It's a Boy!

 Veronika and Charlotte are waiting at the top of the stairs.

Jolena and Mariah are waiting at the top of the stairs, too. They are very patient. They are dolls, and dolls know how to be patient. They are good at it.

They are patient, but they are excited, too. Can you guess why the dolls are excited?

The dolls are waiting patiently for a surprise. Mandy has gone out to get the surprise. She said that it comes in a box. She is going to open the box. Mandy has been gone a long time. It's cold out, and she took a basket with her, but no coat. There was a hat and a sweater in the basket, but she didn't put them on. What could be keeping Mandy?

Finally, the front door opened and Mandy came in with the surprise. Mandy and the surprise stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"Girls, this is Billy, our new brother," Mandy said as she put the basket down.

Billy looked up at the girls. "Hi!" he said.

"It's a boy!" exclaimed Mariah!
"It's a boy!" exclaimed Jolena!
"I got my birthday wish!" cried Charlotte! "A brother!"

With a nudge from Mandy, Billy started up the stairs to meet the girls. "I brought my puppy," he said, politely taking off his hat. "Her name is Freckles. I hope you don't mind."

"We love dogs," said Jolena. "Freckles will be a friend for Charlotte's puppy, Pee-air."
"It's Pierre," said Charlotte. "It's a French boy's name."

"Here's Pierre now," Mariah said, as the white puppy came down the stairs.

Freckles and Pierre sniffed each other and decided they were friends. Jolena offered to take Billy's hat and Freckles' leash.
"Now that the puppies know each other, let me introduce you to your new sisters," Mandy suggested.

"Jolena is the doll closest to you. Then that's Mariah next to her," Mandy said pointing to each girl.

"Next is Veronika, the one with the braids, and then Charlotte, with the puppy."

"And this is Pierre," Charlotte said, holding her puppy. "This is Freckles' new friend."

"What's in the basket, Mandy?" Veronika asked. "Are those Billy's clothes?"

"Well, yes and no," Mandy answered. "Maybe I should let Billy explain."

Mandy lifted the basket up to the next step while Billy told his story.

"At the factory, they dressed me in these girl's clothes," Billy explained.
"Why would they do that?" Mariah asked.
"They thought I was a girl," Billy answered.
"Why did they think you were a girl?" asked Jolena.
"I tried to tell them," Billy replied, "But they didn't seem to hear me."

"Maybe they just make dolls," suggested Mariah. "Maybe they don't really believe in us. You can only hear us talk if you believe in us."
"Yes, and I also think maybe they just didn't know any better," added Mandy. "All the dolls they make there are the same under their clothes. They need their clothes and hair to show if they are boys or girls. Some people even think all dolls are girls and that only girls play with dolls."

"I think that's a silly idea," Billy said. "Anyway, you can have these clothes, if you want them," he added, pointing to the basket. "They look like the kind of clothes girls like to wear."

"I'm so glad boy's clothes were ready and waiting for me when I got here," he added.
While Jolena, Charlotte, Veronika and Mariah looked through the basket, Billy paused and took a deep breath.
"And speaking of hair," Billy went on, "they also did this to me!"
Billy reached behind his neck and pulled out a long ponytail. It was attached to the hair on his head!
"I really wanted short hair," he said. "I need a haircut! I want it this short!"

"Your hair is as long as mine!" Charlotte exclaimed. Then she  went back to looking through the basket. "Hey, there's a nice dress in here!"

"Long hair is pretty on girls, if they like it, " said Mandy, "but it's a lot of work to keep it from tangling when we play."

"Yes," said Mariah! "my hair needs brushing whenever I go from one room to another, because I want to always look lovely!"

"Long hair can be a nuisance sometimes," Charlotte agreed. "I have a very hard time keeping mine tidy. Just look at this!"

"I have to keep two pigtails in the front when I ski, or my helmet won't fit on my head," added Jolena.

Billy agreed. "I want to hang upside down from tree branches. How can I do that with hair in my face?"

They all agreed long hair was a lot of work and sometimes in the way. All except for Veronika. 
"I don't see a problem with long hair," she said.

One thing all the sisters could agree on was how nice it was going to be to have a boy in the family. Each girl gave their new brother a welcome hug.

