We have a girly girl!

Lately, Lauren has definitely been exhibiting her attachment to all things frilly. She wants to be in Mommy's makeup drawer while I am getting ready in the morning, and gets great pleasure from using my makeup applicators and brushes (sans makeup, of course). So it was a stroke of pure luck when our neighbor Megan (age 6) offered to give Lauren her Disney makeup table this past weekend. I have never seen Lauren's eyes light up as much as when she saw it waiting for her in Megan's garage. She immediately sat down and started to play with it and refused to leave for at least 15 minutes, saying "I'm not finished yet." Even when we tried to explain that we were taking it back to our house and Megan was giving it to her, she refused to budge from the little plastic stool for fear that she would never see it again. Eventually she relented, and now it is prominently displayed in our living room aka giant playroom. She runs to it when she first wakes up in the morning and "reapplies" her makeup several times a day. I don't want Lauren to become obsessed with beauty or feel she needs anything else to make her beautiful, but girls will be girls, and it's just so darn cute to watch her pretend to put on her lipstick and nail polish. Here she is in all of her feminine glory:




Megan also gave her a plastic ballet bar, and Lauren is also putting that to good use, making sure to instruct as to the proper way to do a leg lift:



Nanny Kristen has been diligently working with Lauren on learning how to dress herself, and Lauren is now an expert (or so she thinks). It's difficult (and quite amusing) to just sit back and watch her try to put two legs into the neck of a shirt or put a pant leg over her head, but she's learning and feeling so proud of her new independence, and we are equally proud of her.



While Lauren is still sleeping in her crib and has no desire to transition to the bed yet (which is fine with us), she loves reading with her Daddy in her bed every night before she goes to sleep. It's a precious sight, and one I couldn't resist capturing tonight:

Big Girl Bed!!! (well, sort of)

Lifting Lauren in and out of her crib has gotten so difficult for us old farts (well, at least one of us), that we decided it was time to transition her to a regular bed. After much research by me and input from my mom, we decided to get her a full size bed so she could grow into it and we wouldn't have to replace the bed (and mattress we hope) before she goes to college. Once we decided on a shabby chic bed frame from Pottery Barn Kids, we made Lauren feel like she was helping to make the decision by taking her to the store and letting her lay on the bed and tell us whether she liked it or not (she did, whew!). We decided to go with a natural mattress that, while expensive, is extremely well made and is not treated with boric acid (most mattresses are treated with boric acid as a fire retardant, but hers is naturally fire retardant due to the wool). For a couple of weeks before the bed was delivered, we hyped it up and Lauren was itching to get it. Here she is after it arrived:




Lauren slept pretty soundly in her bed the first night, so of course we had to capture the moment - there really is nothing sweeter than the sight of a sleeping child:



The next day, however, reality set in and Lauren definitely did not want to nap in the bed or sleep in it at night. Norm reassembled her crib and put it in the room with the bed (thanks Sweet-T!), and that is where she has slept for the past week. We give her the option at nap and bed, but she always wants the crib. Hopefully within the next month or so she will be ready to transition. If not, I may be seeking referrals to a good chiropractor . . . . . . .

Last weekend, my friend Vivian and her 18-month old daughter Cameron came to visit and Lauren had a blast with her. They splashed around in the pool, fed each other mac n cheese at dinner and held hands. So cute. Wish they lived closer than L.A. (hint, hint) so the girls could play together more often.



Lauren also found one of my old synchro noseclips in my closet a few days ago and insisted on wearing it. Could we have a future star synchronized swimmer on our hands? Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . .



Dress Up: Lauren has finally gotten really into playing dress up and it is a treat to watch. She loves the princess clothes given to her by her Nanni and Pop Pop Paul and loves to dance around after getting dolled up. She's really becoming quite the fashionista, helping Norm pick out ties (polka dots are her current fave) and telling me all the time: "I like your shoes!"

Shower Power!

Lauren took her first "real" shower last week (the kind where she willingly remained in the shower without trying to run out). We have been swimming so much in the early evenings since the summer weather continues to be gorgeous and it's so easy to pop in the shower right after getting out of the pool. I love it because it's so quick and allows for more time to play before bed (plus we avoid the struggle to get her out of the bath). At first she was very hesitant and made me hold her while I rinsed off the soap. Then she graduated to standing close to the stream of water while I lathered her up and held her hand while we rinsed. Lo and behold, 2 days later, she announced in typical toddler fashion: "I do it by myself!", and sure enough, she did! Now she gleefully stands right under the stream of water and stays in there until we cajole her into coming out (so much for avoiding the bath struggle). The cute part? She loves to sing in the shower just like her mommy. The not so cute part? She has apparently inherited a complete lack of musical pitch and tone from both of her parents. Oh well.



We saw Uncle Greg, Aunt Stacie and the "girl" cousins one more time before they had to go home this past weekend. Lauren was the perfect little host at our home, excitedly running around to show her room and toys to the girls. She was so sad when she woke from her nap and they were gone. The past two mornings she has asked for Jessica, Steph-ee and Ally, and we can hardly wait to get our families together again.

