Lots Happening

























And so many pictures to go through, red-eye-reduce, crop and otherwise edit... But worth it - it will be.





A little Ivo Overheard:


(Listening to me read 5 language Baby Einstein book to Burl) "What you talking about? You talking English?"





Recently Ivo's DIY ethos has spawned an evil ballistic obsession on impossibilities/infinities - from which there is no distracting him. So, say a guy needs help excavating dinosaur bones on PBSkids and say the help you give involves, essentially, taking a turn as you figure it out. A turn that cannot be undone or redone. Well, a guy might go nuts - screaming, yelling, whimpering, whining - in turns - "I want to move dat bone." No, he doesn't want to start the game over or move any of the other 10 bones or finish the game and move to the next level. He only wants to move the bone that cannot be accessed anymore. He can't be reasoned with. He will listen while I explain and then look me in the eye, repeating, "I want to move dat bone."


Similarly, should he decide that a common bowl of chips or platter of toast would be better as his alone, too late we hear, "No! Don't eat dat! I need eat dat chip!" You know, the chip is gone - there's no satisfactory bringing it back - so then Ivo repeats, "I need eat dat chip!" over and over and over... And I swear to jebus, it is so awful that if either Ryan or I knew in advance what/when Ivo was gonna fixate on something, we'd never consider eating it. Even if it was the only food in the house. It's that awful.
























But, you can't wholey avoid these meltdowns, I guess that's part of the game. Ivo is usually so articulate and pretty patient for a 2-yr-9-monther... it makes these unholy tantrums incomprehesible. The misery is soooo unreasonable, unneccesary and seemingly Ivo's choice - or, at least initially, under his control. It makes him much more miserable than us. While finding these extended outbursts excrutiating and insufferable, they don't make us cry... Poor, crazy, sweet, wonderful Ivo Lawrence.

On a much BRIGHTER note, Ivo and I have started dueting the batman theme song. Usually I sing "da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da" point at Ivo and he says either "BATMAN!" or "SPIDERMAN!" Occassionally Ivo sings the intro and points at me to say the superhero. Very funny.


Pics from the Science Museum on Sunday, 30 Sept.

Watch Dis Papa!... EEch!

Ivo and Ryan's new game. Just sitting around, one of them says to the other: "Watch this, Ivo," makes a crazy, tongue-sticking-out face, and a gutteral "eh" kind of noise. Then they laugh like loons.

Funny.

These are pics of Ivo doing that. With panache. He added spin. "Watch me... I do it backwards..." "I turn around..."

Ivo overheard: "Dat hiLARious!" "I hiLARious!"

STILL NO TITLES HERE AT BLOGGER!!!!



I don't like it. oh well.






















We have had such a great 4 day Moon/Mid-Autumn Festival - birthday weekend - Wow!



Yesterday we went to Caves, lunch and Karin's to see Joe Cash, his parents and Randy and Ariel. Fun. HOT. Joe is BIG and bigly CUTE.



Today Kevin and Kaia came over for a visit and Ryan cooked dinner for all of us - YUM!



Ivo Overheard:

• (Upon recognizing/seeing anything exciting, including the garbage truck) I found it!!!!


• (Upon any real or perceived inconvenience) OH MAAAN!


• (In reaction to my comment that "something stinks, smells like rotten food") No! Smell like Ivo. I a skunk. I not a skunk.


• (elaborating his no-water-i-live-in-the-tropics policy) I CAN'T like water!

Ivo Talking on the Phone

Ivo's game version 1.0:


You de cow! You the penguin!
(No,)* You de penguin! You the car!
You de car! You the car!
You de truck! You the bicycle!


Ivo's game version 2.0:

You SUCH a BITCH!** You no such a bitch. I no say such a bitch.
You such a BOOOO! You're such a BOOOO!
You such a BABY! You're such a BABY!
You such a building! You're such a Papa!
You such a cookie! You're such a doctor!
No! Don't SAY dat!

Game Over

*No is optional - from both parties

**Still caught in the powerful wake of Family Guy, Ivo knows he's not supposed to say "such a bitch" but sometimes, I guess, he can't halp himself. He always immediately corrects himself.

Where Papa? I will call him again.

