Three Things

I have found a few things that Ivy loves doing, and is often happy to do on her own for quite a while.

1. Gardening, in the loosest sense of the word. She has a little trowel set and will spend ages just moving soil between pots/dumping it on the deck. And watering, she needs me to fill her watering can every now and then. So, the combination of these two things makes it look like a few bags of compost exploded all over our deck. But who cares?! She's happy, and I get to cook dinner in peace (I am finally realising that losing my cooking mojo is because I never get to do it undisturbed). (this picture from two weekends ago when we planted seeds)




2. Rice play. Some rice, a few containers, a spoon or measuring cup all on a tray, and she spends a long, long time transferring it from one to the other in all the different ways possible. She concentrates so hard and must be learning a lot and loves it. Plenty ends up on the floor too, but if it's not intentional it doesn't count as mess ;)



3. Playdoh and a play knife. Forget rolling pin and all those exciting shaped plastic cutters. Ivy just needs a blunt knife and she cannot be torn away from it (not even for cake, seriously). Also, a great moment earlier when she brought us a piece of playdoh and announced "A playdoh chickpea!" and yes, this piece of playdoh really did look like a chickpea! Do I have the most hippy toddler ever?! (This picture from today, after cutting and squashing the chickpea before we could get a decent photo)

I have been hardly taking photos at all recently. February was an all time low, I only took 134! Probably no coincidence that February was the month my Grandma died. The few photos I have taken are mostly not pretty, mostly blurry, often on my phone, but mostly taken so I'll remember something. I'm going to start posting these along with the thing I wanted to remember. Probably in a random order.

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We got new toy shelves (YAY! ORGANISATION!) and Ivy found a bit of polystyrene from the packaging and found a few uses for it.

As food, for cooking. And cargo for the trains. Reminded me of her using pine needles at Christmas time for play food.



She also used it as tea in her tea pot, but then pretended to drink some and unintentionally inhaled some and so that was time for the polystyrene to go in the bin.

Puddles and Ponds

It rained all day yesterday, and again this morning, so when the sun came out we wrapped up warm and got outside. Ivy wanted to wear my hat, so I got her a matching one - both knitted by my Grandma!

A pit stop for coffee and carrot stix. Refreshing to sit outside.

We arrive at the park after a toddler paced walk with pauses for jumping off ramps and stomping in puddles. Last time I was here it looked like Autumn, now it looks like Winter. The trees are bare, it looks so cold.

Usually at this point Ivy would let go of my hand and run free, but today if I let go of hers she reminds me "Mummy hand". It is too cold not to hold hands (and she won't wear gloves. Although she will wear socks on her hands in the house and call them gloves!).

She remembers that she is still carrying her carrot stix, the walk to the top of the hill is slow now!

We find puddles at the top! This is a pretty reliable spot when on a puddle hunt, actually. Ivy also recalls from a family walk here "Ball... Daddy ball... kicking" that Kwojo had been bouncing and kicking the ball on a wall here. I'm impressed by her memory, that was a while ago!

We reach the playground, and find an even bigger and better puddle. A pond that's not meant to be there.

She sits down next to me after some satisfying puddle poking, splashing, and for the first time, wading.

All that adventuring must have tired her out because she rode on my back home, and I could see her head lolling as she didn't bother to try fighting sleep, and slept soundly on the sofa when we got home.

Day 19: myself one year ago

These photos were taken a year ago today, Ivy's first shoulder ride!

Recently

- Ivy found a Barbie doll. She calls her "lady", which is much nicer so I'm trying not to mention the B-word around her. She is obsessed with putting the lady's shoes on. She also makes her walk and does "do-de-do-de-do" walking sound effects.

- Ivy learnt the word cuddle and has started requesting them, she also requests that other people cuddle, or kiss, like Kwojo and I. When she started saying cuddle it sounded like "turtle" which made it all the more adorable when she'd ask for one!

- I may or may not have a little bit encouraged her to laugh at burps and farts. She knows both of these words now, but at least I also taught her to say "pardon me", which she says when other people burp too!

- She thinks that TV is called Neighbours, which she pronounces "naybiz".

- I have learnt that when Ivy is very excited to have visitors, she emits a high pitched (and painful) screech. Repeatedly. She loves having little friends round and the thing to do with them is bounce on her bed, which is an excellant icebreaker.

- Ivy is obsessed with drawing on the box. It is all we are allowed to do. "Mummy, drawing?" she'll have found me and be handing me a wax crayon and leading me off to the box. I even hid the box under the sofa once. She found it. But it is a lovely thing that she so loves drawing. But I do kind of want to do something else sometimes.

One sunny Sunday afternoon in the garden

Inspiration from an empty dish of roasted veggies.
I made paint from things in my kitchen.
I resisted the urge to tell her to be careful not to spill it.
She painted paper, table, self. Using brush, spoon, hands.
Ivy is so happy when she has water to pour.
And no need for clothes on a day like this.
Some curly chilli's are growing.
She found a "bee" then remembered it's called an "ome". An empty snail home.
A sunny Sunday afternoon in the garden.

Outside

It has not been a usual July so far. Lots and lots of rain, and not enough sun. But I probably spend too much time on this blog complaining about the weather. So here is a celebration in photos of the time we have been able to spend outside. By the way, my standard of park-going-weather has changed from 'sunny/warm' to just 'not raining'. When it's not raining, quick, get outside!

Playing football in the park with Sophie...

On the big kid play equipment...

On the steam train with me, Emmelie and Jake...

She didn't hate it, but felt that it was very serious. She held tightly to her crayons the whole time. She wasn't a big fan of the dark, echo-y tunnel and wrapped her arms very tightly around my neck. She likes being able to point at cars.

At the farm with me and my Mum (aka Granny, or Nanny as Ivy says)...

Now Ivy is a bit older she appreciates the farm more, especially as she is really interested in animals at the moment. She likes being able to look down at the pygmy goats, did not like the big (they really are huge) goats looking down at her, and was somewhat intimidated by the pigs too.

Running around on the downs with Kwojo and Charlie...

When she runs, she crews her face up and scrunches her shoulders up high in excitement. Oh yeah, she runs now. I had that realisation as I was taking these photos. She runs?! Lots of running and catching and tickling.