My Little Dolly

Growing up, I loved dolls! It wasn't even like I just played with then here and there, I was ALWAYS playing with them. Even if Amber and I were playing store that day, I would bring my doll shopping with me, or if I was playing barbies, my dolls would sit with me and play barbies....hopefully, you get the idea! I had them all named too. The earliest doll I remember playing with was "Melissa", who sadly, was left in the family's station wagon when it was sold. I remember crying about Melissa, hoping she wasn't cold or scared. I also had dolls named Leslie, Page, and Nathan (my only boy doll), just to name a few. This is me at age five, rocking my doll and feeding her a bottle.

My years of playing with dolls lasted a lot longer than most little girls, I believe. Just the other day I was telling one of my brothers how much I loved dolls growing up and in fact, had received a doll for my TWELFTH birthday!!! He laughed and totally thought I was being sarcastic, but just to prove my point, the next picture shows me on my 12th birthday. I am happily holding a brand new doll (who I made a twin to Nathan and named Natalie) and some new baby doll bottles!

(sorry about the blurry pictures, but I still don't have a new printer so instead of scanning these in, I took a picture of them with my camera-awful quality-I know, so sorry)

I know deep down inside, from the time I was very small, I've wanted to be a mommy. And how fun it is to now, after two little boys, to finally have a girl "dolly" to play with!!!

My little Addison is such a sweet girl. I love the way she wraps her chubby little arms around my neck, as tight as she cans, and hums me a little song. I love when she sits in her crib and knocks on the wall in between our rooms to have me wake up and come and get her (okay, this one actually only makes me laugh the next morning when I have had time to think about how funny that really is). I love that she loves dolls, and already shows those amazing maternal instincts our Heavenly Father has given his daughters.

The other day I was painting my toe nails and Addison was watching me very intently, I mean, face-as-close-to-my-toes-without-her-nose-ending-up-in-the-wet-polish intently. Then after I was finished and cleaning my stuff up, she raises her chubby little foot as far up as she can, trying to reach the toilet seat where my foot had been just moments before, ready for her turn. I had never painted her nails, so wasn't sure how it would go, but decided to give it a try. From the blurry picture above (again, sometimes this camera isn't so good, so sorry) you can tell how proud she is off her cute little toes. That night when Daddy came home, he was holding Addison and giving her a hug, and the first thing she did was hold her little foot up as high as she could so she could show him her "pretty little toes".