I'm so proud that I could just about burst!

This is Lauren's "YAY!" face!

Exactly three months ago today, I was handed this precious little (and I stress little) baby who has turned me, once again, into a puddle of mush. I love her to pieces.

Today, though, I'm so proud of her that I could just about jump up and down and do cartwheels. I may or may not already have done that in the privacy of our home. Only Joshua could say for sure and I've bribed him not to tell. For quite some time, Lauren's bottle refusal has been a source of some stress. I have to say that I think I held it together relatively well over the whole thing, given my innate tendency to overreact. I have resigned myself to the fact that, although I am planning to go back to work in some capacity this Monday, that I will work through the situation however I need to. If that means coming home every 2.5 hours to feed Lauren, then that's what I'll do. If it means bringing her along with me to the office for a portion of the day, then so be it. In my silent prayers, though, I have to admit that I've been praying for some kind of a dramatic turnaround so that the whole transition can be just a bit easier on Lauren and I, and also for Grandma and Joshua. In an email between Emily and I earlier this week, she told me that these things have a way of working themselves out. Oh wise friend...you were right. Today it appears that we're on the brink of some kind of miracle.

I've been working with Lauren to use a pacifier for the past few weeks figuring that if she could learn to suck on something, she could eventually learn to accept milk from a bottle. Mostly it's been a futile effort that led to frustration on both of our parts. The only way it would work is if I literally held the pacifier in her mouth while she tried to push it back out with her tongue. She would chew on it, but never really wanted to suck on it. But late yesterday afternoon I tried again and she accepted it and then quickly drifted off to sleep. I was thrilled.....mostly from not having to bounce and sway her while I walked around the bottom floor of our house 27 times like I normally need to. Right after that, I thought I'd take a real walk on the wild side and offer her some milk in a bottle again. To my delight and surprise, after some coaxing, she took it like a champ. She did it again at her next feeding with less coaxing required.

This morning, we can report more success with the bink and she took 1 oz of milk from the bottle. Hooray!! Now, I realize that I may come back to read this post in a year or two and rue the day that I got excited for her to take a pacifier. In fact, if I knew how to do a link to another post, I'd send you right to Emily's blog about her confessions about Cooper's bink. I have no earthly clue how to do that, but I'm sure there will come a day when I'm desperate to live a life without a bink. But for now, if it does the trick to soothe my baby while we're both trying to work through a difficult transition, I'll take it.

How Monday is going to work I have no firm plan about. The only plan I have is to see how the day unfolds and react accordingly. My hope is that Lauren can at least take 2 feedings with grandma and allow me to make only one trip home in the middle of the day to feed her. That's my dream world...but I'm being brave enough now, after a few successes, to think about it. We might just make it after all.

The only downside to this breakthrough is that I'm now having to think seriously about the fact that I may be headed back to work without Lauren on Monday...and having to get used to spending my days away from not only Joshua, but her as well. And if you read back to the beginning of this, you'll realize that I'm now dreading exactly what it is I've been hoping for. Isn't that just how it works sometimes? I didn't blog when I made the transition back to work with Joshua, but I remember that it wasn't nearly as painful or emotional as I suspected it might be. Here's to hoping that it goes smoothly for all of us this time around too.



In other statistics and interesting tidbits, here are a few other three month facts about Lauren:

- I'm betting that she weighs about 10-10.5 pounds.
- She has just within the past day or so moved to a size 1 diaper. Newborns would still fit, but I ran out and have a stash of 1's, so we're just going to make the switch.
- All of her clothing is now 3 months. (Oh how quickly that newborn stuff got put away!)
- She is mostly sleeping through the night. She usually wakes between 4:30-5:00 to eat, but sometimes skips that feeding.
- She eats 6-8 times a day, usually about 2.5 hours between feedings during the day. After eating, she's awake and happy for a while (that part is getting longer and longer each day) and then wants to take a little snooze for about 20-30 minutes before waking up to be changed and fed all over again.
- She can hold her head up like a champ at this point.
- She has absolutely no interest in rolling over yet. When we have floor time, she just likes to look around and smile. So far, her kicking hasn't accomplished much more than just swivelling her from side to side a little bit.
- She is learning how to grab onto things- like my shirt when she's eating, my hair when she's up on my shoulder, her little doll that she likes to hug and squeeze and chew on.
- Her fist is often in her mouth and the drooling is picking up pretty steadily. If that means teeth are soon on their way, I'm not looking forward to it....for a number of reasons.
- She likes to "talk" and will usually respond if you ask her to "tell you about it". She has a little raspy voice that I just adore.
- She particularly likes to watch Joshua as he plays. I can't blame her- he's pretty fun.