"I have everything I've ever wanted," Billy sighed. "A home, a family and boy's clothes. Everything I ever wanted...except a haircut."
It will come, Billy. You just have to wait. You are a doll, and dolls are patient. You are good at waiting.

Dear readers, if you have been reading "The Doll's Storybook" for long, you will know that Billy will someday have a boy's wig and a brother!

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kids Vroni

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen

Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily in London

You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.

Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Author's page on Amazon. 

Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Image on Mariah's yellow T-shirt used with permission, from Free To Be Kids, where human-size shirts with this image are available.

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Copyright © 2018, 2023 by Peggy Stuart

Growing Up

Pippa and Pauly were looking for someone to play cards with them.

After looking around, they found Emil in the dining room, writing a letter. Emil looked up when the two smaller dolls climbed up into a chair close to him.

"We need one more person to play cards with us," Pippa told him. "Will you be through with your letter soon?"

"I'm just finishing," Emil told them. "I was just going to read it through to see if it sounds OK, and then I need to put it with the letters for The Writer to take to the mailbox. I'd be glad to play with you then."

"Why don't you read your letter to us," Pippa suggested. "If it isn't too personal, that is," she added.

"Are you writing to Holly?" Pauly asked. He knew Holly was Emil's friend.

He remembered that she uses a chair with wheels on it, called a wheelchair, to get around. It was hard to imagine a doll who couldn't run around on her own!

Emil nodded. "I wanted to update Holly on how the new puppy is doing," he told them.

"Well," Pippa urged him, "let's hear it!"

Emil began to read from his letter.

Dear Holly,

It was interesting to find out about the wheelchair basketball tournament. I'll bet it was fun! I'm glad Sam has made friends with someone from one of the other teams. New friends are good.

You will remember, in my last letter, I told you The Writer and her husband picked up a puppy during our trip with the trailer.

His name is Sandy. Well, Sandy has grown! I mean a lot! He went to get a haircut, and we found out that most of him was hair, but he's still bigger than he was.

Billy and I keep checking to see if we have grown, but  our clothes always fit the same, and we're always the same height.

Puppies grow very fast, but this growing thing, you don't see it happening. I mean, you can't watch it. You just notice one day that someone is bigger. Maybe their clothes don't fit them anymore, or in the case of a puppy, the collar has to be made bigger, so it won't be too tight. You pull one part of it more through the buckle thing to make it bigger. The Writer does that every week.

Soon Sandy will need a whole new collar, because this one can't get any bigger.

It isn't just his neck, though. Sandy is getting taller, too. The Writer used to keep her outside shoes and the puppy's leash on the tray table in the family room by the back door. When we first came home from our trip, the puppy couldn't reach them. (He likes to investigate new things, which is pretty much everything.)

Then a few days ago, we noticed that the puppy had one of The Writer's outside shoes in his mouth and was running around with it. We tried to catch him, but if you run after him, he thinks you're playing a game. It's OK if it's a dog toy or a ball, but if it's something you don't want him to have, it's a problem. The Writer said to ignore the puppy, and he would drop it. He did. He brought it back into the house and dropped it on the floor. He was trying to tease her into chasing him. The Writer ignored it until the puppy started to play with something else. Then she picked it up and put it up higher.

The Writer's husband cleared a shelf in the bookcase that was high enough that Sandy couldn't reach it. Now she keeps the leash, her outdoor shoes, Sandy's leash and a jar of treats on the shelf. She also now has a hook next to the door for her jacket, because Sandy was taking the jacket off the chair and dragging it around.

We had to move the tray table, because Sandy can stand up on his hind legs, like a person or a doll, when he wants something. (I don't know why the stool was there, too!)

When we look at the photos Billy took of the two dogs together when we first got home, Sandy was a lot smaller than Dusty, and more of him was hair. He also wouldn't stay still to have his picture taken. This was the best Billy could do. The puppy is a little blurry, because he was moving.

Now when we see them together, Sandy is still smaller than Dusty, but there is less difference than there was. He almost understands "stay," now, so he isn't as blurry in the picture.

