understood my devotion and snuck the other 2 in the back for me. I mean really, pick 1??? Only a boy would even think that.

So…you have endured this story all for a few pictures of Sophie’s FIRST baby-doll. I found this cute set at Costco that came with a stroller, a baby doll, a diaper bag, a rocking bassinet, and a carseat/feeding chair. I love it, if they had this when I was little I would have been in HEAVEN. Anyway, I had to buy it for Sophie. It was supposed to be a Christmas present but I couldn’t wait. Sophie loves the stroller, but hasn’t quite figured out how to turn it around when she runs into something so she just keeps slamming it into the wall/chair/table/etc. She also isn’t quite as taken with the babydoll as I had hoped. Usually she picks it up by the head (just like Aunt Wendy), bites it (I think this might be an attempt at a kiss) and throws it on the floor. Oh well, all in good time my dear, all in good time!