3 months gone by already.....wow! Happy 3 month birthday little one!

Baby Mine...

Lately, in Lauren's fussy moments, I've found myself singing to her. One of the songs that I usually come to is one of the same ones I sang to baby Joshua as he screamed endlessly in my arms during his early days. Remember "Baby Mine" from Dumbo? My favorite version is Alison Krauss' rendition, but this afternoon as I was looking at Lauren and marvelling at how quickly the time has flown by so far, I kept coming back to these lyrics in the song:

From your head down to your toes...

You're not much, goodness knows...

But you're so precious to me, sweet as can be...

Baby of mine.

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And now we'll switch gears completely. Can anyone spot Joshua in the picture below? He played with his trucks for the majority of the afternoon and I was really enjoying being a witness to his imagination in motion today. He had taken one of the paramedics from his ambulance and named him Tonn...I have no idea why. He then concocted a story about how Tonn needed to go to sleep because he was tired from working so hard, and then proceeded to lay down with him, cover both of them up and read stories to him. WhenJason told me that I should look at him while I was fixing dinner, I actually had a hard time finding Josh amidst the sea of dump trucks and emergency responders.

It was a very Merry Christmas!

I'm not sure I can begin to describe how special our Christmas was this year, so I hope some pictures might do the trick where words fail me. We were home in Lewistown for Christmas this year, and that was a very special treat for me. Our family decision has been that we will always be in our home for the kids to wake up on Christmas morning, so this will likely be the last time for a while that we'll have the blessing of sharing Christmas day with my family, but we enjoyed every single moment with them.

Christmas Eve got a little tricky, and didn't turn out at all like I had expected it to. Joshua melted down (and I mean completely) by about supper time. Actually, Jason and I both were afraid that he was getting sick again because he was acting exactly the same way he did the afternoon that the swine flu hit our household....not good memories. We had to pack up the kids quickly and take them back to my Mom and Dad's before the puking began. Luckily, it never materialized into anything more than Joshua just having had enough partying for one day. So for all of my family who I left without saying goodbye to, I'm so very sorry. Here are some Christmas Eve pictures pre-meltdown.

Here's Joshua opening the "first gift of Christmas" that Santa had delivered early to Nana and Pap's on Christmas Eve. He got his very own Polar Express ticket and silver bell. He slept with both of them on Christmas Eve and came down the stairs clutching them tightly in the morning.

And here are some pictures from Christmas morning. It was so special because not only did we get to share the present opening with Nana and Pap, but Brooke, Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig were there too.

We all got a chuckle over the fact that that there were 20 new toys in the middle of the living room, but Joshua and Brooke gravitated back to some old favorites.

FINALLY.....a picture of all four of us! It only took 3 months.

On Saturday morning, we packed up our UHaul (just kidding, but we might have been able to use one) and headed home. Santa had delivered more of Joshua's gifts here to our house. Grandma and Grandpa came down in the afternoon and we enjoyed the day together here, exchanging presents and talking about Christmas traditions. It was a really nice day.

One of Joshua's favorite gifts here was a hard hat, goggles, ear protectors and work gloves. We were not the least bit shocked tha the loved them.

Lauren wore the same outfit on Christmas Day and the day after. She had thrown up on it so badly that it didn't last long on Christmas morning and I figured it wouldn't fit again next year. So after we washed it at Mom and Dad's, she wore it again. She looked so precious.

We are so blessed with family and Christmas just seems to highlight it so clearly when you all get to be together. This was a wonderful Christmas for us---- Joshua was "into" it (big time) and seems to be understanding the anticipation of Christmas now. And to be able to snuggle Lauren, knowing full well the joy that awaits us again as we see her learn about the joy and magic of Chrimstas is really a gift.