All of the cousins (plus friend Mary) hanging out:


With my goddaughter Stephanie:


We are already talking up our trip next spring to New Jersey, where she will meet her Aunt Suzi, Uncle Sal, and cousins Sam and Steven for the first time. Every time we bring up the subject of the trip, even though it's so far away, Lauren excitedly says "Go right now?"

Another Week of Firsts

What a jam packed week. So many firsts. Admittedly, we are not getting a ton of sleep, as Lauren has been waking in the night for reasons we can't quite figure out (it probably just goes along with being 2). But as my mom always tells me, it's just a phase and this too shall pass. She's still a happy camper so much of the time and keeps us in stitches, so we can deal with a few bags under our eyes.

First #1: Lauren's first ponytail! I've been waiting for it to grow enough and could finally get it into one. All of a sudden she looks like a little girl with no trace of our baby. Sob. Of course, she takes after me and would prefer not to wear the ponytail for more than a minute (I used to hate having my hair pulled tight into a rubberband or clip), but I really hope she gets used to it a little more because it looks so stinkin cute.




First #2: Gulp, we bought Lauren a big girl bed. We even took her to Pottery Barn Kids to show it to her before we bought it so she could climb around in it and feel like she had a role in choosing it. It will not be delivered for another week, but she is soooo excited. Even more exciting was the fact that while we were in the store buying the bed, in walked Lauren's Nana! Of course, she had no idea we would be there and vice versa. Lauren insisted that Nana join us for dinner at the mall. Even better, her Pop Pop Mark was also able to come to dinner, and she was in heaven. Of course we went to her favorite restaurant, Ruby's.



First #3: While Lauren loves the pool and bath, she has in the past been very leary about going in the ocean. Well that fear was quickly banished this weekend when we spent the entire day at the beach with Lauren's "girl" cousins (as she calls them) Jessica, Steph, and Ally, and her Uncle Greg and Aunt Stacie. They are renting a beach house in Newport for the week, and Lauren could hardly wait to spend time with them. It was a glorious, warm day and Lauren giddily dug in the sand with the girls, ran into the waves, and just had an overall blast. Of course, she refused to take a nap at the beach house and was so overtired by the time we got home that we paid for it dearly that night, but the memories created for all of us will long outlast some more lost winks.

Checking out the surf:


In her super cool rash guard:


Making sand castles with Ally:


Running into the surf with Jess and Ally:


And right back out again . . . .


All the girls making mudpies:


Taking a quick dip with Daddy:


Taking a rest with the big girls after a super fun session in the surf:

Patty Cake, Patty Cake

We had a big first this week. Lauren ventured headfirst (well, finger and mouth first, actually) into baking! Lauren, Kristen and I made mini cupcakes and bunny cakes (from a bunny cake mold). Yes, we used a cake mix (although I hope that when she's older, she will not take after her mother in the cooking department), but Lauren got to crack the eggs to add them to the mix, and also stirred her little heart away in the mixing bowl. She was so excited to see the baking process that she insisted on sitting on a barstool facing the oven until the oven alarm went off signaling they were done. We then gave her a bunny cake to decorate on her own. Oodles of blue, yellow and red icing gel, plus sprinkles and buttercream frosting adorned her masterpiece. We tried to convince her to wait until after dinner to sample her creation, but she kept poking her finger in the frosting, licking it off, and telling us, conspiratorially, "just a taste."

Here she is deep in concentration while decorating:

Proudly showing off the fruits of her labor:

Enthusiastically digging in:


We have been busy burning off all of the sugar and calories by swimming in our pool almost every night after work for the past week. The water has hovered at about 83 degrees without being heated, and Lauren loves it. We also heat the spa to about 89 degrees, and after hanging out in the pool, she stays in there until her fingers and toes are all wrinkled (ours too!). She adores her new "speed" boat and chases her Teletubbie plastic figurines around the water. She also loves running back and forth across the pool steps (she can already stand on the third step down with her head still above water!) and, of course, sings nonstop. She started swim lessons again this weekend, so hopefully will be going under water willingly really soon.

This is her "I'm sucking my thumb and relaxing in the spa so leave me alone" pose:

Allowing mom to get in on a shot:


This weekend we entertained a wonderful couple and their 2-year-old son Luke, who Lauren was instantly attached to. She proudly raced around the house to show him all of her toys, and they played together (both outside and in for several hours). It was so precious to see them sitting at Lauren's little table in the kitchen to eat dinner, and then playing in her play kitchen so nicely while the adults ate healthy bbq. After dinner, the kids wanted to go swimming, and Lauren was so cute because she normally goes in our pool in only a swim diaper, but because Luke was here, she insisted on wearing her new orange bathing suit.

