the word game

Sebastian and Liesl have been playing together so nicely these last few weeks.  Seb came out of the horribly mean and grouchy phase he'd been in, and has been mostly sweet and loving and fun to be with. And reasonable, which is really all I ask for on some days.  Liesl has started to understand more and more words and directions and ideas, so she has started to be a fun playmate for Seb.  (She has simultaneously started exploring the full range of tantrums - kicking, screaming, throwing herself onto hard floors, crying so hard she throws up, sobbing, tears flowing, back-arching as she tries to throw herself away from me....  Getting her into the car when she doesn't want to go is like WWIII.)

Anyway, one of their new favorite games is a word game.  Sebastian will say "Can you say car?" and Liesl says "car"! "Can you say baby"? "Baby!"  They do this over and over, through the full range of Liesl's words, and any other random phrases that Sebastian throws out there. It's so cute. I love hearing them in the backseat talking to each other and laughing.

Generally, anything that Sebastian suggests to Liesl is met with a decisive head nodding yes. She'll do anything he suggests for games and play.  They've taken to wrestling with each other on the bed and on floor pillows - Sebastian throwing (more or less gently) Liesl onto the bed and then flopping down with her and the two of them rolling around like puppies. They laugh and laugh. Every once in awhile someone gets hurt, but it's usually minor and doesn't appear to detract from their enthusiasm at all.  They chase each other around the apartment, on foot and riding wheelie toys, Seb tickling Liesl when he catches her. And they hug a lot.

On her own, Liesl has been doing a lot of mimicking and role play. She likes to put her baby to bed, and give her a pacifier and a bottle. And she loves to pick up a bag, sling it over her shoulder like mommy, and say bye-bye with a wave as she heads off. She'll walk through the kitchen and around the living room and show up again, still waving bye-bye.  Sometimes she packs her Bunny Fufu and other toys into her bag before she goes.