The Dora Invasion

Last fall, when Emma came into Clara Anne's life, she brought the love of Dora with her. At that time Clara Anne had only a very faint idea about Dora, but then we received a Dora sweatshirt and pants outfit that Clara Anne was suddenly excited to wear. Combine that with Emma's various Dora items and Clara Anne was hooked, though until we came back to the States I think she had seen a Dora DVD exactly twice.

But since we've been back, I'm afraid to say that Dora has explored her way into every nook and cranny of our home. It started innocently enough; maybe some of you remember the saga of the Dora toddler bed we ordered, which Clara Anne has been sleeping on since the beginning of February. Then back in the States, we added a few small items--first it was the fun Dora toothbrush and Dora band-aids that I found at the dollar store, then it was the Dora panties that were such a treat to wear, then it was the Dora sneakers that I saw at the consignment shop.

It didn't help that soon after we arrived, Clara Anne discovered that Dora was on TV every morning at 10:30, so she persistently asked to watch it. If I let her, she would get so excited as the theme music would start and then lose interest as the show progressed. But every day, without fail, Clara Anne would ask for Dora, wondering when she could watch the show again!

We took another significant step in Dora-izing when we stopped briefly at the kids' consignment store again and saw a super-fun new toy: a Dora pop-up tent. The price was right ($10) and so we decided to go for it. The store owner told us it had only been in the store 3 hours! Amazing! Clara Anne was SO excited when she saw it and even at this moment, I am a little embarassed to admit that Clara Anne is wearing Dora pajamas, sleeping in the Dora bed, with the Dora tent over her head, after brushing her teeth with the Dora toothbrush. Oh my!

The kicker is that yesterday we actually bought a Dora DVD. I never thought it would happen.

The crazy part of all of this is that Clara Anne has not asked for any of this stuff, but John and I seem to love to buy it all for her! We seem to have no self-control! It reminds me that the Word is true..."If you who are evil love to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give you good gifts..."

So the Dora invasion continues. We're not too upset though; just going to have to keep a handle on that TV watching. Enjoy Dora while you can, Clara Anne!