Twas the night before the night before the night before Christmas...

...and everyone settled in for a long winter's nap!

I had to snap a picture of the kids last night, both sacked out. Jason asked why I keep taking pictures of them sleeping. My only response is that it so rarely happens that I find it interesting and unusual...and therefore bloggable. This was particularly odd because Lauren hardly ever stays asleep when I sit her down in her chair, but our big day at the mall and Kohls must have really played her out. She didn't sleep like that for long, but it was long enough that I got a load of laundry going, so that's a major plus. Joshua had been sitting upright three seconds before this picture was taken, and when I turned around, he had laid down and was snoring. I guess when you're tired, you're tired.

I won't go into the gory details about the trouble I got into at the mall yesterday. Shall we just say that perhaps it's a good thing that I haven't been able to do much hands on shopping since September? I did some damage at Gymboree, Gap and Kohls for the kids and managed to find myself a new pair of brown shoes to replace the ones that are just about to bite the dust. It was a fantastic day for Lauren and I---out of the house, not at the office or Wal-Mart, among people, soaking up the last little bit of pre-Christmas hustle and bustle. I kept looking down at her in her stroller thinking about the days that we have to look forward to when Daddy and Joshua are out playing golf or doing some masculine thing, and we'll have each other to go shopping with. We'll get in trouble for buying too many shoes or outfits and we'll enjoy being together. That is until she turns the age where she hates being with her mom and finds me repulsive and totally no fun to be around. I chose to focus on the times before that actually happens when I was daydreaming yesterday.

Just like Willie Nelson, we're on the road again this afternoon to go back to Lewistown for the holiday. We'll return on Saturday morning to celebrate the other half of Christmas with Jason's parents. Hopefully Santa got the memo and will deliver half of Joshua's presents to our house (we made a special request for the bigger stuff to come here for logistical purposes...hopefully that wasn't too much to ask).

Merry Christmas everyone! May the true meaning of Christmas find its way to each of our hearts this holiday and make every moment we get to spend with those we love so much more precious.

The things I should be doing...

There are lots of things I should be doing right now. Like laundry (why does it always seem that I'm saying that?). But instead, I'm spending some time downloading (and uploading) the pictures I took this weekend during our trip to my parents' house for the first of our family Christmas parties. The weather was horrendous, and far worse in Lewistown than it was here. But we decided to try and make it early on Saturday morning, and luckily succeeded without too much incident....aside from the one accident we saw on 104 that had us following a Middleburg ambulance through some very much untreated field roads to find our way back to a main road.


Instead of unpacking the bags that I'm just going to have to pack again on Wednesday, I'm thinking about these two little munchkins. Joshua was playing Santa and Brooke had to sit on his lap to tell him what she wanted for Christmas. She just giggled. Oh how I love her.

Instead of reading emails and catching up on work, I'm thinking about all of the "cousins" time we had yesterday...and how our conversations have changed over the years. We now sat around the table, eating snacks (some still enjoying whiskey slush, although I was not one of them) talking about our kids and parenting and all of that good stuff.

Instead of wrapping the last few gifts that are waiting in the basement, I'm thinking about how much Joshua LOVES his Uncle Butch. They were having a great time yesterday, and it even ended with a special private guitar concert in Club Bob.

Instead of starting to write thank you notes for all the precious gifts Joshua and Lauren received, I'm smiling about the full house we had yesterday. How do you like this aerial view of the people, and presents, and piles! There were a whole bunch more people there, but they were gathered around the food to avoid being part of the madness with the kids opening their treasures.

There are a lot of things I ought to be doing. But I'm having fun looking at pictures.

Lauren got to meet Danaca and Christine for the first time yesterday. I think she liked them a whole bunch, as do we.

She also got a few really good cuddles in with Stephanie. She still remembers her visit to us right after we came home from the hospital, I think. Steph is just the most fun EVER...and Josh and Lauren definitely know it! While we're on the subject of cousins, we should point out that we desperately missed Neen and Joe and Cory, Shannon and Ridge due to the yucky weather. Can't wait to see them on Thursday at the next gathering!

