Who does she look like?

I remember thinking as a teenager that I was a total blend of both my parents. There was no way that I could have been adopted, since I had too many traits from both of them. All the time, I have people tell me Dominique looks like me. I think they are trying to be nice. I don't think she looks like either of us. Do you see any resemblance?

Looks don't matter, but it was weird when I used to keep Myka, because her coloring is so similar to mine it was like looking at my own skin. Big Buddy tries to joke that we are related, but people don't realize it is a joke. I could easily pass for his daughter and so the nursing staff often think we are related and my kids are his grandchildren. In fact we were asked today if they were his grandkids. In so many ways, in the most important ways, they are.

Girls are different

I'm not what you would call a girly-girl. I'm not into dresses, or floral or pink. So it may come as somewhat surprising that my daughter is dressed in all the froo-froo. OK, maybe not all of it. We have head band bow things, but they always slip off past her hair. After about twice of putting it back, I give up and put it away. Meanwhile she has about 10 pairs of shoes- some to grow into (I don't think we put Ivan in shoes until he walked), about 15 hats, some of which go with an outfit, a little drawer full of hair clips and another container of hair bows. I think these pants are called capris (spelling???). I don't know if they're popular up North, but they are all the rage here and who else is wearing them but our little 7 month beauty! These flip flops have gotten her plenty of attention, ohhhhs and ahhhhs from the public at large. The first time I put her in them she had 3 compliments in a 30 min. time period.

Little joyous giggles

Dominique loves to watch this video. She cracks up right along with it thereby giving us the laughter in stereo.

Two little swimmers

Today was a perfectly beautiful day. We walked in my favorite park (it has several lakes- or big ponds) and lots of geese and ducks, very friendly, well fed ones as well as a long winding walking path, a couple of kids parks, many bbq pits and baseball diamonds. It was nice to get out in the warm sun and take in the beauty. I had forgotten though that the baby area of the new (since 2004) community built park was destroyed by vandalism (a fire). That was a downer. It's so sad that kids 1) are so bored they resort to destruction or perhaps are trying to impress friends because they don't have good self-worth 2) don't think of others and the joy they are robbing little babies and toddlers from by destroying the city's gift to them.

I also took the twosome swimming together for the first time ever. They had such a blast. This will definitely be an addition to our weekly schedule. Ivan swam more than ever (he had to impress his little sister you know) and Dominique laughed and laughed, splashed and kicked. One of her favorite things is to rock herself and she can do it while sitting in her swimming seat. She does a sort of butterfly kick. It's cute.

I think a tooth is starting to poke through. I recognize the look of a little hole. Maybe we'll have some pearly whites popping up in the next week.

Any signs of spring where you are?

the best game ever!

Ivan is totally into hide-and-seek these days. Some funny versions:

I was changing Dominique's diaper when Ivan hid in her closet. He yells out "Where Ivan?"
So I ask "under the bed?" To which he replies with excitement: "NO" So I try again: "behind the door?" "ummmmm....yes" I guess he figured the closet door was a type of door. so I added "in the closet?" His triumphant joyous "yes" resounded with the dramatic sliding of the door to reveal the not so cleverly concealed toddler.

Last night, Jenn called and Ivan was on the phone with her when Ivan decided it was time for them to play again. He covered his ears and said "Ivan hide" How clever of him. I mean if you were playing hide-and-seek on the phone how else would you hide but to cover your ears? Then he ran to a wall to count (I guess Jenn was supposed to hide at this point). The part that almost made me cry was when he started looking behind chairs and under the table for his auntie Jenn. It made her seem so very far away. I tried a fast recovery by telling him that auntie was hiding in the phone! Now how clever was that of her? He ran to the phone and followed my guiding by yelling out "I found you!!!" Happily, he was not dismayed by the fact that she didn't leap out of the little phone as we both would have liked. I think he is more hardy than me at times, he just jumped up and down with a face full of delight: "I found you, I found you" on his singing lips.

Here he is in action for you to see.

