More Changes

I'm finally back with more news.  I'm sorry, I know you've all been wondering what's been going on since my last post.  Honestly, I've been so busy living my life that I haven't had the time to blog about it. :)

First of all, Robby is still doing well in his recovery.  While he still has the limp (and most likely will for the rest of his life), Beast'sbelle found that a small drop of baby oil applied on a weekly basis soothes the pain in his hip. [Side note:  Beast'sbelle wanted me to be sure to warn my readers that this is not recommended for all situations, so please don't try this at home!] He's not completely pain-free, but the pain he has is now something he can handle a little better.  Beast'sbelle applies it herself every week.  Of course, it would be quite inappropriate for me to do so, considering he has to get undressed to have it applied. :"/  Even Ben, as professional as he is, was thankful that Beast'sbelle was willing to take care of it.  I mean, a doll needs his privacy, after all.  I'm just glad that it's helping him.

I love Robby so much!  I can't get over it!!  I can't seem to stop humming and singing at every moment.  I know it must be a horrible thing to listen to, but everyone has been really polite about it.  Robby even told me he liked hearing me sing.  Yeah, right.  Whatever.  He just has to say that because he likes me. ;)  I must confess it did make me feel like singing even more when he told me, though. :D

I've never been in this "twitterpated" stage before in my life.  (If you have no clue what I'm talking about, watch "Bambi" and you'll understand!) ;)  I feel like I'm floating on a cloud, and if Robby even so much as looks at me, I feel like my little plastic heart will just burst with love!  I feel like singing and dancing all the time.  I won't be trying the dancing, though.  My singing is bad enough. 

Anyway, on to the point of my post!  You're probably wondering what I mean by "More Changes".  Well, the first change is that we're all back up on the curio together again.  In the past 2 months, Eugene and Rapunzel's girls have really settled down and adjusted (for the most part, aside from the odd night or two), so it's not as disruptive for all of us to be up there.  Pascal is still a great help with Emmaline, keeping her happy and entertained almost all day long.  They're best buds. :)  

It's been great to get to sit next to Rapunzel all the time again.  I've really missed our talks. :)

Beast'sbelle was very considerate and changed things around so that Robby wouldn't have to constantly stand on his bad leg.  She used to have him standing in the back with Eugene and Ben.  He now sits beside the lamp, and right in front of me! :) 

I have to admit, we do spend a lot of time staring at each other. ;)

Of course, it's not all ease and excitement.  Having us all in the same spot again means having Ben in our midst, too.  I've tried to be friendly to him, but it's almost like he's shut me out, even as a friend.  I mean, he'll exchange a few words with me every once in a while, but he mostly keeps to himself and avoids conversation of any kind.  I think he's still embarrassed about our last conversation.  And poor guy, it's got to be awkward to be the only single doll on a shelf-full of couples! 

Beast'sbelle must have noticed Ben's blue mood herself, for just the other day, she added another doll to our party.  She tried to be all casual about it, but Beast'sbelle is horrible at being subtle.  It still amazes me to know that she did four years of drama in high school!  

Don't get me wrong...I'm not trying to be rude.  But if you want to hide the fact that you're being a matchmaker, maybe you shouldn't place a super fancy new Belle doll right next to the only single male on the shelf and look at him innocently as you introduce her.  I'm just saying...

"This is Isabella," Beast'sbelle told us, barely able to contain her obvious excitement.  No doubt she was expecting Ben to fall head-over-heels at the mere sight of her.  How many Disney movies has she watched, anyway?  Maybe she needs to watch a documentary or something every once in a while.

I stole a glance at the newcomer myself.  The first thing I thought was, "Wow, that's a lot of glitter!!"  Then I realized that I'd seen her before.  She was one of Beast'sbelle's boxed dolls...Fantasy Fashions Belle...or something like that.  I was amazed that Beast'sbelle had convinced herself to debox her.  She really tries to keep most of her Belle dolls in their original packaging.

The next thing I thought was how amazingly lovely this "Isabella" was.  It made me feel rather drab and plain by comparison.  But just then Robby caught my eye and gave me one of his adoring smiles, and suddenly it didn't matter anymore. 

Beast'sbelle didn't stay for long.  No doubt she wanted to give Ben and Isabella plenty of time to get acquainted without her hovering over them.  It reminded me of how she had acted when Robby first came to stay.  I remembered how awkward that had been.  Of course, Robby and I had ended up together after all that.  Perhaps Beast'sbelle's "success" with us had prompted her to try again. 

Tenderhearted Robby came to the rescue.  "Isn't it about time for our walk, guys?  That will give the girls a chance to talk without all of us hanging around."

I didn't miss the look of relief on Ben's serious face.  He nodded.  "I think that's an excellent idea."  He gave Isabella a stiff little nod.  "Nice to meet you."  Before he'd even finished speaking, he started making his way over to help Robby.

Eugene followed, giving Rapunzel and I a wink as he went by.  He was amused by the entire situation.

Robby really had come up with a valid excuse.  Eugene and Ben had kindly agreed to help Robby down from the curio once a day so that he could get his daily walk in.  Many days, they would just help him down and then I would walk with him, but today it was more important to make our new guest feel welcome.  

