Miscellaneous Pictures

While I was trying to do some posting, Lauren decided to try to take all of her toys from the bottom two shelves off the shelves and onto the floor. As you can see, she was successful with toys and was just starting on books...05-31-08

Caught in the act!

Paul took this black and white of Lauren with his new camera in April, I believe. I can't figure out a date, but it's a neat looking picture!

On Lauren's 9th month birthday, she went to the doctor for a suspicious looking something on her face. (We weren't able to determine if it was ringworm or ezema, but we used her yeast infection cream and it took it away.) Her weight for her 9 month was 18 pounds, 2 ounces. She looks small compared to other babies, even those younger than her!

Lauren has been hanging out with Jacob from her class. He's an older boy (14 months), but the two of them really get along. For the past two weeks, Jacob demands my attention and cries when I try to leave. Lauren's teachers think that he's sucking up to his future mother in law. He's a sweet boy.

We spotted real teeth, not just bumps, in Lauren's mouth on Tuesday, May 27! They are on the top. Her entire mouth is so swollen. We think they will all pop in at once. I got my first tooth through in the beginning of June, so we'll see what happens!

Lauren responds to some of the baby signs we've been teaching her. She grins when I make the sign for more (while screaming for the sign to eat). She will be fine until I ask if she wants milk, then go into a fit for it. Once she's eaten, she's great. It's the few minutes it takes to prepare things that drives her insane. When I make the sign for drink, she makes a sound like "dr" and grins. I think she's trying her language out.

We like to play together, chasing one another through the house. I just figured out this past weekend that I think I taught her how to shriek. I usually do when she's "chasing" me around the house, and she does the same if I'm chasing her or I'm her prey. She's been blowing a lot of raspberries, as well. Not sure why, but she does.

She just started to eat me today. She will open her mouth and stick my entire chin inside, then try to bite! It isn't comfortable but I can only imagine how much worse she'll get when there are teeth...

Lauren's trying to say kitty. She still thinks that Jinx and Catlyn are best thing and tries to chase them around. However, most of the time the cats are quicker than her and hide. Lauren often tries to pursue them, sometimes with success.

The Kitchen

The bottom section of the new part of the kitchen. The far left is my floor to ceiling pantry. There will be four drawers next to that, and one more drawer above a two door cupboard.

When Paul's parents came down, his dad helped us by doing some work in the kitchen. If you look hard to the left, you can see the old walls with the paint chipping away. Paul's dad painted the back wall behind the cabinets. It's a bit of a terra cotta brown-pink color. It's really difficult to describe, but it's really nice. It gives the room a warm feeling. You can see the recessed lighting shining down on the countertop. The countertop is laminate with a granite looking finish. It's beautiful. If you could see it all in person, everything blends together quite well. My refrigerator is supposed to go to the far right. I don't think it will fit, but Paul assures me that 36 1/2 inches is more than enough for my 36 inch side by side fridge.

Josh is here again this weekend. The guys have been working on the shelving and doors. The upper cabinet is also finished and in the kitchen, but it still needs to be hung. We need to repaint the wall and the interior of the cupboards before proceding forward. Still, it's a nice change!

41 Weeks

Lauren and Harris, enjoying one another's company. Harris was ready to take the camera from me! They were making music with toys!

Lauren before we left for school. This was about the only shot she'd cooperate for me to take. She wanted to be on the move!!

Visit from Grandparents Wade

Paul's parents came for a visit Memorial Weekend. We had a fantastic (though too short) visit. Paul received his 1st Father's Day gift, a new table saw on the 24th. Here Paul, his dad, and his cousin, Keith, unload the beast from Paul's truck. I have yet to have a day pass when Paul doesn't say, "Baby, have I told you how much I love my new table saw?" He's been wanting one for over a year, and the right deal came up. He told me about it and I told him I'd get it for him. He looked disbelieving, but was ecstatic when he knew I was serious!

Lauren's 1st Memorial Day picnic on our patio. Her grandparents Wade, cousins Keith and Cherie Wade (from Charlotte), Paul, Lauren, and I were in attendance. We had a blast. Lauren really enjoyed her corn on the cob...and is actually able to get corn off to eat!

Cherie and Lauren looking at Keith taking pictures.

Wade family photo

Grandpa Wade and Lauren. He sure adores his granddaughter!

Grandma Wade reading Lauren a bedtime story.

Grandma Wade and Lauren playing in the yard.

