An unexpected arrival and a birthday or two

30 November is Sasha Morgenthaler's birthday so what better way to celebrate than to tell the story of an unexpected November arrival, using the red haired members of our Sasha family, especially as the author of another famous (fictional) red head was also born on 30 November - Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables).

Edmund, Amy and Laura gathered to wish Happy Birthday to Sasha

They were distracted by someone approaching

"Hello" said Laura, "what is your name?"

"I am Timothy" said the boy shyly as Edmund shook his hand and Amy reached up to him

"Welcome home Timothy" cried Laura as Amy and Edmund cuddled the new boy 

Amy would not let go of her new blue eyed red haired brother

"Happy Birthday Sasha" called Timothy, Amy, Edmund and Laura

Timothy was an unexpected and very lucky arrival.  He has actually been with us since early November but took his time telling us his name (he seemed to smile once we worked it out).  I was walking through a vintage and craft market in our local shopping centre one Saturday morning and chanced to walk towards a stall filled with an assortment of items.  I was attracted to it because dotted around the stall were several dolls but the one who caught my attention and held it firmly was a red haired Gregor in his full original outfit.  He was standing between two other dolls on a wooden upholstered small chair.  I lifted him up, looked at his label which said he was a Sasha doll and gave the price, inspected him and immediately asked if they could hold him for me while I went to the cash machine as they did not take card payments. Barely 5 minutes later I was back with the cash.  It was only then that I discovered the stall was Oxfam, carrying items from 3 local Oxfam shops and their warehouse.  He was sensibly priced and I could not have left him there as we've been looking out for a red haired boy for several months, ever since baby Amy arrived last Christmas.

It was lovely going to pick my younger daughter up from her music group a few minutes later with him sitting on the front seat of the car - seeing her reaction to this totally unexpected arrival was a treat.  My elder daughter, when meeting him on a quick visit home last weekend, was also very pleased that he had joined our doll family, especially because of his hair colour.

His arrival photo shows him just after I had washed his hair, which was dusty and slightly tousled but turned out to be as perfect as the day he left the factory.  He has his complete original blue cord outfit, the elastic in his white shoes is stretched with age but everything else about his outfit is perfect, just slightly dusty (I haven't washed it).  I gave him the long sleeved striped t-shirt I had bought from Ginny of A Passion for Sasha at the Chat 'n Snap a couple of weeks earlier and yesterday bought him the miniature teddy bear at a lunchtime craft market to match his hair and because he seems a shy boy in need of a comforting toy friend.

Timothy, red haired blue Cord boy when he arrived at his new home

All Sasha collectors dream about finding a doll in a charity/thrift shop and I am very lucky that I found a near minty Gregor in this way.