no more an orphan girl

What Mary wanted was an American Girl Doll, which was approximately seventy dollars out of our price range. While at T.J.Maxx, however, power shopping with Troy's sisters the day after Thanksgiving, I came across this (see above) lovely little darling with glassy blue eyes and synthetic yellow hair. For a fraction of what I'd pay to make my daughter's fervent (yet ever evolving) Christmas wish come true, I could bring home and wrap up something...I mean someone similar to the hard to resist characters featured in each of the numerous American Girl Doll catalogues scattered around our bedrooms, the dining room, the office, faded and torn from so much page turning and damp with drool. I winced a bit in the checkout line remembering back to how a friend of mine reacted to a Cabbage Patch Kid imposter, all lovingly hand made in an obvious and deformed body shape kind of way, she'd received in lieu of the real "signatured bum" deal. Let's just say it was precisely the type of let down I was hoping not to duplicate. "Best of luck to you sweetheart," I whispered as encouragingly as possible to the look alike who would very soon be presented to my often fickle preschooler. "If this doesn't work out, don't take it personally."

If Mary noticed that her gift wasn't exactly what she'd asked for, she didn't let on. "Take her out, mama!" she begged, handing me the box her pristine baby doll was firmly affixed to via a thousand silvery wires. And then finally, when free of her excessive packaging, my daughter held her in her arms, we asked her what she'd name her brand new friend. "Kit," she replied immediately, without any hesitation. And just like that, she became family. Now it's "Kit this," and "Kit that," and "Be quiet, Kit is sleeping." It seems they've adopted one another - two teeny tinies in need of someone (just their size) to hold on to.