There's a whole bunch of anticipation going on at our house right now. This week is going to be a blast with our travel BACK to Lewistown on Wednesday afternoon and then Santa's arrival on Thursday night. I bet you can't tell that Joshua is a bit excited, can you?

Lots more pictures to come this week. We are so blessed, and the holiday season seems to bring it all into focus so clearly.

Enjoy the anticipation this week! What a great celebration we have to look forward to in a few short days.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

Naps have been oh so nonexistent in our house ever since Lauren was born. I mourned that for a while, but now just seem to be over it. I am, however, always thankful when an impromptu nap comes along to brighten the afternoon....like it did on Wednesday. This is just one more use for the ever present Boppy pillow. It worked like a charm!

And how about this for a lap full? Joshua had requested that we watch the Polar Express (I know you're shocked). He almost made it to the end of the movie, but lost the battle to keep his eyes open after Santa had declared the "first gift of Christmas". So there we were, all three of us, cuddled up on the couch.

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Christmas festivities begin this weekend with a trip to Lewistown tomorrow for the first of our family celebrations. I'm beyond excited and can't wait to see all of the "kids" (my generation) and their kids! I've got packing and baking on my list of things to do today to get ready. Packing is really of the utmost importance, but I am feeling quite side tracked by a recipe we saw on the Food Network last weekend for Paula Deen's brownies with Andes candies in them. Until I get them baked, I don't think I can focus on something as mundane as packing. I'm taking them to the party tomorrow because I'm pretty sure if I don't, we'll consume the entire pan of them. And really, that many calories onto this body is not necessary.

I pulled a late night on Wednesday evening finishing the wrapping job for all of the presents that have accumulated in our basement. I'm quickly learning that being Santa's helper is a big job, and requires many late night shifts and a lot of sneaky behavior. There are still 3 things that need to be wrapped prior to our departure for Lewistown on Wednesday afternoon, but I think I can manage them between now and then...once Alan, the UPS man, brings them to me. What would I have done without Alan this Christmas season? Perhaps I should share my brownies with him.

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Update: Brownie disaster. They did not look like this when Paula Deen baked them. They may not be salvageable.

The Equestrian & The Lady in Red

Just a few pictures to share today. I'm not feeling as though I have a whole lot of impressive things to say these days. But the kids are still cute, and I'm quite enjoying the opportunity to be here during the day to snap pictures and make memories of all of these adorable "little" moments. Take this one for instance...

I'd like to introduce you to Joshua, the equestrian. (Definitely something you need to know about when you're 3, right?) Lauren and I spent the day at the office yesterday and when we returned, I learned that Joshua and grandma had spent the better part of an hour studying two pages in his sticker book that had to do with all things horse related. In this picture from this morning, Josh was pretending to ride his horse (the arm of the chair). He told me his feet were in the stirrups and he was sitting in the saddle. He had his gloves and his "stick" (as he called it) and was tapping the back of the horse, who incidentally is named Shadow, to make him go. Interesting.

And then there's this little lady, who I am absolutely LOVING in red. Ever since I purchased these little outfits this summer, it felt like forever until I'd get to see the baby in them. Now that we've made the switch to 3 month outfits, I am adoring her in these little "Brooke-esque" onesies and stretch pants during the day. There's still plenty of pink to be worn, but this is a fun switch from time to time.

She has discovered her tongue and always has it sticking out of her mouth. She's also found her fist and is sucking on it just about all the time. Her other fascination is her ears. At first I thought she might be getting sick because she was playing with her ears so much, but when she's eating, her hands are right at her ears almost all the time.

And I don't know for sure, but I can't imagine you're upset that I included one with a smile. We're seeing tons of these now and are getting mighty close to hearing our first giggle. She also channels Grandma Mary with a very airy snicker that we hear from time to time. My mom and Libby might be the only two people who understand what I mean by that, but every time I hear it, I think of my Gram.

Holiday preparations continue at full speed at our house. As the first of the family parties approaches on Saturday, there is still quite a bit to do, but I'm enjoying all of it so much. I hope you are too.

More to come...

Breakfast with Santa...minus the breakfast.

