Living in an Imaginary World

Over the winter, there has been a lot of personality development for Hannah, not that she was ever very reserved! We've heard her say so many funny things, I can't possibly recount them all. Her imagination is always working and the stories she tells us are so amusing. But she is quite serious in telling them and if we laugh, she will scold us, "Don't waff at me!"

One of my favorites was when her two year molars were coming in. She was uncomfortable and even the though we tried to explain it, she came up with her own reason for the pain. After I arrived home one day she told me that her cheek hurt. Not realizing at first that this was because of the molar pain, I asked her what happened. She told me very seriously that a bird had swooped down out of the sky and bit her cheek! Pointing to the place where it hurt, she exlaimed, "Can you believe he did that, Mommy? That bird was a mean, mean bird, Mommy and he did that to me, just like that!" It was hard to keep a straight face.


Last week Hannah had a hangnail and she informed me, with disgust in her voice, that a lion had done that to her! And then he ran off! She was dead serious.

More often than not, we are living in a world where Hannah is the mommy, the big sister, the baby sister, on the phone or some other imaginative scenario. Often she pretends to have twins, a yellow minivan, a baby brother, a constantly ringing cell phone and a dog that lives in the house. The color commentary that goes with each situation is priceless.

Here's typical explanation from Hannah: "Mommy, could you hold my baby for just a minute, he wants his Daddy (I'm the daddy in this one). He might cry and if he does, you should spank him and put him in his bed. Or, he might want a bottle. Here's his bottle, but he's not hungry so don't worry. (Insert heavy sigh). Well, I have to go to my offuz and then do my computer work. If I stop at the grocery I'll buy some food. Call my phone if you need me. See? I have my phone (shows me the phone).

Most interesting is when she assigns roles to the rest of us, whether we want to participate or not! Here's a picture of the girls in a most wonderful gift that they received for Christmas this year. It's a cardboard playhouse that they have colored and played in for hours on end. The fun has worn off though and the sides are starting to cave in, so it will soon have to go. But I can't think of a more fun winter play thing than this.


Lots of the pretending happens here, in the girls' play kitchen. Their favorite ingredients are butter (which they don't get to use but often request), salt, pepper and water. A few weeks ago I made the mistake of letting them use some spices. All was well until about a week later when a nasty smell came from their box of dishes. Oh, that smell! The only way to clean it up was to wash every single dish. It wasn't fun but it had to be done. No more interesting ingredients!

For months our bedtime routine has not changed (because it's working well, thank goodness!). After a bath, books, etc. the very last thing we do is sing Hannah's favorite song. "I love you, a bushel and a peck. A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck! A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap, a barrel and a heap and I'm talking in my sleep, about YOU! About YOU!!" Just before I give the girls hugs and kisses, Hannah assigns us each a role in the song. "I'm the barrel, you're the heap, Daddy is the bushel and Abby is the peck...kay? Oh no, wait. I'm the bushel. Right, I'm the bushel. Daddy is the peck, you're the barrel and Abby is the heap. Mmmmkay?" It makes no sense at all but is cute, cute, cute. Yesterday, Abby slept a little bit later than Hannah did and when Hannah saw her at the top of the stairs, I heard her greet Abby with a cheerful, "Hey, hey there wakey, wakey!" You just never know what's going to come out of her mouth, like any kid this age.

Lately, Hannah has been very busy planning her birthday party. She frequently tells us exactly where each attendee will sit and exactly what color her cake should be. The party is going to be so much fun this year and I think it's especially appropriate that instead of unwrapping gifts, she wants to go shopping at a wonderful toy store in Franklin, called Imagination Station! I for one, cannot wait to take her birthday shopping!!