By Stacey Tucker (Contact / Staff Bio)
August 15, 2009 - 11:50 a.m. EST

I’ve often wondered lately what kind of mom I’ll be. As I grow closer and closer to my due date in September, I try to think back to my past to draw inspiration.

What have I come up with?

Well, from birth until I was probably way too old to care for stuffed animals, I had a doll. My two-year-old creative genius named her, “Dolly.”

Do I know how to come up with names or what? This from a girl who named her dog “Spud.”

Anyway, I loved Dolly more than any other toy or stuffed animal. She was a cloth doll that once smelled like baby powder, but after years of love, she smelled a little like tears and fresh laundry.

I carried her by the neck and she had to undergo “surgery” three times for new heads.

I would sit patiently during her surgery, or hang out near the washer and dryer when she needed a bath.

Once, I left Dolly at the grocery store next to the bubble gum machines. I nearly had a heart attack once I realized, and kept my nose pressed against the car window glass as my mom and I rushed back.

In my mind I could see someone taking off with Dolly. I mean, who wouldn’t want her? The floppy, mismatched head was enough for anyone to want to steal her.

From all of this I can tell you that I won’t carry my baby around by the neck, or leave him in a grocery store.

What I’ve learned from that first doll is our baby will be loved more than anyone could ever imagine.

And, thanks to some guidance from my loving husband, everyone can rest assured he won’t be named “Spud.”

A grand adventure is about to begin.” - Winnie the Pooh