15 Month Check-Up

Lauren saw Dr. Vierling today for her 15 month check-up. Based on what I told the doctor, Lauren needs to be getting a little more calcium in her diet. We offer her a lot of milk, but she doesn't drink a lot here or at school. Despite her need to increase her calcium, Lauren has gained weight. She is now 22 pounds and 1 1/2 ounces, putting her in the 50th percentile. Her height is 30 inches, putting her in the 30th percentile. Dr. V. grinned and said that she'll be tiny. Her head circumference is 18 cm.

Lauren had to get one shot to get caught up. She's technically still behind one booster shot, but that is due to the fact that it hasn't been stocked in over a year. I'm not sure what's going on with it, but if it isn't being stocked, I'd rather her not have it until they are sure it's safe.

Lauren is still not sleeping through the night. I was up with her 3 times and Paul got up with her 2 other times that I didn't know about. I ended up taking her to bed with me to put her out (a horrible habit, I know, but I'm struggling with my interrupted sleep). I can't believe that I forgot to mention this to the doctor, but we got back in February for an 18 month check-up, so if it isn't any better, we 'll discuss it then.

We discussed Lauren's right eye that constantly tears. Because she hasn't had a lot of infections or pink eye, he's thinking that it has to do with her sinuses. Dr. V. was willing to refer her to an allergist, but I chose to hold off for now. We're going to see what happens now through February. We discussed trying a nasal spray to see if maybe her sinuses are blocked so her tears cannot drain properly.

Overall, she's healthy and doing great!!

Our Week in Review

November 20--Lauren and I making banana bread Thursday night. Lauren wanted to be up in my business, so I decided if I couldn't beat her, I'd let her join me in the making of the bread. Lauren was thrilled to be proped up on the counter, watching everything I was doing. She really liked it best when I used the mixer. I was really nervous that she'd stick her fingers into the beaters, but she didn't. She held on to the side of the bowl and watched the mixer mix. She was excited that Paul joined us in the kitchen to take pictures.November 20--Lauren mixing the butter and sugar. She tried really hard, but the mix was a little thick until I added the egg. Lauren tried to crack the egg but gave up quickly. I couldn't believe how interested she was and how observant of my behaviors she has become.

I think we'll make a little chef of her yet! I plan to make peanut butter kiss cookies when my parents are here to help me corral her, but I bet she'll try to be in the thick of things!

November 22--I remembered at 5:00 Saturday night that we had a 9:45 appointment Sunday morning to have our family Christmas pictures taken...and I still had not yet purchased Lauren's Christmas dress!! I ran into Hickory to Kohl's hoping to find something. (I had spent some time online looking for dresses and Kohl's seemed to have the least tacky dresses in their online inventory.) I HAD to have this dress for Lauren! I had seen it two weeks ago at JC Penney, but they didn't have Lauren's size. Kohl's had it!! I grabbed the dress, a little sweater, and shoes to match.

When I got home, I had to see how it all fit (and even if it didn't, she was wearing it anyway!). The dress and sweater are a little big on her, but if she were to have a sudden growth spurt, it will still fit come Christmas. I also have a few of my old Christmas dresses hanging in Lauren's closet, but they won't fit for another year. Those will be funny pictures!

Lauren has an appointment with Dr. V tomorrow for her 15 month check up. I think she needs to get one shot to catch up. At her last appointment, Lauren was 22 pounds and 12 ounces. The way she's been eating since her ear infection cleared up, I'm sure she's pushed her weight over 23 pounds!

Lauren's 12th tooth popped through on November 15. It's another molar. She's missing her cuspids. However, she doesn't miss biting the meat off of my fingers when I check for new teeth!

Family Pictures

November 23, 2008--Our sweet little family. We had just returned from Olan Mills for our family Christmas pictures. Paul decided to take advantage of our dressy attire to get some pictures of our own.

November 23--Mommy and Lauren.

November 23--Lauren was through posing and I barely kept ahold of her for this picture. Her Christmas dress is a little slippery, as was my sweater, so it was especially difficult. We're both wearing our smiles, though!

I have more pictures from earlier this week, so I'll post more later.

My parents and brother, Josh, will be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. We're excited to have them here. Dad is clawing at the walls. He said that they have at least 27 inches of snow, so he's ready to hit the highway to see some green-brown grass in our yard!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The Beginning of November to the Present

I do apologize for how long it has taken me to post. We've been very busy around here with putting on the new roof, Paul being in school, and preparing to have Paul's parents visit. (Okay, I'll be honest. We were quite relieved to find out that Kay and Charlie were coming down this past weekend, so I really didn't clean!)Oh, yes, this would be my daughter's artwork, in green, on my kitchen cabinets (the old ones). A friend had asked that I put Lauren's handprints around a matte for a frame. It took me sevearl weeks to do this because I wanted the matte to look nice, so I would do one color and let it dry thoroughly before starting the next color. The very last set of prints I took were on a day that Lauren was wired. After washing her hands, I discovered that the little stinker had gotten her hands below the sink before I washed them, making this masterpiece. All I can say is AMEN for washable tempra paint!!

