Bad Blogger

This is my new favorite picture of Ivy. She is more beautiful than any statue!

I'll understand if you've all given up on me. I never think things can get busier than they were the term before, but they always do. I'm not sure how having more childcare means I have less time for work as well as for my baby.






We have had some fun, though.
We went to Austin a few weeks ago and had a great time.
Ivy enjoyed the museum. She wanted to touch all the paintings. I wanted to take a picture of her and daddy as madonna and child. It's clear to see who is the best baby here!









At the restaurant she ate ridiculous amounts of food and changed into her jammy shirt in the bathroom.

At home, Ivy runs around the house all day every day.

Josh has taught her the difference between open and closed so that she can practice with our doors. She loves to pull all my sweaters off my shelves and jump on them. I love to look at her little legs popping out of her shorts. She has the fattest little hobbit legs, and she is insanely, plumply kissable.

She looks like such a big girl to us these days!

Ivy smiles a little less than she used to. She has more facial expressions, and she's finally keeping her mouth closed some. She's just as happy, but she's also a little more thoughtful. I think that she must be thinking about all the new words she is learning but not using.




I would be so glad if she learned more real words, but at least she knows the most important one: Num. It means yummy, I'm hungry, more food, this is good, I'm a happy baby. It's generally food related but also just a fun noise to make. Someday she'll talk for real.









Until then, she'll just num her way through nectarines. She's our little vampire fruit bat!


Ivy is really enjoying her new nanny, Jenna. The two of them sing and play together. Jenna is teaching her sign language (sort of). Ivy seems to like her at least as well as Brittany. She smiles and smiles at her every morning when she comes, and sometimes fusses when Jenna leaves. Brittany was back to babysit for Ivy a few weeks ago. I got one of Brittany's pictures out before she came, and Ivy kissed it.







Ivy is enjoying Kindermusik very much.She especially likes the first song, where we greet everyone by name and their favorite dance move. We dip Ivy or throw her in the air. Last week, I pretended to drop her and she cackled in glee.
















The best part of Kindermusik is that we made new friends.








Ivy and a little girl named Claire enjoyed taking shoes out of the basket while Josh enjoyed talking to Claire's mom. They came for dinner on Saturday night. Claire is only six weeks older than Ivy, but otherwise they could be sisters. They played in the playhut, chased each other through the house, checked out the bathroom, and played piano together.

Claire tried on Grandma Ruth's sparkliest earrings.

Ivy is learning how to dress herself (she's pretty good at it). She helps us put on her lotion -- her daddy puts some on her finger and she pats it onto her tummy. We brush her teeth in the morning and evening (she has her own toothbrush, in an Ivy size). She drinks out of a straw cup. She is just too grown-up! We hope she's pretty grown-up, because she's starting daycare in January. We got her a spot at the Southwood Learning Center on Wednesday. It's a Montessori daycare that has a very good reputation, and is focused on diversity. We have friends with their kids there, and hope we've made a good choice.






Jenna found Ivy a turtle. We set it free in our backyard and hope to find it again soon. She was both fascinated and afraid to see him move in his box, but got much braver with her daddy beside her. Then she tried to step on him!