Bookworm

A conversation we had tonight:

Me: Who is ready to go to bed?
Z: Anybody. We don't want to go to bed yet!
Me: I have some new books we can read tonight that I got at the library.
Z: I want to read them NOW.
Me: Do you want to go read them in your bedroom and then go to bed? (Our bedtime routine)
Z: Yes!
Me: Okay, can I put Ivy to bed first? (I usually put her to bed first)
Z: NO, I want to go to bed FIRST!!

Ivy growls.

I forgot to add one huge part of what makes Ivy Ivy in my last blog post. This girl loves to growl at everyone! :)

11 month old Ivy

Ivy turned 11 months a few days ago. I cannot believe how much older she seems lately. She really is "growing up"! She is starting to seem more like a toddler and less like a baby *sniff sniff* She is now walking pretty much all the time. She has mastered getting up in the middle of the room without pulling up at something, so she really has no need to crawl now. I haven't seen her crawl one time all day. It's kind of sad. I have spent the last 5 months happily watching her crawl down the hall or crawl up to me....and those days are over.
She also is not interested in pureed babyfood anymore. She may take a spoonful or 2, and then refuses. Little Miss Independent just wants to finger feed herself. She does eat now almost everything Zayden eats now, which makes some things easier, but geesh.
She also took her last bottle a couple of weeks ago. She now drinks from a sippy cup, when I am at work and with her meals....but thankfully she still happily nurses.
She has a couple of words. She now says "mama" quite a bit. If she sees me leave the room she often will follow me and be hollering "mama, mama" until I come back to her. :) Love that! She says "dada" occasionally. She says "Day-dee" all the time for "baby". She loves her babydoll, and will pick it up and say over and over "day-dee". If we say clock, she will say "kakakaka". She also has repeated a couple of other words like book and ball once or twice but not yet consistently. I'd say she only has 2 words right now mama and baby.
Ivy is starting to enjoy looking at books, which I am happy about. However, I don't think she is going to be into books as much as her brother. She is my go-get-em-wild-child! She sure is spunky! She loves to do something that she knows I don't want her to do, and laugh. This weekend she kept trying to dart into the street!!! I would tell her no, and she would laugh and take off. It got to the point that we just couldn't play in the front yard anymore.
She also LOVES to play with balls! It's so cute. She will pick up a ball toss it, walk over to it, squat down and pick it up, take a couple steps, toss it, and so on and so on. She can play this way with a ball for several minutes! It's adorable. Z never really played with balls much. Brian thinks she will be our athlete. ;)
She also is wanting to climb on EVERYTHING!! She is able to climb up small slides now by herself. She did this for the first time at her friend Coen's house last week, and it freaked me out. I have now seen her do it on 2 other slides. She just climbs to the top and stands up! EEK! If Brian or I are sitting on the floor by a piece of furniture she will hurry over to us to use us to climb up on it....again laughing since she knows we don't want her climbing.
Ivy also is starting to really like music and dancing more. She has this little toy radio she carries around and when she accidentally makes the music play she starts smiling and dancing.
She LOVES to be outside. If I am holding her and go to the door to let out the dog or something, and we don't go outside she throws a huge fit! She also LOVES the water and swimming. This past week we have gone swimming a few times and she was like a fish. She loves the kiddie pools and the big pools!
Ivy continues to be very affectionate. She often climbs up on me and gives me kisses or just buries her face into me. She almost always smiling and laughing, and we still get comments all the time about how happy she is.
BUT, when she cries, boy does she cry. I even love her cry. When she is really upset she will do this wah wah wah SCREAM wah wah wah SCREAM pattern, and it cracks me up.
Ivy does still wake up 2 times most nights to nurse. I have recently decided to not stress about this. I have grown used to not sleeping a good nights sleep. Her brother didn't sttn until he was a year either. I'll stop going to her and nursing her in the middle of the night after her first birthday, but for now I am actually trying to enjoy those midnight snacks. It's just her and I in a dark quiet room as she cuddles up to me and we both are drifting in/out of sleep together. I know that soon these days will be over, and I'll never get those nights back of her and I alone snuggling together in our dark and quiet home....so I am really trying to just take in the moment and cherish them.
I could gush on and on about my baby girl, but she is awake from her nap and wanting to play ball. :) I can't resist those dimples, so I will end this post now. :)



Here are a few more pictures of her yesterday:

Ivy all dressed up for Father's day and discovering all the glorious weeds in our yard.

