March Madness

It's been a pretty busy month for us so far... Ivy got a mild case of croup, and we dealt with that for about a week. She's fine now, but we felt bad for they tiny tot with the big cough!
Last week, we met Kensuke, our Japanese exchange student, who is staying with us for 2 weeks. He is a delightful young man, and Ivy just loves him! He plays with her and the cat alot- fun for everyone!
This is a cake that was at the welcome party for the exchange students last week. There are 15 boys in the group, and they are on a basketball team together in Japan.

Hanging out at home with the squirrel. He is probably really puzzled about all of the squirrels I have hanging around the house.

As mentioned, Ivy just loves him! Ken has a 4 year old sister at home, so he's used to playing with a tiny tot!

Now that Ivy can stand up in her crib, she has fallen asleep in some very strange positions lately, including this one a few days ago. It would, of course, be easier if she would just lay down for her nap, but whe feels the need to explore her surroundings!

This is the beautiful udon meal that Ken made for us on Monday night! We all loved it!

So Tuesday was our big day in court to finalize Ivy's adoption paperwork! And of course she had a fancy new dress for the occasion!

Killing time before the proceedings.... it's always fun to pull everything out of a purse for inspection. These items happen to be from auntie Dianne's purse. Apparently, Ivy's examined these items before and has even made some accidental calls on Dianne's cell phone!

The court proceeding was very quick== just signing some paperwork. The judge was very nice and friendly- we can't really express how wonderful it was to have this last hurdle officially cleared!

Sharing a moment with Daddy!

After the court house, we all came back to our house for a small snack and some tea.

Sara Takehashi is now officially Ivy Sara Handshoe! She celebrated by taking a nice long nap...

During the last week or so, Ivy has sharpened her mobility skills-- she crawls easily all over the house, pulling up on any and all furniture within reach! At work, she can "run" in her walker down the wide hallways-- we have to block her with a chair so she doesn't head for an exit!

She's been kind of picky with food all of a sudden, so we checked it out with the doctor just to make sure she is ok-- he said that she is officially teething now- there's evidence on her gums that teeth are on the way. As we've been saying she's teething for months, I'll believe it when I see it!

Ivy is on the Move!

Ivy, sleeping on her tummy, which is how she likes to nap these days, all of a sudden.

Some samples of the lovely pictures my friend and neighbor Jessica took of Ivy-- such a talented professional photographer!

Ivy and the ever present bear...

The serious face...

Imagine our surprise when we discovered the standing baby...

We celebrated Japan's holiday "Girl's Day" yesterday by wearing Kimono and taking some pictures.

The lovely hair ornament is a gift from Auntie Jill! So beautiful!

Ivy and Mama!

So since I wrote the last post, Ivy has increased her mobility by a factor of 10! She crawls everywhere, from room to room. She pulls herself up on any piece of furniture that she sees. At work, in her walker, she can "run" down the wide hall way... giggling all the way! Naptime is a lot more challenging, because she's so excited to move around, that she doesn't want to rest. I am committed to keeping naps as long as possible, though... so good luck Ivy, trying to get out of it! Ivy is beginning to take some steps when she's holding on to us or furniture. She is obviously figuring out the most efficient way to get at whatever has captured her interest. I can't get enough of watching her learn and grow these days. It is with some sadness that I put her to bed at night- it is so fun to play with her right now. The sadness fades, though, as I put on my pajamas and settle in with a little bit of tv or a good book!

Last week we had a play date with Kristina up in Grass Valley- it was so much fun to watch the little girls play together-- It seems like Ivy knows a lot of boys- so I love that she and Kristina are friends! This week, Ivy played with some little boys at our neighbor, Karen's house. She enjoyed chasing one of them around! Still boy crazy!

Ivy's beginning to enjoy more table food- she had some miso soup the other day, sharing a bowl of it with Daddy! Last night, she seemed intersted in my pickle, so I gave her some and she loved it! She's drinking out of the sippy cup now, and will also drink from a cup that I am holding for her! This morning, after her milk, I would swear that she reached up with her hand and wiped some stray milk drops from her lips... but it might be a coincidence!

She is delightful company for me when Brian's out of town, which he has been a lot lately! Of course it is hard for him not to see her everyday, but we make up for it on the weekends with lots of playing, reading and hanging out.

I guess the cutest thing that she's been up to lately is all of the hugging and kissing! She leans in to us for a hug, and will touch her lips to us (and her baby, bear and other toys) for a kiss. She makes a kissing sound with her mouth too. The other night, at bath time, Brian held Ivy up to the mirror and she reached out and put her hands on the mirror and then kissed her reflection. It was very nearly the cutest thing I'd ever seen! I'll try hard to captue that on film!

This week we are getting ready for our Japanese exchange student to arrive for his 2 week visit... Yay!