Shag

Yesterday at while we were spending time with our friends the Gillespies and Duhms I met a new and rather interesting friend. I was standing at the kitchen counter getting something to drink next to Molly who was perched on a bar stool at the counter. Molly is the token girl of four Duhm children, two older brothers and one younger brother all a year apart. Yes a busy house of preschool/kinder children. Just to set the stage a little Molly can rough house with the boys but she is the princess of the bunch. She loves to dress up, wear barretts and tiarras, paint her nails and be . . . a girl.

Standing next to Molly at the counter I noticed a pretty pink sash around her shoulder and looked down to find a strategically tied harness, if you could call it that, where her baby doll was hanging. I was a little taken aback at first sight, partly by the harness and party by the war paint on the baby. Not sure whether to laugh or be horrified I asked Molly about her baby.

She looked down as I asked like she had forgotten the baby was there at all, "Oh yea, that's Shag my baby." Shag for those who are confused by the gender neutral name is a girl. She explained that Shag likes to go places with her. Shag's legs are kind of soar (they are hanging on by a thread) but her arms are okay. I inquired about the fancy war paint (black sharpy) all over Shag's face and foot thinking it likely was one of her three brothers that got a hold of the doll and disfigured it but no it was make-up and the big circle on her forhead was a bruise. I'd have a bruise on my head too if I was drug all over the yard and up and down stairs. Molly's mom Cathy told me that Shag one of her favorite dolls and she takes it everywhere. Funny the things we love to pieces (literally) when we are little.