When warm weather hits...

We break out the baby pool! I just couldn't resist this purchase! It had been unseasonably warm during the end of April, so I decided to entertain Lauren. Since I myself love the water, I figured now was the perfect time to introduce water outside of the bathtub to Lauren. We put some water in it, let it warm in the sun and then let her get wet! She had an absolute blast, as did I!

In addition to the pool, we also ventured out to our first trip to the zoo. Well, the first two trips to the zoo, once a day for two days! We took advantage of being able to get out of the house as you can tell. But, we ended up paying the price! On the following Saturday night, Lauren slept a whopping 14 hours without waking... I thought it was the fresh air that made her sleep so well, but it was a fever :( She had a low grade fever for a day or so followed by some not so nice diapers. It stinks when you know your child isn't feeling well and there isn't anything you can do about it. All she wanted to do was sleep on me and it was not a desirable situation because she was warm as was I!

Lauren is now on the move! Well, rolling from one end of the room to the other, she just can't stop! She has also begun the scooting process, it is something other than stationary and that I take as progress! Baby proofing, here I come! She absolutely loves to discover everything in every room! She has always been a studier and now with all these new fascinations, it is quite entertaining. In addition to the movement she has outgrown her bouncy seat and in the next few days, the swing... they were great while they lasted, it will be nice to get them out of the family room!

Hmmm, what else? Oh yeah, Easter! Lauren made it through church without a fuss, which isn't uncommon and she looked so very sweet in her little pink and white dress, matching hat and cute little shoes that Grandma Karen got for her.

Since she is now 7 months, she is eating up a storm! Doctor Tara said she could start meats, she did, she loves them... I hope this pattern continues because I will not be a short order chef when it comes time for table food. Period.

On some other notes... Our Sister-in-Law had her second little boy earlier this month. We welcomed Samuel Joseph on May 14th. Compared to his big brother, Jake, I think Sam will be a breeze ;)

Also, we celebrated our friends Wedding this past weekend at Longaberger Golf Club in Newark, Ohio. It was my first overnight away from Lolo and I feel I did a great job, I only checked in twice ;) She did great at Grandma & Grandpa's and I feel she will want to go there a lot more, don't they all?

So Long Toothless Grin

Hello teeth! Yes, that is correct, Lauren is getting her teeth in! On her 5th month birthday and my 27th (year, ha) birthday, March 24th, Lauren's first tooth made its grand appearance! She had, for some time, been chewing on her "knuckle sandwiches" but not really showing any discomfort... that is until it poked through the gums! She has been tolerating it fairly well and it we are proud to say that the baby Orajel is still in its box and the seal unbroken! Thank goodness for teething tablets though! They are wonderful! They are 100% natural and Lolo doesn't mind the taste of them. In addition to the tablets, we also slip a tad of Tylenol in there to help her fall asleep at night, to take the edge off. She does not mind getting her gums and "tooth" brushed at all! I guess it is paying off letting her watch me brush mine in the morning. Since getting the tooth, she is more curious about what is in our mouths. I just figure she wants to know what is going on in her mouth and make sense of it all.

Also, during this past month, Lauren has experienced all of the "1st foods" and it is safe to say... she LOVES them all! There has not been one food she has disliked and I hope it stays that way. In addition to loving all food, she is not a messy eater at all! I guess that goes with loving everything that is on a spoon and goes into her mouth, she doesn't want to miss a drop! I bet she would lick the bowl if we let her!

Hmmmm, let's see, what else.... She is working on another milestone of rolling over from back to tummy. She mastered the tummy to back roll on Valentine's day and now she is just getting stuck on her arm for the back to tummy. I'm thinking it will be any day now! Though, I think she will be pulling herself up and walking before she attempts crawling, but that's just my guess :).

Her sleeping patterns during the day have gotten better and we are on more of a schedule. She still lets us know when she is ready for bed at night, around 6:30-7:00, and usually sleeps until 7:30 in the morning with few interruptions, if any. And during the day, she usually takes her "good" nap in the morning and then a snooze in the afternoon. So overall, it has gotten a lot better.

It seems like that is a lot to happen in a month's time but I know it doesn't seem that way for others. I can only assume that since it is Spring (or so the calendar says) there will be more stories and pictures to come, stay tuned!