Guys and Dolls

As I young girl, I spent countless hours feeding, dressing and caring for my constant and faithful companion, Didi the Cabbage Patch Kid. Didi and I were an inseparable duo and I rarely ventured out of the house without my dear little friend in tow.

As a mother of two little boys, I’ve witnessed both Chi-Chi and Muffy display an inherent, instinctive attraction to anything with wheels. As I write, Chi-Chi is literally bombing around the house on his ride on car, filling the air with impressively realistic “vroom, vroom” sound effects.

Although my boys exhibit a deep affection for their fleet of vehicles, I feel strongly that dolls offer invaluable play opportunities to children of both genders. Chi-Chi and Muffy each own special little dolls. These Waldorf-style bunting dolls are filled with millet and essential oils of lavender. While the boys are busy participating in the nightly bath ritual with Daddy, each doll undergoes a little “session” in the microwave for a couple of minutes. The warm and comforting babies are waiting for the little ones when they crawl into bed. Both boys drift off to dreamland snuggling their special babies. During waking hours, the babies are played with regularly throughout the day. Chi-Chi whips up a quick breakfast in the play kitchen for his companion and usually treats his little friend to a speedy and thrilling ride on the back of his car. The dolls provide my kiddies with the opportunity to mimic and foster nurturing and caring skills that both Mommy and Daddy perform in our household.

With Chi-Chi quickly approaching the age of three, I felt he was ready to “graduate” to a more formed doll – one with arms, legs and hair. Being a nostalgic and a traditionalist, I thought it would be a rewarding (and cost-saving!) experience to take part in the old-fashioned tradition of personally hand-making a special and unique doll for my child. A number of companies offer convenient and easy-to-follow doll kits that are designed to help beginners like myself tackle this type of project. I ordered a kit and supplies from Joy’s Waldorf Dolls (www.joyswaldorfdolls.com). Four evenings of doll making resulted in the “birth” of the “little dude with the wild ‘do”. He doesn’t have a name yet as I feel Chi-Chi should be the one to select it. I’m now working on a wardrobe for the “little dude” so I am waiting until that is complete before introducing Chi-Chi to his new friend. He’s definitely got a few flaws as my sewing skills are pretty limited, but he’s one-of-a-kind. He was lovingly made with all natural materials from the organic cotton used for skin, to the eco-wool stuffing and the mohair hairstyle. It was interesting to see how “little dude” evolved during the process. He already seems to have his own little personality! I look forward to witnessing the upcoming adventures of Chi-Chi and "Little Dude with the Wild 'Do"!