I have no idea how to shop for girl toys

Let me preface this by saying I've always been a tomboy to a certain extent. I had some things I really played with when I was a kid.

1. The neighbors dogs. They had 3-5 at a time so much of my time was spent running around the acre of land (we lived on the property of the Steinway Mansion in Astoria) and climbing trees and playing fetch and such with the dogs. I once claimed I was going to be a veterinarian.

2. Cars. My dad would find cars and give them to me (yes I said find – I don’t think I ever had a new car.) Surprisingly, they were mostly Matchbox. They had cracked windows, missing doors, and were a bit worse for wear but I didn’t care what they looked like. I had a mess load of them and I stored them in a big square blue ballet bag (the irony of this doesn’t escape me.)

3. A doll house. Now this sounds girlish and it is. It was probably the most girlish of all my toys. But I had no dolls with it. I had furniture that I’d rearrange and refurbish and design.

4. My stereo. I spent hours recording myself singing, talking or playing my organ. Often these recordings came at the expense of my mom’s premixed tapes. When I wasn’t recording I listened to the radio. My play room was called “the plant room” by me and my sister because its where all the plants were. It had a wall or those square tiled mirrors an a table that I guess was a coffee table – a huge heavy rectangle of white marble that to me was a stage. I’d dress up, dance and sing.

I had one stuffed animal. A cat. His name was Catyo (pronounced Cat-ee-yo.) I also had one of those authentic Raggedy Ann rag dolls. Those were my only real dolls. Our house had lots of dolls though. My sister was the girlie girl. I was horrible. I used to rip my sister's dolls heads off and bury them in the backyard. So to say I have issues with buying Nilsa girlie stuff isn’t lying. I just don’t know what to buy her.

After spending the day with Kathy on Sunday, whose daughter has a plethora of girlie toys to choose from, I visited Toys R Us tonight to buy the 2 things that Nilsa spent a long time playing with a doll and a baby stroller. Buying them was not easy. I have to get over my hang up on Pink. Walking through aisles of sparkly pepto bismol pink leaves me feeling claustrophobic. Finding a doll that is soft and cute, not obnoxious, makes its requisite noise when presses and while we’re mentioning that, doesn’t require adult like force to make it happen, etc. is not an easy task. Doing it with both Nilsa and Ari in the cart probably didn’t help much either. Given the option she would have picked up every toy there (she does not discriminate.) She is at the age where she probably would have played with the dust in the corner. But I digress. It took me 20 minutes to pick a doll. This is the one we came home with

Chou Chou has to go Bye Bye and she has so much to say! With your help she'll talk, giggle and make kissing sounds! Make her blow kisses and she says, "Love You". She talks in her baby set, and make her wave her hand and hear her talk. Press her tummy and she giggles. Her carrier can be folded up to look like a purse and seat. Includes with her is the baby with outfit and hat, also you get her 4-in1 carrier, which turns into a baby seat, backpack, purse and then back into a carrier.

Picking the stroller was easier. Which had the least obnoxious pink/print? Which rolled the best? Which wouldn’t collapse in on itself?

I seriously considered the Graco Expedition Doll Jogger with Toy Bar

and then Ari’s whining about wanting to get a motorcycle slapped me back into reality and I picked up the Graco Umbrella Doll Stroller in Hot Pink & Black

I’m happy to announce that she LOVES her new toys. She slept with her doll last night and started pushing her in her stroller first thing this morning. But this is proof that I’m terrible at doing the girl toy things. Suggestions are always appreciated.