Living With Ivy

This afternoon [At a high table for three at Carl's Junior.  Seated are a mother and her two daughters.  Oldest is thirteen, youngest is six. They have just received their food.]

Mother (engaging the youngest in conversation): Do you have any crushes?

Six year old: (smirks and looks away)

Mother: That's okay you don't have to tell me if you do...Is it Easton?

Thirteen year old: (laughs like she can't believe how clairvoyant her mother is)

Six year old: (Still not ready to use words, blushes and nods.)

Mother: Have you ever kissed him?

Thirteen year old: Mom! (Like she can't believe her mother would ask something like that, because why would a six year old kiss an eight year old next door neighbor?)

Six year old: Yes.

Thirteen year old: (Laughs again like she can't believe it.) She's kissed more guys than I have!

Mom: When have you kissed him?

Thirteen year old: (very interested)

Six year old: Like when we play Truth or Dare

Mom: How many times have you kissed him?

Six year old: Like, a million.


Then tonight, Ivy had a bath and Will used her tubby water to take one too...until she confessed that she still pees in the tub and did so tonight.

Faith's addition to what it's like to live with Ivy:
After bath time and showers, Faith went to her and Ivy's room to get dressed for bed. After closing the blinds, her towel fell off so she put it away casually and threw on her pj's. Then, to her horror, she heard a hiccup sound from somewhere in the room. She searched high and low looking for the intruder while calling, "Ivy? Is that you? Where are you? Come out please if you are there!"

Finally, she sat on her bed, giving up the search and resigning herself to the fact that she was probably hearing things and would have to go to a special doctor who would find out for her whether or not she was truly sane. But, to her relief and dismay, another hiccup sounded and a small figure crawled out from under the bed; the one place Faith hadn't checked. The figure turned around and revealed itself to be a giggling Ivy.

"Were you there the whole time? Did you see me before and after my shower?" Faith said with alarm.

The giggling Ivy managed to give a nod, "I was playing under there," she said, showing Faith her toys.

"Did you only see my legs?" Faith said with a little bit of hope.

But the giggling Ivy quickly crushed that hope.