Here is Ivy in her frilly dress racing down the driveway! And a half second after I snapped this picture....

She fell smack on her face.....poor baby!! She recovered quickly though...as usual. Today she has a big scab on her head and a couple on her knees from the week before, and her new nickname has become "bruiser"

Ideal

Ideal (n): A conception of something in its absolute perfection. One that is regarded as a standard or model of perfection or excellence.

Yesterday I was in the elevator with 2 other ladies. One I had never met, and one was a co-worker. The 2 of them were having a conversation, and I was just in the "background" waiting to reach my floor. I was half listening to their conversation.

I heard the lady I didn't know say, "It's not ideal." Then my co-worker responded with, "Well is there really anything that is ideal?"

Even though I had no idea what they were talking about I had a knee jerk reaction and without hesitation or any kind of contemplation I blurted out, "My kids!" Both ladies liked my interjection.

So some day when my kids are reading this blog, I want them to know that I view them as Ideal, so much so that I have to immediately blurt this out to anyone who may be trapped in an elevator with me. :-)

Playing in the rain

Yesterday I worked all day. It was a very long day, and I was exhausted. I drove home in the rain to pick up the kids. Brian had a meeting after work, so I had to pick up the kids, but didn't get to my in-laws until about 6:40 p.m. almost 12 hours after I dropped them off!!

It was pouring rain! I went in and gathered up the kids. I covered Ivy up with a blanket to keep her dry as I ran her to the car. It was very warm (in the 70's) so I just carried Z in the rain without covering him up, and we laughed as we ran in the rain to the car. I got soaked buckling them in their carseats, and Z got a little wet too of course.

When I finally got in the drivers side, I had to laugh because I was so wet.....and after such a long day laughing is better than crying. Zayden laughed too, and as we drove home we talked about how funny it was to get wet in the rain.

When we got home Brian had just arrived too. I pulled into the garage to keep us out of the rain this time, and Brian helped me get the kids out. As we were getting ready to walk inside, Z asked, "Can I go out in the rain?" We said, "Sure!" Zayden ran out for a second and then started to come back......and then I got this urge all of a sudden to join him in that pouring rain. I was already very wet anyway. Next thing I know and to Zayden's surprise I went running down the driveway laughing as the rain poured on my head.

Zayden got super excited at this, and came running after me. We then started running down the sidewalk laughing and dancing around!! It was GREAT! I told him we needed to go find a BIG puddle. We had to go down the sidewalk about 5 houses to find just the right big puddle, and when we found it we both jumped in it many many times while smiling and laughing and cheering each other on! We were so wet...it looked like we had jumped in a pool with our clothes on! It was more fun than I have had in awhile, and I think Zayden felt the same way!!

This is a memory I want to keep. This is also an activity I want to make somewhat of a tradition. I'm going to make sure that we often take advantage of those warm rains, and enjoy them. Next year Ivy can join us too.

Zayden Funny

Z: Mommy, come to my room with me.
Me: Why?
Z: There is something I think you will want to see.
Me: What?
Z: A BEAR!!
Me: A BEAR??? What makes you think I would want to see A BEAR?? (in my startled voice)
Z: *giggling* It's just a pretend bear. It doesn't talk.

Ivy walking!!

Ivy's favorite pasttime lately is walking!! For some reason she especially wants to be walking if we are outside. She is constantly trying to squirm out of my arms if we step outside. She then loves to walk up and down the sidewalk or driveway!! She still falls often, so today she got her first scraped up knee. She was bleeding and didn't care at all. She just kept wanting to go, and I cringed every time she fell on that knee, but she'd just get back up and start walking again. Here are a few pictures of her in motion, and a video.




