My daughter has a new best friend. I actually bought this Raggedy Ann at a garage sale for 25 cents! As much as I hate to add to all the toys my children really don’t need, it was Raggedy Ann, for a quarter.

She looked so clean and unloved in between old coffee cups and baby bibs. So I bought her. My daughter was not that impressed and Raggedy Ann just became one of the toys. That is, until Mark started to undress her one day. Sarah rescued her and wanted to know why she had a heart on her. I quickly explained that Raggedy Ann was a special dolly.

Later, I realized Sarah hadn’t let go of “Ann” all day. Now, Ann is no longer unloved (and no longer clean) but very loved, and accompanies Sarah most places. We’ve also had a few frantic searches for “Ann” before bedtime. (My sister will be pleased to read this as she also LOVED an Ann doll).

Yes, Sarah was even Raggedy Ann for Halloween. Ryan liked to watch people’s reactions, “Oh, a raggedy ann. I haven’t seen a Raggedy Ann in years! How cute! You can have two treats, honey!” (And he thought working the “It’s my birthday” angle was the only way to get extra treats). A special thanks to my grandma for the Raggedy Ann costume.