The Amazing Ivo

Tonight Ivo and Ryan went to a banquet thrown by Ryan's school for Teacher's Day which falls on Confucius' birthday. Ivo loved the banquet fare - stuffing himself on fish pastry and fish soup... At the end of the night, a coworker of Ryan's told him that after seeing him spend the evening with Ivo, she has decided she wants to have kids!

I don't know how to write that without making the joke that she was propositioning Ryan...who could blame her??? So, ok, there's the joke... Anyway, it wasn't smarmy at all, definitely whiskey-washed, but hearing that takes our breath away...gives us the best feeling chills. Good luck to all those engaged in Ivo-inspired breeding! We do know we got the best one ever!!!!

Ivo's gonna try quinoa!

Half the house is organized. The other half is not without hope, but let's just say, it's in process.

Ivo and Ryan are out for a(nother) walk, leaving me free to rest and read online papers. Neat story from NYTimes about intersex people, neat story in the NYObserver about memoirists, addiction and AA. Feeling great and relaxed and better get dinner going!!!!

Oh yea, quinoa has tons of calcium and all the amino acids a guy could want. Like almost everything great to eat (except ice cream) it's from the Andes. I hope Ivo likes it.

The pics of Ivo reflected were taken at one of my favorite dumpling places this week. The pics outside and with pebbles (dirtiest pebbles in the world) were taken on Soho Street, Taichung on 9/22. Dinosaur Ivo was taken in the morning of 9/22. We ate at Salut Pizza and Ivo ran around like he hadn't spent the whole day at the museum and park! Ivo's been working on his bottom incisors and it's painful - so he's been a little cranky/moody. He really wanted to be happy at the museum - but he just couldn't pull it off!

Ivo on a sunday morning

Ivo and Ryan went down to make coffee before me. This is what I found when I got downstairs, perfect contentment mixed with a bit of self-satisfatction!

Ryan and Ivo are out on the town - giving me time and space to clean, sort - hopefully pare down some stuff. The problem is - obviously, I'm sitting at the computer... THe other problem is that I really need to attack the bedroom while the boys are away but I already started on the living room/toy room... and now I feel overwhelmed in an ocean of half-sorted crap...

I'm tempted to leave the down stairs and go wreak havoc upstairs - then at least we'd have balance!

Vintage Ivo

Time for another edition of Vintage Ivo. These are from my birthday exactly one year ago! This was at fM.

And it's been confirmed that fM is closing... due to "illegal structure" - neighbor complaints. I hear the men's bathroom and a part of the kitchen are illegal... Boo hoo

Ivo and the dogs

These are just a couple of pics of Ivo at Sian and Aj's breakfast shop on Wednesday morning. The grandpa is Sian's dad, "yeye" to Ivo. Ivo was the flower boy at Sian and Aj's wedding back in April.

The little dog is "pu ding go" which means pudding. The big dog is "moixi" - something japanese - i forget what it means... When Ivo saw pu ding go, he said "baby".

Very cute. I'm so happy Ivo's not scared of dogs! I was petrified - not fun.

Ivo and Ryan on a Saturday morning

Today was an early and productive morning. Out of bed at 7am, separated garbage, cleaned fridge, made lentil soup, Ivo n Ryan went to the science museum and ran around like crazy...

We ate lunch at 11. Ivo loved the lentils and chicken salad. Feeding him has become so much easier since he's decided he loves to eat. Last night, we walked to Salut for pizza. Ivo ate a whole slice of double cheese margarita!

Ivo continues to astound

Taichung has several department stores that are Ivo-friendly. This week, we've been to both Sogo and Mitsukoshi. Partially for the kids' play space and tempting consumables but mostly for the a/c.

By mid-September, we are all a bit overwhelmed and overtired of the heat. Sure, it's becoming more pleasant and breezy at night, but one must make it thru the day...

Ivo has taken to some fakery-for attention that's rather amusing. I think he's inspired by Kaia, who is 13 months old and doesn't yet walk, because what he does is flop down on his tummy and mewl. He persists until he receives the "oh poor little guy - are you ok?" bao bao - stroking that everyone loves. He did it almost constantly at FNAC (9th floor French book, cd, dvd, electronics store at Mitsukoshi).

Ivo also kids around by nodding/shaking his head in the opposite direction of what he says... That seems like genius to me. Sometimes he gets a little dizzy and his head sort of bobs in a circular motion. But the whole yes/no-nodding/shaking is wonderful. He also grabs your head to reposition your attention if you're not looking at his book, truck, whatnot... Ivo can and does communicate effectively!

We are half waiting for Kaia and Kevin to come over. Kevin is gonna make Ivo a new bed frame - which we are super excited about... I've seen a few at stores and they're all too low to the ground. We want something so he can be more or less level with our bed - but have his own big boy space. Right now we've got that happening but it's only as big as a baby crib mattress - too small.

