My little girl has not been sick for a while. It has been at least six months since we have been to the doctor’s office for anything but a well visit. You may be thinking, “Oh no! Why did he just type that?” To have you know, I consider my last sentence a reverse jinx – thus extending her healthy stretch! But I’m knocking on all the wood I can find just to be safe.
Her dolls and bears, however, have not been so fortunate lately. They have been suffering from a variety of ailments: stomach bug, headache, bizarre mishaps, unobserved accidents, and random and unexplainable bumps & bruises. Needless to say, they collectively have had a difficult start to the New Year. Lucky for them, they have my daughter in their “lives” to look after and care for them in their time of need.
This past weekend, I spent some time cleaning out cabinets, getting ready for the new baby and all the accompanying bottles, breast pump gear, etc. that come along with an infant. I found a half-dozen old medicine dispensers and spoons mixed in with expired Tylenol and Pedialyte in the back of our cabinet. I tossed everything in the trash, save for one dropper-style dispenser. I gave that one to my daughter and ever since she has been pretending to give her dolls and bears medicine for their various illnesses, while snuggling them close to make them feel better. It is a pretty adorable scene. She also makes her friends throw-up into an old blue Cookie Monster bowl that came piled high with strawberries at Sesame Place last year, then announces “oh no, Baby Josie just threw up.”
She has been playing doctor with her new medicine dropper non-stop, and insists on taking the dispenser and at least one ‘patient’ with her everywhere! It’s funny how the odds and ends that most of us have lying around the house double as great kid’s toys. Now, why do we keep buying toy after toy? Simply clean out the cabinets and voila, brand new and incredibly interesting toys will soon appear!
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