Another year has passed and our Ivy girl has completed her second year in this world. I haven't been great at documenting this past year and I honestly can't remember the last time she had an update... Poor girl is a middle child through and through! Not really, though. I may not document her life the way I would like to, but I could NEVER forget this kid even for a minute. She wouldn't let me! Ivy is our crazy DRAMATIC rambunctious MANIACAL goofy girl. She has developed so much personality this past year and it floods our home with laughter and tears on a very regular basis.
I know you should never compare your children, but I just can't help but wonder at the amazing differences between my daughters. Lilia is thoughtful and gentle and social. Ivy is wild and energetic and sooooo so curious. She wants to study the bugs on the sidewalk and poke them. She collects rocks and I find them all over the house.
She wants to run headlong into the street or the woods or your arms. If she wants to do something she does it all the way. If she doesn't want to do something - good luck trying to change her mind!
She LOVES her older sister... most of the time. She copies her every move. It is adorable to watch them play together. Ivy is pretty good to take on the roles that Lilia gives her, (sick patient, baby, student, puppy, etc) but she can also hold her own with big sis. Ivy likes to tackle Lilia and climb all over her. She is feisty and quick and I sometimes feel a little bad for Lilia, when the Ivy tornado is on the loose!
She had swim lessons this summer and she was great. While she didn't absolutely love getting her face wet, it didn't bother her the way it did most of the kids in the class. She would take off into the water until it swallowed her up and I had to scoop her out! You would think tumbling under would frighten a toddler, but obviously not or not enough, because she would just do it all over again. Not content to sit and float with the other kids, she wanted to be on the move. That is pretty much Ivy. She doesn't want to stop and smell the roses. She wants to go and go and go.
She has a wonderful laugh. It's both hilarious and a little maniacal. It's totally infectious. I think she should voice a villain in a movie. Maniacal cackle like you've never heard before. She is also talking up a storm, but we only understand about a third of what she says. SHE knows what she is saying... we just haven't caught up. We are trying, though, and I KNOW when we finally catch up it will be hilarious. She loves to sing and has wonderful recall. She is memorizing the words to songs that she has only heard a couple of times. It's adorable to watch and listen to her sing. Her favorite song at the moment is "I love to see the temple" followed closely by "Down by the bay."
Ivy is a pretty good little eater. She is no where near Lilia as far as adventurous eating goes, but then Lilia is more adventurous than a lot of the adults I know, so it's not a fair comparison. For a toddler, we think Ivy is eating well. She LOVES green smoothies and it doesn't seem to matter what I put in them - kale, spinach, avocado, etc. She will eat any fruit, but only a few veggies that aren't in smoothie form. All berries are called "strawbees." As for veggies, carrots and bell pepper are usually safe. She rarely eats meat. She LOVES hummus and re-fried beans. She calls hummus "humpins." She also love guacamole. She will eat any kind of cheese - even Gorgonzola. She loves the palak paneer (creamed spinach,) at our favorite Indian restaurant. She loves cashews and peanuts too.
Ivy is a great sleeper. She naps for two hours every day and she goes to bed so easily every night. She never seems to wake up during the night which is also very different from Lilia. Ivy stays in almost the exact same position all night long. We find her just the way we left her - on her tummy with her stuffed dragon clutched tight. She used to keep her legs bunched underneath her with her bottom sticking up in the air, but now she's just a straight stick. Her bedtime routine includes a story or two, prayer, a song and quick "rock" before she says "bed?" "sleep?" and kisses me and leaps out of my arms into her crib. I'm grateful that she sleeps well right now and hope it lasts. It's good for her and it's good for me!
Ivy loves her grandparents and talks about them all the time. She was so cute when everyone came up to visit for Joel's blessing. She was like a little ping pong ball bouncing from lap to lap.
Ivy loves technology so we got her a toy phone for one of her birthday presents. She likes it alright, but knows it's not the real thing. No i-pad or smartphone is safe when she is near. She knows how to unlock just about any device and will call the Himalayas before you know what hit you. It's better to keep your devices hidden when she is around. Kindly people at church let her look or play with their phones even after we try to warn them and before they can turn around she has deleted their calendars and scrambled their address books.
We also got Ivy a plush "toothless" doll from the movie "How to Train Your Dragon." Ivy LOVES this movie, which is kind of funny to us as Lilia did at this age too. I would think it would be frightening to a small child, but not so! She LOVES the "dragon movie" and we watch it all. the. time. I actually went out and bought the T.V. series after Joel was born and it has been a fantastic trick to have up my sleeve on tough days with our new baby. Ivy loves to chase Lilia around the house with her dragon, roaring all the way. Sometimes she chases without the dragon. Sometimes we just think she likes to hear herself roar.
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| eating a container of "humpins." |
I am sure I am forgetting a millions things I wanted to write about Ivy, but I am tired. Those things will have to wait. We love her so much, though. Ivy is a handful, but I wouldn't trade her laughter or feisty little spirit for anything. She has made our lives so much more interesting.
