Blessed!

Hello all...I just wanted to share with you how blessed I feel today. My baby girl is 14 months and has such the personality! She is at that fun stage where she is walking, talking, singing (Itsy Bitsy Spider & Old McDonald...in her words of course) dancing and laughing all the time. I had a friend tell me a while back (Lori) that every 3 months gets easier and at 10 months their personalities come out and they are just more fun than they have ever been. Well at 10 months she was so much fun and it was so interesting to experience all her first with her...but now that she is 14 months old I just can't stop kissing her cheeks, playing with her and just enjoying her company. Lori you were right about the 10 month stage and guess what...it's now 4 months later (just a few days past...so it looks like your 3 month theory was also right) and she is so easy to take care of and just full of life! She looks at me and lifts her eyebrows now like she has something really important to tell me...she gives me hugs and kisses...it's just so much fun!

She is napping in her crib right now and I'm glued to the monitor because she is just so funny! I put her down still awake and she just sat there playing with her bunny for a while, then got her paci and laid down and went to sleep. She woke up about 45 minutes after she had been asleep (in the past I would have gone in there after 1 or 2 minutes thinking she was ready to get up...but I read the book Healthy Sleeping Habits, Happy Child while we were in Cancun so I thought I'll just wait it out and see what happens) and sat up in her crib playing with the bunny and a worm...she cried off and on for less than 5 minutes and then she went back to sleep. After about 15 minutes she was up again, but this time she just sat up and held her bunny. The cutest thing was she picked up her paci and tried to give it to her bunny! I called Kraig and told him because it was just so cute! She wanted her bunny to have a paci also! :-) She then started falling asleep sitting up holding her bunny!!! After a few seconds I guess she decided it was time to lay down again so she did and she has been out now for a total of 1.5 hours (including the short wake up times)...so I'm SO glad I read the book while on vacation because Kraig and I are such suckers and we love being around her all the time so in the past when she would wake up we would instantly go in to get her so we could play with her. I'm learning though that babies will wake up because they are afraid of missing out on something (playing with parents etc.) but their sleep is very important! I know, I know...most of you mothers already know this and you are probably saying "Lauren is 14 months old and she is just now figuring this out"? Well the truth is that Kraig and I are the issue...not Lauren. :-) We are the typical first time parents that hold their baby too much, sleep with the baby in their bed and nap with their child, etc. The truth is we just love Lauren SO much and know that one day she will no longer want that snuggle time so we are getting it in as much as we can while she is young. It is nice that she is sleeping in her crib right now so I can get stuff done or have some "me" time also...so that is not bad...I'm just saying that we have really enjoyed our snuggle time with our "widdles"! We love you baby girl!

I feel very blessed to have the wonderful husband and daughter that I have...I would not change my life for anything! I love being a mom and wife! God knew what he was doing when he brought Kraig and I together to create this perfect little child! :-)

*This photo is one of my all time favorites...she was 3 months old. :-)