Games of Horseshoes and Vegetable Mutilation

An admission.  I just ran away from my daughter.

Mimi had decided to help me gather the photos for today's post by wiggling between my arms and then pounding the track pad repeatedly with both fists and screaming "Mimi!  Mimi!".  So, I ran away to the other side of the living room.  It seems to be working.  I'm here in my chair, blocked from Mimi's view by a bookcase.  I guess "out of sight, out of mind" works with children under 2.

Mimi, despite her computer abuse, is slowly learning how to play constructively, both by herself and with others. 

Naturally, her play often reflects the activities of her mother and father.  Cooking is a major one.  We generally try to cook dinner at home at least 4 or 5 times a week.  Sumie and I can both cook well on our own, but we work best when we combine forces.  Sumie is a skilled, and speedy, prep chef.  She'll prepare all the ingredients and then hand the job over to me for the actual cooking.  Mimi, who constantly looks up to her mother, loves to take part in the prep work. 

This, unfortunately, makes for a rather messy kitchen.  There's nothing like picking up 15,746 microscopic pieces of mutilated lettuce before sitting down to dinner. 

I prefer Mimi copying us on the phone.  Almost any object will do: a Wii remote, a block, a fork.  Today it's a digital thermometer. 

Mimi also loves to mimic us when we read.  If I'm in my chair with a book or a computer it's only a few minutes before Mimi pulls out a book of her own.  Unfortunately, Mimi's unquenchable thirst for destruction extends to the hobby of reading as well.  Here she is with a dismembered sheep's head.  Old McDonald will think again before inviting Mimi to his farm for a song. 

But life with Mimi isn't just about messiness and violence.  More and more she's learning how to play constructively and creatively.  I noticed this during a game of horseshoes yesterday. 

Mimi carefully observed her father make a few futile tosses.  My aim was, as always, terrible, but Mimi seemed to get the idea, despite my inaccuracy.  Once she got the gist of the game, we started taking turns.  Here's Mimi cleaning up after my first attempt. 

Now, here's Mimi showing me just how it's done. 

Granted, I suppose you can't really call what she was doing "throwing."  More like "judicious placement of plastic horseshoes around a plastic peg to remind Papa just how blazingly uncoordinated he is." 

Mimi seemed quite pleased with the results. 

I'm looking forward to sharing more games with Mimi.  I wonder when that first round of hide-and-seek will take place, or our first game of catch or passing the soccer ball back and forth.  She's getting close, I think.  Still a ways to go, but I can see the wheels turning.