Emma's Editorials: Our 106th Post...Welcoming Hayden :)

Hi everyone!  Any of you who have been keeping up with our blog and Mama's blog know our happy news:  Hayden is here!! :)  I'm sorry that it's taken me a while to get this post together.  We've had so much fun spending time with our sister that I haven't taken the time to write about it. :)

Oh, but before I get started, Belle wanted me to let you know that she has finally got a new post up on her Belle's Bulletin's page.  Yay!  You can view it HERE.  Just remember that you'll have to scroll all the way down to read the newest entry. ;)

Okay, back to the topic at hand!

Hayden actually got here on Friday the 21st, but since Mama was at Ladies Retreat, she had to spend an extra night in her box.  That must have been hard!  Charlie and I would have gone out and tried to open her ourselves, but no one came and told us that she was here! (Mama was gone, and Papa doesn't really make a habit of talking to us when she's not around). ;)

On Saturday afternoon, Mama got home and opened Hayden within the hour. :)  One kind of ironic thing we found out about later was that Piper was actually the first one to meet Hayden!  Mimi had given Mama a ride to and from Ladies Retreat, and Piper had gone too.  Tess was already back in her room by the time Mama opened Hayden's box, but Piper was sitting right there on the couch, so she got to be the first one to greet our newest member. :)

According to Hayden, they had a very pleasant conversation. 

We're so glad that Piper was able to genuinely enjoy meeting Hayden...and how funny that she was the first one to greet her, when she doesn't even live here anymore! :)

Mama wanted Hayden to look her very best for our first meeting, so she got her all dressed up and then brought her to our room. 

Mama made the official introductions and then left, saying she wanted us to have a chance to get to know each other without feeling like she was hanging over us.

It was a little bit weird at first.  Hayden seemed really nice, but really shy.  No one knew exactly how to get the conversation started.

In my typical fashion, I filled the silence with waayy to many words, just so that someone was saying something!  I honestly don't even remember what I said...I just remember wishing I could stop.  It always happens like that when I'm nervous. :}

Charlie finally brought some sanity to the conversation with, "So Hayden, how was your trip?"

"Um...it was nice...I guess.  Kinda dark and bumpy.  I was really glad to get out of that box!"

Charlie and I laughed.  "We know exactly how you feel," I confided, remembering my own trip here.

Hayden smiled nervously.  The conversation died again. 

Hayden looked away.  It seemed to make her uncomfortable to make eye contact with us.

Charlie and I glanced at each other.  This is awkward, we said with our looks.

An idea hit me suddenly, and I sprang into action.  "So, this is your part of our room," I said cheerfully, gesturing with my hand.  "Mama's been working really hard to get it just perfect for you."

A smile spread across Hayden's face.  She leaned over and gently touched the delicate pink bedspread.  "It's perfect," she said softly.

Mama really had done a great job converting our room for 2 into a room for 3, and all of us had tried our very best to get things just right.  Hayden had a comfy bed with really pretty bedding (Mama had found out ahead of time that Hayden liked pink).  Then there was a little nightstand for all of her special treasures.  Mama had gotten out some of her old miniature Breyer horses that were just the right size for Hayden.  She found some Strawberry Shortcake toys and a Strawberry Shortcake book, a stuffed horse, and a really cute Disney Princess purse.  Once Mama had gotten everything together, she'd let Charlie and I arrange it.  We'd had so much fun getting Hayden's area ready.  It really did look inviting.   

Hayden sat down on her bed.  "Did Mama really do all of this for me?" she asked in amazement.

I nodded.  "She got all of your things, and then Charlie and I set them up for you."

Hayden seemed overwhelmed.  "That was so nice of all of you!"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Charlie interjected.  "I wanted to tell you a special story about this Felicity doll." 

She gently touched the doll on Hayden's bed.  "My best friend Hailey (you'll meet her a little bit later) heard that you were coming, and she heard that you really liked horses.  She had this Felicity doll that belonged to her sister Ella, and she really wanted you to have it.  We figured every girl should have her own doll...and we thought Felicity would be a good choice since she likes horses, too."

Hayden looked amazed.  "She...gave me her doll?"

Charlie nodded.  "She wanted you to know how excited we all are to have you here."

Our sister picked up Felicity and hugged her.  "I've always wanted an American Girl doll of my own, and Felicity was always my favorite."  Then she paused.  "Wait a minute," she said in confusion.  "Did you say this was Hailey's sister's doll?  Is her sister okay with her giving it away?"

I nodded.  "Hailey emailed her and checked with her first."  I glanced at Charlie, and when she nodded, I continued.  "This is more of a sacrifice than you know, Hayden.  Hailey's sister Ella doesn't live here anymore, and this doll was something that Ella left for Hailey when she moved.  It was a big decision for Hailey to let her go."

Hayden's eyes filled with tears.  "I can't believe you've all done so much for me when you don't even know me!"

"But we feel like we already know you!" Charlie insisted.  "We've been waiting for you for a really long time!"

"And we're so excited to get to know you even more!" I added warmly.

  

Hayden looked away and tried to compose herself...which gave Charlie and I the perfect chance to grab our gift for her.

"There's one more thing," I told her, a little nervously.  "We wanted to get you a welcome gift, too."

Hayden turned back to face us.

"It's nothing as exciting as what Hailey gave you!" I warned her quickly, and then slowly held it out.   

"It's a flower clip for your hair," Charlie explained, as if she was worried that Hayden wouldn't be able to figure it out.

I shouldn't have bothered warning her about the quality of our gift.  She got so excited when she saw it! 

"Oh, thank you!" she said happily.  "It's just perfect!  I think it'll even match with what I'm wearing now!" 

