Several years ago, for her 3rd Christmas, Koda got an 18-inch doll for Christmas. At first, it was "just a doll," but quickly became her best friend and confidant. Koda actually had conversations with Allie, before the rest of us. I would walk into her room and hear her talk to Allie. Today, Allie is a part of our family. My son even decided he wanted a doll (named him Peter, after Peter Parker) so he could play with his sister.
This was especially amazing because Koda didn't talk at all until after she was 3. Conversations with us didn't happen until much later. She has an expressive communication disorder. She still struggles, but I'm amazed at the progress she has made.
There are so many stories I could share about how wonderful Allie is for Koda. Like in the photo above, her stomach was hurting bad (she has really bad episodes), so she hung out on the couch and watched a movie with Allie. While her stomach was still hurting, she was in much better spirits.
Allie goes EVERYWHERE with us. I cannot even imagine if she got lost. Sometimes when we are on an adventure, she is okay with leaving Allie in the hotel room, but there are times it is a struggle, but I don't want her to lose her. I had this custom tag made on Etsy (not sponsored) in case there is ever a real issue. That way, there is less question if she wants to carry her along to a concert.
If you have followed my Instagram, you have seen many images of Allie- playing, traveling, doing school, and even for her first haircut. You have also seen her pitiful head. However, Koda loves her the way she is. The hair of the doll got so tangled and disgusting that we couldn't do anything with it. My mom was going to attempt to attach a wig, and cut the hair off. The wig didn't work (we didn't know then that you could buy a doll wig for these, so she was going to cut down a regular wig). Koda was upset at first, but then eventually loved it. Now, she refuses to put a wig on her.
I got the story out of her about this. My son was seeing a hematologist for his ITP (which was at the Children's' cancer clinic). She had Allie with her, of course. A little girl going through Chemo came in and she was bald. Koda was drawn to her because her Nina had just gone through Breast Cancer and her hair was just growing back in. The girl seemed uncomfortable, but looked at Allie and got a huge smile on her face. Seeing Koda's bald doll made her so happy. So, Koda wants Allie to stay bald in case she sees more bald kids- she will make them happy.
Just the other day, I walked in on Koda teaching Allie sight words. It was an awesome sight!
I have always known that dolls are wonderful learning toys for kids. I just did not realize how much of a difference they can make, especially with a special needs child.
A little about Koda: Koda was born at 37 weeks and was breech. That may not seem like a big deal, but I didn't know I was pregnant, so I had no prenatal care and could not breastfeed her because I wasn't prepared. She did great as an infant, with some questions about her hearing. At 3, she was tested for autism, and even though she has many of the traits, she is not (many autism therapies work for her though). She was diagnosed with an expressive language disorder, sensory processing disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. She also has some hearing loss. Because of her communication disorder, we are having problems with sight testing. She has asthma and an immune deficiency. She is currently being tested to see what is causing extreme stomach pain, chronic constipation, and extreme knee pain. Through all of this, Allie has been her rock.
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