Madeline

As soon as Sarah learned to walk she seemed to be magnetically drawn to Emma’s room. In the evening after dinner, I would carry Sarah upstairs to begin the bath and bedtime routine. I would put her down in the upstairs hallway and turn my back to put the gate at the top of the stairs. When I would turn back around, she would be gone. I always knew where to find her, though. She would be in Emma’s room hunched over Emma’s basket of stuffed toys, deciding which one she would steal away with that evening.  And the toy she almost always chose was Emma’s Madeline doll.

This scene repeated itself night after night. Each time I would come into Emma’s room and find Sarah with the doll in her hand about to make off with her. Each time, I would tell Sarah that Madeline belonged to Emma and she needed to put her back in the basket. One night, Emma intervened in the scene. As I was telling Sarah once again that she needed to put Madeline back, Emma interrupted. “That’s okay, Mommy. I think Sarah likes Madeline more than I do. She can have her. Go ahead, Sarah. You can take her.”

I think Sarah would count that as one of the best gifts she has ever received. When Emma gave Sarah Madeline, she was a beautiful rag doll, with a sparkling clean embroidered face, red yarn hair, a red-checked dress, little white socks and the signature blue overcoat and yellow-brimmed hat. Now, most of Madeline’s hair is gone, the stitching on her face has worn off, the fabric on her legs is paper thin or gone, and her color, well, you don’t want to know. She has been a very loved little dolly from a very loved and loving big sister.