Before
we left for Chicago, we took one more trip to the pool. And then we
came back home -- they closed the pool right after we got
there for a thunderstorm. When we got back, Ivy hid in her closet. She
has such big, bright eyes! Then she used those big, bright eyes to look
for Cheerios. She's always on the move these days, and she headed for
her stroller, where she remembers Brittany often hid a treat. We had to
put some in for her, as she mewled pathetically and flipped the lid
over and over. Do you see her pretty curls?
We
had a good trip to Chicago, and got in and put Ives to bed. When we got
up in the morning, the fun started right away. Grandma Rachel got out
the bubbles before Ivy even got dressed. Then, we went to the beach!
Ivy hated the beach!
She
was glad to see Ana and Brendan (more about them later), and she was
glad to eat sand, but the water was very, very cold for our Texas rose
and she didn't like the fact that it moved. I think she'll like the
beach better next time we go (maybe we'll try gentle Lake Aquabi in
August). She was very tired on the way home, and took a little nap in
her stroller (a re-occurring occurrence). She just had too much fun to
sleep on her regular schedule.
That night, Ana decided she wanted to celebrate her birthday with
pizza and Ivy at Grandma and Grandpa's. Ivy didn't mind a bit -- it was
really nice of Ana to share her birthday with the baby (who isn't much
of a sharer). She really got to play with her cousins that night. Ana
was very sweet with her, and played a big sister role to her tiny
cousin. Brendan was just all sweetness with her. He let her crawl all
over her, poke and prod, and shared all his toys. All three had such
fun with Grandma, playing on her air mattress.
The next day, we went to the zoo. It was much better than the
lake. Ivy saw the monkey, and she LOVED the meerkats. We think Meerkat Manor will be a birthday gift in the (not-too-soon) future.
Ana and Brendan were there, and we saw the polar bear with them, as well as the monkeys and the lions. We bought Ivy some little animaux for her birthday, and she didn't suspect a thing.
We
did so much else in Chicago. Brendan, Ana, and Heather took Ivy to
their favorite pool. It's a walk-in pool like ours in College Station,
but it was 3X the size and 2X as crowded. Ivy of course enjoyed
herself, and splashed and laughed with the kids.
Ivy, Josh, and I walked through downtown Evanston, and it was great to be in a city again. We
went to Thee Fish Bowl, one of Josh and my old haunts with our darling
baby, and she had a ball seeing the bunnies and fish and kitties and
especially the puppies. There is an open puppy pen, and Ivy laughed and
lunged, though whenever the puppies jumped up to lick her tiny fingers
she'd bury her face in my neck, a little bit frightened. She played
around Grandma and Grandpa's house (here she is hiding under the dining
room table).
We got to go out to dinner for both Indian and Ethiopian with John and Rachel. it's no real
surprise to hear that Ivy LOVED both cuisines. She's such a big, good
girl. At the Indian place she had poppadom, tandori chicken, and pakora
(her new favorite). At the Ethiopian restaurant, she mimicked her
father and just said "more injera, please." She ate nearly a whole
piece by herself.
After
such a big trip, it's no surprise that she sacked out on the plane on
the way home. I love to sleep with my baby girl, and plane rides (where
we have to share a seat) are about my only chances anymore.
During our layover in Houston, she had a fun time crawling and cruising around the airport, and tried to use the phone at the check-in desk. Her parents got in a little trouble for that. Even though her daddy swears that we'll never travel again (if you want to see the baby, you have to come to us, he insists), we had our second amazing trip of the summer. And just like when we went to France, Ivy saw so much and thought so much and had so much made of her that she's a new, brave, smart, strong little baby.
That night, Ana decided she wanted to celebrate her birthday with
pizza and Ivy at Grandma and Grandpa's. Ivy didn't mind a bit -- it was
really nice of Ana to share her birthday with the baby (who isn't much
of a sharer). She really got to play with her cousins that night. Ana
was very sweet with her, and played a big sister role to her tiny
cousin. Brendan was just all sweetness with her. He let her crawl all
over her, poke and prod, and shared all his toys. All three had such
fun with Grandma, playing on her air mattress.
The next day, we went to the zoo. It was much better than the
lake. Ivy saw the monkey, and she LOVED the meerkats. We think Meerkat Manor will be a birthday gift in the (not-too-soon) future.Ana and Brendan were there, and we saw the polar bear with them, as well as the monkeys and the lions. We bought Ivy some little animaux for her birthday, and she didn't suspect a thing.
We
did so much else in Chicago. Brendan, Ana, and Heather took Ivy to
their favorite pool. It's a walk-in pool like ours in College Station,
but it was 3X the size and 2X as crowded. Ivy of course enjoyed
herself, and splashed and laughed with the kids.Ivy, Josh, and I walked through downtown Evanston, and it was great to be in a city again. We
went to Thee Fish Bowl, one of Josh and my old haunts with our darling
baby, and she had a ball seeing the bunnies and fish and kitties and
especially the puppies. There is an open puppy pen, and Ivy laughed and
lunged, though whenever the puppies jumped up to lick her tiny fingers
she'd bury her face in my neck, a little bit frightened. She played
around Grandma and Grandpa's house (here she is hiding under the dining
room table).We got to go out to dinner for both Indian and Ethiopian with John and Rachel. it's no real
surprise to hear that Ivy LOVED both cuisines. She's such a big, good
girl. At the Indian place she had poppadom, tandori chicken, and pakora
(her new favorite). At the Ethiopian restaurant, she mimicked her
father and just said "more injera, please." She ate nearly a whole
piece by herself.
After
such a big trip, it's no surprise that she sacked out on the plane on
the way home. I love to sleep with my baby girl, and plane rides (where
we have to share a seat) are about my only chances anymore.
During our layover in Houston, she had a fun time crawling and cruising around the airport, and tried to use the phone at the check-in desk. Her parents got in a little trouble for that. Even though her daddy swears that we'll never travel again (if you want to see the baby, you have to come to us, he insists), we had our second amazing trip of the summer. And just like when we went to France, Ivy saw so much and thought so much and had so much made of her that she's a new, brave, smart, strong little baby.
There's no place like home!
