x-no-archive: yes

She likes to make up games with me.

One game is names. She says, "Papa," as softly as she can, and I say,
"Maia," back as softly as I can. We do this back and forth, trying to
decrease the volume each time, until the name is just a shape in the

Another game is catch-the-naked-Maia. After her nightly bath, she pretty
much always breaks free, and we have to catch her. This is sort of the
reverse of the, You better run game (wherein I say, You better run, and

takes off).

The fill up the cup game is based on her love of watching water flow.
There's a plastic coffee cup in the bathroom (for rinsing), and she always
puts it under the tap to fill it up when she has to wash hands. She likes
to reduce the water to a trickle once it's filled up, so the water beads

around the edge of the cup and just spills over. When she's made me say,
"Enough," enough, she takes a drink and holds the cup over her shoulder
(she's in my arms because I'm holding her up on the washstand) for me to
take a drink, and then she pours the rest in the sink to watch it drain

The mouth full of water game is connected to this. She holds a mouthful

water (which she's gotten from washing hands, the dinner table, wherever)
for as long as she can. If we figure out she's doing that, we try to
squeeze her cheeks. Sometimes she spews. Bonus points.

x-no-archive: yes

She likes to make up games with me.

One game is names. She says, "Papa," as softly as she can, and I say,
"Maia," back as softly as I can. We do this back and forth, trying to
decrease the volume each time, until the name is just a shape in the mouth.

Another game is catch-the-naked-Maia. After her nightly bath, she pretty
much always breaks free, and we have to catch her. This is sort of the
reverse of the, You better run game (wherein I say, You better run, and she
takes off).

The fill up the cup game is based on her love of watching water flow.
There's a plastic coffee cup in the bathroom (for rinsing), and she always
puts it under the tap to fill it up when she has to wash hands. She likes
to reduce the water to a trickle once it's filled up, so the water beads up
around the edge of the cup and just spills over. When she's made me say,
"Enough," enough, she takes a drink and holds the cup over her shoulder
(she's in my arms because I'm holding her up on the washstand) for me to
take a drink, and then she pours the rest in the sink to watch it drain out.

The mouth full of water game is connected to this. She holds a mouthful of
water (which she's gotten from washing hands, the dinner table, wherever)
for as long as she can. If we figure out she's doing that, we try to
squeeze her cheeks. Sometimes she spews. Bonus points.

x-no-archive: yes

She likes to make up games with me.

One game is names. She says, "Papa," as softly as she can, and I say,
"Maia," back as softly as I can. We do this back and forth, trying to
decrease the volume each time, until the name is just a shape in the

Another game is catch-the-naked-Maia. After her nightly bath, she pretty
much always breaks free, and we have to catch her. This is sort of the
reverse of the, You better run game (wherein I say, You better run, and

takes off).

The fill up the cup game is based on her love of watching water flow.
There's a plastic coffee cup in the bathroom (for rinsing), and she always
puts it under the tap to fill it up when she has to wash hands. She likes
to reduce the water to a trickle once it's filled up, so the water beads

around the edge of the cup and just spills over. When she's made me say,
"Enough," enough, she takes a drink and holds the cup over her shoulder
(she's in my arms because I'm holding her up on the washstand) for me to
take a drink, and then she pours the rest in the sink to watch it drain

The mouth full of water game is connected to this. She holds a mouthful

water (which she's gotten from washing hands, the dinner table, wherever)
for as long as she can. If we figure out she's doing that, we try to
squeeze her cheeks. Sometimes she spews. Bonus points.