Anna's Baby Obsession

 

Anna has been semi-obsessed with her doll lately.  She wants to take her everywhere and wants to put her in the stroller and push her around at really inconvenient times and places.  Sometimes I let her and sometimes I want to hide the doll and the stroller.  She wants to push the doll in her stroller to school every day when we drop off or pick up Matthew in the cold and snow.   If she leaves the doll in the car and remembers about her at bedtime, she wants me to go out and get her and bring her up to bed.  She wants the doll to swing in Grant's swing and refuses to move her out when I want to put Grant in there.  She wants me to get real yogurt to feed her doll (just like Grant) and is very upset if I tell her to give her pretend food instead.  She's also decided her doll needs to have a real baby shower - not a pretend one.   Accommodating Anna's dolly demands, however sweet or well intentioned, can get laborious.

Once she left the doll in my care while she went to play and was very upset when she returned and found the doll laying on the floor.  I tried to convince her the dolly was having a nice nap, but she didn't buy it.  She knew I had shirked my doll sitting duties.  In my defense I had a real baby who badly needed a diaper change.  :)

I need to cut her some slack, because I do know that all of this started when she found out, a few months ago, that we were going to have another baby!!  She was very excited about having another little brother or sister, and is really very sweet about it.  I'm a little over 18 weeks now, due in August (near Anna's birthday) and Anna has been very excited and telling me often she wants to have a baby sister.  It kind of breaks my heart, since I know it might not be a girl, and she might be in for some disappointment on that score.  But maybe she'll be fine with another brother too.  We have an ultrasound to find out scheduled for next week.  I'd be equally happy with either.  A girl would give Anna a sister and even things out in our family and a boy would be great since Grant and the new baby will be so close in age (16 months apart) that they could be little buddies.  We'll see.

In any case, I've been very tired lately.  From the pregnancy, the sleepless nights (still) with Grant and the many demands of three children...not to mention the baby doll that is demanding more and more of my attention lately.  Maybe we can send the doll on a pretend vacation to Grandma's house for while.  :)  I'd be up for that.

Here's what Grant thinks of the baby doll.
  "That's what you get for sitting in my swing!"  :)