As I reflect on this past month, it’s the same as each month.
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I marvel at Lauren’s accomplishments, I am inspired by her innocence and beauty, and I’m also a little heartbroken that my baby is growing up so fast. Our days are filled with never ending laughter and my admiration for what a special little girl I have only grows stronger as Lauren grows bigger. I’ve said it so many times, but it simply can never be said enough, we are so very blessed.
The following are a few of Lauren’s quotes from the past few days. I realize it’s a joy that only LP’s parents can truly appreciate as our hearts of overflowing with pride, but I hope they bring a smile to your face.
“Mommy, WILL you look at this?” Everyday, at least 30 times a day.
Talking about a friend who missed their last play date, “She changed her mind. That was her option, to stay at home or come and play. She wanted to stay at home.” (Is this really my 2½ year old talking?) 3/8/09
“I like dead spiders.” 3/9/09
“I’m a cleaner,” as she wiped down the bathroom sink with a washcloth. 3/11/09
“That would be yucky and gross,” talking about something in the trash can. 3/11/09
In hopes to convince Lauren to keep her hands out of the crank between the door and the door jam, I said, “Don’t do that. It will hurt your hand REALLY bad.” Lauren responded, “And then Lauren won’t have any hands to eat with and Mommy & Daddy will have to help me eat.” Not exactly what I was going for, but I guess I got the point across. 3/11/09
As she shook her head back & forth really fast, “Look Mommy! The floor is moving!” 3/12/09
While watching a bird studying a great big caterpillar (a little too closely, if you ask me…one second it was there and the next it was gone and it wasn’t crawling that fast), “Birds like to eat cats, not caterpillars.” 3/13/09
“Look Mommy! This goldfish has a big, big curvy smile…from ear to ear. Where are the fish’s ears, Mommy?” 3/14/09
While sorting laundry to wash, “This is close to pink, I think. Pink and think – they rhyme!” 3/15/09
Lauren is still absorbing everything around her. She now recognizes all of the capital letters in the alphabet and we are working on counting to 20 (she tends to say “fiveteen”). She loves puzzles (totally exceeding our expectations by doing 48 piece jigsaw puzzles on her very own), games (like Memory, Hide & Seek, Go Fish, or made up games like What Store Next? and Mirror Me), and she seems to have a real knack for numbers (we are kind of working on adding & subtracting a few numbers just because she seems so interested). Her constant longing for knowledge is exciting, surprising, tiring at times and requires a lot of patience too. As we drove home the other day, she asked the same question over and over, each time slightly different. “Why can’t we walk home?” Why can’t we tree home?” Why can’t we roll home?” “Why can’t we grass home?” “Why can’t we ball or hop or car or run or sky or fly home?” Really, for 20 minutes! I’m guessing it was an attempt to differentiate between a noun and verb so I did my best to stay calm and answer each question.
I often have to remind myself that she is only 2 1/2 – she’s so well behaved most of the time and just seems so mature. But, then in true toddler fashion, she has a melt down because I put the spiders in my pocket to go upstairs to take a nap. Oh yeah, she’s 2 1/2. You read correct, SPIDERS. Lauren informed me that the pack of wild monkeys that ran around the house last month are on vacation. But not to worry because the excitement continued with their replacements – a mommy spider and her 5 baby spiders (that ride around on their mommy’s back) and two very crazy and adventurous mice. Ideally, not really the two creatures that I’d choose to run around freely in my house, but Lauren has reassured me several times that they are just pretend and not to be afraid. What an imagination! Absolutely never a dull moment!
At her doctor’s appointment, there were no shots. It was mostly a cognitive exam, and Lauren put on a show. When the doctor asked what she likes to do, she turned her head and snuggled tight into Ryan’s neck with no response. As I started in with, “She likes to play outside, read books, do puzzles…is there anything else, Lauren?” LP responded, “And eat!” After answering the doctor’s question of what her dog’s name was, he then asked, “Is she a big dog or little dog?” I was certain of her response as I’ve heard her say, “She’s a medium size dog” a jillion times, however, without thought LP said, “She’s getting bigger.” No doubt based on Ryan and my comments on how Hailey has been gaining weight lately.
Per our doctor’s visit, Lauren now weighs 24 lbs. 8 oz (8%) and was 35 inches tall (down to only 31% – we knew it was inevitable). To see a few pictures from our monthly photo shoot, click here.