Maggie's Memos: We're Back (Did You Miss Us?)

Selfie!!

Hey there...remember us?  At least a few of you must...we have ten comments awaiting moderation.  Yikes!  That's kind of awesome to come back to. :}

So, I know that in the blogging world, taking an unannounced leave of absence for four months is pretty much against the law or something.  We've never taken such a long hiatus without telling anyone first.  Part of that was not planned.

It started off as our normal, "Yikes, we're behind.  Someone needs to post something!"  But one thing led to another, and we were either too busy or couldn't get to the computer (our laptop is still having connection issues...Tess pretty much uses it for her stories and not much else).  

But then something happened that we've never had happen before.  We lost our consciousness.

You see, dolls can only retain conscious thought if we're an active part of a human's life.  Mama (really, Tess?  You're going to harp on that again?  *Sigh*  Tess wants me to remind all of you that Mama is pronounced Mama, like they say it in all of her Jane Austen movies.  Happy?  Can I move on with my story?) is our human, and usually she's pretty good about at least saying "hi" as she goes by, or asking about our day, or taking us on trips and things.  But she's been super busy...or at least, that's her excuse.  Anyway, after she took Hayden on that trip in the end of January, we hardly saw her.  Even if she came in the room, she didn't say much or even acknowledge we were there.

It was no big deal at first.  I mean, sometimes Mama can be a little too involved.  I think she forgets she's not really our mom.  She's supposed to be more like a guardian and provider of stuff we need, not a big boss.  (I think all that power goes to her head sometimes.)  So to be honest, we were okay with a little less involvement (especially me). ;)  

But it stayed that way for weeks.  Mama didn't talk to us or do anything with us.  She just kept running from one event or activity to the next.  Papa was working late, so she would stay up in the living room and wait up for him.  Then they would both come and crash in bed, exhausted, without a word to us.  And we kept on doing our own thing.  

After about a month, I started noticing an extra stiffness in my legs and arms, and even my neck.  It was harder to move.  I didn't think much of it at first, until Rachel mentioned having the same issue.  We started asking around, and soon discovered that all of the 18 inchers were feeling this way.  We were a little concerned, but we figured it was just some sort of dolly bug going around.

I think all of us knew that we could lose conscious thought when neglected for too long, but we didn't really connect our symptoms with that.  Mama's been really busy before, and we've never had any problems.

Then came the day, about two months ago, when I could barely move.  On top of that, I was super drowsy.  Just like before, all of us were feeling the same way.  I started having my suspicions then, but it was too much effort to get everyone together and discuss it.  

By the next day, I couldn't talk or move.  That's when I started to panic.  I assume everyone else was probably concerned too, but the only other doll I could see was Rachel, and we couldn't communicate.  

Mama came into the room once that day, but it was just to grab something she'd forgotten.  I tried to call her, but I couldn't.  I'm sure I don't need to tell you that I was completely freaking out. (Imagine being stuck somewhere, unable to move or talk.  You'd be freaking out too.)  By the end of the day, I was getting really drowsy again.

The next thing I remember, Mama was leaning over me, crying and begging me to wake up.

That was yesterday.

As you can imagine, Mama was pretty scared when she stopped long enough to notice that all of us were completely still and quiet.  She said it took three days for us to actually start stirring and responding to her.  (Which means she must have stayed busy for a long time, because it's been two months since the last day I remember.)  All day today she's been coming in every few minutes to make sure we're okay.  This could definitely backfire. :}

But the good news is, it shouldn't happen again, and if it does, it shouldn't be for a long time.  Now that we all know what a real possibility it is, Mama's going to be better about making time for us, and we're going to be more proactive about making her notice us when she's too busy.  (I have some great ideas for that.) ;)

So that's why we've been gone for so long.  We're all still a little stiff and groggy from the whole experience, but we should be back to normal soon.  I can't promise we'll be totally awesome at blogging, but we definitely shouldn't leave you hanging quite as long again. :}

The moral of the story?  Don't neglect your dolls unless you want them to be no more than empty shells.  It can happen to the best of us.

I guess that's about it for now.  We've got some catch-up posts to do (from before the deep sleep) and then we should be set. 

Oh, Tess reminded me that I'm supposed to say "hi" from everyone.  They've all missed you guys a lot.  I guess I might have missed you too. :}  I think this whole thing has touched my softer side...there's hardly any sarcasm in this post.  What's this world coming to? ;)

Laters,

Mags