Noodle nose! (Okay, this didn't happen while her grandparents were here, but it was funny. This was the only picture that I could get to load when I tried to update at school.)

Lauren stayed on schedule while her grandparents visited. She did great and really seemed to enjoy the noise. She was up early Tuesday morning and wanted to play, oh, around 3 am. That didn't fly with me. In the days after, she got back on schedule. I think she was just adjusting to company and having an extra day off from school. It always throws her for a loop.

40 Weeks

I was trying to get a face shot...Apparently, I got too close to Lauren and she didn't comply so that she could climb on me!
Grinning and standing tall!
Just before I took this picture, Paul started hammering in the kitchen in order to put one final piece of drywall on the first section of our remodel.  As he hammered, Lauren banged on the box, making noises like her Daddy!  Where was her hammer when she needed it?!

Lauren's Grandparents Wade are coming from PA to visit her this weekend.  I'm sure that they are super excited.  Rumor had it that Grandpa Wade said that they were leaving at 6:00 AM and that Grandma Wade was NOT impressed with this time.  I think Grandpa Wade wanted to see his little granddaughter!

Lauren now says Mama, Dada, and yes.  It's hilarious!  I wasn't sure what she was saying at first, but anytime I ask a question and she wants  what I offer, she says yes!  It kind of sounds like ses, but it works for me!  Lauren also responds to the command up when I put my arms down to her like I'm going to pick her up from the floor or from her crib.  As she crawls, she sticks out one leg straight, like she's trying to walk.  If she wasn't so afraid to let go, I think she'd walk any day!

New Kitchen (Phase 1)

The cabinets prior to removal. All of the items inside the cabinets are in my laundry baskets scattered throughout the house.

The cabinets had been removed from the house, the walls came tumbling down, and this was the result.
Proof that the cabinets were on the lawn. Catlyn, of course, did not want to miss a photo op. She's in the cabinet, on the right side.
The new wall is installed. Josh and Paul were hanging the frame that now holds my recessed lighting. They only put two lights in because on the left will be a large pantry and the right will (finally) hold the fridge like it's supposed to be. I'll actually be able to have 4 people comfortably sit in my dining room!!

I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the final look last night because we were cleaning up the kitchen so that I could make bottles and have a clean place to make my lunch in the morning. More will be posted as the time allows!

9 Months 05-16-08

Lauren with her Uncle Josh. Uncle Josh helped Daddy tear apart Mommy's kitchen on her anniversary. Afterward, some cuddle time was needed. Not hard to see that Lauren loves her Uncle Josh!
9 Months Old!
Still 9 months...just a few seconds later...
And we're STILL 9 months old!

Lauren has a bit of a cold. She also has a mark on her cheek that looks like ringworm. EWW! Not sure how that came to be. Anyway, Lauren was a little fussy and needed some TLC this weekend. We were fortunate enough to give her that!

Daddy took the weekend off, the first time in forever. We went yard saleing then to the farmer's market to buy fresh veggies. When we got home, we had breakfast. Then Neigh-Neighs Leah and Tracy came to babysit while Mommy and Daddy went to pick strawberries. We got home and Leah stayed to keep an eye on Lauren while we made jam. The jam is SOOO yummy this year! Then Uncle Josh came to visit, so we played and chit-chatted. Of course, we had to have fresh rolls in order to sample our jam! Lauren loved the jam, she just isn't a strawberry by itself kind of girl yet. (She likes cool whip on hers!)

On Sunday, Lauren went for her 9 month pictures. Just before we left, Uncle Josh decided that it would be a blast to rip out my cabinets and tear down a wall...so when Lauren and I returned about 35 minutes later, the cabinets were on the front lawn and we were missing a wall in the kitchen! At 8:00 that night, the mess was getting picked up, there was a newly insulated wall installed and mudded, and I had recessed lighting installed above where the cabinets will be! Yea! A big dent in this final project. I'll be posting pictures later.

39 Weeks

Lauren at 39 Weeks. She may look a little surprised. We had to call her by her first and middle name, which I think she has learned isn't a great thing, unless we're using our playful voices.

Miss Misty (one of Lauren's teachers, Anna (Misty's daughter), and Lauren

Lauren is really moving and shaking more and more each day. She's dancing to music with a beat, shaking her behind and pumping her legs up and down. She's started to cruise the couch (the first time was May 13). She's loving to push her music table to walk. Lauren has even started to stand up without any support for up to 6 seconds. However, she'll do this once, but when she notices, sits down. Any repeated tries result in an immediate falling forward into my chest or falling onto her bottom.

