Honeybees Deux: Ivo & Burl March Round-Up

Sandy might actually blog tonight.

Instead of my recent vlogging trend.

That facebook and it’s status updates… Makes me think of myself, the fantastic to the real, in sound-bites even more than I used to. It’s fun – but I just don’t think it’s enough. How am I feeling? – Indeed!

I do enjoy Word$craper though. Typo, intentional. I am always looking for a game, though, hint, hint:)

Although, we’ve had lingering sick and yick in the midst of a still unkind new season called Spring, which is teasing us more than half the time… Yes, we can see the first bits of tulips poking through. Yes, we are able to be outside without risk of frostbite. Yet, it’s swampy, muddy, snow-melty and wet. We still must wear boots and snow-pants-for-spring, fleece hats and mittens. Nevertheless, Ahh - the boys are talking and growing up a storm. It’s been awesome. So, w/o further ado,

Ivo Overheard March 2009

Ivo has been waiting for summer “for a long time.” Probably since New Years. Today at home on the swings, where Ivo is super-happy “all day” – if he could, Ivo mused, “I noticed that Spring won’t ever come…” DELIGHTFUL! I told him, yes, it seemed that way but probably spring would come sometime... hopefully soon.

At dinner tonight – of which Ivo ate happily and heartily, a welcome sign of health – a dog ran through the yard, followed by a young girl, followed by a family cousin! Very exciting! Where the dog might have run got us to talking about the skunk den beyond the rhubarb patch. “What should we call the skunk?” Ryan asked. “Skunklas!” said Ivo w/o hesitation. When asked about the name, Ivo said, “Like ‘Douglas’ – Skunklas.” Did we ever laugh! Ivo has always been a good namer-of-things (-mostly-animals). He remains quite fond of a soft rubber dragon he got at the Science Museum in Taichung. It’s the color of mucous and long ago, Ivo named him “Nostril.” It’s a gift. The first toy Ivo ever named was a panda bear he called “Beak.”

On having worn his Batman suit at school, “I just stayed it on.”

Ivo loves animals. Any animal he likes and wants to embody which he knows doesn’t live in Canada he simply adapts, modifies even, to make himself believable. “I’m a snow-armadillo!” “I’m a Canadian Sloth!”

A couple things Ivo said while he was feeling rotten: “BUT, I want to be dirty ALL DAY!”, the heart-breaking, “My brain is making me so angry I can’t stand it!” and “Mama, I like you but sometimes I can’t stand you because you gotto go and play with Burly…”, “BUT, I’m not even ti-orwd (tired)!”

For a little over a month, Ivo has been categorizing events, actions, stories, characters and people into real/not real. He has noted that “Real life is harder.” This is quite something and something I want to write more about.

Burly Babylon March 2009

“Ready, Set, Go… (RACE)!” Burl enjoys saying this and running forward fast.

Burl LOVES swings.

Burl’s receptive language is outstanding. Burl can fill in the blanks, recite poems and sing songs. When reading his favorite book, This is the Baby, Burl enthusiastically shouts out the refrain of "No, no, no!!!" and "Yes, yes, yes!!!" as well as filling in the blanks of nursery rhymes.

Burl can isolate a word out of a sentence or two, reproduce it and ask what it means. During a not-feeling-great booby-all-day-day, I told Burl that all this booby is making me nuts. He answered with a question, “’Nuts’ mean?” Narrowly avoiding falling into the snow, I said “whoa nelly!” Burl asked, “’Nelly’ mean?” And today when I got home from work, I told Burl “just a moment (for booby).” Burl replied, “’Moment’ mean?”

Burl can answer questions and talk about feelings and facial expressions. He understands the link b/w them. He can make an angry/mad face, sad face, funny face, sleepy face, happy face.

Burl’s expressive language is leaping and bounding. “Ooof! ‘owwy! (Oops! Sorry!)" - said with a coy shoulder shrug and Cheshire grin. Burl has gone from “Dee mee mee! Wowee! Wawu! (Just a minute! Ivo! Water! – meaning, “Here’s your water, Ivo!” to 4 and 5 word sentences.

He makes comments about sounds he hears, cupping one hand over an ear Burl says, “Noise” – often as much a question as an announcement. We discuss what he hears – he usual will repeat the (new) word. Burl talks about some toys "no no noise" and other toys "noise" and broken toys, head shaking, "No no noise- now."

When asked questions he doesn’t have a good answer for Burl says, “Nothing.”

Burl tries to pick things up off the pages of books, often saying “Mine” or “My ____!” Sometimes he gets frustrated amidst the futility of it all but I think he’s getting the idea.

Burl still - but not as often as when he was younger and tried to fit himself into his handheld toys – seems to not have the canniest of spatial perception.

Burl tells lots of jokes, clever punch-lines and knock-knocks, mostly. “Knock-knock?” Who’s there? “Orange.” Orange-who? “Ornage-Ironman!” and “Knock-knock?” who’s there? “No.” No-who? “No – YES!” Clever punch-lines now include “ALL DAY!” - which he cribbed from Ivo. We all say it now – it’s so funny. “My booby ALL DAY!” remains and is joined by others like “My cupcake ALL DAY!” “My swing ALL DAY!” Burl also uses "Tub-tub" as a punch-line too.

Burl kind of likes eating like Cookie Monster – which we are all trying to temper cuz it is ridiculously messy as well as no small waste of food.

Burl often talks in a Cookie Monster voice.

Burl loves his family. He eats better, sleeps better and is just happier overall when his whole family is around. When we sit down to a meal, Burl counts everyone, starting with Doug, on his left, continuing around the table pointing, “1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11…"
Burl knows many letters by their names and as the first letter of someone's name and even a couple other letters that are the first letters of non-humans. When Pat-a-Caking, Burl says, "B da Burl."