As I leaned over and picked up little Abigail, Isabella settled herself on the edge of Belle'sbeast's alarm clock.  "It was nice of you two to stay behind," she said gently.  I blinked.  She sounded a lot like Marguerite!  She had the same lovely French accent, and there was something similar to the shape of her face, although her coloring was very different.

Rapunzel smiled and motioned to her daughters.  "I spend most of my time up here caring for them anyway," she confessed.

Isabella returned her smile warmly.  "It is so lovely to finally meet you.  I've seen you from high up on the shelf, when I was still in my box.  I'm so glad Beast'sbelle decided to let me out.  What is the point of being a doll with over 100 fashion options if you cannot even try them?"

"Over 100 fashion options?" I asked curiously.

Isabella blushed.  "Well, that is what it says on my box, at least.  I'm not sure that there are really that many..."

"But how do they fit that many clothes in the box?" I continued.

Isabella's eyes suddenly lit up.  "That is the beauty of it!  This basic outfit I am wearing can be modified into all sorts of lovely styles.  Would you like to see?"

I glanced over at Rapunzel, amused.  "I suppose so...maybe we could move down to the bed so we have more room."

Isabella was almost giddy at the prospect of showing off her clothing for us.  It took Rapunzel and I a while to get down with the kiddos, but once we were settled, Isabella began.  It was like attending our own private fashion show!

She started with this lovely wedding dress and veil.  I really liked it...until she turned around.  The back of the skirt was golden!  Basically, her underskirt had two different colors and could be turned depending on which color you wanted to show in the front.  I just couldn't imagine having that weird gold section at my back while getting married.  It sure seemed like a fashion no-no!

A thought struck me as Isabella left to change into her next outfit.  "I'm sure Beast'sbelle is happy that Isabella came with a wedding dress," I whispered with a smirk.

Rapunzel shushed me.  "Shh...don't make her uncomfortable.  It's not Isabella's fault that Beast'sbelle is playing matchmaker."

At that moment, Isabella came out again, sporting her next style.  I sat back and said no more.

After I don't know how many style changes later, Isabella said, "That's about as many as I can figure out on my own.  Isn't it amazing how versatile one outfit can be with just a few added accessories."

I nodded.  Her outfit was stunning, but I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the changes.  I was thankful for my own simpler wardrobe.  I'm sure Robby was thankful that my clothes weren't all coated in glitter like Isabella's, too.  There was a whole trail of it on the bed where she'd been standing. 

The last thing Isabella showed us was her special seat that she'd come with.  It doubled as a throne or a vanity set.  

When it was a throne, there was a piece of pink cardboard that looked like a seat cushion.  It slid into the top portion of the vanity.

When Isabella wanted a vanity, all she had to do was take the cardboard out to reveal the mirror underneath. Then she just had to pull out the seat at the bottom to give her legs enough room to fit under the mirror.  I had to admit it was pretty cool, even if it was overly pink. ;)  

When Isabella put the vanity back together and turned around, I noticed a familiar-looking necklace around her neck.  It looked identical to one of mine.

"Nice necklace," I said casually.  

Isabella smiled.  "Thank you.  Beast'sbelle just gave it to me today.  I thought I would try it with this outfit."

I nodded slowly.  Had Beast'sbelle given my necklace away?

At that moment, Beast'sbelle came into the room.  She seemed a bit disappointed to find the guys all missing.  At Isabella's request, she moved the vanity/throne up to the top of the curio, so that Isabella could have a place to sit as well.  Isabella took a moment to get her accessories together, and as she did, Beast'sbelle saw the necklace around her neck.  She glanced over at me and no doubt saw my hurt, questioning look.  

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you first, Belle," she apologized with a whisper.  "Isabella is just really into fashion and jewelry, and you hardly ever wear it.  I hope you don't mind."

I realized then that I didn't really mind.  I mean, I was a little bit annoyed that she hadn't asked before giving my belongings away, but the necklace was pretty uncomfortable to wear.  And it did look nice on Isabella.  

I shot Beast'sbelle a smile.  "It's alright," I said with a shrug.  "If you could ask me first next time, though, I'd appreciate it."

"Deal," Beast'sbelle agreed, grinning.  She glanced over at Isabella, who was still getting her accessories packed away.  "So, do you think she and Ben..."

"Oh, I am sooo staying out of this conversation!" I interrupted.

Beast'sbelle looked a little bit sheepish.  "Well, I just thought...you know...that maybe Ben needed...oh, never mind."

She helped Rapunzel and I back up to the curio, talked to the 18" dolls for a while, and then left the room.  

Meanwhile, Rapunzel and I continued to visit with Isabella while we waited for the guys to get back.  I found myself honestly enjoying the conversation.  Isabella was a sweetie, even if she was more obsessed with fashion and glitter than I would ever be!  I found myself wondering if maybe she would be just the thing for Ben.  Stop it, Belle!  No matchmaking!  You know how it feels to be on the receiving end of that, I scolded myself.

It wasn't long before the guys returned.  We all fell into easy conversation, except for Mr. Stone-face himself. ;)  Honestly, I think Ben might just be putting up a barrier after his past experiences.  I hope he'll at least let Isabella be his friend.  I mean, after all, we all know that the best love comes from friendship, right? ;)