While we were there we made a pit stop to the doll hospital. Sally-O, our well-loved, much played with Bitty Baby was in dire need of servicing. As I mentioned in a February post (complete with a photo), Bitty Baby’s right eye often stayed closed. Her hair was a wreck. Her right cheek had a pen stain. She looked like a doll that had been hugged a lot.

The woman behind the counter was very nice. She did a checkup. Everything was fixable, she told us. She checked her price list and gave me the damage for the damage. It would cost x price for a new eye and a quick cleanup, which would do nothing for the ink stain or the cut hair. (Although the hair would be brushed and made pretty again.) For an extra $5 they would give Sally-O a brand new head. It would be like getting a new doll.

I went back and forth about it until I decided that yes, I’d go for it. I’d change out the head. Little Girl helped me take off all Sally-O’s clothing and put her into a hospital gown. Then we handed her over to the “doctor” who told us Sally-O would come home in about two to four weeks via U.S. Postal Service complete with a new head, a hospital gown, and a cap. Little Girl was understandably upset when we told her the doll would be staying behind. At first she told us no, but we finally convinced her, although she did ask to give her sister’s doll another hug. (We had to pry it out of her arms after the hug…) She stopped crying when the nice woman at the counter assured us that she would take good care of the doll.

The bargain hunter inside of me loved what we did. A brand new doll for half the price of a new one? Plus, we were recycling? How awesome is that? Except…the mom in me was dying inside. Sally-O has been such an integral part of our life. Big Girl has taken her everywhere since she we got her almost four years ago. Sally-O has been to playdates and parties and to Disney World. She’s been to Woodloch Pines at New Year’s. She’s been on long car trips, and to both of her “great” grandmas’ homes. She’s sat with us at dinner, and slept with Big Girl at night. She’s been a part of the family. And now she’s gone forever. As much as it’s true that the Sally-O that’s coming back to us in the mail will look the same, she will be a new doll. All the reminders — yes, even the cut hair and the stain left by the drive-by magic marker attack — will be gone. I wonder if I did the right thing.

I have a Free Moving Barbie doll. She looks a lot like Sally-O did. Her hair is trashed — knotted and gross, to be honest. She’s got some marker on her feet. One of her arms is a little loose. And yet I am so happy I have her, a reminder of the marathon Barbie sessions I had with my sister. We’d set up my brother’s train table as our Barbie world. A shoebox was a TV stand. We had a plastic pool, the Barbie van, an outdoor camping set. We spent hours and hours in that basement, and looking at that Barbie brings it all back for me. Have I, by freshening up Sally-O, taken away a piece of Big Girl’s childhood? Will she regret the loss of her constant companion? Was I simply too cheap to buy the little one her own Bitty Baby Doll? I’m not 100 percent sure, but I think I’m going to make a phone call this morning. Who needs a new head when a new eye that opens and closes might suffice?

What was your favorite childhood toy? Do you still have it? Would love to hear about it.

Little Girl running away with Bitty Baby.

Big Girl got her American Girl Bitty Baby when she was about three. I was in the city for a girls’ weekend with three of my good friends. We went to American Girl to look around. I ended up walking out with a set of Bitty Twins. I took one, while my friend, who has a little girl a month younger than Big Girl, took the other. I don’t know who was more excited when I handed over that doll: Me or my daughter. It was a great purchase, though.

The doll, named Sally-o, has been tossed around a bit — literally — and played with over the years. She had a small clump of hair cut off during one especially harrowing playdate. What’s left is fairly messy. One of her eyes are stuck open or closed — depending on how she’s held. If you look closely you can see the black ink from when she was a victim of a write-and-run attack. She’s missing her socks. Maybe a nicer way of describing her is that she is a much-loved doll. So much so that she often shares a pillow with her red-headed owner.

I am reminiscing about how she came to live here because I have American Girls on my mind. Earlier this week a friend posted on Facebook that she was selling her daughter’s American Girl dolls — the real ones, not the Bitty Babies. I was considering caving in and buying them. Right now we’ve still got about 20 months before I have to shell out that kind of cash. You see, American Girl dolls are made for girls eight and up, according to the company’s site and ubiquitous catalogs. This is a fact I was only too happy to pass along to my daughter. In effect, it bought me a little more time. Of course, my strict adherence to American Girl’s suggested age is backfiring on me.

Poor Little Girl loves Big Girl’s Bitty Baby. LOVES it. Carries it around. Kisses it. Tries to take its many beautiful outfits to put on her own plain Jane doll. (We recently had an issue with a Bitty Baby dog costume. Little Girl loves dogs even more than Bitty. Thank goodness small children have very short memories.) But as always, I digress.

Last weekend I was looking at the American Girl Web site with Big Girl contemplating a purchase for Little Girl’s second birthday in June. Which one would she like, I wanted to know. (I was leaning towards the little blond one.) Big Girl jumped right on it. “But Mommy, you CAN’T get her a Bitty. She’s only going to be TWO. You have to be THREE to buy a Bitty Baby.” Damn. Drat. Sigh. She’s right. It says so right on the product specifications. Ages 3 and up.

So now I’m trapped. I can’t get Little Girl a Bitty unless I want to get called out by a 6-year-old for being a hypocrite. But I am torn. If ever there was a year to buy an American Girl, it’s this one. This year’s doll is Lanie. She’s interested in the environment. The American Girl parent company is partnering with the National Wildlife Federation to get girls outside and back to nature. There’s even a Web site dedicated to helping parents help kids to do just that — Be Out There. I’m so temped to tell Big Girl that the suggested age is just that — a suggested age. But then again I feel like I should stick to my first instinct and make them both wait until they’re actually old enough to own their respective dolls. Arggg. Such a tough decision. Good thing I don’t live in New York City.

What do you think of American Girl dolls? Would you buy them for your child? HAVE you bought them for your child? Aside from American Girl dolls, what are the best toys out there that you’ve seen? Do you know of any eco-dolls that might make my baby toss the Bitty love out the door?