Lies completely flat

I usually have Wednesdays off, but Shannon had a dentist appointment today that she was dreading, so I went over to help out with Ivy until she got back.

Scott was there, which meant that helping out was all about trying to distract Ivy while he snuck away to check email and pay bills, not an easy task considering that Claire alone = superstar-comedic genius-protector-nanny. But: Claire + Scott = superstar-comedic genius-protector-daddy and boring-somehow threatening-inconsequential person who Ivy doesn't recognize. Whenever Scott would leave the room, Ivy would look horrified and run after him saying "BIG HUG DADDY BIG HUG!" Sometimes being around babies/toddlers is an exercise in not taking things personally.

After a while, though, Ivy relaxed, as she always does, which meant I could relax, and we had fun. She has an elaborate sand box/picnic table thing in the back yard now, and a good hour was spent with Ivy making sand cakes and sand roads and me playing Gameboy in the shade. Scott went and got us sandwiches and soup from Liberty, and while Ivy scarffed her black beans down with loud gasping noises, Scott and I talked about our respective videogame-playing memories, which always makes for a good long, fascinating conversation. Trust me.

Back in the yard after lunch, Scott brought out an old 1960's pedal car for Ivy to play with. He found it at the Cloverdale flea market, and it's brown and rusty and wonderful. On its side is an old decal that reads "Dude Wagon", and Ivy can just about pedal it around the yard on her own. She had some little temporary tattoos on her arms, and her shirt said "I <3 Cupcakes", and I was kicking myself for letting my mother take the digital camera to Saturna. I mean it was really killing me. First we go to Science World, then this. Honestly.