I love the "put your hands up" look!


She even has discovered how to walk under the table to get to the secret stash of playdoh I hide under there. :)

This is when she is happiest!

Zayden Funnies

Z: I can't nurse Ivy.
Me: No, you can't.
Z: She might bite off my boobies!

B: We are having hamburgers tonight for dinner.
Z: I don't want any meat on my hamburger!

Z: What is that?
Me: It's a dead mouse (encounted during a walk)
Z: Is it crawling?
Me: No
Z: Why not?
Me: Well......it can't crawl.
Z: It is taking a nap. The mouse is very tired. It needs to eat cheese.
Me: Yes, mice do eat cheese
Z: And straw!

Z: What is this mommy?
Me: Ummmm that is your scrotum.....umm your testicles.
Z: I don't like them. I don't want them.
Me: Well, sweetie that is part of you, you can't take it off.
Z: Do you have a scrotum?
Me: No, only boys have those.
Z: You can buy one at the store!

Z: A bad guy came and took Ethan (neighbor boy)
Me: What? Where did he take him?
Z: He put him in jail!

B: Zayden, do you want to drive us home?
Z: I can't daddy.
B: Why not?
Z: Because a police officer might arrest me. (Okay he is too smart!!)

A nice day for a stroll to the park!

Some times I think if my life was a reality show it would have great ratings! I am not really that interesting myself, but my kids definitely have so much personality and there are not dull moments around here!!

Sunday it was a lovely day, so I decided to take the kids to the park. Zayden was running around in his underwear, but I told him we were going to the park, so he put on this big bulky helmet he has. It is white with a big red M on the front. I think it is supposed to be a race car helmet from some movie, but he calls it his football helmet.....I'm not even sure where he got it. He puts that on, a jacket that is too small on him and sandals that are WAY too small on him.

In the mean time I get Ivy dressed, lathered up with sunblock, and ready to go. I try to convince Zayden to take off some of the craziness because it is a hot day, but he insists on wearing the helmet and jacket, because he says it is cold out. I do manage to get clothes under the jacket on him, but of course the small jacket has to go back on. I tell him his shoes are way too small and that his toes are hanging out, and he says, "That is how it is supposed to be."

So, "sweet" Ivy, helmet head, and I head out, and I push the kids in the stroller to the park. None of the adults at the park or even the older kids could refrain from giggling when they saw my little boy running around with his toes hanging out of his shoes, holding his large helmet on his head and in a warm jacket in 80 degree weather. And by the way Zayden strutted around in his attire I know he thought he was super cool....and well I know he is super cool! :D

When we arrived at the park Ivy started shrieking and flailing all her limbs when she saw the swings. She loves to swing. I plopped her in the swing and pushed her while Z played on the playground equipment. She loves to be pushed high, so I accommodated. Then Ivy did the cutest things she curled her legs up into the swing, and was sitting in the little bucket swing with her feet all curled up inside. I was wishing I had brought my camera because she looked so sweet and cute!! Then in an instant my memories of Ivy being my wild child flashed before my eyes as I gave her a big push, and when she was as far away from me as she could be she stood up and did a front flip out of the swing, landing on her back on the mulch!!

It freaked me out sooo bad!! Luckily she seemed completely fine. She fussed for like 30 seconds and then was reaching for the swing again. No one else at the park even noticed it happen. This girl is only 10 months old and she is already doing this kind of thing ALL the time!! I think I will have a head full of gray hair by the time she is 2....but no one will know because I have a good colorist! ;)

The highlight of the trip was when Zayden peed in his portable toilet I brought underneath a tree!! At least it wasn't on the tree.

Then we headed home, and Z cried most of the way home because he said he didn't feel good. I kept trying to take off his jacket and helmet because he was sweating, and I know he was just so hot, but he wouldn't let me! He freaked out if I even tried to unbutton the jacket. ugh! We got home in the air condition and Zayden was fine....Ivy was fine...and my heart rate was still racing a little.

But that is just a normal couple of hours in the life of wild child Ivy and quirky Zayden!! :D