The photos aren’t the best, but I think you can tell how much fun they are having together.
Eating noodles with Ezri is hilarious.
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Category Archives: Big Sister Ezri
Ivan loves ducks
After almost following them into the duck pond at the park a couple weeks ago, we decided to visit ducks that were behind a railing and that offered the opportunity for feeding.
“Quack Quack Eat” was a big hit with Ivan.
He and his sister also spent some time in this area pretending to be young humans in a zoo enclosure. Ezri went to the back to nap where it was hard to see her because that’s what zoo animals do. Then Ivan did the same thing because he likes to do what Ezri does.
Ivan learned a new word this weekend – “Dirt”
It seems like the best toys are things like dirt, empty boxes, sticks, laundry baskets, bowls of water, pillows, and sheets.
In the corner of our garden patch, the kids loved digging and filling empty yogurt containers to make “Grouch snacks” with pretend dead worms.
Ivan is in language explosion mode.
Today at daycare Ivan took me around the room and pointing out people and saying their name. I tried to head out after he’d pointed at each person, but he said, “No!” and marched over to the sofa to point at the sleeping dog there and say her name, “A-See.” She is Lacey.
He has long asked for the song “baa baa” which is baa baa black sheep. Today he asked for “baa baa ool” referencing the wool in the lyric. He also asked for “teeko teeko stah” which until now he had referred to as just “teeko teeko.”
Yesterday at our polling place, the volunteers were charmed by Ivan who was doing his happy walk which looks a little like a less exuberant Snoopy Dance. When we left and I got my sticker, Ivan said “tick-ah” and was gifted with his own “I voted” sticker. Then he pointed at the piano in the room and said, “Piano.” I did not even know he knew the word piano. Polling place volunteers praised his obvious brilliance, but I think it was the happy walk that made them smile.
I am often unsure about what the availability of media and screens in every pocket means for parenting and how best to navigate it. But, my heart melted for the scene in the photos below where Ezri is carefully teaching Ivan how to zap bugs in a game called Bugs and Buttons on the iPad.
She has also worked to teach him to be quiet while hiding. This led to parent terror while Ivan has wedged himself quietly amongst my pajamas in the closet. He gave the biggest smile when found that it was almost worth the terror.
Driving in my car
After initially rejecting this sweet ride and trying to demand his sister’s bicycle.
“bi-CUL! bi-CUL!”
Ivan eventually warmed up to riding in the “beep beep car” to the park. His sister took the princess scooter.
We found some fun chalk art at the park.
And our yard has the first flowers of spring or as Ivan calls them “geeko GEEKO!”
Sure, we are still wearing winter coats, but spring is coming.
Baby’s First Downhill Sledride
Meghan and Ezri took Ivan on his first downhill sled ride.
He is now a fan of sleds. He will point at them and say, “wheee.”
Here he is cheering his sister down the hill.
Though a toddler of few words, Ivan gets his points across.
This was happening. Look, unprompted sibling hugs. I grabbed the camera. They do love each other.
He still doesn’t speak much, but he gets point across.
I knit Ivan a hat. He is averse to all hats and headgear. I put the hat on him. He pulled the hat off immediately, walked over to the box where we keep dress-up clothes, and shoved the hat inside. He pulled out a pair of wings and closed the costume box lid over the hat. He held the wings out and let me help him put them on. He didn’t say it, but I heard, “No, mama, I do not want a hat at all. I’d like to have wings instead.”
At naptime, Ivan was not napping. I had him in my lap and after much rocking and singing I laid down on the bed because the dim light and white noise were making me sleepy. He stood up, threw his leg over me, and began bouncing while saying, “Ee-Oh! ee-oh!” (which is Ivan’s word for horsey). There was no nap this day.
Ivan in his bowl hat.
Ivan loves his Maisy books by Lucy Cousins. Other current book faves include Star Wars ABC, Star Wars 123, a book called simply Nursery Rhymes from Priddy Books, Moo Moo Goes to the City by Jo Lodge, Sandra Boynton’s books especially Hey! Wake Up! and a number of board books featuring Sesame Street muppets.
Here is Ivan reading Maisy wearing a felt bowl that belongs in the play kitchen on his head.
Ivan’s not the only one to discover the bowl’s hat-like qualities. Here’s a friend at our holiday party rocking the look.
Also, while this photo is not the best in terms of focus, I love the spirit of the duo in this one chilling together with hats on their heads.
Screen Time
We limit screen time, but modern parenting has a lot of little screens from cell phones to tablets to ereaders.
And touch screen technology is super fascinating to the baby. Almost as great as buttons on toys (or anything other device) that make noises.
Here are two different trios of Blaus with little screens on the futon.
Cookies!
Because his sister has already discovered the wonders of treats, Ivan is introduced to them earlier.
Grandma Tam sent cookies. We ate a few yesterday. Ivan really likes them.
They are what he asked to have for breakfast. I asked him, “What do you want for breakfast?” and he pointed enthusiastically to the big red container of home baked chocolate chip.
I decided we couldn’t have cookies for breakfast, so I introduced him to the wonders of Nutella instead.
Here’s a photo of baby’s first Nutella on toast.
It turned out to be the breakfast of his big sister’s first taste of Nutella as well. She woke up and spied Ivan’s face and asked if she could have some of that chocolate.
I think Ivan is lucky to get Nutella at just 16 months when Ezri had to wait until a couple months shy of 4 years.
Ezri also agrees with Ivan that the cookies are good. Thanks, Tam.