It's been a big day. People are TIRED. People are nursing. People are watching Superman.

Ivo, Burl and I went to see Alison and Tessa today. We played in the park, practiced pedaling, drank tea and then went up to Alison's house. Alison got Ivo a 2-tiered pin-wheel, which he's calling a windmill. Nice. Nice breeze today. Still HOT.

We got home around 4. While we were out Ryan handled repairmen, the leak and the light that's pulling the wires out of the wall. Yay! We are all fixed up.

Ivo had a bath and his semi-regular-bi-weekly hair wash. There were SCEEEEEAAAAMS. Nights before Ivo goes to school, I sometimes wonder how we might appear to other people. Ivo hates hair washing and we hate making him scream. We are illiterate foreigners who eat weird food, smell funny and send breast milk (ick!) to school. I don't really care what anyone thinks as long as social services isn't brought into the picture. That is seriously unlikely here... and mostly Ivo's hair washes and baths occur the night before school (formerly the baby sitter) because it's a good time marker, "What! It's been a week???" But I do want to call as little negative attention as possible to us. I'm sure everyone does this to some extent, like straightening up before the maid arrives or flossing before a dentist checkup. Last week, I forgot the kids' communication books and Karin said, "Oh, you're that family." So now I'm all focused on this... this whatever it is, this fear that discernable slip ups are obvious signs of real trouble, the tip of a massive ice berg, and I'm ruining my babies.

It's ok now. When naked, wet Ivo came up to bed, he haltingly said "I sad." He's happy now, holding his superman doll, watching superman, occasionally singing da dada daaa! He just called Ryan on my cell phone, ostensibly to ask Papa to bring him his pinwheel/windmill, impressively he made lengthy appropriate nicenice small talk, hung up well and then commenced to push all sorts of buttons. Earlier this evening, he'd dialed Dale, telling me - and fully believing - he was calling Papa. So I asked him to please give me my phone, he said "Okaaay, just a miiinute" while still pushing buttons. A few moments later he handed it to me screen side up, saying "Der you go. All zeroes." The entire screeen was filled with zeroes. Keee-yute!

There's been a sea change: He's in Grammie Gail's room decompressing (cuz of yelling and orneriness), Ryan went in to check on him, "get out a he-re!" And he's back, "I no angwy anymore. I no fwustwated."

And he drank a good amount of water. Yay!

Ivo-Man

I LOVE that Ivo wants to wear his cape all over the place. You gotta respect a guy like that. In these pics Ivo maintains that he's Robin and "dis is my yellow cape."

These pics are from yesterday at D-man's new house. "H for Heather." has been in Ivo's repertoire for months - but Ivo's taken a renewed interest in letters. He's got a set (we got one for Kaia too - come see us Kaia!!!!) on the chalkboard that Kaiababa made him. He spends 20 minutes at a time arranging them and saying which letter is which and, to the best of his knowledge, words that they begin. B for Burl, R for Ryan, S for Sandy, I for Ivo, V for Ivo... He can recognize his name on tags on his school stuff and even when he sees I's elsewhere. Superfun.

Ivo makes accurate analogies and has an excellent memory. Yesterday when we left D-man's he was sad, I asked if he wanted to go to Finga's and he started talking about the one-eyed shark they've got! He hasn't been there for months. I can't think of analogies right now but will write them down next time I hear one.

Today was Ivo and Burl's 6th day of school, the second day that Ivo didn't cry and actually said he wanted to go. It goes like this: he tells us/me I no will go a school today then I remind him that D-man will be there and he tells me I wanna go to Baby World. Ivo hasn't told us much more about what goes down at school but he's willing to talk about it- he doesn't run out of the room when asked about it anymore - and he seems to like it. Ryan says he's happy when/to be picked up.

He My Friend

While trying to position himself on the friendly frog's lap, Ivo's feet kept getting caught, causing Ivo to comment, "Dis impossible."

Things are good but we are soooo tired. Well, I am. Ivo's fighting sleep.

