A little over two weeks ago, my family in Houston threw us a lovely baby shower. We had much to be thankful for. We got to see family members whom I had not seen in years and who were gracious enough to come celebrate with us despite my being out of state and out of touch for so long. We also got a special package from some of our friends in DC that contained some clever and thoughtful gifts which truly touched us. There was also a particularly fabulous vanilla almond cake decorated with a little owl saying “Welcome to the Nest, Baby Corin.”
But one of the best parts was seeing Lily open her special presents: a baby doll and some pretend mommy accessories. The idea of getting her a special doll came from our former neighbors in DC who did the same for their 3-year-old when their second child was born. The doll helped their daughter adjust to the new baby and made her feel special taking care of it just like Mommy. Lily already had an all-cloth baby doll named Baby Anne, but I wanted something a bit bigger and more lifelike. So when a big American Girl store opened in DC just before our move, Matt and I went and got one of their ‘Bitty Baby’ dolls. Originally, I wanted to wait until Corin actually came to give Lily her doll, but I am really bad at waiting on surprises, and I wanted Lily to take the doll with her to our hospital’s big sibling class. So then the idea became to give her the doll at the baby shower and have close family bring little gifts for the doll so that Lily opened presents in parallel with us.
The doll and her accoutrements were a huge hit. Within the first half hour or so, she had given the doll a name, changed her clothes, and started carrying her around in her mini Moby wrap. I had no idea what she might name her. So far, the only toys she had named for herself were Guido the Beluga and Frenchy the Hippo, and neither seemed right for a baby doll. But all on her own, she decided that her doll would be named Marabelle Chandelier- a slightly shortened form of the name of Fancy Nancy’s doll from the Fancy Nancy books. She switches back and forth pretty freely between calling her Marabelle and calling her Chandelier, but I think that Marabelle has a slight edge.
Marabelle walks with Lily around the house, goes on little stroller rides, and accompanies us on errands. Lily’s little owl backpack has been changed into a diaper bag, and packing and unpacking it is a frequent amusement. Most of the time, Lily is a nurturing mini-mom, but she also has a game where she throws Marabelle to the ground- or down the stairs- so that she can declare, “She’s crying! She feels much yucky!” and then run and comfort her. Let’s hope she doesn’t try that one out on little brother.
But one of the best parts was seeing Lily open her special presents: a baby doll and some pretend mommy accessories. The idea of getting her a special doll came from our former neighbors in DC who did the same for their 3-year-old when their second child was born. The doll helped their daughter adjust to the new baby and made her feel special taking care of it just like Mommy. Lily already had an all-cloth baby doll named Baby Anne, but I wanted something a bit bigger and more lifelike. So when a big American Girl store opened in DC just before our move, Matt and I went and got one of their ‘Bitty Baby’ dolls. Originally, I wanted to wait until Corin actually came to give Lily her doll, but I am really bad at waiting on surprises, and I wanted Lily to take the doll with her to our hospital’s big sibling class. So then the idea became to give her the doll at the baby shower and have close family bring little gifts for the doll so that Lily opened presents in parallel with us.
The doll and her accoutrements were a huge hit. Within the first half hour or so, she had given the doll a name, changed her clothes, and started carrying her around in her mini Moby wrap. I had no idea what she might name her. So far, the only toys she had named for herself were Guido the Beluga and Frenchy the Hippo, and neither seemed right for a baby doll. But all on her own, she decided that her doll would be named Marabelle Chandelier- a slightly shortened form of the name of Fancy Nancy’s doll from the Fancy Nancy books. She switches back and forth pretty freely between calling her Marabelle and calling her Chandelier, but I think that Marabelle has a slight edge.
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