This morning I was still in indecision on whether or not Bee + I were going to attend the Cabbage Patch Kids' 25th Birthday celebration at Toys R Us in Times Square; however, after thinking about the long extended day of Jason not being home until 6:00 PM and the impending rain in the later afternoon as well as Bee's happy, talkative mood I thought I would give it a shot. At 9:00 AM I began to get ready for our trek across the Hudson. Thoughtfully, I packed a condensed version of Bee's bottles, diapers, etc. and only had to make sure the two of us were presentable, the lady was fed enough to last us to the city, and strap her into her mei tai carrier.
By 9:30 AM we were hitting the streets for the bus and were in the city by 10:07 AM - Bee, thankfully, was awake and observant during our walk to the bus stop (since she normally wears a sunhat and doesn't get such large views of the nabe) and crashed into a deep slumber once on the bus. The gal woke up by the time we hit the streets out of Port Authority and began our three block walk to the greatest toy store on earth. After passing Jamie Lee Curtis on the street (random!), we had reached our destination and were greeted by CPK workers with goodie bags, brochures, and lots of pictures. It was not at crowded as I had anticipated. In fact, there were hardly any children there at all...so little that even 'Mother Cabbage' who was delivering babies in the cabbage patch had bumped into us while we were picking out the perfect CPK for Bee that she freaked out and cameras went ablazin'. She promptly apologized and said, "Omigosh! This is what this is all about! This is a true Cabbage Patch baby!". Then, with her stethoscope in hand we posed with our CPK, Bee and 'Mother Cabbage'. We also took our CPK pledge to be loving parents and earned our autographed Certificate of Authenticity by Xavier Roberts, the founder!
Afterwards, Bee and I ventured to the 2nd floor to visit the Babies R Us section and picked up some spoons and bowls in preparation for her big girl step of eating solid foods. She got a little fussy but I just took her out of her carrier in the restroom and fed her a couple of ounces. She promptly regained her heart-melting demeanour and smiles and even earned her some free schwag by the cashiers and security guard who fell in love with her, too!
Although I would have liked to viewed the Wii section and stick around to meet the Food Network's Duff of ACE OF CAKES who was serving the celebratory cake, I knew then was the best time to stop by Dad's work and drop off the goodies to free my arms (just call it mother's intuition). Unfortuanately, Mother Nature did not have the same thought in mind as the afternoon rain we were expecting turned into a two hour rain which, of course, was during our commute to Dad's office and home. So, me SANS stroller and umbrella, threw on Bee's sunhat and a burp cloth over her head and speed walked to Dad's office two blocks away. Of course, I am trying to be quick without slipping with flip-flops on and trying not to get the wee gal wet; meanwhile, she has her whole hand in her mouth more or less wimpering that she can't see anything going on due to my makeshift shelter (sure, she had no idea the lengths I was going through - LOL).
So, we reached Dad's office and got to hang out with him for about an hour as well KOB and to finally meet Uncle Frankie whom she eyed curiously with wonder.
Luckily, Dad had a spare umbrella and an hour later had fed the lady, changed her diaper, and got her just ready for a nap - meaning it was time to go. The timing was impeccable - we got to the bus platform, the bus showed up in one minute, and the babes was asleep. She woke up just in time to realize we were back in the bedroom and full of smiles and excitement.
Overall, she LOVED Toys R Us and I cannot wait to take her again...maybe this time with a visit to the Sanrio store to boot!
Oh yea...another monumental moment? Bee normally naps in my arms or co-sleeps; however, today I laid her down with the opportunity co-sleep in case she wakes up crying (like usual) but instead she winced a bit, turned on her side, and continued sleeping for about 20 more minutes! She then woke up, I co-slept for 30 minutes, and she unlatched and slept AGAIN for 20 more minutes....which I then woke her since I didn't want her to sleep too much since it was late in the afternoon and didn't want her to get her schedule too screwy!
For those not knowing what a Cabbage Patch Kid doll is - you must be living under a rock - LOL!
Nonetheless, they are dolls created in 1983 with such craze that they have been in space and even attended the Olympics! They had their worldwide birthday celebration at the Toys R Us in Times Square.
I remember getting my first CPK doll after much hesitation from my parents for the ungodly price of them and inability to find them since they were sold out everywhere. We finally convinced them to purchase one...seriously, ONE that my sister and I had to share and for some reason had blonde hair and blue eyes.....hmmmmmmm - media obsessed much - LOL. Anyway, we ended up getting two more - a newborn and preemie. Overall, they were my friends for a LONG time and I hope that Olivia Bee will find the same comfort and friendship that I found in my little girlfriends (even though at the moment of purchase Bee is the same size as her doll! LOL).
Anyway, they are currently offering Limited Edition CPK dolls that feature the original yarn hair, clothing types and names. They also come with a silver spoon commemorating this celebration. The Certificate of Authenticity was signed by the founder, Xavier Roberts, just for today and I am excited to offer this to my little girl as well.
I cannot believe that it has been 25 years since I was able to form such a bond with a lovely doll and hope that 25 years from now Olivia Bee will be able to offer this same gift to her son or daughter during their 50th birthday celebration.
