Tess's Tidbits: My Birthday! :)

At last, I've found the time to sit and tell you all about my wonderful birthday last Friday. :)  As you all know, Mama and I share the same birthday, but I didn't really get to celebrate at her family party.  I wasn't really sure what to expect the day of my actual birthday.  Just in case something special was going to happen, I decided to wear one of my favorite dresses, and I put two sparkly pink flower clips in my hair.

First thing in the morning, my little sister Hailey told me "Happy Birthday" and gave me a hug.  She's so thoughtful.  Poor Hailey got rather overlooked this summer.  Her birthday is on the same day as Mama and Papa's anniversary, which is bad enough.  But with all of the extra traveling and everything that Mama's family did this summer, Mama (and everyone else) completely forgot about Hailey's birthday until late August.  I blush to admit it, but even I forgot Hailey's birthday.  This is not quite as atrocious as it would be for you humans, because as you know, our "birthdays" are really more of a formality since we aren't actually born and do not age.  Not only that, but this is the first year that Mama has really tried to honor each of our birthdays, so none of us really tend to remember each other's birthdays without Mama's help.  I still felt horrible, though.  Out of all of the birthdays I could forget, Hailey's should have been the last. :(

Hailey had a really good attitude about it, though.  As the youngest and most content, she tends to get left by the wayside sometimes.  She's not as loud or as needy as some of us, so sometimes she just blends into the background, part of a pleasant, comfortable surrounding.  I, for one, think it is high time for this to change!

Anyway, once Mama realized her mistake, she felt perfectly dreadful.  She'd even had Hailey's presents set aside and waiting for her...she'd just forgotten the birthday completely.  Mama instantly gave Hailey her presents:  a cute Hello Kitty picture book and a little miniature Hello Kitty figurine in a ladybug outfit.  Hailey loved them.

She especially loved looking through the colorful pages of her book, reading all of the fun quotes about friendship.  

Now, the book and figurine sit on her shelf, next to her stuffed Hello Kitty and her pin back button from LA.  

But goodness, that was a rather long rabbit trail.  Back to the story! :)  

Shortly after Hailey shared her birthday greetings, Mama came into the room with a large, sparkly box.  

"Happy Birthday, Tess," she said warmly, handing it to me.  Her grin matched Hailey's.  I wondered if they'd collaborated together about my gift.

Eagerly, I took the package over to my bed and began opening it, keeping an eye on my cat, Pemberley, the whole time.  (And yes, she's named after a certain estate in my favorite book!) ;)  She looked like she wanted to play with the sparkly tissue paper!  

Now, I have to admit, the size and shape of the box looked just about right for an American Girl doll.  But I didn't want to jump to conclusions and end up disappointed.  

As soon as I peeled back the wrapping and saw the American Girl box, though, I couldn't help letting out a little gasp of excitement!  I hardly noticed the happy look that Mama and Hailey exchanged.

Then the paper was all the way off, and I could hardly breathe in my happiness.  "Oh!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air.  "Thank you, Mama!"

Mama beamed.  "I knew you would like it.  It's from Hailey, too, by the way."

"Thank you, Hailey!" I directed towards my sister, smiling my thanks.

"You're welcome," she answered, bursting with pride.

Slowly, I opened the box and oh-so-carefully lifted the doll into my arms.  I'd been dreaming of Caroline Abbott ever since her release in September, and now she was mine! :D

She was so beautiful!  I loved her pastel pink dress, her pretty green eyes, and her long, soft, blonde curls.  It was more than I'd hoped for...I'd never dreamed that I'd actually get a Caroline for my birthday!

The book looked amazing, too.  I couldn't wait to sit down and read it!

"Thank you again, Mama and Hailey.  This is the best birthday ever!" I exclaimed happily.

"It's not over yet," Mama winked.  

But you'll just have to stay tuned, dear readers, to see what she meant. ;)