I(vo) Dash

I'm gonna dispense with saying how busy we've been and remain...

Too much is going on to waste time with that stuff!

It's been ridiculously HOT - nice at night though. Today it's cool and rainy and people have been complaining to me about the change. Since I feel that Ryan and I may be to blame for the sudden change cuz we've been complaining like there's no tomorrow about the heat for the last month... I'm trying not to look too happy!

Over the last 2 weeks, Ivo has started saying so many more words! And he can use a spoon to feed himself really effectively. He tells us when he poops/pees and has taken a few stabs on the toilet...

He started calling Ryan and me, Daddy and Mommy... He sounds soooo cute when he says it! We think he picked it up from Dylan's family cuz he often hears Heather and Dylan greet Ciro by saying "Daddy's home!" and he knows that Ciro is Dylan's papa. So he put 2 and 2 together and voila! He now refers to Ryan as "Daddy- Papa- Baba and Ry" . "Ry" just started a couple days ago - that's a direct imitation of me. Super cute, cuz it sounds like "Wy". Hilarious.

Not quite sure where Mommy came from - but he listens to people, he's smart! He's also been calling me Mum for a month or 2 - just came up with it himself... Could he have shortened Mama cuz I shorten Ivo and Ryan sometimes?

Ivo calls himself I-o, didi, dog and, most often, Dash (from the Incredibles). He points to his chest and says "I Datsch" - and it's true he runs fast and he's got super powers and one of his names is Dashiell...

I'm gonna try to list the words that Ivo can say now... xiang jiao (banana), want that/wo yao, bu yao/no, wall, walk, want walk, chair sit, run, go, want go, baby, gege, didi, aiyi, susu, jie jie, mei mei, jump, kick, throw, elephant, owl, bear, beer, peas, water, rain, roar=dinosaur, dog/go go/puppy, cow, horse, pig, teeth, nose, ear, head, hair, eyes, hand... There are more I'll add asap.

He's becoming better able to communicate with strangers who approach him. He often just says, "bye-bye" and waves to them!

We've started to prepare Ivo's bday pressies and xmas pressies... So fun and still can be purchased right under his cute little nose! Soon we'll put up the xmas tree. He's been mesmorized and quite excited by seeing them around town!

Ivo's still a drumming maniac and

when he, his clothing or anything, really, gets wet he says "wawa". Sometimes, circumstances require him to say "jui(ce)". But these are the only 2 named fluids - water and juice. If it's not wawa, it's gotta be juice - even if it's do jiang.

Can't remember if I mentioned he now says; big, beep-beep, towel (for blanket and towel), noo-noo (for noodle), Dastch (for Dash of the Incredibles), Datsch-baby and Datsch-baba (for Jacj-Jack and Mr. Incredible), pa (when scared or startled), more (as an offer and a request), mom (shortened on his own - but usually mama), a-po (taiwanese for a woman older tha auntie), fall down and diao la, and a cuter than cute real vocalized xie xie (not just head nod/dien to)...

He loves singing and dancing.

More soon

Ivo at/as Taiwan takes Korea

Yay! Clap clap clap! Baaaalll. That the baall!

That's what Ivo says about today's exciting game. The stadium was sold out. John and Petra got there before us and waited in line as announcements were made stating # of remaining tickets. When they got there - there were 700 left and they got theire/ours when there were fewer than 50!

Lucky Lucky! We sat in the upper deck above 3rd base. 12 innings later Taiwan won 9-7. All Taiwan's runs were homer'd in! Very exciting! Unlike anything I'd seen before - Taiwan had more runs than hits! The game lasted from 1pm-5:30.

Ryan's at Australia-Italy (I think, Italy).

The stadium holds 8700 people. There was almost a fight (a long long delay regarding pitcher-switching on Korea's part) between the Korean manager and the umpire... Lots of drama in the last 5 innings!

Ivo plays ball at home

Here are a few pics of Ivo playing dodgeball with a huge helium balloon Mr. Incredible. Ivo was winning and thought it was hilarious. He's not allowed to watch the movie, Dodgeball, anymore - cuz he likes throwing stuff (often balls) at peoples' faces a la the wrench scene...

Ivo at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium

The IBAF Intercontinental Cup is being played in Taichung Taiwan at the new and beautiful Taichung Intercontinental Stadium in Bei Tun on Chung De Road. Some games are being played at Taichung Municipal Stadium downtown - a lackluster venue by comparison.

