Ben's Baby

This post is something I have been meaning to write for a long time, but it is only after I went searching for the link to it that I realised just how long I have been planning it!

Heidi over here at Homemade by Heidi once told the story about her then 6 yr old son, who I guess is now 8, and how when he was little he had a baby doll. Apparently, sadly, the doll and himself parted company rather dramatically at the time of her post that I have linked to above. (I sometimes wonder what had happened at the time for the sudden and dramatic exit, maybe some kids had said something at school?)

However this made me immediately think of my son, who is exactly the same age. He too has a baby doll, although unlike Heidi's son, our baby doll is still around on the scene.
Our baby doll is simply known as "Baby".

Ben wanted a baby doll after several education baby dolls had been delivered to our house for an Antenatal class that I was facilitating. They were in our house for about a week and when they left he informed us that he wanted them back because they were now his babies. We asked if he wanted a baby and he said yes, so we went to the store and he choose the one, (think it cost all of $7.99) he must have been about 2 or 3yrs old at the time.

This baby doll has been around for at least the last 5-6 yrs.

Ben is not into teddy bears or fluffy toys he just has baby.

Unlike his little brother, who sometimes has to clear a space to just be able to lie down in his own bed, because he has so many other people in his bed! Ben does not sleep with anything. Never has. In fact neither of my boys were blanket / snuggly baby's, neither had anything that had to be taken with them wherever they went, we never had major panics because we had lost 'xyz', or bedtimes wouldn't work because 'xyz' was in the washing or lost!

All soft squiggy toys tended to stay at home during the day and found for nighttime.

Alex has had his moments of wanting to take someone with him, but it has never been a major effort or caused major hassle. At the time of leaving then we have to make sure we have everyone with us, but sometimes they have gone to bed in the foreign place without said toy and only found them the next morning when looking for something else.

However after reading Heidi's post I realised just how lucky we have been.

Baby is in our house, sometimes she can go missing for 3-4 weeks and not a word is said, but then suddenly Ben will be under his bed for some reason, will discover her and there are big crys of joy and hugs etc and she gets pride of place back in his bed and hugged to death when he goes to bed.

If we go away, then we always ask if Baby is coming too, she always does but if she is not in the bed at bedtime, there are no tantrums etc.

I am not sure if people (friends) know about Baby? He has her with us at the caravan and I must admit that when one or 2 of the little girls have started playing with her, the boys have mentioned that that is Ben's Baby and it just seems to have been accepted in everyones stride, like it is common place for little boys to have baby dolls (Alex does have one too, although he has baby bear and a Barney who are more important to him, although he is likely to give anyone a home, including a giraffe on a keyring who is now called Tessa and who has even managed a solo trip through the New Zealand postal service after she got left at Grandma's house!)

So luckily for us, our Baby is still alive and well, still living in their room. I hope we don't have a bad break up like Heidi did, although I think I would be inclined to do exactly what Heidi did and rescue her and give her a home until that magic time to reveal her back to her beloved owner when he leasts expects it!