Kiss the Cow

Lauren usually drifts off to sleep gazing into the eyes of her little cow, Lola - a gift from Lauren's grandparents. These cute stuffed animals originated in Belgium, and there is a whole line of different Noukie characters.

Dueling Duo

The cats enjoy a good fight every now and then. It typically starts innocently, as a little game of pat-a-cake, and often both front paws end up off the ground for a full blown fight. May even see tufts of hair fly into the air...

Weighing In

Lauren had her 2-month check-up at the doctor this week. She weighed in at 10 lb 12 oz, and measured 22 3/4 inches. (She initially got measured at 23 1/2 inches by the nurse, but the doctor remeasured her and gave her a 3/4 inch deduction). She also got her first big round of vaccinations - 5 (!!) in total, which included 4 shots and one to drink. I was so impressed with how quickly the nurse gave those shots and applied the band-aids. I bet she's had a lot of practice.

Mediocre Muffins

What else, but a little more baking. While these blueberry muffins appear pleasing to the eye, I wasn't too impressed with their taste; they were a little dry. Not sure if it was the recipe itself, or if in my perpetual state of sleepiness, I mismeasured an ingredient... entirely possible :)

Swinging with Sophie

With trusty Sophie by her side, Lauren finds swinging all the more enjoyable. Sophie was a gift from my mom and dad, from their recent trip to France. This little giraffe is all the rage in France; apparently all the French babies have one. Oui, oui :)

Fuggeddaboutit

The scene: Mid-morning tummy time on the Gymini, for a few rounds of head lifts to strengthen those neck muscles. The result: Lift my head? Forget about it, I've found my hands! Yum, yum - tastes good!? Every time Lauren stumbles across her hands now, into the mouth they go :)

Puppy Love

Lauren loves her adorable plush puppy, which she got as a gift from one of Stew's former classmates. It's so soft and cuddly, and it's personalized too. No sneaking off with it Mommy and Daddy; I'll be watching you!

Making Meringues

With the cranberry scones all polished off, it was time to bake again. Love these meringues (recipe from my mom) - with the added bonus of miniature chocolate chips. Mine turned out slightly chewy in the center, which is how I like them. According to the Wikipedia entry, meringue cookies are also referred as 'forgotten cookies', since they are usually left to dry out in the oven overnight. Too funny.

Delightful Discovery

Lion? Elephant? Where did these toys come from? Lauren just discovered her bouncy seat has toys hanging from it - as she is now focusing on small, closer objects. She fixed her gaze on the yellow lion for quite a while.

Strike a Pose

Here is Lauren patiently posing for her photo shoot. Mommy, that's enough already! She is beginning to smile more and more. And she has also muttered her first 'coos'; we swear she said 'Laurrrr-en', when prompted. Hee hee - to judge for yourself, listen here :)

A quiet moment....

I think our cats are becoming a bit jealous of baby Lauren, as they seem to be seeking more attention. Their daily ritual typically includes the following: scratching on our bedroom door sometime between 3-5am, pulling open our shutters in each bank of windows to peer out, jumping up and sitting on the kitchen table and counters (yuck), and using the pack & play as a scratching post. Naughty, naughty.

Here's looking at you, kid.

Lauren is definitely becoming more interactive, following our voices, playing, etc. And she often seems quite intrigued by the big black camera we keep pointing at her. She requested for future pictures to please lose the bib though, as she doesn't find it very flattering :)

Sunday Sweets

Woke up on Sunday and decided a nice batch of buttermilk cranberry scones would hit the spot. Love this recipe which I got from my mom - and we usually add some white chocolate chips or chunks to make it even better. Have been trying to resist the urge to eat too many at once....

Time to Play

Lauren seems to enjoy her playtime more every day, and for longer periods of time too. The Tiny Love Gymini is lots of fun, with a great variety of toys and sounds. Didn't have this stuff when we were growing up :)

Baby Tunes

Would you believe Lauren already has her own iPod playlist?! We just got an external iPod player (+ charger, radio, etc.) for the nursery. It's similar to the iHome, but a less expensive version from Costco. I like that it comes with a handy remote. Lauren's already got her favorite songs loaded up, so she can groove to the tunes from her crib.

Shopgirl

Did someone say shopping? Lauren said to count her in. She decided to take a quick nap in the car on the way there, in order to conserve her energy for her first shopping experience.

Mommy and Daddy dressed her up in her cool sneaks for the outing; wanted to make sure she got some decent wear out of them before they no longer fit!

Festive 4th

Raspberries were on sale this week at Safeway. I was planning on making some muffins, until I reread my recipe and found it required a lot more work than I originally thought.... Then I remembered my mom had just given me some siliconflex molds for making pastries, etc. So I made raspberry tarts - used a simple pie crust recipe, filled with raspberries, then drizzled an orange glaze on top. Pretty tasty. To keep it simple, I skipped the cheesecake-like filling.