Here she is showing it off:

And showing her pure joy at being waterlogged:

Here's Luke and his dad Chris splashing it up:

And Lauren getting a piggyback ride from daddy:

Couldn't resist one last shot because she looks so happy:


Other memorable moments this week: she continues to amaze and confound us with some of the phrases that come out of her mouth. Case in point: she turned to me on two occasions this week and said "You're kidding me" and "Mommy, get out of town!" She's also been telling Kristen, "I don't believe you!" In the aw shucks department, this afternoon we were taking turns dancing in our entryway "stage"with her silk flowers while singing "You Are My Sunshine" (still almost a daily activity). Norm had been playing her ukelele while Lauren and I took turns performing, when Lauren said, "Daddy's turn!" Norm asked her, "Would you like me to dance with the ukelele?" Lauren gave him this exasperated look and matter of factly announced, "No, Daddy, dance with your feet."

Where Is She Learning These Things?

Lauren is turning into such a little girl right before our eyes. Since returning from Hawaii, I've had the pleasure of spending two full work days by myself with her and it's been great. We've had some terrific mother/daughter time this week. We've done lunch, swam in our pool, watched videos, and just hung out and gabbed. She talks sooo much and is so expressive. Some of the things she is saying and expressions she is using are surprising, to say the least. Case in point: for a few months now we've been giving her pennies to throw into fountains and make a wish. She LOVES fountains, can't get enough of them. On Monday of this week we went to a fountain with frogs close to our house and she loved straddling the concrete frogs and sticking her hands in the stream of water coming out of their mouths and spilling into the fountain. I gave her a penny to throw in. She's got the full technique: kisses the penny, closes her eyes, then elegantly tosses it into the water. I asked her for the first time what she wished for. Her response? "A man." I'm not kidding. My mouth hit the ground - where did she pick that one up?? Then today we were at a well known nursery by the beach to look for pots and patio furniture, and she was in heaven with the dozens of fountains all over the grounds. I gave her another penny to throw into one of them, and asked the same question again to see if she would give me the same response. No such luck. Her answer this time to what she wished for? "A diamond." What the heck? Now how a 2-year-old identifies men and diamonds as her priorities is beyond me. I swear I haven't been drilling those thoughts into her. Now when she's 25, that could be a totally different story . . . . . . . . .

Here are a couple of pics of our visit to the nursery this afternoon, relaxing by a fountain, of course:

Our Little Sunshine and Belated Honeymoon

So Norm and I just returned from our Hawaiian vacation. It's the honeymoon we never had and was really special (thanks AmEx points and frequent flier miles). The afternoon before we left, Lauren had her first dance recital. Lauren and Mimi were the youngest members of the dance center participating and they had their own little routine to "You Are My Sunshine" (their mommies also performed on stage with them). Lauren is officially a little ham. She LOVED performing, and even took a bow before the lights dimmed after the routine was over. As soon as we exited the stage she turned to me and said "Do it again, Mommy!" Now, every night before bed, she insists on getting on her "stage" (our raised entryway) and performing for me and Norm while we sing "You Are My Sunshine" over and over while she twirls and waves her arms. We had better start saving because we understand those dance costumes can get very expensive . . . . . . . .



On to our honeymoon (or honeymoob as Norm and I like to call it):

We stayed at the Kahala Hotel and Resort on Oahu, a few miles from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. A beautiful property with recently remodeled rooms that were gorgeous. We were upgraded to a mountain view room that also had an ocean view out of the window behind the bed. Here are the amazing views:




We had perfect weather all week - mid to high 80s during the day. I worked out at their state of the art gym every morning while Norm surfed. I also tried surfing Waikiki one morning but after catching 2 waves in 15 minutes, was bopped in the mouth with my rented board, so decided to end my surfing career then and there (although getting Angelina Jolie lips for a couple of days was a nice bonus). Our days were lazily spent either exploring the beach and shops in Waikiki, or lounging in the shade at the hotel, which had a great pool and beautiful white sand beach. Paddleboarding was also a fun activity we got to try at the hotel (for free!) The hotel also had its own resident dolphins and stingray, which turned out to be a blast to watch. A gourmet buffet breakfast was included in our package, and we could not resist the maple butter crepe pancakes. Of course those paled in comparison to the malasadas (cream filled donut-like pastries) from Leonard's in Honolulu that one of the bellmen (Daryl) brought us toward the end of our stay (Norm befriended Daryl and they surfed together twice during our stay). One of my best memories is going to a hole in the wall Chinese restaurant we found (with a killer string bean and ground pork dish), followed by spending an hour at the Barnes and Noble across the street from the restaurant catching up on all of the latest gossip magazines. Ah, heaven. Following are a bunch of pics that show the beauty of where we were and give a glimpse of how much we enjoyed ourselves. We missed Lauren terribly, but are very grateful that we had this time to ourselves.

The resident stingray at The Kahala:


Two of the very well trained dolphins in the lagoon at the hotel:


Happy surfer pose:


On the beach at The Kahala:


Norm busy burning off every calorie ingested at the breakfast buffet:


Beautiful sunset scenery at the hotel:



A self-photo taken on our last night in paradise:


We can hardly wait for our next tropical vacation . . . . . . . with Lauren!!!!