What does the cow say?

Lauren almost knows how to say two animal sounds now - a cow and a chicken. I ask her what the chicken says when she is actually eating chicken (not very P.C. I suppose). I'm not sure she 'gets' it, but she does reply with bok, bok, bok (sp?). She's still working on woof woof, and meow. I thought she'd learn these first - as she loves chasing her cats, and always has her dalmation, named 'Doggie', by her side. PS. If you look closely, you can see her first tooth (on the bottom). Seems like many of the others are about to pop out soon too - maybe they'll all come at once, to get her back on schedule :)

Beach Babe

I'm all set - come on let's go for a swim! Pool season is officially open. And would you believe the pool temp is already up to 86 degrees? Lauren had fun splashing around in the pool this weekened - and even drank some pool water too. We also decided to enroll her in a parent/child swim class at Pecos Park, starting next month. Hopefully she will like it.

Cool Treat

I've seen the ad and recipe for this dessert - Strawberry Whipped Sensation - in more than one magazine, and had been wanting to try it since it looks so pretty :) It uses fresh strawberries, condensed milk, coolwhip, lemon juice, and oreo cookie crumbs (that's my favorite part). It's probably not very good for you, but it tastes yummy, and remakably similar to a strawberry ice cream cake.

Birthday Bash

Lauren had a great b-day weekend. All the grandparents came to town to celebrate. On Sat, we went out to breakfast, then later went to JCPenney to take some 1-year portraits. The photographer wanted to take a picture of Lauren with wooden letters spelling out 'ONE', and while Lauren enjoyed the 'O', she wasn't really into the 'N' or the 'E'. On Sun, we did brunch at Sweet Tomatoes (which Lauren napped right on through), then opened gifts and had some cake in the afternoon. It took her a while to warm up to the cake, finally tasting her frosting-coated fingers. She was also eager to play with all her new gifts.

A Pinch to Grow an Inch

On her actual birthday, Lauren got to pay a visit to the pediatrician, for her 1-year check-up. She's slowly but surely adding ounces and inches - up to 18 lb 12 oz, and 29 1/4". But, three shots too?? Not such a great b-day gift, Mom! She wore her band-aids proudly as she headed back to daycare - but didn't come home with them - apparently they are a hot commodity in infant-land, and the other little kiddies pulled them off. Eeww....

Story Time

Lauren enjoys her books - she likes to carry them (the bigger the better), pull them all off the shelf (and make quite a mess), and of course flip the pages (board books are preferred, since she can't damage them much :) ).

Costco Splurge

Picked up these IZZE sparkling juices on the last visit to Costco. Kinda pricey ($11.95 for a 12-pack), but very tasty, made of 70% fruit juice with no refined sugar, and pretty packaging (I'm a sucker for). My favorite of the 3 flavors is the blackberry.

Steppin' Out

.....with my baby. Lauren took her first steps 2 weeks ago, and is now a pretty good walker. She's been practicing her new skill constantly, with a lot of exploring along the way.

She also graduated to the next class at daycare. Her former teachers gave her this ball as a graduation gift :) and she just loves it. She wants to pick it up and walk with it, and tries to bounce it too.

Here Kitty Kitty

Lauren loves her kitties. She lets out a high-pitched squeal every time she sees them, and they usually run the other way. Despite her increased mobility, she still can't catch them. Lucky for them :)

Pasta Night

Have done a lot better recently at planning meals for the week. (It seems to come in waves). This dish is one of my favorites - Linguine with Shrimp Scampi, from Barefoot Contessa. It is easy, light, and quite colorful. Also tried the Fish Tacos with Salsa Verde, from this month's Everyday Food, and plan to make the Chicken-Fajita Tostadas later this week. The tacos took a little time to prepare (with all the chopping), but cooking the tilapia was a breeze, and the dish was very flavorful.