It was sort of surreal, but on a Friday night back in July, I stood inside American Girl Place on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, sipping champagne with other grownups, sans our children. It was a baby shower of sorts to celebrate the relaunch of American Girl’s Bitty Baby line (I’ve blogged about it before), and the one thing I kept thinking the whole night was “I wish that Addie was here with me right now.” Bitty Baby arrived here at Rock Father HQ for Addie’s birthday in August, and ever since has been a regular companion. Just last week, we took Addie and her little sister to American Girl Place for the very first time.
Our visit was planned, but unannounced to Addie, who had no idea where we were going until we emerged from the parking garage into Water Tower Place, and turned the corner to see the store entrance. She, with her Bitty Baby in-hand (wearing her Christmas “Twinkle Party” Dress) entered the store… appropriately, in the Bitty Baby department. The reaction was magical…
And the constant look of surprise on her face was priceless, like the moment she realized that the “Twinkle Party” Dress also exists in Addie size…
Now, contrary to what some folks may think, I do not buy my little ones everything they might desire, and this is one of those occasions. Despite asking us for that dress the entire time we were in the store, Addie did not get it. Instead, she got her second book from the Bitty Baby Collection, BITTY BABY AT THE BALLET. She didn’t know it at the time, but Mommy and Daddy also stashed and purchased a Starry Front Bitty Baby Carrier, that she received as an early Christmas gift during a pre-Xmas gathering.
Having been on the mailing list for the American Girl catalog for quite some time, I always see how Addie reacts to seeing the dolls and accessories in-print… but witnessing her absorbing all of it first-hand was really something to see. It’s a special thing, and there’s just a wholesome vibe that I get. They even have a “Date with My Dad” event for girls ages 8+, and while we have a few years until we’re into that stage (Bitty Baby is for ages 3+), it’s great to see that American Girl has events like that for us to look forward to.
I never want to rush my girls’ childhood, and while Addie is just starting to explore this new world of American Girl, I know that Little Finley (18 months as of this writing) will be approaching it in the years to come. For me, that means many more magical moments of watching them play and learn…
P.S. – Based on the timing of this blog entry, I have to note that someone else recently had their first visit to American Girl… Conan O’Brien. His experience was a little different than ours (at the Los Angeles location), but the video is funny, and well-worth watching. Check it out…
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