My Cabbage Patch Baby

Meet Katie and Brenda: 

Long before I became Mommy to Caleb, Hadley, and Reid, I mothered these smiley Cabbage Patch Kids. Above all the toys I had as a child, these babies always rated at the top of my list. Not just any doll drew my highest level of affection either; none were more special to me than those dimple-faced Cabbage Patches. 

Since I was constantly on the lookout in the doll aisle at Walmart or at yardsales to find another one to treasure, I had quite a large collection of babies with Xavier Roberts' signature scribbled across their bottoms. They weren't keepsake items to sit on a shelf and stare at either. These babies went with me all over the place! After all, they were my kids and I was their Mommy. 

Even within the pile of Cabbage Patches I owned though, there were ones I favored over others. "Susie," named after my mom's older sister, was my original favorite. She was bald with green eyes and a bean bag bottom. Anywhere I was going, that doll was coming too! Then, I got "Brenda," named after Mom's younger sister (Imagine that! What creativity!), who also had a bean bag bottom and quickly became another best-loved toy. Thankfully, I had attached to this new doll  and considered her a good back-up option, because one day Susie disappeared and was never found again. (Ok, I'll admit it. Secretly, I am still hoping she shows up somewhere!) From then on, Brenda was the new favorite and was usually not far out of my reach. 

Katie, the red-head in the picture above, was also a special doll because she was my original Cabbage Patch. On my first Christmas, Mom and my Aunt Debbie (my dad's sister) went on the hunt to find these dolls for my cousin Allison and me. The paid top dollar for these babies that were so coveted in 1984, but twenty nine years later I still have mine! 

Last year, when looking for some special toy to buy for Hadley on her first Christmas, I considered purchasing her a Cabbage Patch of her own, but my Grandma decided she wanted to take that idea after I mentioned it so I let her do it instead. As I looked online, I saw a few vintage looking ones that I thought might be another option as a unique first Christmas gift and even found one that looked very similar to Katie. After considering the idea a while though, I decided rather than buying an overpriced vintage edition doll that looked like Katie, I could actually give Hadley the exact same doll I received on my first Christmas thanks to my mom who saves everything! It just doesn't get much more special than that!

With my attachment to and love of Cabbage Patches, you can imagine my excitement in the early part of June when one of my church friends posted a link on Facebook with a picture of a toddler with a Cabbage Patch wig. I thought it was adorable and was immediately in love with it! As I read the article that described how these wigs had gone viral, I found out that they were actually crocheted hats that a woman had created and was now selling patterns for on Etsy. As a child of the 80s, how could I resist wanting one for my baby girl too!

Since I have no idea how to crochet, I began asking around to find out which family members did, searching for someone who might be able to make this hat for Hadley if I ordered the pattern. My mom knows how to crochet some, but I knew she probably wouldn't have the time to make one for us. As a result, I turned to Dave's family who is great for making handmade items. From cross-stitching to knitting to sewing, they've got skills! 

Thankfully, to my excitement, I found out that his Grandma Swan knew how to crochet and even more exciting that she was willing to make the wig for us. When we went to visit Dave's family in Illinois in the early part of August, we gave her the pattern and took some rough measurements of Hadley's head. 

Not long after we'd all gotten back from the trip, Grandma Swan had whipped up the hat and had it in the mail ready for Hadley to try on. Since she doesn't live nearby, the only way to try to get a good fit was to try to use the measurements we gave her and then do a test run with the finished product to see what adjustments needed to me made. Here is the first trial wig she mailed: 

How cute, right? As you can see, it was a little too short in the front and the back (plus it was somewhat loose) as a result of the measurements I took, but it still looked pretty good. Grandma Swan thought she might be able to make it a bit more precise though and decided to try again. Rather than sending it back to make the changes, Grandma decided to start again from scratch using the the pics as a guide and got right back to work making a new one with the necessary adjustments. Once again, she had it mailed out in a jiffy, and Hadley modeled the new product for us.

Perfect!

I could just eat her up!

Great job, Grandma Swan!

Does it get any cuter?

I don't know how she got it to fit so perfectly, but I guess Grandma Swan is just amazing! I am thrilled at how wonderful it turned out and am so excited to use it for Hadley's Halloween costume this year paired with one of my old dresses to give her that perfect 1980s look. 

Thanks so much, Grandma Swan!