Little Lauren

Lauren is now one year and three weeks old. She's developing quite a little personality. She definitely loves Lars, her grandmother and myself. She's also fond of her Aunt Marie. Other adults with the exception of her daycare provider are still off limits, although she will continue to flirt with adults while waiting in line at the store, shopping, or even on the plane. But if they try to pick her up or touch her the flirting will all disappear and she might even scream.

Lauren is still happiest in the morning, and she'll run from Lars to Grandma to myself happily. As the day wears on, she does get crankier, but mostly due to lack of sleep, since she's still not really taking the right amount of naps at daycare (since her switch in rooms from crawlers to walkers).

Lauren loves to try new foods. She has to be eating whatever we're eating and it's easiest to feed her while we're eating since she wants to be part of the action. Right now her favorite foods remain apple sauce, ice cream, cheerios, and jam/jelly. She'll eat things that are more nutritious, but only when we're eating them. She seems to quite fond of meat already, regardless of whether it's beef, pork or chicken.

Lauren's favorite toy is a stuffed animal pig, that Grandma bought for her in Lake Tahoe, which we've nicknamed "Tahoe Piggy". Other favorite toys include a plastic red piggy bank, her collection of books, small play balls, and any small square or round block sized object. Lately she's been more fond of toys that make sounds or music. She's already learned to dance/sway with music and does so whenever there's music on.

Lauren loves to point and call things out by name, but since her vocabulary is limited, almost everything comes out as being called "buhh". So for example, the bird nesting outside our window is "buhhh", as is her toy ball, "buhhh", her teddy bear (including Tahoe Piggy), "buhhh", and any balloon she sees "buhhh". One of the other words she knows "nay-nay" which is Chinese for milk, and what she calls her bottle.

Lauren is very talkative and will go on continuously with baby talk for long stretches at a time. I'm sure we won't be able to get her to stop talking once she really learns how!

Lauren still loves to play peek-a-boo with her blanket and any other piece of cloth. She loves looking at pictures (especially of herself), and she loves opening books and magazines.

When holding Lauren she'll talk to you and point at all the different things she's observing and ask for them. If you don't give them to her, that's what can get her started on the way to meltdown!

Lauren loves the outdoors, and is always pushing on the doors out of the house, in a request to go outside and play. She's got a sandbox that Lars set up for her and she's got a bunch of push toys and wagons she loves to play with, plus her balls, including a basketball and a soccer ball.

Lauren still laughs easily and smiles when she's amused. This is Lauren at just a little more than a year of age.