As you know, I can hear the animals when they talk. Listening to Sandy is very interesting. He knows I can hear him, so he comes and tells me things.

Sandy wonders why everything he finds on the sidewalk or next to it when they go for walks is called a "leave-it," but the same kind of thing he finds in the backyard is called a "pine cone."

Or another kind of leave-it is called a "stick" if it's in our backyard.

He thinks things should have the same name when he finds them on walks. He finds that confusing.

I told him "leave it" means "leave it alone," or "don't touch it." He said he would try.

When we first came home with Sandy, he had to sleep in a green box called a crate. It was big enough for him to stand up in and turn around if he wanted to.

Sandy grew to be too big for the crate. He can't stand up and turn around if he needs to. It has become too small. Now he has to sleep in a bigger crate at night. The new crate is brown. He likes sleeping in a crate. He knows he's safe there.

When he is awake, Sandy stays in a big cage called a playpen if our humans are too busy to play with him or to watch him. 

I remember you said that Sam had to get new clothes because she "grew out of" her old ones. I remember you said Sam's wheelchair could be adjusted so it could be made bigger as she grows. We have never watched someone grow before. The Writer and her husband don't grow. If they need new clothes, it's because their clothes wear out. It will be interesting to see how big Sandy is when he stops growing. I wonder if he will be the same size as Dusty then. Dusty has been the same size as long as I have lived here.

Sandy used to want to chew my fingers, but I told him "Ow!" and he stopped. His teeth are very sharp. The Writer says it's because they are tiny for a puppy mouth, which starts out small.

They will start falling out soon and his new teeth will be much bigger, like Dusty's.

They don't need to be as sharp, because they have bigger, stronger jaws. The Writer brushes the dogs' teeth every night. For Dusty, it's so he can keep his teeth to use all his life. For Sandy, it's to get him used to having his teeth brushed. It's training. She sings a song called "How Much is that Doggy in the Window" to make sure she brushes long enough on each side. They have special toothpaste they like. Dogs don't rinse their mouths. They would swallow toothpaste made for people, and it would be bad for them. (I wonder what it's like to have teeth.) 

I think Sandy isn't just getting bigger; he's also beginning to act like an older dog. He's starting to learn which things he can play with or chew on and which things are not for him. If he gets something that doesn't belong to the dogs, our human family members take it away and give him something that does. They say, "not yours," when they take it away, and then give him something he can have. I'm glad all of us dolls are "not yours." I don't think we want to be chewed on.

Sometimes he still forgets, though. He likes things our human people have used. He ran off with the script for this story. The Writer had printed it off and given it to Billy, so he could take the photos. Billy forgot and left it on the edge of the table. When the puppy brought it back into the house, it looked like this.

It was OK, though. Billy only had two more photos to take, and he remembered what they were.

It’s almost time for summer vacation. When do you get out of school? Do you have any special vacation plans this year? I'm not sure what we're doing yet, but I hope to spend some time in the garden. It's fun to plant seeds and watch them growing up into vegetables for our human family.

I hope you and Sam have a great summer. Please write when you can. I enjoy reading your letters.

Your friend, Emil

"That's an interesting letter," Pippa told Emil when he was done reading.

"I'm glad you think so," Emil replied. "Let me put it into the envelope, and then we can play cards."

After Emil put his letter into an envelope and addressed it, he left it with mail that needed to go to the mailbox, which was way up high on a shelf by the door, where Sandy couldn't reach...ever! Then the dolls played cards at the dining room table.

When they were through playing, they put the cards away in the card box.

Then they put the box of cards away in the drawer, so the puppy wouldn't find it and chew it up. They didn't want Sandy to chew something that could make him sick, and they wanted to use the cards again.

Pippa and Pauly heard a sound like "thwap!" The dogs were coming in from the backyard through the dog door. They quickly decided to look for a higher place to sit.

Cast--

Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia

Pippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta

Pauly: Götz Little Kidz Paul

Sandy: Himself

Dusty: Himself

Photo of Sam's new friend by Danny Nee on Unsplash

You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.

Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Author's page on Amazon. 

Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19832501/?claim=j3fj3mbb8kt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Copyright © 2023, 2024 by Peggy Stuart