November 7-Lauren has learned how to climb, position herself, and slide down her slide! She feels more confident of the soft landing that the leaves provide. We've been spending a lot of time outside playing.

November 7--Lauren loves to visit Buster when we get home from school. The two of them had fun jumping in the leaves. Buster had more fun burrowing in the leaves than Lauren because Lauren was frightenend by his zest.

November 9-We had a great day to be outside. The guys were over putting the new roof on the house. Lauren and I played in the leaves. I would help her rake up a pile for her to slide into. Here is Lauren helping me. (Darned if I haven't tried to find a rake more her size without any luck!) And I'm sure you'll notice the pacifier in her mouth. We've been really good about not allowing her to have it except at bedtime and naps. However, she has been cutting three teeth and really struggling, so we allowed for an exception.

November 9--Playing in the leaves!

November 9-Lauren LOVES to love on the cats. Here she is with the neighbor's cat, Girl Kitty. Lauren lays her head on the kitty to hear the purring. I do this often with our cats, so she's learned this behavior from me. However, the cats try to run when Lauren tries to lay her head on them because they aren't sure what she'll do. Lauren is extremely gentle with the cats despite her constant motion.

November 9--As the guys worked on the roof, Lauren and I worked to pick up pieces of shingles and shingle bags. Lauren is a natural helper, always looking for that seal of approval by helping. She's such a good girl and a great helper!

November 14--When Grandpa and Grandma Wade arrived, they brought presents, of course! Lauren liked toting her new clothes around, showing them off! Thanks, Grandma!

November 15-Lauren sliding outside. It was a bit chilly, but Lauren moved around so much that she didn't seem to be bothered!

November 15--Grandma Wade and Lauren playing outside. Lauren would climb on her slide and play peek a boo around the sides of the slide.

November 15-A few years ago, Tracy bought Leah and I matching snowmen pajamas from Old Navy for Christmas. Last year, I found some that were similar for Lauren to wear this winter. Hers are 18 months and enormous on her, but I've been waiting to take this picture for a LONG time! Don't we look cute? I can't wait to get Leah into her pj's to have the 3 of us in the picture!

November 16-Paul and I were invited by our friends Tony and Sheila to a Panthers game. Sheila won tickets for box seats. I had never been to an NFL game, but I really enjoyed it! Maybe it was because of the good seats that we had, but everything looked more compact than I thought it would be. The players were fairly close. We were NOT this close, but Paul's been playing around with different cameras and lenses, so he really zoomed in. The Panthers won, 31-22, against the Detroit Lions (now 0-10).

November 16-After the game, Paul and I got Tony to take our picture with the field in the background. We had a great (all day) date, our first all day date since before Lauren. I felt a little guilty since it was her 15 month birthday, but Lauren had a blast with her grandparents. From what we heard, there was a lot of playing outside, napping, eating, and playing some more.

November 17-Grandma, Grandpa, and Lauren at 6:30 am before the grandparents headed back to PA, the snow (12 inches), and the cold. (We voted that they just move down here so that they can come visit whenever they want!)

Behind the grandparents is the newer part of our kitchen. With Paul in school, we haven't done anything more. However, we've finally decided on a burnt orange semi-gloss paint for the kitchen. (With all of the trial colors on the wall, the one we've chosen isn't actually on there!)There won't be a lot of visible paint to make the kitchen look dark because we're putting up tile as a backsplash.

So...until next week or the next big event! My parents will be down next week for Thanksgiving. Uncle Josh will be coming up from Greenville to join us. We're excited to have more family in the house!

Illness Crept into Our Household

Paul has been sick for the past week and a half. His cold is finally starting to break up. He actually went to the doctor on Saturday.

Lauren was out of school on Friday with me. She had an ear infection. On Thursday, her fever spiked to 101.5 so naturally, daycare called. I had made an appointment for Lauren on Wednesday for Friday at 9, so that was thankfully settled. Lauren also had a chest cold, so the doctor put her on antibiotics and her inhaler again.

In this midst of all of this, we decided to replace our roof as the shingles looked dreadful. Our friend, Tony, and Paul were on the roof on Saturday. Then our 80-something neighbor, Bob, bless his heart, thought it his duty to supervise, so the man was on the roof with them!! I nearly died. Tony hired someone to help today, so there were three working. After 2, Bob came over again. He spent some time talking with Lauren and me, then up on the roof again! Bob and his wife attend our church, and I had intended to ask our pastor to talk to Bob, but it slipped my mind.