I almost felt back to normal this weekend as we hurried and hustled from place to place. Our normally busy routine has quite dramatically turned into a very monotonous one since Lauren's birth, and it felt good to be out and about for a bit this weekend. If only I hadn't been sick, I might have really enjoyed myself! But a girl can't get greedy I suppose.

Our Kiwanis Club works with the Country Cupboard each year to sponsor one of the area's Breakfast with Santa events. We decided to make an appearance so that Joshua could make his wishes known to Santa and we could introduce Lauren to a few of our club members who haven't met her yet. And to get me out of the house. Have I mentioned how thrilled I was with that? The "breakfast" part of the event was out of the question there due to the peanut issue--- Joshua's chances of ever eating off of a buffet are slim to none. So we filled his belly with breakfast from home before heading off to see Santa. On the way in the door, Josh wondered where Santa's sleigh was. I'm not entirely sure that Jason and I were prepared to answer that one. Jason quickly piped in that it was probably parked out back, and Joshua seemed satisfied with the information. Phew.

Among his requests this year were Chuck My Talking Truck (check), the Play-Doh spaghetti shop (check) and the robot truck (what?). I'm quickly learning that it's pretty important for mom and dad to be standing close by when the kids talk to Santa. We were unprepared for that request. And just when I thought my Christmas shopping was done, I begin again on a search for a toy that is apparently out of stock many places. Great.

Joshua even got to meet an elf! How cool was that?

And here's what Lauren had to say about the morning's adventure. No pictures with Santa this year. There's no sense traumatizing her by passing her off to a big man in a red suit and a very long beard. So she snoozed away after returning home. I documented this because it is one of the only times that this baby has ever fallen asleep in her car seat during a trip. Long or short trips don't seem to make a difference. She prefers NOT to be in the car seat, and certainly doesn't get comfy enough to close her peepers while we're going from place to place. I keep hoping she'll get used to it. This weekend's upcoming trip to Lewistown would be a super time for her to get it figured out. What do you suppose are the chances of that?

Saturday night we went to our church's Christmas dinner. It was such a nice evening with a great dinner, lots of good company, and then a concert from a local singing/theater group (very show choir-y...I know that's not a word). We figured that Joshua would make it through one, maybe two, songs and then would want to come home, but he was mesmerized. There were lots of costume changes and fun Christmas songs that he recognized. There were even characters, like Santa, a reindeer, elves, penguins and the grinch. After an hour and a half of the show, and Lauren's insistence upon eating (again), we decided to head home. It was already 8:30 (gasp!) and we needed to be back to church again on Sunday morning, so we gathered our troops and headed home, much to the dismay of Mr. Music. God was smiling on us, however, because after his meltdown in the bath, we were blessed to find The Polar Express on TV and that quieted him right down until he peacefully drifted off to sleep.

Sunday morning brought a whole bunch of ice to us....unbeknowst to us until we slid making the turn into the church parking lot and I nearly went you-know-what over tin cups when I stepped from the car to get Lauren out. Even if we had known of the weather, we would have had to go out anyway because we had been asked to handle the lighting of the advent candle this week. Oh dear. We weren't so sure that it was a good idea to mix fire, a three year old, a Mommy with no voice who was supposed to do the reading, and a baby who can break out into hysterics at any moment, but we took a walk on the wild side and agreed to do it. Everything was fine. Jason handled the actual lighting of the candles while keeping Joshua where he was supposed to be. He had the hardest job by far. But when all was said and done, the church was not set on fire and we celebrated the "joy" candle just like we should have.

After church, Joshua asked Pastor Dave to play the drums again, and he was gracious enough to allow him. Oh how I wish I had my camera with me, because at some point it turned from Joshua's drum session into a little jam session between the two of them. Joshua played the drums while Pastor Dave played the guitar along with him. It was precious. People who were standing around talking started taking pictures of them. I'm going to have to see if I might be able to get one of them to share their photos. Getting him to come home was our biggest challenge. I honestly think he would have stayed there all day playing music if Pastor Dave had been up for it.

I wonder what this week will bring?

Thursday already?

A penny for your thoughts Miss Lauren.

You've heard of a Jack in the box? Well, this is our Josh-In-A-Box. Normally legos go here, but yesterday he saw fit to cram himself into it. He was quite upset when he couldn't get the lid closed.