Ivan the Texan

Yep, I hate to admit it, but Ivan has been developing his pronunciation skills at "The Southern Drawl School of Y'alls" Here is a written example of the fine way that this undercover institution has affected local Abilenian advertising. It's very affordable to have a child trained in this art of speaking. They just have to listen and mimic, no entrance fee, just mockery for the rest of their days from the populace at large. Perhaps some will call it charming. We can hope for the best. I am very thankful however that his drawl is not accompanied by the annoying high pitch squeal voice that some poor Texans seem to have inherited or developed for all of our detriment. Accents are funny. No one thinks they have one. It's everyone else that sounds funny.



What is your favorite accent?

a little under the weather

So does anyone know where that expression comes from? Dominique is running her first fever tonight. She's been more congested than usual the last couple of days, but congestion is pretty normal in Abilene and even I've been a little stuffed up some mornings, so I know there has been something in the air. Last night she felt warm, but tonight she was hot. She's getting a cool bath now and had some ibuprofen earlier. I hate for anyone to feel sick, but in some ways with babies it's worse because they are so helpless and can't tell us what she feels. In some ways it's better because she has the luxuries of nursing more, getting more cuddles and sleeps. I hope she sleeps well tonight.

Ivan has developed a cute ritual. When I come in the door from somewhere, he runs over to me and asks: "how was swimming? have fun?" or "how was Mary? have fun?" It makes him seem so grown up. I can understand a lot of what he says which is getting more and more interesting as days go by, but apparently I'm only one of two people who can decipher his lingo because he'll say something I thought was clear as day and everyone else will be going HUH?

the Dominique funnies

Another funny vegetable episode occurred just this evening. Ivan was having troubles eating his one measly stick of asparagus, so I compromised and offered him green peas. He was trying to get them down so that he could have his desert of crepes, apples and ice cream which sat there just past his bowl of green goods tantalizing him. Since it was taking about 30 minutes for him to eat his generous helping of green peas, I let him cover them in ketchup (which is another vegetable in our books). When he finished them quite happily, I jokingly asked if he wanted more. To my surprise, he said yes! I asked him about 3 more times and he kept saying he wanted more green peas, all the while that ice cream desert was just sitting there melting. So he ate another helping of peas and then moved on to desert!

1st Valentine

She's only 7 months old and has already wiggled her way into someone's heart. Actually a lot of someones, but I think it's sweet that her first roses and valentine are from her daddy.

Ivan saw his card and gift of m'n'ms from his daddy and started singing a never ending refrain of "happy birthday to me" all day. He even recorded it as a memo on the answering machine (I don't think it was done on purpose, and no, I didn't know you could record memos to self until Ivan came along). We kept telling him it was Valentine's Day and talked about love. Then I lit candles with our meal and that sealed it in his mind, it was definitely a birthday. He said: "blow?" (reffering to the candles), ate half his meal and said "cake?" Gotta love them! However he did manage to eat AND SWALLOW all his meal AND VEGETABLES with the tantalizing promise of ice cream on it's way.

Happy Valentine's day to all of you with lots of hugs and kisses. Did you do anything special?

the Ivan funnies revisited

I think this is fixed now! To those of you who tried watching before, try, try again. To those of you who think this post is perfect, ignorance can be bliss ;)

I love our digital camera, taking pictures and making movies. So does Ivan. Sometimes I wonder if he loves it too much. Of course, throughout the day we take pics or make video. Immediately Ivan wants to see it on the camera screen. He also wants to watch our home videos on the computer- all day long if I'd let him. I guess the positive is that our home videos are interesting to someone. The negative is that I'm afraid his head will swell to gigantic proportions. He has most of the videos memorized. I caught him replaying a video of him from about a year ago.
BEFORE:


AFTER:




I guess theatrical performances where he recreates himself is a talent in and of itself. He's also been memorizing the books I've read ad nauseam. It's all worth it now though. He can read them now himself. Tonight I read about 5 books and he read 3. It is so cute because he can't say most of the words properly yet, but I can totally tell he got the gist of each page. I'll have to get a video of it!!