Lila lisps

A few weeks ago, Uma officially changed her name to Lila. I have no idea how this notion got into her funny little head, but she corrects us dozens of times a day " I'm not Uma, I'm Lila". Its been going on for about two or three weeks now, at first it kinda freaked me out, I wondered if this was a symptom of some multiple personalities or something but now we've all settled into calling her by her chosen name. Hopefully, this will pass. Funny, because they say everything is just a phase but some phases seem to last quite a while. For instance, last Halloween Uma(Lila) had no interest whatsoever in putting on a costume and lo and behold this year, although she talked about costumes for a month, when it came down to it, had no interest in being any sort of furry animal she had chatted about being endlessly. The good news is that she will now put on most other items of clothes and that is significant.

Uma's (Lila's)little Waldorf school has been transformational in her development, she has blossomed so much in the last 3 months. Her teacher is like Glinda the good witch from Oz, pure magic. The environment and activities she does with the children are so homespun, nature-centered, and sweet. Entering the world of Waldorf is like learning a new religion filled with fairies, gnomes, and angels. I love it. I'm never a true "joiner" of any one philosophy or group, but I do love everything we've been learning along the way. My motto, though, for parenting and beyond is "a little bit of country, and a little bit of rock and roll".

Since beginning school, Umalila (as she sometimes refers to herself), imaginative play has grown so much stronger. She will play by herself for huge stretches of time (thank you, goddess), happy with her own company and the worlds she creates within. This is monumental, as she has had me on such a short leash (just like her short umbilical cord!) She is a wonder to watch at parties, talking to strangers (!), playing with other kids, just having a ball without clutching to me for dear life the whole time. I have been in awe of her transformation.

One somewhat funny thing Uma(Lila) has caught from school is a lisp. One day she came home and it was like her tongue had swollen to double its size. It was a bit worrisome at first, I even asked her teacher about it. Upon further investigation, I realized it was her little new best friend who lisps, and this girl is absolutely darling. So, now we have a little girl name Lila who lisps. Isthn't that sthweet?