Yesterday Ivo, Ryan and I went with some friends to see Italy play Cuba. A couple strange things happened - the strangest was a posted error by Cuba (scorekeeper changed a a bungle-fielded bunt which left an Italian player safe at first, into a hit - and erased the error...). The other big strange thing is how empty the stadium was. Granted Taiwan was playing Australia at the old stadium at the same time, but still... Since the tournament started on Thursday, the fields have looked emptier than full. And online, the tickets for all Taiwan games are sold out - but there are hundreds of empty seats...

It's surprising because so many Taiwanese seem to love baseball. The professional season here is a bit short with fewer than expected games played in town and by the end, the Taichung games are SOLD OUT. Because of the success, celebrity and sweetness of Wang Jian Ming - the Yankees are hugely popular. So popular, in fact, that their games are replayed by ESPN and any other station that can get the rights... over and over and over. Even if another game is available live. Even if and when the Yankees were eliminated. It seems to me, real ball fans would want to watch the world series even if the Yankees weren't playing. Even if Wang Jian Ming had already flown back to Taiwan.

But then, it's not just Taiwan-nationalism-pride/lack-of-interest-in-the-outside-world, cuz this year's World Series between Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals was the least attended/lowest ratings-grabber since 2005's Houston-Chicago match-up which was the lowest rated... It seems like - as in the rap-world, it's all east coast/west coast... No matter what kinda street cred Motown has... I'm interested, but like I said, my favorite part of baseball is the peripheral stuff like nachos and souvenirs, especially Ivo-sized, neither of which was for sale yesterday:( But, we're going to this afternoon's Taiwan vs. Korea (blew last night's game w Japan in the bottom of the ninth inning!!!) game - which SHOULD be well-attended... We'll see.

We took Ivo's gege Michael - he's the 11 year old son of Ivo's babysitter. Karin, Dean, John, Petra and their niece met us there.

The pic of Ivo looking disgusted was taken while he was perched just behind a screaming baby whose father kept telling her to "shhhuuut up!"

A few pics of Ivo 2

That's it for now. Ivo 2 is doing great!

From the outside - that is!

a couple more things about Ivo

• Ivo can say: poo-poo, pee-pee/niao-niao. He is becoming more and more aware of his "processes" and happily narrates them, when he thinks of it. He's interested in the toilet and often agrees to try it out for size!


• In a related note, Ivo can say "cho cho" which means stinky


• Today, Ivo said "Shadow" the name of Mike's dog whom Karin is taking care of for a few weeks


• When Ivo sees Karin, he says "mao" and holds both arms out like he's asking where they (the cats) are. He also said "Karin" today


• When Ivo sees Sho (or the phone rings) he says "Sho" and a second later, "juju"


• At the gym today, Ivo said "Dylan" tho this isn't the first time...


• Ivo says "wawa" for water, "ju" for juice, "noo-noo" for noodles


• Ivo throws and kicks balls like a guy twice his age, he can almost catch


• When Ivo throws a ball, he often says "good throw!"


• When Ivo jumps, he often says "good jump!"


• He nods and shakes his head appropriately


• He starts a verbal opposites game by saying "yo" to which I respond, "mei yo" and he repeats "yo" etc... If I switch to saying "yo" he switches to "mei yo"

Do I think he's a genius? Yes!

Today we went to the new Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in advance of the tournament that starts on 9 Nov - We got to watch the Cuban team practicing. It was cool and Ivo got to meet one of the coaches! It's pretty nice - comfortable seats (each and every one bearing a sticker advertising the chair-maker's company - a little tacky). Unlike the artist's rendering on the wikipedia link, there is no seating in the outfield and no cover over the seats. Overall, it's nice, but has an unfinished feel - no landscaping around it, the only workers around were construction or cleaners... no concessions or shops (my favorite features of ballparks!). Next time I'll bring my camera. Here's the schedule.

In the mean time these are some pics of Ivo from the weekend 4-5 Nov.

7 Things about Ivo

• When he sees the same or similar things of varying sizes, he names them "baby", "mama" and/or "papa".


• When he sees something red, he names it Po. When he sees something yellow, he names it, Lala. (teletubbies)


• When he sees pictures of himself and you ask him, "who is that?", he says, "I-O". No -v-!
• When he's scared or just after, he pats his chest and says, "pa!"


• He fell on his lip (how did he do it? I don't know - and I was right there.) last week. Now he constantly refers to the wound, calling it "OW!" and remerking that his dinosaur has an ow in the same anatomical place.


• When people are crying, Ivo says they are/have "ow".


• Ivo was an astronaut for Halloween. He loves pictures of astronauts, spaceships, stars and the moon. Whenever he goes out at night, he looks for the moon. Sometimes, he uses "moon" to mean "up" - although he says both up and down. He wore an outfit that was mine when I was 1-1/2 and lived in Taiwan!