And the big news is that the past 2 nights, Ivo fell asleep w/o nursing and didn't wake up til 5 or 6 in the morning for a booby snack!!! So maybe all my whining about tandem nursing is paying off!!!!

Ivo and the ladies

All these pics (all pics on honeybees) are recent unless otherwise noted. Karin got back from the States in early sept. We ran into Sho this past Sunday at Caves and went for ice cream together. We had coffee with Mary at Starbucks on Wednesday. And lucky for us Kaia comes over a couple times a week!

Ivo can say booby!

After a busy morning at the gym and then Sogo's kids' play area and lunch, I was ready for a nap - even if Ivo wasn't. We got home around 3pm, took a quick shower and went upstairs to rest and watch the Iron Giant - a great movie that Ryan and I have mezmorized and can act out scenes from if only someone would ask...

Ivo was jumping around like a lunatic. He's just started working on his verticle leap. I told him that it's time to settle down and watch the movie. He pointed at me and said "want that, booby." It was the first time he's ever said anything but "want that" for nursing. Momentous!

After I got home from work last night, Ivo came running/squealing up to me and then said "booby, booby."

These past two weeks, Ivo has GROWN. His appetite has gone from a sort of take-it-or-leave-it approach to an all-embracing love of food. He's bigger, taller and fatter. His tummy is full and round in a convex way rather than his previous concavity. Also, his hair looks shorter - and not only to me. People at the gym and Heather have asked if Ivo's had a haircut. While I was staring at him last night, the only possible explanation came to me... Ivo's head has grown so much, it's making his hair look shorter!

Ivo gets ready

This was not the first time Ivo has worn the basket as a hat - but it was the most successful. I think he looks so super cute with the backpack on too. He often pretends he's going somewhere, packing a box of toys, waving and bidding us "byyyyye, byyyyye". He seems to like that pretending almost as much as when he really gets to go somewhere. When he hears that he's gonna go for a walk or go to the store, the gym - anywhere - he stops receiving information and starts saying bye to whichever of us he reckons least likely to leave - his reasoning often as simple as who's closest to the door!

Again the pics won't post!!!!!!!


finally got them to post this am!

Ivo at gym 10 Sep

Ivo loves Dylan... They both like to bao bao:)

Ivo can say and do

First - I have tried to load pictures 4x on this post!!!!! It keeps telling me "Done" but the pics don't show up!!!!

Ivo can say or approximate almost anything he wants. This doesn't mean that we always understand him - but often he gives us other clues like pointing or handing us stuff, or trying to pull us up from a seated position.

Last night at dinner, he pointed to his corn on the cob - which was just out of his reach - and said "want my that". He doesn't seem to mind having a limited vocabulary - maybe it's cuz he hears us speaking very limited Chinese! For instance, one of the first things we expected him to say was "booby" for nursing. He still doesn't. He just says "want that" and points. He will tell me when he wants to change sides, either by pointing and another "want that" or by some ch-sound utterance and pointing.

He can make ther sh- sound both initial and final. He can say "fish" and "shoe". Yesterday he was saying "Sho" and "JuJu". It was neat that he understands Ju is the gogo/dog's name. Ivo conflates gogo/dog a little bit - but I think that's cuz I will say both everytime we see a dog - so he ends up saying something like "dodo" - as in the bird.

Also of note, over the past week, Ivo has been eating like a champ! Much more interest and appetite. And it looks like he's gained weight - not just in the height department either. It looks like his double-chin is back! I've mentioned before that he likes Chinese food better than western... that he'll take rice and mushy veg over bread and cheese anyday. Well, while that is still true, over the past week, he's consented to eating some western food. He's eagerly gobbled pasta with tomato sauce, mac n' cheese, corn flakes (enjoying them for about a month), and yesterday ate some of a turkey sandwich. I couldn't get hime excited about pbj - but I hold out hope!

Wires in Taichung Taiwan

I did my complaining in the previous post but here's one more... gee, I wishh I could get the pics where I want them and I wish I could have gotten them to post with the text that explains them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Slightly off

So it's the first week of school. There is a fair amount of uncertainty and palpable sense of transition. Academic schedules - which are always settled much later here in Taiwan than at home - are just being revealed to us - both at Ryan's and my school. Once those are set, we can arrange child care. It's that limbo time where you hope the schedule is good - that both our time-tables mesh nicely allowing Ivo time for Ryan... while also longing for the sense of being settled in - knowing what Monday's like...

My 3 complaints of this transition-y week are as follows...

