Sunday, 14 September 2008

• Serious Love

  Did you have a special blanket, doll, or lovey when you were young? Do you remember how much you loved it?

  SP received many blankets and afghans as gifts when she was born, most I couldn’t even tell you they are from. But there is one that she loves more than any other. We call this blanket LaLa.

  LaLa is pink, smooth satin on one side and soft plush on the other. Contrary to popular belief, she prefers the soft plush side. SP loves to chew on it and rub it between her fingers. When she is tired, SP will rub LaLa under her nose (almost as if she is breathing in its goodness), pull it over her head, and then scrunch it under her cheek before she falls asleep.

  LaLa is so much part of SP’s life that it has begun to become personified- LaLa prefers hugs from SP more than from Mama or Daddy. She likes to have sips of water fed to her from SP’s sippy cup. SP likes to give LaLa a turn on the pacifier. LaLa likes pieces of grapes mashed into her. LaLa likes to jump off of SP’s lap when we’re in the car and loves to fall out of the crib in the middle of the night. Oh, LaLa. She can be such a silly blanket!

  SP loves this blankie so much that my mom cut it in half so that we would always have a spare on hand just in case. And there is almost always a “just in case situation” waiting to happen...

  A few weeks ago SP and I were at the mall with our good friends Sarah and Jack on our usual play date. We were having a good time mall walking when I heard SP’s little voice say softly and with love, “LaLa.” I realized that I hadn’t checked on her in a while, so I peeked my head around the stroller only to find that there wasn’t a LaLa to be found.

  Trying not to panic, but failing miserably, we backtracked our steps into the department store we had just come out of. No LaLa. I called K and without even saying hello I cried out, “I lost LaLa!” Both K and Sarah tried to reassure me that LaLa was in the mall someplace and we would find it. Didn’t they know how special LaLa was, how other toddlers were dying to get their little fingers on it?

  We backtracked some more, into each store, with me asking if anyone had found a pink blanket. Blank stares and No’s were all I got back. Finally I stopped at the information desk. One last desperate plea for the beloved blankie. One lady shook her head sadly as she looked at SP. The other, with a hopeful ring to her voice, said that she didn’t have it there but she knew where it was. Holding myself back from grabbing her by her polyester lapels and shaking the information out of her, I waited for her to say that she had seen it around the corner near the bookstore.

  That was enough for me. I took off at furious sprint, Sarah yelling at me to slow down, as her seven-month pregnant body wasn’t about to run through the mall. So we calmly walked toward the bookstore and sure enough, there was LaLa on the ledge of one the huge planters that are in the middle of the mall.

  As we walked closer I could hear SP cry in her little soft voice, “LaLa” and watched her clap as her beloved blankie came into her view. She took it from my hands, rubbed it under her nose, pulled it over her head, and scrunched it under her cheek as we continued to walk around the mall.

  That is some serious love. 

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