5:21

It was 5:21 this morning when I stood over Lauren's crib with a dilemma. She was asleep. I was dripping (literally, sorry if that's too much detail)...just looking for a sign that she was stirring or about to wake up. Nope. So, the quandry was whether or not to get in the shower and risk her waking at any moment, realizing that she had slept all night and that she was now officially famished, therefore causing blood curdling screams that would wake up a very peacefully sleeping Joshua...or to wake her up and hope against hope that she would eat quickly and then go back to sleep after filling her belly and allow me enough time to get a shower before peacefully sleeping Joshua became AWAKE Joshua who was ready to play.

I chose the latter. And it worked out OK. I actually managed to get out of the shower, get dressed, do my hair and still had to wake her up at 6:00 to eat or else I thought I might die. It sounds like this is all about me doesn't it? I hope not. It's just that the supply and demand part of nursing isn't exactly perfect. It seems that Lauren and my "production facility" did not have a conversation last evening to say..."I'm going to sleep all the way through the night, OK? So that feeding you're usually gearing up for between 3-4 am....yeah, shut down the machines. Take a long lunch or something. I'm not going to need that one. Just get ready for about 6 am, OK?" It'd be great if it worked that way, but it seems it does not. Hence the dripping.

But we're going to be OK. The great news is that she slept all night. Here's to hoping that this is a trend that continues from now until forever. (I know full well that that's not going to happen, but just let me savor the moment, OK?)

Randomness

After the thrill of being able to play Pastor Dave's drums from the worship team at church, Joshua made everything into a drum at our house on Sunday afternoon. Oh the pounding! He was sitting on his guitar as his "stool" and using the phone as the drum pad. He also declared to Pastor Jamie when walking out the door that when he grows up he wants to be a pastor. Pastor Jamie told him that if he still feels that way when he's a little bigger, he can come and talk to him about it. Joshua said that would be OK.

Here's Lauren, pretty in pink (and ruffles....I think I may have a problem) after church. She was so adorable in her little church outfit that I couldn't bear to change her clothes after we got home. So we kept her dressed up for Nana's visit and never did end up changing her until it was time for a tub and pajamas in the evening. It may be a blessing in disguise that I haven't been able to leave the house to do anything fun like shopping since September 30th. Our bank account may be better off because of it. The cutenesns of little girls' clothes is really catching me off guard!

I wish I had something exciting to report, but I'm afraid I don't. Jason and I are battling a cold/sore throat thing that seems to be no fun at all, and we're hoping that the kids can be spared. The end of the week holds more excitement than the beginning. We have a Christmas dinner to go to on Thursday night, so all four of us will venture to a restaurant for the first time. Luckily it's Ciro's where we know everyone, so it should work out OK. (If it's anything like our first trip there after Joshua was born, the owner's wife will take Lauren with her while she waits tables and speak to her in Italian). Saturday morning we're going to make a quick appearance at the Kiwanis Breakfast with Santa so that Joshua can make his requests to the Man in Red. I haven't seen any of our club members since Lauren was born, either, so it'll be nice to show my face again and let them take a quick peek at the baby. Saturday night we have a Christmas dinner to go to at church, so we're looking forward to that. We hear it's a big deal, but will have to report on that after the fact. All I know is that I need to bring macaroni and cheese and a dessert. Should be a nice evening.

Until then, it's feeding, changing, laundry, wrapping presents, etc. over and over and over again.

Sweet...

I was finally lucky enough to have a camera in my hand this afternoon to capture one of Lauren's precious little grins. Gone are the days of sitting still and being fixated on her face with the camera in focus to be able to catch one or two of these every single day. Things just aren't that simple around here anymore because of........well, because of this:

This was the afternoon concert that Joshua was performing. The screwdriver in his hand was his microphone, and for no less than 20 minutes, he "sang" (and I use the term loosely) at the top of his lungs. His words were like none I had ever heard of, and perhaps may have been recognizable to someone in a European country somewhere.

Oh how life has changed over the past 9 weeks. But oh how sweet it is.

Some things about him & a few about her...

