An Adoption Story

Twenty-five years ago, I was the ripe old age of 6.  I lived in San Antonio, Texas as my dad was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston.

Twenty-five years ago, gas was a whole lot cheaper, and I was a whole lot cuter.

Twenty-five years ago, I hurt my mother’s feelings when I asked why Grandma always got us better Christmas presents than Santa. (Hey! I didn’t know and to this day, everything my mother buys my kids comes from Santa because she doesn’t ever want me to feel the way that she did that morning.)

Twenty-five years ago, my grandma, who did bring better stuff than Santa, but I didn’t realize that Santa was mom and dad, tracked down the hottest gift of the season.  The tickle me elmo of it’s day.

A Cabbage Patch Kid.

All I wanted was a cabbage patch doll.  I wanted one, at age 6, so that I could be the cool girl.  The girl with the doll that everyone else at school coveted.

And when my grandma learned of this, I don’t even want to know what she did to get that doll for me.

But she did.

Her name was Justine Abbey and I fell in love with her the minute I ripped open the beautifully wrapped package.  Her brown yarn hair, and brown eyes were much like mine.  Her shoes never stayed on and it wasn’t long before I lost them.  But then she was even more like me… always barefoot.  Her hair was in pigtails and I wanted so badly to take it down, but my mother wouldn’t let me.

Can you believe that Cabbage Patch Kids have been around for 25 years?  This year, they are celebrating that silver anniversary with commemorative dolls and a new website.

And I?

Have one.

When she arrived, I ripped her out of the box.  The moment that I saw her, she looked just like Justine Abbey (except this doll has blonde hair in a side pony tail and blue eyes but her face.  I knew it the moment I laid eyes on her.)

I stared at her through the wall of flimsy plastic and remembered the day 25 years ago when Justine Abbey became mine.

The excitement was more than I could handle and I carefully opened the box that she came in.  Immediately after I opened the top, the smell of baby power consumed me.  It was that smell.  That new baby smell.  The smell that I love and that I remembered.

Once we got her out of the box, I did what everyone does when they first hold a cabbage patch kid.

Yes, I lifted up her bottoms to see if Xavier Roberts was stamped on her cheek.

And it was, along with a 25th, so that I would know, she’s a comemoritave baby.

Samara was beside herself with this new doll at her finger tips.  And we decided that she would adopt this baby, this baby that is so “us” it’s unreal.

For example, this baby?  Her name?

Catalina Pamela.

Catalina was my spanish name in Spanish class in highschool (there is no spanish equivalent of Heather and since H’s are silent in spanish, I got to be whomever I wanted to be!)

And her birthday?

August 4th.

Which just happens to be my baby brother’s birthday.

I don’t know from experience what it’s like to adopt a child but I read on a lot of blogs of those who have adopted that when they meet a child for the first time, they know that this child was meant to be with them.

When I laid eyes on Catalina, I knew.  She belonged here.

It was then that I shared the adoption papers with Samara.  I explained to her the importance of taking the oath and that being the adoptive mother of any cabbage patch child was not only a huge responsibility but an honor as well.

After looking at me like I was nuts, she asked me what she needed to do.

And that’s when before God and her brother and I, she stated the following:

I promise to love my Cabbage Patch Kid with all my heart.  I promise to be a good and kind parent.  I will always remember how special my Cabbage Patch Kid is to me.

And then?

She signed her official adoption papers and I signed them as well as her witness and on August 14th, Catalina Pamela became a part of our home.

You can see more Cabbage Patch memories here and as soon as I track down a picture of Justine Abbey and I, you can bet that I’ll be posting mine!

So now I want to know… how about you?  Did you have a Cabbage Patch Doll?  What’s your greatest memory?

Until next time…