The Story of Baby Sessie

Meet Baby Sessie.

She is very old. About 31 years old to be exact.

Baby Sessie has been with me everywhere for as long as I can remember. I would not go to sleep without her, travel without her or go to school without her (in the early preschool days). I never really had a "blanky" or a "lovey" I was attached to, but only Sessie.

Legend has it that as I got older (and more manipulative), I would hide Baby Sessie in the yard or somewhere in the house so my parents would have to hunt her down before bedtime. I would do anything to delay bedtime in those days.

She used to have multiple outfits but they have since been lost. She also used to have pretty fingers and toes until I decided to chew on them (obviously that was years ago). That baby doll has been through a lot of torture. She also has pencil lead stuck in her mouth from the time I tried to take her temperature with a yellow #2 pencil and the tip broke off. Poor Sessie.

But she has been well-loved. When I went to college, along came Sessie. Of course, I was past the days of sleeping with her, but she made the trek none the less. And when I got married, yup - Sessie came along. Because it kind of freaked Matt out, I kept her in a drawer but always knew she was safe and sound.

And of course for every hurricane evacuation while we lived in New Orleans, Sessie was carefully packed away with us. When we packed up for Katrina, I am fairly certain I took only 3 pairs of underwear, a few pairs of shorts and t-shirts, a couple of "going out" outfits (because what good was evacuating if you couldn't go out with your friends while you were gone? And that was also when I had "going out" outfits - now my outfits consist of anything that doesn't smell like spilled milk or have obvious stains), my pearls that my parents gave me for graduation, a few other special little items, and Baby Sessie. That was it.

And thank goodness we took her because Katrina likely would have washed her away, or at the very least, gotten her very, very moldy.

For the past few years, Sessie has been safely tucked away in my dresser drawer. When I found out that we would have a little girl, I pulled her out and lovingly placed her in the twin's room. I hoped that Quinn would enjoy her as much as I did when I was little.

One day not long ago my mom and I were at Toys R Us shopping for the twins' 1st Birthday present. And we came along the doll aisle. I don't know if you've been on the "doll aisle" recently, but there are a lot of freaky dolls out there. All I was looking for was a simple doll that Quinn could have with her in the hospital after her surgery. I didn't want it to talk, I didn't want her coated in glitter or make-up, I didn't want her to fake cry/pee/poo. Just a simple doll with simple features.

A doll like Sessie.

Duh.

I don't know why it never hit us both that Sessie is the perfect "surgery" doll for Quinn. She's been well-loved, has a pretty awesome history, and when her mama can't be at her bedside, a part of my heart will be. And so will her Gigi's heart and my dad's heart --- because he spent many a night, flashlight in hand, searching under bushes for the "MIA" Sess.

So now I have been introducing Sessie to Quinn. Until a couple of months ago, she mostly stayed safely in their rocking chair. See, Sessie is pretty delicate. Her head is kind of loose and I'm not 100% confident that it's not going to just pop and roll off. Especially with the way Quinn plays. But we're going to risk it & I've found a doll restoration place just in case :)  Quinn now sleeps with Sessie every night, just like I did. I'm not sure she's her favorite yet, as she's pretty cozy with a couple of lovies that she owns - but a couple of times I have caught her with her arms wrapped around her, so I think a bond is forming.

Now all we need is some new clothes for Baby Sess and she will be ready for surgery day. Ready to love on my little girl and hopefully provide a little comfort when Quinnie is scared or in pain. Now I just have to find said clothes --- all of these dolls they make now are GIANT. And Sess is pretty petite, just like Quinn. Off to scour the toy stores and see what we can find... Here are a few pics of Quinn with Baby Sessie. The tradition lives on.