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It's Doll Adoption Month at the Gingerbread House

Save $20 with the printable coupon!

By Andrea Morris of the Gingerbread House February 12, 2014
In life, experiences matter. Thinking back on childhood, I have memories of warm spring days where there were still icy patches of snow on the ground. I remember sitting in my Grandparent’s kitchen drinking hot chocolate in the middle of the night after a startling dream. I recall epic games of princesses and knights and pirates and talking animals. The objects I recall from my childhood are all remembered in terms of a moment. It wasn’t just a dollhouse, it was the dollhouse I wished for and dreamed about and I can still picture everything clearly from the morning I unwrapped it.

Experiences matter, especially to a child. The entire future is built on those special moments. Countless lifehackers and happiness gurus and cognitive psychologists reiterate a very basic point—that experiences are what make us happy in life, not stuff. The moments of teaching a child to bake a real cake or enjoying a delicious cup of pretend tea will linger in a child’s memory long after the cake is forgotten and the teacup handed down. What matters are the memories you make when you play and pretend along, when you believe in what they believe in, and when you help make the ordinary moments something magical.

The Gingerbread House offers a number of different ways to facilitate those memory making kinds of experiences, but the most unique and exclusive to us is our Doll Adoption service. In our south building, we have a cheery, bright yellow nursery that holds an array of Lee Middleton baby dolls just waiting for a home. When you make an appointment to adopt, you’ll meet with one of our very helpful “nurses” who will assist you and your little one with holding a few of the babies to make sure you find the perfect match. Once the right baby is found, we’ll do a well-baby check-up, provide a few parenting pointers to the new caregiver, and snap a picture to capture the moment. It’s a great way to celebrate a birthday or achievement or life event, like welcoming a new baby to the family.

The Lee Middleton dolls that we offer for adoption are very realistic, high quality dolls that will last for years, maybe even generations, to come. They have a pleasant weight to them, making them feel substantial to the prospective pretend parents. We offer a selection of Itty Bitty Babies and newborns, some who will even take a pacifier! What you’ll be bringing home is not just a doll though. It’s a path to imagination and a way to explore the uncharted waters of adulthood. Dolls can offer ways to build social skills and to teach gentleness and compassion. They’re great friends and companions, and they LOVE a great cup of pretend tea.

One of our adoption dolls will be a lasting reminder of that special moment and that unique experience of bringing home that baby doll. In years to come, it will bring back memories of playing and pretending and imagining. But more than any of those things, it will be a lasting reminder of the love of the owner’s own childhood and the people who made it special. There is nothing better to give a child that the experiences that will stick around forever. 

The Gingerbread House is located at 603 South Hannah St. in Bloomington. Call (309) 827-8811 to arrange your special doll adoption visit. Print the coupon below for $20 off the cost of you doll adoption.