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.

Burl & Ivo at the Science Museum




Ivo, Burl and I went to the science museum Thursday afternoon. We had a super fun morning cuz Heather and D-man came over. Then we did a little shopping at RT Mart.





There were about 3 huge classes of high school kids. They all were from outside Taichung City and yet, to a student, they each had digital cameras. Several times we got followed and encircled, trapped. The kids were polite but swarmy. Luckily, Ivo was in a good mood. When people ask if they can take pictures, usually I say, it's ok with me but ask Ivo. People can take pics, but so often, they want a proper pose - and Ivo doesn't really do that - and I certainly don't make him sit still for the camera - even if i could! Lots of out-of-towners at the museum Thursday. By "out-of-towners" I mean people who are even less accustomed to foreigners and generally less, umm, cosmopolitan, worldly...





Anyway, we decided to get out of the main attraction areas of the museum, as we were (quickly), making our way through the throngs, Ivo happily said, "Allbody like me!" Yay - so cute. So true!





These pics are from the B1 level - which is our current favorite place in the museum.

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!"

Burl is 7 Months Old!!!

That's right! And cuz of computer difficulties, I didn't post yesterday. Burl had a great month-a-versary... He and Ivo went to school - later than usual cuz of Burl's poor little teething mouth...

Burl weighs 8.8kg. He can pull himself up to a bent-at-the-waist standing postition. He can pivot 360 on his bum. He is getting 2 more lower teeth. He giggles, gaffaws, babbles back and forth... He now moves his feet as to walk when we hold him in a standing position.

These pics are from yesterday, Friday 28 Sept

Ivo Loves Boots

























On my bday, I went to a rock show, naturally I wore my boots. Ivo hadn't seen them since winter/Burl's birth/puffy Mama... So, the next day, he wanted to wear them. At first he needed help getting into them (not so much putting them on) but now he can kind of lower himself into them on his own. He can't bend his knees while wearing them, so walking is difficult. Also, boots always look best with a cowboy hat.

Ivo & Burl Birthday Brownies

These pics are Ivo and Burl helping make brownies for my birthday last Saturday. This was the first time I wasn't freaked out about raw egg = salmonella, I was pretty relaxed and Ivo got to lick the wooden spoon after he poured the ingredients together, cracked and added the eggs and stirred!

The Absolute Best Household Appliance & Physics Lesson



















Ivo loves to vacuum. This weekend he figured out a little bit of physics!

Ivo got a yellow and black Transformer car/robot. By himself, he calls it "my honeybee car."

If Ivo is awake before Papa-and can wait til Papa wakes by himself - Ivo says, "Morning Papa! It nice to see you."

Today Ivo asked to go to Baby World. When we got there his teacher came out to help the boys and their gear get into school, Ivo said "Hi, Teacher!" It was so cute. Ivo says "Bye Mama" really well and it makes me happy and sad. It makes me proud of him -and I tell him I'm proud of him a lot. Ivo tells me, Ryan and Burl "I so pwoud of you." Ivo's teacher wrote that Ivo is now able to "studing" with his class. When they sit, he sits. When they do work, he does too:)

Last night, Ivo woke around midnight saying "Owww!" His teeth were hurting him. Burl woke soon after - he had been quite squirmy, coughing a little and a bit congested. Burl had a big poop at about 1am and then another shortly after he got a new diaper! We all got back to sleep by 2ish.

Ivo Made This!!!!

Ivo brought this home from school on Friday. It's a moon-man!!! I almost cried - and still do when I see it. How COOL!!!

Burl-Hopping























This is how Burl rolls. He can get halfway across the livingroom like this. Naturally, momentum sometimes propels him forward onto his little face. This past week he's become able to push himself up, climb onto a reclining parent... strong arms.

Not terribly interested in crawling.

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

George W. Bush's Thug Nation

How George Bush became the new Saddam: Its strategies shattered, a desperate Washington is reaching out to the late dictator's henchmen.

Ivo's First Ride on aMerry-Go-Round!!!!

In the video, I am saying Ferris Wheel, this is WRONG. Last night on the phone my mom said it seems like for every word yr kid learns, you lose one. I'm afraid that may be true!

Oh What A Weekend We Are Having!!!

Wow! SO MUCH FUN! And it's only half over... We don't have to go to school til Wednesday!

Yesterday/Saturday - my birthday, Ivo and I went to CF to do some shopping. It was nice and special for us to get to do something together, just us. Karin came for a visit - and brought several framed 5x7's and a wooden dancing giraffe for Ivo. It was a little rainy and we mostly stayed in - allbody playing together.

I got to go to a rock show - .22 at Grooveyard, one of my favorite bands - and definitely my favorite band in Taiwan. Patrick comp'd me drinks and .22 sang me happy birthday and gave me a new cd. Many many of my favorite peeps were there too.

Today/Sunday we played and went to Tiger City for a late lunch. Then I went for a massage with Mary.

Yay!

More details soon. Happy Moon/Mid-Autumn Festival!