Use the Force-eps

Sorry for the pun--I know no one wants to think about forceps! It's the most appropriate play on words I could think of for the dichotomy we've been experiencing lately between Star Wars and baby play. Miles is fully immersed in Star Wars, since he watched it with George on one of their recent movie nights. He's been building Lego ships for Luke and Obi Wan and flying them around with lots of "whooshing" and shooting. He gets into full Jedi mode while riding home from school in the stroller. With the rain cover down, the stroller becomes somewhat spaceship-like, and he has little levers on either side of his seat that he uses as guns. So the whole way home he makes various piloting and shooting sounds. He seems to entertain Ruby, who rides in back and is usually pretty restless in the stroller.

Ruby has been in mothering mode lately, and Miles does take occasional breaks from blowing things up to join her in taking care of the babies. He decided that their dolls should be named Calliou and Rosie. Ruby says and signs "baby" very clearly and can be quite demanding about wanting to have Baby with her. She also has started puckering and making kissing sounds and she thinks it's hilarious when we kiss her baby.

Miles occasionally likes to pretend that his baby is in his belly and then, whoosh, he's out! He is usually anxious for his baby to grow up. He's often trying to help him walk, run, or fly. It's only a matter of time before he'll be trying to blow up the Death Star.

One of Ruby's favorite activities is imitating her brother. Last week he made a land-speeder out of a shoe box and a piece of cardboard, put his sheep puppet Baa-Baa in the shoe box (a Luke stand-in), and proceeded to fly the ship while singing "Kiss the Girl" from Little Mermaid. Ruby quickly found her own piece of cardboard and a Rubbermaid container with lid, and put some puzzle pieces in there for her version. They both went zipping around the first floor.