We had a poo incident this morning. Lauren decided that she wanted to play in it while Paul changed her diaper. THAT made for an interesting start to the day.

1st Mother's Day

Daddy took lots of pictures of Mommy and Lauren today (I'm just too tired to post any right now!). We had a wonderful day together, despite the rain and cool temperatures. I got to sleep in until 7:20!

We got ready for church and were able to sit through the entire service as a family! After church, we went out to breakfast brunch. I left my table mat for Lauren ON the table which I didn't discover until about 9:30 pm. We came home and played.

Paul asked what I wanted to do, and I told him that I wanted to snuggle my little one. Apparently, Lauren had the same designs and would NOT let me out of her sight or out of arm's reach. We crawled together, tickled, snacked, fussed, and napped together. Lauren loves it when I'm crawling on the floor with her, pretending that she's chasing me. I hide behind the sofa or around the corner and squeal. She just laughs at me and tries to "get" me.

We listened to music and danced together. Lauren has been dancing while standing at her music table (when she isn't pushing it to walk!). Overall, it was a wonderful first Mother's Day and I wouldn't have asked for anything more than my little one's love.

38 Weeks

Our little Lauren is making a lot of changes! We just heard her utter new sounds last night (/t/ and /s/). While I was drawing a bath for her, Paul started hollering and made me leave my task. Lauren decided that she wanted to move. Using her music table, she'd push it forward until she was almost ready to fall, face first to the floor. Then she would walk toward her table and continue to repeat this behavior! We were shocked! Lauren's teachers said that she does this at school. They also said that she's playing peek a boo around corners of the classroom, chasing the older boys who are mobile, too. (We don't think it's a love interest, more like keeping up!) We're still getting lots of grins and Lauren eats everything put in front of her.

My Crazy Life

On Friday night, some of us girls along with 3 of our babies and a couple husbands, got together to hang out. Lauren was very well behaved, ate like crazy, and didn't get to bed until 9:30 or so (an hour and a half past bedtime). She was up at 3:00 and I didn't get back down till 5. I believe that she had her first asthma attack because the coughing slowed after she got her inhaler and I then took the opportunity to give her cough syrup and her Zyrtec. Got her a bottle, rocked for a bit. Long morning. We got up around 8:30, ate, played. The cats went out. We went out for a little while and came back in when Lauren started to sneeze and cough (pollen is high and I think she's allergic). Catlyn wanted to come in, but she was COVERED in pollen. I tried to wipe her down, but she came streaking in. So, she got a bath which in itself was a fiasco. In the meantime, Lauren decided it would be a blast to play in the cat's water. I couldn't keep hold of the cat and check on Lauren, so I prayed that Lauren wasn't playing in the cat box. I get a phone call in the middle of this (finishing up the cat's bath and undressing Lauren who did not get to play in the cat box, but the water mess and the litter on the floor created the need for her own bath). Lauren goes nuts in the water, soaking me (T-shirt, pants, and undies) as well as the floor. So, I'm blaming the cat for the water to clean up, the cat food to throw away, the floor to sweep, and the floor to mop (because Lauren REALLY did a great job soaking it). And it isn't even noon!! While this may be frustrating, my saving grace is that at least Lauren did NOT get into the cat box and find some new toys to play with!!

37 Weeks

Aunt Suzy took Lauren's weekly picture. Of course Lauren won't pose for me anymore, so this is the best picture we've had in forever! Look how sassy she looks with that little hand on her hip! I wonder where she has learned that...

All is well for us. We have had 3 accident reports in the past two weeks, all for bruises to the head. She doesn't realize that when a swing or a rocking chair are in motion, they go back and THEN forward again.

Lauren is very mobile. I can barely get her to stay still for 5 seconds to change a diaper. (I've counted--NOT exaggerating!) She'd rather investigate the world around her. She loves playing with clean clothes in a laundry basket and taking things out of bags (her favorite bags are my purse or her diaper bag). She doesn't want to have clothes changed either and wiggles away. I had to stand her up to put on her diaper this morning and set her feet on the floor to get her shorts on. She leaned forward as I anticipated another bruise to her forehead, and then proceeded to crawl to her ball pit, slide in, and sit up. That entertained her for about 10 minutes. I went to the car to put my things in. When I got upstairs, I heard the gate banging. Just as I got ready to yell at Paul for not watching Lauren, I turned the corner, saw Lauren standing against the gate, and Paul taking pictures of her. TOO cute! (I'll post later.)