Unexpected visitors

We had a nice surprise (well..short notice anyway) visit from some cousins tonight. It was fun until we had to kick them out 'cause it was Lauren's bedtime.

With Auntie Yoly and cousin Kevin

Not available in stores

Cardboard box: Free

Pillow to line the carboard box: Free

Old Belt to pull the carboard box: Free

The fun to be had in her new "car": Priceless

Who needs "hi-tech" when low-tech is so much fun...and FREE!

I can stand!

This is what Lauren was up to yesterday while I was at work A little fuzzy...taken with a camera phone). She can now pull herself up to standing in her mini crib at grandma's house. She's so proud of herself! Time to lower the crib!!!

Making new friends.

We went to church on Sunday morning and for the first time, we left Lauren at the church nursery during the service. I was very nervous to leave her there, but I knew she was in good hands. When we dropped her off she was asleep in her carseat and I just wasn't sure how she would react waking up in a strange place with strange people and kids running around. Halfway through the service I peeked in to see how she was doing, and she was having a good ol' time. One of the teenage assistants was holding her and Lauren was bouncing away on her lap while watching the other kids play. I snuck back to my seat and didn't return to the nursery until the end of the service. I was pretty impressed that she didn't freak out considering she'd never seen any of those people before but a little saddened that she didn't even seem to miss me even a little bit! I'm glad she had a good time though, next time I won't be so anxious leaving her there.

After church Lauren had her first playdate with my friend's two adorable daughters April and Amelia. April is 13 months old and it seems like a big age difference right now, but in a few years, that 7 months between them will hardly make a difference and I hope they grow up together to be good friends. It was so funny to watch her play with another baby, and her reaction after April innocently took a toy from her was priceless. She looked a little shocked. She looked up at me like, "What's happening? Toys are usually handed to me, not taken away. What do you mean 'share?!' What's that?!?" She just kind of sat there and watched April put the toy in her mouth, pondering this new experience.


These were her first real social encounters with kids close to her age. For now at least she seems to like meeting new people and doesn't seem to be shy at all.

Whaddaya mean I have to share?

Whino...

Lauren took her first trip to Napa Valley last Saturday. Peter had some errands to run for the wine business and so I thought it would be nice to tag along and of my friends from work came too. We stopped to deliver some cases of wine to a wine shop and then had a nice lunch at our favorite restaurant, Bistro Jeanty where Lauren enjoyed her own meal of carrots (yum?). After lunch Peter had an appointment at La Toque (where Kindred Wines is on the list!) so the girls went shopping. We found a cool kids' store in Yountville called Hansel and Gretel and we got her some cute leg warmers (my new favorite thing to dress her in) and a ribbon for her hair (grandma will be so pleased). We ended the day with dessert at Bouchon bakery.

A sunny but windy day in "Whine" Country

Lauren ordered the pureed carrots at Bistro Jeanty (not really...Gerber is more like it)

An explosive day

I came home a little bit late from work tonight and from the moment I walked into the door, I knew something was weird. Imagine the scene:

On the floor, a small plastic piano on its side, wooden spoons and overturned tupperware containers strewn about.

I hear water running from the master bedroom and squeals of delight. It is an unusual sound, only because bathtime does not usually occur unless bedtime is soon to follow and considering the time of day (6 pm), bedtime is highly unlikely to occur for another two hours. Why the water then? It can't be bath time. Can it?

I put down my bags and drop my keys onto the counter. As I approach the master bedroom, I hear the shower turn off and the curtain pulled aside. It's definitely bath time then. But why so early?

I walk in to the room and notice a dirty diaper on the bed...a mass of crumpled and soiled wipes wadded up next to it. I follow a trail of dirty clothes to the shower. There is a pair of footie pajamas with duckies on them. It's the exact pair that I sent Lauren off to Grandma's in this morning. I pick it up and notice that it, too, is soiled. A few feet on, rumpled up and almost unrecognizable, is the pink and red striped onesie that she wore underneath her jammies. I hear another squeal. I look up and this is what I see; a squeaky clean baby with a not so innocent look on her face:


Apparently, Lauren had the mother of all blowouts under Peter's watch. They were in the middle of band practice when it happened (Peter was playing keyboards on the little plastic piano and Lauren was rocking on percussion with her wooden spoons and tupperware). It was a diaper blowout as never before seen in our household. One so bad that not only did her clothes get dirty, but the bedsheets and the carpet too. It was so bad that it rendered baby wipes useless and the only cleanup solution was to hold her under the steady stream of a warm shower.

What I wouldn't give to have seen him panicked and frantically stripping her down and jumping into the shower with barely enough time to take off his own t-shirt. It must have been hilarious to watch her kicking and squealing joyfully under the shower while daddy, miserable and wet, held her up, trying to avoid stepping into the poop that was going down the drain. Well, it didn't get into her mouth (or his) and that's the best he could hope for in a situation like this.

Thanks, Church Ladies

Last Sunday, I received a nice surprise when I went to church (sans baby...she was hanging out at home with Daddy). One of the ladies approached me and asked, "Aren't you the one with the new little baby? Remind me before you leave I have a gift for you!"

I was pretty surprised, considering I'm not really involved too much in church activities these days. Up until a few years ago I taught Sunday school and was the AWANA secretary, but lately my church attendance has been spotty so I was a little shocked that they even noticed that I had a baby.

I came home with a gift bag and inside it was a beautiful handmade quilt/blanket with a nice card from the Quilting fellowship group of the church. Wasn't that nice? I'm so touched that they thought of us. I emailed this picture to our pastor to show how much Lauren likes it (it's super soft!)