I'm afraid I really messed up with Abby.

So she asked for an American Girl doll for Christmas. Yes, I was immediately rolling my eyes inside thinking "Fantastic. A $100 doll with hundreds of dollars of accessories that she won't play with in a year." But it is Christmas after all, and I knew she would love the experience of going to the new American Girl store to pick it out.

So my husband and I talked about it. It would be great if she made a list of the things she wanted from the store and we passed it around to the family to share the load of the cost. And the store "experience" is wonderful, so I would take her to the store to make her list. Then, I realized that I could not take a 6 year old into a doll store and walk out with nothing. (In hindsight, I could have but I didn't want to.)

So the story ends...Abby now has an American Girl doll a month before Christmas! She knows its all she's getting from us and if she's lucky Santa may bring some doll clothes/accessories.

But I can just hear it now on her birthday and next Christmas...mom, can't I get my present early?