Joshua has caught the Christmas spirit. Ever since Thanksgiving, he's been obsessed with all things holiday related, and it's been a lot of fun to watch. He was thrilled that his beloved Polar Express movie was allowed to come out of hibernation again. Our watch count stands at 2 1/2 times already (the half was from our trip to Lewistown when he fell asleep 40 minutes into the movie). We've been reading a lot of Christmas books, and it prompted Jason's trip to Borders yesterday to pick up a few new ones that have more words in them than the pile of board books we got for Joshua when he had just turned 1. And yes, the Polar Express was one of the books Daddy got. The joy on Joshua's face was unbelievable and it was read to him quite a few times last evening.

He very enthusiastically helped to decorate Nana and Pap's Christmas tree, and was quite a good helper here at home as well. There may be a heavy concentration of non-breakable ornaments on the bottom 5 rows of branches at both houses, but who cares. He had a ball!

We have a new friend at our house as well...Clocky. There may be enough here for a whole separate post, but our Elf on the Shelf has been quite a captivating new tradition to start. We're all having a lot of fun with it. Joshua named our elf Clocky (who knows where that came from), and each night while he sleeps, he magically flies to the North Pole to give Santa a report on Joshua's behavior from the day. When Joshua awakes, Clocky has landed in a new spot. It's very cute, and serves a pretty fantastic purpose of reminding Joshua to keep his behavior in check.

And in one classic Joshua moment, I have to share his comment about the nativity set that he was helping my mom to set up on Saturday morning. She has the Fisher Price Little People nativity so that the kids can touch and move things around. There are so many Christmas decorations that are off limits for the kids, so this was a great idea. Joshua was helping Nana to set up all of the people and asking questions about them. When he got to Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus, he asked my mom what Jesus' Mommy's name was. My mom told him that her name was Mary, to which Joshua replied, "But I thought she had a little lamb." Classic.

And here's what Lauren had to say about her doctor's appointment yesterday. The poor little thing had her heart broken for the first time when she got her shots. Whoever decided that five shots and an oral vaccine are appropriate for a baby this small needs to have their head checked. And I can tell you that, for me, being there with her was no less horrible than it was the first time I went through it with Joshua. She was laying there perfectly content, smiling and cooing away.....and then WHAM when that first needle hit her little leg. She looked at me with these scared eyes like, "Mommy....she's hurting me! Aren't you going to DO something about that?" I know that this all falls into the category of "for her own good" but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Lauren spent the rest of the afternoon super clingy and didn't want to be put down at all. She was very sleepy and rested most of the afternoon and evening, waking only to eat. The shots must have really knocked it out of her because she continued to sleep last night as well. I put her down at 10:00 and woke her up at 5:00 because I thought I might blow up if she didn't eat.

In terms of statistics, the doctor was thrilled with her growth and weight gain. She was 9 lb 12.5 oz (25th percentile) and 22.25 inches long (50th percentile). Her little head measured 37.75 cm (25th percentile). I checked back last night, and Joshua was 10 lb 12 oz at his 2 month checkup, just for reference, although I know comparison does absolutely no good. The good news was that she checked out fine, and everyone was pleased with her growth and developmental milestones at this point. I always consider these checkups a little report card for us as parents, so it was nice to know that what we're doing with her is giving her what she needs.

I had lots of questions, too. First, on the poop situation, I was assured that it was completely normal. The doctor said that some breast fed babies can go a week without going. She laughed when I told her I had been worried about it. She said, "I'm really surprised you didn't call. We usually hear from all of the nursing moms around 6-8 weeks when this changes." I told her I had thought about it, but didn't want to be the neurotic one. Evidently there are a lot of neurotic moms. I feel so much better. Also high on my question list was the terrible rash that continued to get worse and worse all last week. I believe we've isolated the culprit, although it creates a whole new set of issues. We all believe that it is my birth control pill (the one that's supposed to be safe for nursing moms) that's causing Lauren's entire face to be covered with what looks like a bad case of baby acne. Since I've stopped taking it, the rash is drying up and looks millions of times better. Obviously, we don't want her to be polka dotted....but we don't want her to be a middle child either. So, this little "situation" is going to need a remedy in short order!

So that's the update from the Dugan household this morning. I wonder what kind of adventures we can have today?