Murphy and Ellie

Over Thanksgiving Sarah received a doll from a Great-aunt and uncle. To say she bonded with it is an understatement. She claimed it as her own before we made it to the next stop on Thanksgiving Day.

We have named the new doll Ellie because she has another baby she plays with and we need to know which one we are talking about. It also helps us remember who it came from - her great-aunt's middle name is Ellen.

It is nice to see her attachment, because when we first got home she wasn't really attaching to anything. Our friends and neighbors the Murphy's gave her the blue dog she is holding the first week we were home. (Hence the name Murphy - see a pattern here?)

I can't remember exactly when she started hanging on to Murphy, but he is her constant buddy. He is required for nap and bedtime, as is his new friend Ellie.

Her buddies receive lots of kisses and attention. Today I caught her carrying Murphy by the ear with her teeth. The nice thing is that he goes through the washing machine well.

Ellie we have to handle the old fashioned way. Scrub. She has already had red crayon removed from the back of her head.

Last week during dinner the girls and I were discussing a piano CD Mrs. Murphy made. (You can check it out here. We love it. www.kerrymurphyonline.com) After a couple minutes I noticed Sarah kept looking around the table at the floor. Then it dawned on me she was wondering where Murphy her dog was because we kept talking about him!

I have taken the advice of a good friend and procured a duplicate Murphy for emergency back-up. I think the chances of Ellie's ears falling off are a little smaller.