Howdy, Little Ma'am!

We are all in Texas! It's so good to have our family reunited, and to start feeling like we're at home with each other. It's been a big two weeks, with lots of changes in Ivy. She's such a good girl, and all the Texans we've met have been charmed by her sweetness.

I didn't do a very good job of chronicling events with the camera, so the pictures and text don't always match (and I have two weeks to report on -- bad Mommy). I'll try to do better next week, but for now, read the story and look at the pictures and try to imagine what isn't here.




Ivy and I got here on Monday, 17 December. Josh spent the morning with the movers, and when Ivy and I arrived (about an hour behind schedule), they were gone and all of our stuff was piled around. Josh gave me a tour of the house, and it was as big as I remembered, though the carpet was more stained and the blue formica was more awful.


We started in the nursery, and got Ivy into bed and then worked on the kitchen. Her sleeping was great that first night -- Daddy has the magic touch -- but then she went right back to sleeping less than 6 hours. For the last two nights, we've been able to put her to bed by 9, and she's slept until 6, so we're hoping she's back on track. Josh is looking forward to Kitty Raymondizing her (it's time for the little minx to get her own back, he cackles), but I don't know how I'll bear it. The house is so big that I think I'll just sleep in our WALK-IN CLOSET and not hear the howls.

My parents arrived the next evening, and we all went to work. Daddy put things together, including the gas dryer hook-up, and I was glad to sleep on clean sheets again. After working in the house, he tackled the lawn. I helped a tiny bit, and we've got nearly 2/3s of the forest cleared. It looks so much better already; I've got a place for a vegetable garden; and I hope we've scared off the snakes (the two we saw were tiny and intimidated). I'm no longer worried about Ivy in her own backyard. Mommy dusted and cooked and fretted over the piano installation and enjoyed playing with Ivy. The best thing about my mom? She would rather change Ivy's diapers than do just about anything else -- even the stinky ones. And the best thing about Ivy? She is so happy and strong and pretty and funny that she's easy for anyone to love and a joy for anyone to take care of.

We had Christmas on Christmas eve with my parents, and then took them to the airport so they could spend 2 weeks in France with Heidi and Clark, eating great food and working on the barn. They're getting things ready for Ives in June! Josh tried to put Ivy on top of the tree because she's our Christmas angel. Nearly all the presents under the tree are for her, and nearly all of them were books. We did get a rocking moose from Leo and his moms, and more books from Sophie and her parents. Grammy got Ivy an elephant charm, and got us a really fancy set of knives. Josh and I splurged this year (on the house, the furniture for the house, the new floors and blinds for the house...) and got wedding rings. We exchanged those on Christmas morning.

We are very sorry not to see Grandma and Grandpa Heuman this holiday. Get better soon, and come and see us! Ivy misses you!

Also on Christmas morning, Ivy tried rice cereal. At first, she didn't quite know what to do with it. She'd put it in her mouth and then screw up her little face as it dribbled down her chin. But by the next day, she was lunging for the spoon.




And then she tried carrots -- even better. And then she tried pears. They are the best! The poor pathetic and deprived baby mewled a little as we switched from the pear bowl to the cereal bowl. I think that after she puts her time in with pears, she's going to avocado and green beans before getting anything else sweet. And, we need more colors for more fun -- maybe after her vegetable reward I'll let her have a pear and wild blueberry combo, and then perhaps beets!

I have been so worried about Ivy's inability to roll over. Despite her early promise (check out week seven), she hasn't done it again. We've been giving her naked tummy time after her bath, and last night, with the encouragement of Beatrix, her bunny, and some strategic placement of her arms, she finally did it. Three times! Of course, this morning she couldn't repeat the trick, but I'm hopeful she'll be able to do it again when I haven't tired her out with sit-ups and sitting practice.

Her mind is certainly growing. Auntie Heidi got her an exer-saucer/crackhouse for Christmas. (She's leaning against the box here -- I'll be sure to get a photo or even a movie for next week.) She loves it in small doses -- after about ten minutes she kind of melts down from over-stimulation. As we were setting it up Christmas night, she was practically dancing in anticipation. We put her in, and pressed the button to make the cow "moo." Ivy looked at it, looked at us, and pressed it on her own. It was amazing! And, she's back in love with M. Seahorse, trying to make him sing for her. It's really incredible to see her figure out how to make her world work. What a clever, clever baby she is!


She still loves us the most, however, and is just such a Sunny D. She talks to us, and smiles and smiles, and makes raspberries (not while eating, yet), and reads her books, and plays with her bunny, and enjoys flying and rides with her daddy. We got the best baby ever -- last Christmas, when we saw her for the first time, we had no idea how magical she would be.

More, more, more! Ivy likes it, Ivy likes it!