Real Live Baby Doll

Earlier this week Olivia and I went to the Hilton to visit Grandma Marian and her six house guests. A family from Zimbabwe is on sabbatical for a few months and they’re living with the Hunts for a couple of weeks. I had heard that the situation in Zimbabwe was bad, but meeting people who are actually living with shortages of food and water and electricity makes it way more real, and sad. They seem to take it in stride. I don’t think I’d be so graceful about it.

The four girls LOVED Olivia—specifically the three younger ones. The girls are about 4, 6, 8 and 10. They played with her the whole time, and Olivia was thrilled, as she loves kids. It was so funny to watch them play. As soon as I set Olivia down to play with them, it was as if she belonged to them and I could just go away until it was time for Olivia to go home. Haha. I first realized this after we had all been playing in the hallway upstairs and Marian announced that it was time for tea. As I was getting up to walk over to grab Olivia, one of the girls picked her up herself and started to carry her down the stairs while another girl insisted on holding Olivia’s hand. I didn’t exist. Then they took her off to the living room while the grownups set the table.

At one point they were fighting over who got to hold her. I was letting them work it out because Olivia did not seem to be bothered that they were pulling on her appendages, and I believe in not coddling your kid. But Marian realized that it could get out of control and reminded the girls that Olivia is a real person, not a baby doll that they could tug on. They stopped pulling on her. But they still could not agree on whose turn it was to hold/carry/sit with her.

JB came over after work and we all had dinner together. Then he played Mouse Trap with the girls and their Dad. Later JB commented how it can be fun to have so many kids, because you can play games together, etc. I agree.