We’re still in search of a lovey for little Archie. He hasn’t yet attached himself to Andrew the Hippo. I’m thinking the all natural material might be a little too stark. Eco-friendly, safety consciousness backfires again! We’ve also tried out a sock monkey that a friend made him, and he does seem a little more into it than the hippo, as it’s got lots more color.

However, when I introduced Blabla dolls to my husband, there was no stopping him. One of these must be Archie’s lovey, he declared. I’ve been seeing these dolls pretty much everywhere lately. They’re in Mariah Carey’s nursery. They’re on the television. (The Mr. X Buglaoo is one of the crazy characters in the Kia commercials and I’ve also seen them in the background of a Toyota Venza commercial.)

There’s a good reason this company is so popular. It’s because they make adorable products. Not only that, they are good for women and the global economy. Whew, I can feel better about myself again. The collection is designed by U.S. entrepreneurs and knitted by artisans living in Peru. Fantastic!

The hardest part of this purchase was choosing from among the amazing animals. We finally narrowed it down to Sox the Fox and Bandit the Raccoon, and after a few days of back and forth, committed to Bandit. We decided to go with the mini, seeing as they’re still half of Archie’s size. Eventually he can grow into a bigger Blabla.

Bandit should arrive tomorrow and we can’t wait! Already, my husband has confessed to visions of Archie walking and talking, and clutching his Blabla doll.