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Posted January 20, 2009 by Charlene Frias

Yesterday, I spent a day in the life with a Princess Mommy. I didn't know how the day was going to unfold -- things just sort of materialized, and we ran with it. From tea parties complete with princess appearances to stroller rides, Dalia and her dolls managed to carry me through a day of unexpected fun.

Most mornings, I try to gently lift myself out of bed, so I can have a few minutes of quiet before Dalia wakes up. On those mornings, however, because our bedrooms are so close together (or because she has made her way into our bed) she hears me like a 1000-pound gorilla trying to tiptoe across our wooden floors. And without fail, she jumps to her feet, no matter what time it is. Yesterday was one of those mornings. She bumped at my heels in the dark as we made our way down the hall, holding her baby doll Madeline tight in her arms.

While Madeline was the first baby in her collection, she would soon become the leader of a small army of five more baby dolls that would make their way into Dalia's heart. All of them are affectionately named Emma, after her own middle name. Yes, there is Emma, Emma, Emma, Emma, and Emma. You can see their differences, right?

She began the day like many, enjoying a warm bowl of oatmeal while watching Max & Ruby. This was followed by a quick wardrobe change into her Belle nightgown. Fancy, I thought, for a Thursday morning.

As she uttered a soft, "Mommy's here," with her little voice, I glanced over to see six babies propped up for diaper changes. She worked her way down the line, changing each baby's diaper and providing a fresh change of clothes. She then gave them feedings, and new bandages for their boo-boos. 

"C'mon Sister, it's time for Madeline's walk. Daddy, we'll see you later." I was dubbed "Sister" to the dolls, and ever so happy she opted not to call me Grandma just yet. The other girls would have to stay behind for naps.  After all, she had strewn the five Emmas across the living room floor like a preschool for naptime, complete with blankets, pillows, and "stuffies" for comfort. 

"Let's pack the stroller, Sister," she suggested. "We'll need a change of clothes in case Madeline spits up and a diaper in case she goes potty." With a 4-year-old agenda more focused than mine that day, a walk sounded delightful.

We left the house planning to stroll around the block. But Dalia had a bigger outing in mind: We were going to push the baby stroller the entire one-mile walk to the beach. It wasn't that far, and it was downhill, but I knew on the way home I would end up with a 35-pound princess over my shoulder and a baby stroller under arm, uphill. But since she had made so much preparation, I just couldn't miss the opportunity to embark on her adventure.

We walked, stopped, and - yes -- even changed clothes. Madeline spit up. Once at the beach, Madeline rested. (She was tired.) She also needed a diaper change.

"Gosh, she is a handful, Mommy," said Dalia.

I sweated my way back up the hill, princess over shoulder and stroller under arm. 

"Hurry, hurry, Sister," she chanted. 

"What's the rush?" I asked.

"You know Sister, we must get back for our tea party. The princesses are coming."

Oh, the tea party, but of course. With that, I moved a little faster, and she felt a little lighter, knowing a princess tea party was in my future. 

Back at the castle, Sleeping Beauty gathered her babies, primped them for tea, and invited all her princess dolls to join. Boy, did she deserve a tea party. While this completed a wonderful day of leisure for "Sister," it was certainly a dutifully filled day for my loving little Princess Mommy.