The Story of Big Baby

Every once in awhile, something super cute happens that just has to be shared. The story of Big Baby is one of those moments. All this year, I’ve tried really hard to focus more on family and have more family experiences. I try to make sure we do more together as a family, whether we just get out and go to the park or attend a festival or simply just go walk around a Flea Market together. I try to have less computer time and more time for Abby, more time to play with her and encourage her imagination. I’ve tried to be more open to new ideas and sometimes even let Abby show me the way. With Big Baby, Abby helped me see that sometimes it’s okay to let her make purchase decisions.

Meet Big Baby

The day Big Baby came home with us is probably a day I’ll always remember, it will end up being one of those cute stories we tell even once Abby is grown.

We headed out one weekend to check out all the local Flea Markets, I was searching for photo props and unique items to use for craft/DIY projects and hubby just really enjoys going to Flea Markets so it was the perfect family outing for a cold weekend. Most of the ones we visited weren’t very big, we didn’t really find anything and while Abby found little trinkets she latched on to, we quickly eliminated each one before leaving. Finally we decided to stop by a really large one, from the outside it looked pretty big but I was still overwhelmed by the amount of booths set up! There was seriously something for everyone and I had a blast slowly browsing each section. I found all kinds of containers that I had been searching for as well as a cute little stool for Abby’s room. Once I was pretty much finished shopping it was Hubby’s turn. Since he was busy chasing Abby while I “shopped”, I took over so he could check out this huge tool section. As Abby and I continued down the aisle, we came across this one booth that was nothing but dolls. Oh my, I knew I was in trouble!

Abby instantly fell in love with all the babies and kept pointing each one out, telling me how cute they all were. I didn’t allow her to really touch any, some looked delicate, but one wall had several over-sized dolls just sitting on a shelf… Right at Abby’s level… Of course she immediately wanted to pick them all up. I finally helped her pick one that she could tote and off she went in search for her daddy. Everyone we passed smiled at her and she told each of them that baby was sad. I have no idea why baby was sad but Abby carried that thing with her arms wrapped around it in a hug and kept saying “baby sad, baby sad. aww I love you baby”. Of course when we showed her daddy he told her no, so off we went to put poor baby back. She actually put baby back without arguing too much but quickly latched onto another one.

Off we went again down the aisle in search of her daddy. This time we ran into one of the ladies running the Flea Market and Abby had such a good time telling her all about baby. “Baby sad. Aww, I love you Baby. Sweet Baby”… I almost wish I had recorded it because it was so darn cute and so funny (I also realize I have no pictures of this either, not sure how that happened)! Back to her daddy she went and this time, since he was about done, he let her hold onto baby but had no intention of purchasing it. After all, it was priced at $12! A bit much for a “used” doll.

By now I’m sure you have guessed that although Hubby had no intention of buying this doll, Abby got her way. We got up to the front counter to pay for a few other items we found and Abby absolutely would not give up that baby doll. “Baby sad, Baby sad” she would tell everyone and give it a huge hug. She wanted that doll so much for some reason. The guy called the booth owner and they gave us a good discount on it… baby doll was coming home with us! Talk about one very happy little girl 🙂

As expected, by the time we got to the car, baby no longer really matter. Figures, we gave in and now Abby didn’t even care about the silly thing. As we got in the car, I wiped down both the doll and Abby (sorry but we all know that Flea Markets are not the cleanest places… its just like going to the store), buckled Abby into her car seat and she refused to take baby. Oh well lesson learned.

Or so I thought…

Turns out, that doll was one of the best purchases we have ever made. The doll quickly became named Big Baby (not sure where this name came from… possibly because the doll is so large. This is also the only doll Abby has ever named, unless the doll/stuffed animal already has a specific name like Rapunzel or Stitch, it doesn’t have name.) and it goes almost everywhere with us. While Abby doesn’t play with it every single day, it’s definitely one of the toys that she most often plays with. She’s constantly pushing Big Baby around in the shopping cart, feeding Big Baby dinner, letting Big Baby ride in the basket of her tricycle, pretending to be Doc McStuffins with Big Baby as the patient, oh my gosh that doll has even gone to the park and doctor office with us.

We purchased Big Baby back in January, the joy Abby has playing with it I can definitely say it was well worth it. She has toys that she never plays with, plays with once and never touches again, yet this doll that she discovered at a Flea Market has been one of her favorites. Watching her play with Big Baby and seeing her so happy, I’m so glad that we decided to say yes that day. Hubby and I often watch her playing and joke about the doll, how it was well worth it and how glad we are that we got it. Thinking about that day, how she walked around hugging that doll so tight and telling everyone that baby was sad, it always brings a smile to my face.

Thinking about that day reminds me that sometimes, it can be fun to make unexpected purchases chosen by a toddler. Abby is only little once and I want more memories like Big Baby 🙂

Poor Big Baby, life with a toddler can be rough!

*Big Baby seems to have lost her hat while playing over the past few months. Her paci also seems to have come off it’s ribbon but that’s okay right now as we try to eliminate paci. I did look Big Baby up online and it turns out she’s sold with a fun medical kit where you can take her temperature, doctor her boo-boos, listen to her heart, etc. That helps explain the thing in her mouth and the cute heart on her arm (which Abby does doctor with her Doc McStuffins band-aid).