The Farm at Gardner Village

Little Ives has a major obsession with animals.  I kind of wonder if I ever liked animals as a child since in my memory I've always been either terrified or annoyed by them.  I distinctly remember walking home one day as a kid, and two giant golden retrievers came running over to me from their yard.  This panicked me since I really dislike dogs so I started running, I tripped, and then they just licked me while I screamed.  Luckily some car came by and honked, and then they left me alone.  I got up and walked home like nothing happened since there were some witnesses nearby and it was just too embarrassing to even acknowledge.

Anyway...

Ivy is not me and I guess this is probably ok.

We took her to Gardner Village's petting zoo and she had the time of her life.  She wouldn't even stop looking at the animals to get a drink despite our protests that she was looking super flushed.  

Ivy couldn't stop looking at the horse to take this photo.

Should I go through the window?

We finally bit the bullet, got some quotes, and got started on finishing our basement!  You just never know when you'll need that empty bedroom, people.  Of course I am joking and I'm trying my best to not sound like a total jerk in light of all the devastation happening down south, but this project is something we're excited about.  The new space will have a rec/theater room, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. 

Getting your basement finished is kind of interesting.  This is the first time we've "overseen" (a very loose term for what we do in this process) any major construction phase.  The most hilarious thing to me so far is all the contractors typically  climb in through the basement window rather than using the front door.  It feels so stealthy and weird. Sometimes they have to knock on the door to ask me stuff and then they ask if they should head down through the window and I think...uh...you can probably come inside and use the stairs, but am I the weird one for saying this?  Maybe.  

The last time this weird basement entry thing came up, my contractor came in through the door via my invitation, took his shoes off, headed downstairs with me and then asked if I wanted him to exit through the window.  Umm...would you go get your shoes, go back downstairs, and THEN exit through the window?  Is this protocol?  Overall I find I feel rather uninformed about how this should all go down, but I do recognize a shower somewhere in there, so I guess it's going rather well despite my lack of contracting knowledge.  

We're hoping to have this done within about 6 weeks so wish us luck.  We're really only doing the home theater wiring ourselves but that is about all we can handle (maybe more than we can handle, we'll find out Friday!).  Until then, I'll just be locking and unlocking my basement window.

Evolution of Ives

I haven't written much about Ivy recently?  I haven't written about much of anything recently?  Let's get some Ivy G updates:

• Right now Ivy's favorite things are dogs (her paternity is now confirmed), eating fruit leather from the wrapper (ripped off pieces will now be ignored), trying to walk, getting on forbidden things like my bed and the couch, the red tunnel at the park, the neighborhood kids, and drinking water from a real cup.
• Ivy still goes to bed at 7 but usually plays with her binkies for an hour before falling asleep. I feel kind of bad putting her down so early (and yet I do not), but honestly she's way happier in there than she would be with us at that time of day. Her prolonged contentment before falling asleep is nothing short of a phenomenon.
• The neighborhood kids have taken a strange liking to Ivy. When we got outside we hear the screams and they come running to see her. They also knock on our door frequently to visit. Ivy now knows she's quite popular and it's to the point that any time we walk outside, Ivy just waves her hand like a pageant queen.
• Ivy's getting good at sign language and will happily sign "more" as we pass the cottage cheese aisle at the grocery store.
• Ivy has a clear preference for me (a gift and a curse) which we often use to our advantage. If she's tantrum-ing with me, we just hand her to Scott and then once she gets madder, I take her back and she's completely cured.
• Ivy continues to be unimpressed by the make-her-smile antics of strangers and will give no reaction whatsoever.
• Ivy's first (questionable but confirmed) word is "Ball."
• Ivy's favorite foods are cheese, avocado, and dried fruit.  She still tries most things but is also skilled at clearing her high chair tray and spitting things out.
• Ivy's favorite body part to identify is her belly button.  Her second favorite is her mouth, but if you say, "Ivy, where's your mouth?" she'll grab your finger and bite you with it.
• If you give Ivy both of your thumbs, you'll be stuck playing patty-cake indefinitely.