Laila Day........changing

Laila has been leaving her Hannah Montana lunch box at school lately. 

She is forgetting it on purpose. 

I asked her about it and she said…she is over Hannah Montana and it’s embarrassing to have to use that lunch box every day .  She leaves it in the lunch room hoping that  a  1^st grader  will take it.

  Pretty funny. 

I asked her why a first grader would want it, if she doesn’t want it??

She is begging for a brown paper sack lunch between now and the end of school…and a new lunch box for the beginning of 4th grade.

I didn’t want her to buy the Hannah Montana Lunch box 2 years ago.  I was opting for the plain red one.   I warned her this would happen…..That Hannah Montana would lose her appeal just like Dora the Explorer had years before.

I was right.

(I 'm always right.)

Laila is changing.  

She is growing up.

I asked her if she remembered her old imaginary friend who lived in our cereal cupboard for years?  When we remodeled the kitchen he went away. 

She couldn’t think of his name.....I couldn't either. 

She tried to re-enact it and emptied out the stuff under our kitchen sink and climbed in to talk to "his mother" and ask her for the name…. 

 She then called out from the cabinet …”Was it Carlos?” 

No. 

None of this worked to jog our memories.  

We ended up pulling out her baby scrapbook and looking through it for a record of the imaginary friend's name.

Jarret.

The name is Jarret.

Laila used to spend hours with her friend: talking gibberish, laughing, serving tea, telling me how smart Jarret was.  For years the cold cereal spent more time out of the cupboard than in and Laila was like Harry Potter living in the dark cubby with her little friend. 

 Laila colored in the cupboard and decorated it with stickers.  

She would cry if her brothers would step on him or tease her that Jarret wasn't real.   

The only one with any real sympathy was Addison who had his own imaginary friend, Linka, for years.

Things continue to change at our house. 

 First no Dora, then no Jarret and now no Hannah..... I wonder what's next?  

Laila in the cereal cupboard, spending time with her imaginary friend...Jarret, 2006

I continue to be amazed that I get to be Laila's mom. 

 Today is  Laila day! 

 We brought out sweet, baby girl home 9 years ago  and  she certainly changed our family for the better!