Well, hello. Perhaps you'd like to meet the newest member of our family. This is Dolly.
Last Sunday, I was at the store buying a few things for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. Last year, I chose a boy, because I am just so used to buying boy things, but this year, in honor of the baby girl we are waiting to hold in our arms, I decided to buy for a girl, age 2-4, the youngest age bracket you can choose.
I was looking at little dollies, and the only kind that I could find that would work well in a shoebox was this one here, along with her twin. There were two dollies in the box. I figured, well, we are having a girl in three months, so why not get the two? It would not be a waste.
When I got home and started taking the dollies out of the box, both of my boys were ready to pounce on me and grab them from my hands. Each had one before I could blink. For little boys who are used to seeing trucks and cars, Paw Patrol toys, Lincoln Logs, and Legos galore, these dolls were foreign creatures.
I had to declare warnings (for Caleb mostly, since Silas doesn't understand) that we are giving one away, so let's not go crazy. After Silas ripped the arm off the purple baby above, I quickly grabbed Caleb's unharmed pink doll and put her safely into the shoebox before she met some unfortunate fate too. (I did manage to put the arm back in its socket, but alas, it is not the same.)
As I was putting Silas to bed that night, Caleb tucked Dolly into a Lincoln Log box and closed the lid, thinking to put her to bed. When he reported this to me, I thought it was time for a lesson on how to care for a baby. After all, he is going to have a little sister before we know it. "Oh, no," I said, "Get Dolly out of the box. Let's tuck her in the car seat. This can be her bed."
And so we did. Caleb has been enjoying tucking Dolly into bed each night and getting her up in the morning. Silas was fascinated by the fact that Dolly's eyes opened and closed whether she was laying down or upright. However, do not fear. They don't play with her throughout the day. The newness has worn off. For Caleb, I continue to use it as a lesson on how we can care for our own baby girl when she gets here. I know Caleb will be a good big brother to his sister. He notices EVERYTHING, and will report to me on every scrunch of face she makes, I have no doubt.
In church today, there was a baby girl two rows ahead. I watched her and watched her, thinking of our own baby. I still can hardly believe we are having another baby, let alone, a girl! I'm enamored with pink sleepers and headbands, flowers and bows. We still have so much to do, and I am working hard at home getting as many things ready as I can before the holidays hit.
Soon enough, these little feet that are kicking me constantly will be ours to enjoy!