She took it from me and fastened it to her hair, and then turned so we could see it.  "What do you think?" she asked.

I grinned, amused by this sudden burst of exuberance.  "It looks perfect."

Charlie agreed.  "You look like a princess from a story book."

Hayden seemed to like this idea very much, which made sense, considering that she's into Disney Princesses. 

I glanced across the room at Papa's digital alarm clock.  "Oh, it's getting late.  We'd better make the rounds and introduce Hayden to everyone!"

"Good idea," Charlie said.  "We do want to talk more later, though.  We want to know all about you," she informed Hayden, linking arms with her.

"That sounds like fun," Hayden agreed, "as long as you tell me all about yourselves, too."

"It's a deal," I said jokingly.  "Now, come on.  We've got to crawl over your bed here to get to the first spot."

Right next door to us, Rachel and Maggie were hanging out in their room.  Poor girls...they're the only ones without beds.  I think Mama is trying to figure something out for them soon.  Anyway, Rachel was busy reading, and Maggie was trying to set up her Toothless the dragon from "How to Train Your Dragon".  As we came into the room, she finally gave up and put him back down on the floor.

"Hi Maggie, hi Rachel," I said as we came over.  "We came to introduce you to Hayden."

Maggie nodded and waved.  "Yo," she said casually.  That's about as warm and friendly as Maggie gets on first acquaintance.

Rachel was different, as I knew she would be.  She put down her book and got up.  "Hi Hayden!  I'm so glad you're finally here," she said warmly.  "I'm Rachel."

I wanted to hug her.  Rachel knew what it was like to be the newbie.  She was very soft-spoken, but she sure knew how to be a good friend. 

Hayden had gotten really quiet again when we first entered the room, but she instantly relaxed when she heard Rachel's kind and inviting tone. 

We all chatted for a while before moving on to our next stop:  Tess and Hailey's room.

Tess and Hailey were sitting and visiting together when we got there.  Tess was telling Hailey all about her adventures at Ladies Retreat. 

"Hi girls!" I called.  "Sorry to interrupt, but we wanted you to meet Hayden."

Tess and Hailey turned, and instantly their faces were full of excitement.  They hurried over to us.

"Hi Hayden," Hailey said sweetly.  "It's great to finally meet you."

Hayden smiled.  "It's nice to meet you too.  Thank you so much for the Felicity doll!"

Hailey looked relieved.  "Oh, good!  I hoped you would like it."

"I love it!" Hayden assured her.  "But I feel bad...won't you miss her too much?  Emma and Charlie told me she belonged to your sister."

Hailey smiled bravely.  "I really want you to have Felicity.  I can remember my sister with or without a doll.  And if I start missing Felicity, I can always come over and visit."  She glanced back behind her, at her dresser.  "Besides, Tess has been sharing her Rebecca doll with me since I gave up Felicity, so I'm not doll-less." 

Hayden glanced over at Hailey's Rebecca doll.  "Oh, she's lovely!  I'm glad you still have a doll, too."

Tess was waiting patiently throughout this conversation.  Hailey backed up a bit and made room for Tess.  "This is my older sister, Tess," she told Hayden proudly.

"It's nice to meet you," Hayden said politely.

Tess reached out to take Hayden's hand.  "We're so glad you're finally here.  Emma and Charlie have been waiting for you for a long time...Mama, too!"

"So I've heard," Hayden replied, still amazed by this.  She seemed to run out of things to say and glanced over to her left.  "Wow, what a pretty curio cabinet!"

It was the perfect subject.  Beaming with pleasure, Tess told Hayden all about the curio and where Mama had found it.  Their conversation soon turned to Tess's figurine collection, and then they talked about Hailey's Hello Kitty collection.  Hayden loved everything.

Charlie and I exchanged a happy glance.  It was so fun to see our sister fitting in with everyone so seamlessly.  This was what we had hoped for.

Tess and Hailey probably talked for another half an hour with Hayden.  They were always so kind and supportive of everyone.  Charlie and I were proud to call them our friends.

We loved seeing our sister's happy face as they visited with her.  We had a feeling that Hayden would soon feel right at home with all of us.

Hayden was pretty tired that night after her long journey, so we didn't get a chance to have the "tell-all" conversation we were hoping for.  We did manage to learn that Hayden is also a follower of Christ.  She confirmed that she loved horses (she had a lot of fun looking at all of her new Breyer models before she went to bed).  She loves Strawberry Shortcake, especially vintage SSC from the 80s and then the latest SSC dolls, too.  Her very favorite characters are Orange Blossom and Raspberry Torte.

We also found out that her favorite Disney Princesses are Belle (yay!) and Jasmine, and that her favorite movies are "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast", "The Man from Snowy River", and "The Princess Bride". 

And pretty much after that...she fell asleep. :)  We're getting to know her better and better as the days go by, though.  She's really relaxed around us.  It hasn't even been a week since she arrived, but it already feels like she's always been here. :)

I thought I'd close this post with some of the pictures Mama got of us.  You know Mama and her photo shoots! ;) 

This is my favorite picture that Mama has taken of Hayden so far.  Isn't she beautiful? :D

Mama had a ton of fun taking pics of the three of us together, especially when she put us in our matching outfits. ;)

Okay, this picture is nice, but I'm a little embarrassed.  I'm not sure why I was looking in the completely wrong direction! :{

I love this one because it reminds me of the JC Penney's pics Mama has of her daughters. :)

I think that's about all for now.  Thanks for your patience with this post!  I know you've all been waiting for it.  I'll try to be a little more punctual next time. ;)

Stay tuned for Maggie's special 107th post! :D