Since February of this year, Ruby has discovered the world of pretend and dressing up. First, she liked putting hats on her head or having someone chase her with her big white bear. She’s especially fond of hats.
Sometime after Clara was born, she discovered a new world of pretending and playing. She has a set of Mickey Mouse ears. They are made of hard plastic and are on a hard plastic head band. Most days her name isn’t Ruby, but is either Gray Cat or Mickey Mouse. She loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Tom and Jerry. We have a few episodes of Mickey recorded and a Mickey Mouse movie. Most mornings she whispers who she is when I go in to get her. For a few weeks, we were watching Mickey Mouse and the Three Musketeers every morning. She acts out the sword fights and pretends to sing one of the songs. Along the way, she has found a stick that magically becomes a sword that she uses to fight the “bad guys”. While in town a couple of weeks ago, she and Papa Bear bought two nerf/foam swords so their play sword fighting is less dangerous for everyone involved.
(very first time wearing and seeing herself in the ears)
(Mickey Mouse visited the hay shed. Only time ears are allowed to ride in the truck.)
As for Gray Cat, he makes an appearance a few times a day too. I figured out how to make some cat ears on one of her head bands. Later on in the week Ruby became convinced that I could make her a gray cat tail too. After thinking about it for a little while, I convinced myself that I could probably make one too. After finding a little bit of fabric, some shoelaces, elastic and Velcro, we had a cat tail! Now, keeping up with the changes of Gray Cat to Mickey Mouse is much easier.
Except…
Gray Cat ears and Mickey Mouse ears are not allowed to come to town or to church. So, her character changes are much harder to “see” and harder to keep up with. Unless she tells you, which she will…loudly.
While in Walmart last week, an older woman stopped to talk to us and to look at Clara. After asking about the baby’s name, she looked at Ruby and asked her. Ruby, with a straight face and almost clear words, responded “Gray Cat”. The woman turned to me and smiled with knowing eyes, as I translated and she said “ooohhh of course, Gray Cat!” I went on to tell her that she usually goes by “Ruby”. She was a sweet older woman (maybe in her 90’s). I was happier about Ruby’s, I mean Gray Cat’s, behavior toward the woman. She usually says “No” or just looks at a stranger that tries to converse with her. (This is a vast improvement from yelling “NNNNNOOOOOO” and throwing herself in the floor or buggy. Small, little bitty, baby steps of improvement.)
Gray Cat is usually chased by Papa Brown Mouse at night. The Mickey Mouse ears are covered with brown paper and are transformed into the Jerry character from Tom and Jerry, or “Gray Cat and Brown Mouse”. He is called Papa Mouse because Ruby saw an episode where Jerry has a little gray mouse in diapers as a friend or helper. She thinks that Brown Mouse was his “Papa”.
We also have a black cape and mask. Mickey Mouse usually puts this on if she if feeling extra feisty and wants to sword fight the bad guys.
(peaking around to find the “bad guys”)
In Ruby’s world, Wooster is the Papa Brown Mouse that chases the Gray Cat. They play this game every night, or they sword fight as Mickey Mouse and the Musketeers. You just have to listen closely, observe the wardrobe changes and play right along. Until she changes….
