30 months!

A few days late - Lauren is officially 2 &1/2!

Stats:
Height - a little over 3 ft
Weight - 30 pounds
68% for both! Such a proportionate little girl!



Lauren is such a joy and makes us laugh literally every day. She has such a wonderful disposition and sense of humor. She is so smart, affectionate, kind, and loving. Sam, Noah, and I get told "I love you" and "I love you SO much" every single day. Lauren also has a very tender heart and sensitive feelings. When she plays "check up" a frequent saying is "it's okay, it's okay...I'm right here". She is still pretty quiet/bashful around people she doesn't know well but once she warms up she'll talk your ear off :) We signed her up for preschool in the fall! It's a christian school two days a week for 3 hours and more academic based. She will start learning how to read and there's an option to keep her an extra 30 minutes to learn Spanish! I think she's really excited/ready to start school!

• Lauren LOVES:

         books (any kind really but recently has really taken to the Golden Book collection)
         make believe
         jumping and piggy back rides
         her "Dora" doll (not really Dora but kinda looks like her) and baby doll she sleeps with
         singing
         coloring and crafts
         puzzles
         Cartoons - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Caliou (we're limiting this one - he's just too winey!)
         Recent new favorite movies are the Jungle Book, Little Mermaid, and Cinderella
         Her doctor kit
         playing with the apps on our phones or iPad
         Vegetables! I know... it's weird. She will ask for bell peppers for breakfast, chooses green beans over mac & cheese, loves salads, and asks for raw carrots/broccoli/califlower as a snack. Don't get me wrong... she still likes her hot dogs, chicken nuggets, chips, and candy!



She can seriously sit there for an hour reading books, playing puzzles, and just make-believing.

• Lauren dislikes:

          going to bed/naps (though once there falls asleep easily)
          being sick (who doesn't - we just had a nasty respiratory flu bug)
          being messy ( I think this made potty training a lot easier!)

• She has mastered/is doing well with:

          Using the POTTY!!! She did amazing and other than naps and bedtime we're diaper free!!!
          the alphabet - can sing both in German and English, can name words that start with each letter ("A is for apple)
          she still knows all the ASL signs she learned and gets excited when she see's someone else use them. she can still show them to you if you ask her sign something too!
          counting (1-20)
          several songs - abc's, baa baa black sheep, Jesus loves me, row row row your boat, rock a bye baby, twinkle twinkle, kumba ya, and I'm sure I'm missing others
          knows how to spell her name, and knows the names of myself/daddy/nana/opa as well as her last name.
          We're learning the days of the week and which grandmother comes which days.
          cutting with sizzors
          chewing gum - not sure how/when this started but it's a treat she gets on our way to church

•  General info:

           Approximate wake up time is between 6-6:30am. Still not a breakfast eater but loves her morning milk. She eats a variety of foods but not a lot in one sitting. Going up for naps and bedtime is a little bit of a struggle but if we threaten not to read books or rock she usually gives in. She no longer gets any milk before naps/bedtime as a routine. Lauren does great now with brushing teeth and spitting into the sink. She really looks forward to my mom and Sam's mom coming to watch them 3 days a week and talks about them often.
Okay... I think I've covered most of Lauren at 2 & 1/2. I cannot thank God enough for entrusting to us such a special little girl!