Yesterday Ivo cried about going to school. We'd spent the morning at C-4 playing with D-man. Ididn't knowwhat to do after I dropped the boys off - there were a couple hours before I had to be at school. I was rubbing my neck and thinking about going to my school and lying flat on the floor and other ways to relieve my aching back, when it occurred to me that I should go get a massage. Yay for Taiwan and no appointment necessary, affordable massages and all manner of body work! I felt all loopy, giddy, endorphined-up after. It was great.

Today Burl, Ivo and I went to the science museum and botanical garden. Fun. Yesterday and today both boys have been into musical instruments! More fun!

Ivo overheard:

It just me. It just me, Ivo Lawrence. Don't worry.

and I no scare you.

Ivo at School

So Ivo doesn't like the idea of going to school but, thankfully, he seems to like actually being at school. He gives positive, though sketchy, reports and his communication book, written by the teacher, says he "coordinates" with classmates and with teachers, that he eats snack and his mood is "happily attend."

Yesterday, he really didn't want to go. It was only his 3rd day and the first that we hadn't gone somewhere else first...but he was in an excellent mood when Ryan picked him up. He was all-around happy. Happy to have been there and happy to see Papa.

Last night in bed I asked Ivo about the teacher having changed his pants. Ivo said "yea, that teacher like me so much - that teacher love me." That's all I need to know. I was curious about the why (my guess is cuz they were too big) and how Ivo handled it. From how Ivo characterizes the situation, I'm gonna assume all's well.

More Dora and Boots: Dora is Boots' best friend. Who is Doras' best friend? Boots. Who is Ivo's bf? (pause) Papa. Who is Papa's bf? Ivo. Who is Mama's bf? Burl. Aside from the initial pause, these questions were no-brainers for Ivo.

I think some part of Ivo's not sharing info about school is due to language (school is totally Chinese and Taiwanese). He answers questions with yes and no but without elaboration (excepting the pants episode). Ivo tried to tell me something about school but I couldn't understand and asked him to say again. I think it made him self conscious and he realized he didn't know the word... Something like that. Ivo will use words, having only ever heard them once regardless of never having practiced pronouncing them. Usually when I don't understand, he'll repeat and if still unintelligible, he'll try other words to explain. I think when he tried tried to repeat, he couldn't access that word again and it threw him.

Burl loves to have light finger walking tickles, laughing, talking (still)and looking at himself doing all of these thing in the mirror.

Ivo loves shadows.

Today we went to the park to work on Ivo's bike-pedaling.

Getting Ready for School on Friday

I casually mentioned something about LATER when we go to school, Ivo said, I no will go a school. No. I stay home - talk a you.

Which reminds me how "a" is the catch-all preposition: talk a you, reach a sky...

While eating his peanut-butter bagel Ivo said, "I so fast! Like Clark Kent fast." Ivo's been saying a lot of maybes lately. "Maybe he Buzz Lightyear." "Maybe it a plane." "Maybe a monster." "Maybe it a ambulance.'

Today I'm wearing a skirt and Ivo said, "Ah! You wearing girl clothes!" I said yep, I'm wearing a skirt. He looked at his Surf's Up Rooster which has a coconut shell bikini and said, "He wearing boobies."

Yesterday at Carre Four - we went to play and shop - Ivo bought a Boots doll. Boots is a monkey and Dora the Explorer's best friend. This Boots doll was something I was gonna try to lose by the time we hit the check out counter. But it was IMPOSSIBLE. Ivo carried it the whole time. Usually he'll ask me to hold something or just put it in the cart by himself. Anyway, Ivo really LOVES this Boots doll and has watched Dora a couple times since we got home yesterday. Which reminds me to say that Ivo will be Boots, Benny, Swiper - any of the male characters - but will never be Dora, even though he loves her. Ivo assigns me Dora. I can be boys - sometimes concessions are made; "You girl Buzz Lightyear." But Ivo will never assign or accept himself as a girl charachter or a boy-girl charachter.

Also Ivo sings all the Dora songs.

I just told Ivo that we're gonna go in ten minutes. He said, "Where we going?" I told him school and he got sad, flirted with crying. He said, "I want go Toy Store(y)... Poor guy. "I want see Papa..."

