A Makeover for Lincoln.

There are a few childhood toys that were very dear to me that I kept over the years. As I have gotten older and accumulated more "stuff" I have become less nostalgic about most of my childhood things. I actually got rid of a lot of my favorites but there were a few that made the cut. This is one of those toys.

Meet Lincoln....at least I think that was his name. Ah yes, one of the beloved Cabbage Patch Kids of the 80's. This doll is really special to me because my mom made him. Obviously she did not make the head, but she carefully, lovingly sewed the body and clothing. I can remember coming home from school every day and checking in to how far she had gotten. One day he had a belly button. Another he had shoes. She even made little dimple on his behind. The anticipation was almost too much for a little girl. And the memory is priceless.

Now that Benjamin is a bit older I thought it would be fun to let him play with my old doll, but Lincoln needed a makeover. He has been in storage for over 20 years (boy that makes me feel old) and so he needed a good scrubbing. I gave him a "bath" the other night and hung him up to dry. He was looking pretty good and smelling a lot better and I was just about ready to hand him over to Ben when I decided I should change his clothes in an effort to preserve them. Also, I thought it would be fun to put some of Ben's newborn baby clothes on him....and it was.

I was feeling pretty good about Lincoln's makeover and I was confident that Benjamin would think it was pretty cool to have another toy to play with. After all, he's always dragging his stuffed animals all over the house. I excitedly introduced Benjamin to Lincoln. Turns out I was the only one who was excited. Benjamin was not a fan. It wasn't just that he wasn't interested. He didn't want to have anything to do with my old friend. It was almost as if he was a little scared. I was slightly offended given Lincoln was one of my dearest toys and that I had invested so much time getting him ready for Benjamin. What a let down for this overenthusiastic, Cabbage Patch loving mama.

Oh well. It was fun to pull old Lincoln out of his box and to play dress up for a few minutes. And maybe not all is lost. Ellie seemed to think he was alright. Maybe Lincoln will get played with one day yet.