From Baby to Toddler: 16 months

Wow, it has been a long time since I have blogged. A long, long, loooong time. To all of you who keep in contact with us and are watching Lauren grow through the blog, sorry I've been so neglectful! Life just gets busy. But before this girl changes any more, I have to write something down because I don't ever want to forget this amazing stage she's in right now. It seems like just in the last maybe 2 weeks, the last little remnants of Lauren's babyness have faded and been replaced with one smart, energetic,  little girl. Robbie and I continue to be just amazed at how grown up she is. 

Brushing her baby's teeth

Playing: Lauren doesn't just play randomly anymore. She plays make believe games and builds with blocks. Her true loves are her babies- she feeds them bottles, changes their diapers, brushes their teeth, wraps them in blankies, and then kisses and cuddles them. They MUST be tucked in with her teddy bear before her daily nap or she completely refuses to sleep. She is such a good Mommy :) She loves to get her purse and her babies together, grab my cell phone, and then go sit in her Cozy Coup car. haha!
 She also loves to build with her mega-Legos, watch Sesame Street (aka "The Elmo Show" at our house) go up and down the slide, jump, climb, and above all, DANCE. We have dance parties to Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson. Those are Lauren's two very favorite songs and she is not okay with dancing to anything else. So opinionated :)

Going down the slide all by herself!

Eating: Some days I'm not entirely sure why I both making anything. Because really, it just ends up on the floor. Even Lauren's favorite foods get thrown around. She definitely has some favorites though- green beans, brocolli, peas (what the what?), and asparagus are all on Lauren's fav list, along with rice and beans and yogurt. On days where I seriously just can't get any calories in the girl because she is throwing EVERYTHING back at me, we try to be brave and go to a restaurant  because miraculously the kid eats fabulously if it's off our plate at a place that's not home. Then at least I know she got ONE meal that day, right? I know they say kids wont let themselves starve, but there are days where I seriously wonder. On the eating topic though, my sweet girl has developed an allergy :( Cinnamon. Red rash all over her face. Poor baby :(

Sleeping: This is an area in which I am so proud her, and just can't believe how grown up my girl is! She doesn't always, but can put herself down for a nap now and occasionally even at night. I had a hard time letting go of that one, actually. Cuddling her to sleep was one of my favorite parts of the day. But as with every change in her sleeping habits, from the transition from the swing to our bed and from our bed to her crib, I just waited for her to let me know she was ready. Once she did, I had to just step back and let her grow up. And she did! Easily! Seriously I'm so proud of her.

Communicating: Holy goodness, baby sign language is a gift from the gods. RARELY is there an instance in which I do not understand exactly what she is telling me, even though she doesn't really use words yet. Verbally, she only says "Mama" and "Dada" and random excited squealing noises, lol. But in sign language, she can say she wants food (and can even specify a few foods), water a drink or a bottle (yes those three are all different), diaper change, bath, more, all done, thank you, baby, kitty, Daddy, Grandpa, and several others. Those are just her favorite and most common signs. She'll put multiple signs together to form sentences such as "I'd like a diaper change and a bath, thank you!" and "Bye, Daddy!" when he leaves for school.  Thanks to baby sign language, she's even pooping in the toilet occasionally. (Can I get a hallelujah?) Love. Baby. Sign language.

Oh and just as a side note, this child does not hold still. Ever. Thus pictures that are not just a blur have become a rarity. The pictures I included in this post are some of the only non blurry recent ones I have. I love my girl and all her energy!