1. 2 less hours per week of teaching time for me while my prep time has been cut from 4 to 2 hours/week - even though instead of 2 different classes, I now have 3 different classes for which the books haven't been chosen and no curriculum set. I've been told if I want to do them without a book, I can. That's fine, except that's a lot of prep time. I feel a little under valued - and while I'm the only one with a kid/child-care expenses - I get the feeling that my time is worth less/worthless because I have Ryan and so I don't really need money - a point I guess I proved by working a ridiculous 6 hours/week this summer. I cringe at being thought of as more of a dependent than an agent... I'm also a bit paranoid about people thinking me an idiot when I'm pregnant - which my boss doesn't know yet... And part of my paranoia and distrust of people make me suspect that my boss may feel I'm trapped - ie, what am I gonna do for a babysitter if I change jobs...

2. The wires on my block - which have been menacingly dangling for 2 weeks - and may or may not have something to do with the street lights being out... have still not been fixed. Wires are taped to our awning!

3. The car got broken into Tues night or Wed morning - probably under cover of the dead street lights. The cheap cd-payer has been stolen - including the Wilco cd inside. I didn't notice til I was getting ready to go to work (early to talk to boss, see complaint #1). Ivo was sleeping and no one I contacted was available, our 4 immediate neighbors, with whom we are friendly, were all out. I looked up the police phone # online. I could only find the foreign affairs police - but I figured they'll speak English and be able to direct me. That was only half-right. The officer told me I had to go to my local police station to report the break-in. He couldn't tell me where that is or refer me to a phone # where I might be able to find out. He said I should ask my friends to help me. When I said I'm waiting for my friends to call me back - but they're at work right now, he said, I should ask my neighbors. It was 3pm - they weren't home either. I told him I have a sleeping baby and a car full of broken glass. Can't you help me find the police station? He kept repeating that I had to get a friend to help me. Finally I said, "so you can't help me?" to which he responded "no, I don't know where you live and besides, we are the police department." I hung up on him. Also, I was expecting the late afternoon thunder shower to drench the car any minute. I phoned my boss to ask her for advice - she snapped into action by getting a sub for my 4:30 class so I could "take my time."

Oh that was frustrating! I was so angry, too. And unsure what to do. Ryan didn't contact me til after his last class - I'd expected to hear from him on a break... So I ended up calling the mechanic who came right over and took the car to repair the window - police-report-less. But I think it's one of those Taiwan/western differences - police are largely considered fluff around here - not feared like at home. Ryan told our neighbors in the evening and Mr Chen took Ryan over to the li zhang (community leader) to report the event. The li zhang said he'd let the cops know. Everyone is/has been anxious about the street lights...

If I have 1 great thing to be thankful for this week, it's the mechanic. Maybe I should use the plural. They are an older couple. They LOVE Ivo and every time I go see them, we (have to) visit for at least an hour at their neighbors' house. It's a little like going back in time and place. Feels very Chung Hua 10 years ago... tea boxes, endless fruit I've never tried (sundried longyuan in the shells), candy, enormous fish tank, sitting in the first floor storefront/garage area, plastic furniture, plastic flowers, stale cigarette smoke (they don't smoke while we're there), mostly Taiwanese speaking - which I can't understand... Anyway nice nice people and Ivo loves it. They have 2 teenage girls living there - relatives, not their own, 2 mice and a mini dog. Ivo gets to go upstairs and play.

So this week, we've seen the mechanics every day because Monday the car battery was dead and they came right over, swapped it out for a loaner while they refilled my battery. I went to pick it up on Tuesaday and they charged no money! For the repair of the broken window - with tinting - and 2 trips from their place to my house - pick-up and delivery, it was only 1500nt!

Is this necessary?

Oh, man! Thanks a lot Katie Couric and CBS! Way to be a media leader, a role model and an icon! Solid! This has to be good for your daughters.

Maybe this is from p. 2 of the self-esteem for idiots book, "Enhance your appearance by bearing false witness thereby fostering a deep sense of inadequacy in all those around you."

Pics from Huffington Post.

P.S. Both Katie Couric and CBS deny having anything to do with the skinnification - claiming/blaming some "overzealous" flunky at the network, who, a spokesman says, did it him/herself. It seems believable to me. I mean, if you contract a gal to read the news for $15 million/year, you're gonna be pretty relaxed about pr and image-control.

Page One (Ivo)

While Ivo was looking at books with Ryan - I was in that weird mushy health section - looking for stuff about breastfeeding during/throughout pregnancy as well as the possiblility of, what I've come to find out is called, "tandem nursing".

I read the info on a combined 4 pages from 3 different books - including a La Leche league one. Anyway, not much info. Having baby #2 seems to involve joining an entirely different demographic - presumably one with much less disposable cash - cuz all the books focus on the first pregnancy/baby. I actually just want something to read that tells me "yes, yr doing a great job" and "No, yr not enfeebling yr boy"... And maybe some advice on what to eat. No such luck! On the web, I've learned a little more - and if I really need to I can order the book pictured... But it looks a little too encouraging!

I also saw this kooky book about/for idiots. Who knew you need a whole book to tell you that the first step in self-esteem is "Don't Buy Books For Idiots!"