Need to go! Lauren discovered that I was gone. I'll post pictures later this week.

Halloween Fun!

October 31--Mommy and Lauren before trick-or-treating. Lauren wanted to run around, but I made her pose!

October 31-Lauren posing on the neighbor's front porch. Mew!!

October 31-Lauren and I knocked on the Workman's door. I helped Lauren open up her treat bag while we waited. After I knocked, Lauren decided she needed to do the same!

October 31-Waving hi to Neigh-Neigh David. He was really excited to see Lauren dressed up!

Isn't this adorable?!

October 31-Flava Flav (AKA Leah), Laura, Kitty (Lauren), and Mommy.

October 31-On our way trick-or-treating! We though that her go-go would be the easiest mode of transportation. We only stopped at 5 houses: the Workman's, the Workman's (Mamaw, Papaw, and Aunt Mable), the Isenhour's, the Fraddy's, and the Rights'. (More or less, our neighbors who love Lauren.)

October 31--Mommy, Harris, and Lauren at school. Aunt Suzy had had to leave, but I wanted to make sure that we captured the day! The shirt Harris had on matched Nick's, and the shirt Lauren wore was courtesy of Neigh-Neigh Tracy who found it at Old Navy for $1!!

October 31--(Okay, I'll be honest. I took this picture Nov. 2. Here's why...) These were the shirts that the toddlers wore on Halloween, rather than their costumes. I was unable to get Lauren's picture in it on Halloween because her's had blood on the shoulder. I received a call from daycare around 1:45 saying that Lauren had fallen and was bleeding. The bleeding had stopped, but they are supposed to call in case we want to check it out. Lauren had apparently fallen backward and when she sat up, her mouth was bleeding. (We all have NO idea how this happened.) The little piece of skin between her two front teeth had started to bleed. I don't think she could have bit herself and she didn't fall on anything, so we're all mystified still.

Anyway, I took off from school and headed straight to the daycare. (I think I made it in 45 seconds rather than the normal 2 minutes.) When I got into her room, the bleeding had started again, but Lauren was grinning at me as Ms. Jessica changed her shirt (see above). Here's the other bizarre thing. ALL of the kids were sitting in chairs at the table. I would NEVER have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes. (The camera was in the car!) When I asked how the teachers were able to control the kids like this, Mr. Phill said one magical word: "Food." (The kids were just getting ready to start their Halloween party!

I stayed a little while longer, just to make sure Lauren was okay. The bleeding stopped and she dove into her cheese puffs, oatmeal cream pie, and applesauce. She ate two pieces of pizza for dinner. There was a little swelling Friday of that gum piece, but she's been doing okay and doesn't wince or cry when I brush her teeth. So, that was the story of my first injury phone call from daycare! I am relieved that it didn't have to result in a trip to the doctor, dentist, or ER!

November 1--If you've ever done remodeling, you'll know that this orange ladder belongs at Home Depot. Lauren, in her love of climbing, made a dash for the stairs. Funnily enough, I actually had my camera in my purse. (In case you're wondering, we were at Home Depot, and later on Lowes, to purchase materials for our roofing project slated for this coming weekend! We also found a color for the kitchen. We're going to paint it a burnt orange. Not what I expected, but it looks really good against the cabinets. There will only be one wall in the kitchen and three walls in the dining room with this color, so it shouldn't be overpowering.)

November 1--Lauren has graduated to a booster seat at the table! She's recently decided that it's more fun to eat at the table with us than in her high chair. We did discover that she needs to sit in the chair against the wall as she likes to rock. While doing this, she found the lip under the table to prop her feet to make her go backward. We decided to play it safe and place her booster in the chair next to the wall.

November 2--Lauren and I like to play outside as much as we can! It was a beautiful day (around 62 or so), so we were out, raking leaves! Lauren had been playing in this pile, then raking it. However, as soon as she saw the camera, she made a beeline toward me! What's interesting is that when she can get her hands on my camera, she holds it correctly. We know it's a little premature, but we're actually thinking of buying her one of those digital toddler cameras that's supposed to be unbreakable. That way, she'd (hopefully) leave mine alone and she could practice snapping pictures! We'll see...

Soon after this picture was taken, Tracy came over. She'd been shopping and had some cute things for Lauren! There was a pink sweat outfit with a shirt. Tracy also picked up a fleece lined reversable jacket for Lauren to help keep her warm! Wasn't that sweet? (You'll be seeing the jacket on Lauren in the coming weeks. However, our temperatures are between 64-70 all week, so probably not any time soon!)