Sometimes
it's hard to believe how big our girl is. I bought this pretty dress
with Mommy in December, when it seemed like she'd never grow into it.
And last year at about this time I was just interviewing at TAMU, and
our tiny girl was really tiny and in my tummy.
Ivy
was such a Susannah this week -- that's what Josh calls her when she is
looking especially feminine. She was very pretty every single day. Even
when she's being a crazy kitten, giggling and making faces at us, she
was pretty (though not always ladylike).
We
had some very warm days -- over 80 and humid -- and so we had our
ceiling fans on. Ivy likes to watch them whir overhead. The weather is
great, and it makes me feel better about being here, so far from our
friends and what still feels like our real life. But it's fun to come
home from school, bring Ivy into the bedroom, and watch her watch the
fan as we change into shorts.
Josh and I have both been working
on our classes, and going to lots of meetings. Both our departments are
hiring this term, and so we've had job talks and job lunches to go to.
This week, we're relying on Brittany to take care of Ivy more than
usual. She'll stay late on
Wednesday, and then on Thursday she'll come back and give Ivy her
dinner and put her to bed (!) while Josh and I go to a fancy dinner
with a Broadway director and then to his presentation, which I'm
moderating. Here, Ivy is looking for Grammy on the phone. I hope she
won't have to call on Thursday night!
Last
weekend, we went to Wal-Mart -- I know, but I wanted to see what all
the hype was about. The grocery section seemed great at first --
strawberries and pineapple were cheaper than at HEB. But when I got
home, they weren't any good, and neither was the salad. I knew Wal-Mart
was evil! We'll never go back, and I'll never be seduced again. We did
get some cool bubbles (we'll use them with Leo and his moms, I bet),
and Ivy got these bitchin' sunglasses (isn't she pretty in this preppy
jumper? yes, those are pink flamingos, so call her Muffy).
She
continues to be a good eater. When we went to Valerie and Eric's last
Saturday, she tried cheese. We've successfully introduced dairy! She's
been eating cheese with us this week, and her new breakfast is fresh
fruit, yogurt, and wholegrain cereal mixed together. It's delicious --
I like it nearly as much as she does, especially with peaches. She's
going to have an egg yolk tomorrow, and start having lunch this week. I
think she needs a little more food, so she can grow big and tall and
strong.
Ivy
is already strong in so many ways. She stands up all the time, and
really loves to grab the furniture. She pulls herself up with just our
fingertips. I wish we had something else for her to practice on, but
the only thing that seems sturdy enough is her crib, and I don't want
to teach her to stand up in that. She's getting better at rolling over.
I am anxious to go to the doctor this week and see if she's horribly
behind in her physical development.