The Ivo Genius

Yesterday morning, while getting ready for the day, as he often does, Ivo asked What we doing today? I told him we're going to the art museum, then *bucks, then school. Ivo said, Nope. No. My school closed. My school is closed today. Pause. You school closed too. Ryan asked if his school was closed as well. Ivo thought for a second and said Yeah, you school closed. We all together. We all family.

1st Day of School

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Good Day. Happy Sad Day. Like a Belle & Sebastian song...

So just roughly - cuz all we've got is rough; Ivo's playing his hand close to his vest - Burl's slightly more forthcoming.

Burl cried a lot. When Ryan picked them up, he was doing that tear-free baby breath-catching-breathing that bespeaks hours of cry. Boo hoo. But Burl recovered quickly at home - and except for being TIRED, he was his regular self.

Ivo. When Ryan picked them up, Ivo ran over. Someone asked him who that is and Ivo said "Baba. Bao bao Baba!" When Ryan got there, Ivo was sitting with some kids and a teacher. Ryan asked Ivo if he'd had fun and Ivo said yes. Ryan asked him if he wanted to go again and Ivo said NOPE.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The boys and I are in bed watching Curious George. Ivo just said, "AGH!" startling Burl. I asked him what's the matter and he said "My teeth hurt." medicine? "NO!"



This morning when we were getting ready to go, I opened the fridge to get the milk I'd pumped and a bottle of Worcestershire Sauce crashed and broke. While cleaning up the mess, I contaminated one bottle of milk. So I had to send formula in case Burl needed more. While I was cleaning, Ivo kept asking me what I was doing and after a few times, I asked him What he was talking about - I'm cleaning up the broken glass. Ivo then started asking me, "What are you talking about?" He also says "What you meeean?"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OMG! Ivo just said, "George is going away. It Ted fault!" Wow! Ryan and I just told him how Ted was frustrated and wishes he hadn't yelled at George and that he loves George and is going to go get/save him. Ivo says, "It all Ted fault. It just a mistake."

"George is going on the rocket soon.

Ivo Overheard

• "That true. That true, Mom."



• (while playing an online Caillou dinosaur-bone-excavation game) "Maybe dat the bone." I bet you're right. "I Ivo Lawrence."



• (usually after a tough/bad-mood time.) "I happy now."



• "Pink-a-Boo"



• "I will ___________." "I need__________." (Never I want______.)



• "Burl Lawrence, Papa Lawrence, Mama Lawrence."
  


• "I frustrated." /fwaus-to-waited/


• (arms up, skipping) "Woo-hoo!"


• "Kick-ass!"


• "Rock and Roll!" /wock and woll/



• "I kiss you a big kiss."



• (while waving) "I hi-ing you."



• "I not Dude."


• "I not Spider-Pig! Name: Mr. Incredible!"



• "You be happy?!" (Both scoldingly and encouragingly)



• "No, no like dat. No singing like dat."



• (to a whispering parent) "You talk louder?"



• (in the bath) "I moving the water. I living on the boat."



• (to Papa) " You shave the beard?" "You get the haircut?"



• (when asked if he wants a haircut) "Yep. I grow bigger. My hair orange."



• lots and lots of "I love you" "I need bao bao"



• (on being turned down for booby) "I will have booby? I no will have booby - just bao bao." (sometimes he can be overheard muttering this to himself, I guess to help the idea really sink in)



• (on trying to persuade us to take him the McD's) "I will go e-i-o. Have bathroom. Change my diaper. Eat ice cream."

He is growing so much and working so hard. Right now he is super into superman. He insists on wearing his cape and boots on any outing. Sometimes people in the neighborhood call him Superman - in English and Chinese. Usually Ivo likes this but sometimes, while in full get-up, he's being someone else (Gingerbread Man, lately...strange) and gets angry when people call him superman.

Recently Ivo's discovered how to spit. He's long imitated spitting in the post-tooth-brushing way - but nothing has ever come out. Now he's doing all sorts of lip contortions, producing lots of spit. It's cute but unpleasant. He is having an almost impossible time remembering not to spit at all of us, including Burl. Also Ivo's been a little more brazen and experimental in his attacks on Burl. We're keeping our cool about it (mostly). I don't wanna enumerate the ways right now - let's just say all limbs, heads and hand-held objects are at play.