Garbage Baby

We went in to St. Andrew's yesterday to visit the Panama City Publishing Company Museum (which was fantastic, by the way), but we arrived a little bit early so we did a little self-guided walking tour to see the Oaks By The Bay park and to look at the marina and things. 

On the boardwalk just behind the park, Phoebe spotted a baby (doll) that had been left by the garbage can. 

"I need to rescue that baby!" she said. "Can someone help me to rescue that poor garbage baby?"

Benjamin went to pull it out of the weeds. It was a little waterlogged but otherwise in pretty good shape.

And Phoebe fell in love.

She immediately began rocking it and singing it a song, told the doll that no one had been taking care of it but that Phoebe was there now. Yes, things were turning around for this sweet garbage baby. 

She lugged it through the park, telling everyone we passed a fun fact about her garbage baby.

"This is my garbage baby! We found this baby in the garbage! I'm keeping this garbage baby—I am! Do you like my garbage baby? I love her! I rescued her from the garbage!"

Garbage Baby participated in some family photos...

Garbage Baby met Stray Cat (not pictured), who also was in desperate need of adoption. 

"We can bring that cat home to Waffles!" Phoebe declared. "It needs us to take care of it! It shouldn't be living alone on the beach like this! Let's just catch it and take it home with us! Please!"

Andrew had not been very happy about Garbage Baby's rescue and adoption. But suddenly his tune changed when there was a cat on the line. 

"No," he said. "You already rescued a baby. I'm not sure you can handle rescuing a cat, too..."

"Okay, fine," Phoebe sighed. "We'll rescue Garbage Baby today and come back for Beach Cat later."

"That...sounds like a plan," Andrew said.  

So Garbage Baby finished coming on our walk with us—and even expanded our walk a little bit because we had to go back to an outdoor piano that Garbage Baby needed to play. 

"Please can we go to the piano? Please, please, please? Garbage Baby needs to see the piano."

"Fine," Andrew said. "We can take Garbage Baby to see the Garbage Piano..."

Here's Phoebe walking confidently down the sidewalk, with Garbage Baby dripping sea water beside her, all the way to the Garbage Piano.

Exactly 1 (one) key still works on this poor piano, but Garbage Baby had a fun time playing that single note.

Garbage Baby is currently enjoying some time in the washing machine...