17 months old

Today, Lauren is 17 months old. That's just one month from 18 months, which is only 6 months from TWO! No way! The little baby is DEFINITELY gone - replaced by a rambunctious, often-precocious, opinionated and frequently stubborn toddler. She has begun to enjoy "fighting" with her big sister ("No, no, no! Mine!"), climbing, maneuvering, lifting and dragging with dogged determination. She just doesn't understand the concept of impossible. A good quality overall that will prove to be a parenting challenge, I'm sure.

Lauren has developed into an extremely social little girl who never met an audience she didn't love. Give her a stage and she'll put on a show! Recently we attended several family gatherings where she instantly began showing off her every trick. Peek-a-boo, where she covers her eyes with her hands, dancing and marching (which are sometimes one in the same), "so-big & touchdown! (also one in the same), blowing kisses, showing her belly, pointing to her nose, giving kisses, tickling toes, "ho, ho ho," cleaning up her toys (sometimes), patty-cake and more. She can REALLY ham it up! With parents like Mark & I and a big-sister like Bailey -I'm just not sure where she gets it! =-)

Last month we began the time-out process. She only sits for - I don't know - 2 seconds? But it seems to be working. She has her little fit, gets over it and moves on. And that's about all you can ask of a time-out at this age I think. I'm sure she'll see the time-out chair/rug/spot on the floor much more often in the coming months. Lord help us.

Her favorite things:

TV Show: DORA the Explorer. She FREAKS OUT every time it comes on the TV - dancing, screaming, clapping - pure joy.

Food: Crackers and pancakes (a carb-lover like Mom). Other than that - it is a crap shoot, really. Sometimes she'll eat like a champ and other times she won't touch a single crumb. Pretty much it is an every-other-day eating schedule. She ate well yesterday, so I"m banking that today is a not hungry day. We'll see.

Song: Lauren loves ALL songs. She loves playing pianos and any other thing that makes a pleasant noise. She loves the Dora the Explorer theme-song, of course, as well as "You Are My Sunshine," "Nigh-Nigh, Lauren" (Mommy's altered version of Goodnight, Ladies).

Activity: Lauren LOVES to empty and fill. Cupboards, boxes, baskets - you name it. If there's something in it - she loves to empty it. When it's empty - she loves to fill it back up. She also enjoys grabbing a bag, putting it over her arm and telling us all "bye-bye." She walks away and returns 10 seconds later with a big smile and a sweet "Hi!" She can play these two games ALL DAY LONG!

People: Bailey! The look of admiration and love in her eyes when she looks up at Bailey is something I wish I could bottle. It is absolutely beautiful.

I'm continually amazed at her ability to brighten my day. I often find myself in a joyous moment with her and consciously feel myself trying to memorize it - to soak it all in to create a lasting memory that I'll be able to recall 50 years from now. Because if it is possible to love and appreciate moments so much that you'll never EVER forget them - well then these are the moments that I want to engrain into my heart forever. These are some of the best days of my life - right now - because of you, Lauren.