Happy Halloween!

Lauren is a pink poodle- she cannot wait to see all the trick-or-treaters! She just loves watching kids, so Saturday night should be so much fun- I can hardly wait!!

Road trip advice

Wednesday is the big day! We embark on a 750 mile roadtrip with the little petunia.  Oh gosh! Anyone have advice how to keep our almost 11 month old happy in the car for that long? I am not open to turning her carseat around- she is rear facing as long as the seat will hold her. My thoughts so far are to sit back with her and sing songs, read books and try to play. Also, planning on scoping out fast food restaurants with play areas (the viral cesspools that they are...). Also- we are splitting it into 2 days and staying at a hotel with a pool to wear her out a bit. What other advice can you offer?? Please comment and give me tips (besides chugging a bottle of wine on the trip.... i dont think that is legal...) I am a bit nervous about how this will go!

Tasty Breakfast

Lauren and I are enjoying some yummy blueberry waffles this morning.The company Van's All Natural has a bunch of waffles that are organic and egg and dairy free. They also have gluten free options. Yummy and safe for Lauren- what more could I ask for?

Noisy toys

So, I have been against noisy toys for Lauren. I felt like they didn't leave enough to the imagination, are annoying, and potentially harmful to their hearing. So, Lauren does not have any of these battery operated noisy toys- and neither does her daycare, so they are relatively new to her. Well, 2 weeks ago when I went to visit my friend Anne in Chicago, Lauren discovered the lure of noisy toys- and she LOVES them! She especially liked this busy ball popper and the busy ball-tivity center. So, I caved and bought her the ball popper- and she loves it! I had to put a band-aid over the speaker, cuz the volume is way too loud. I guess the ball-tivity center might make her xmas wish list.

Lauren's first Halloween

I want to do scrapbooking again

I have a hard time finding the balance. I dont have enough time in the day, and I feel like rush, rush, rush and the months fly by. I had all these big plans for Lauren's scrapbooks, but I am so far behind! Behind on everything, it seems. How do people do it?? I just feel like I have time to work, feed us all, do a load of dishes and laundry, and spend a few minutes on facebook (the time suck-hole) or blogging or on the internet. I suppose what I really need is a bigger house so I can keep my scrapbooking stuff out- and not put it away each day. Open to tips...

Snow storm

We are having a big snowstorm in Denver today- we have gotten almost a foot of snow, and can expect about 3-6 more inches. We bundled Lauren up and set her out in the snow. Poor baby doesn't have any snow boots yet, so I put my wool socks over her socks and shoes for an added layer. She is so darn cute!!

She Moves!

These pictures were taken by Kalima, Lauren's daycare teacher. They were posted on the wall outside of her classroom door for the longest time, and always make me smile. When they took them down I snatched them and scanned them in to share- such funny action shots!

Allergy Issues

This allergy stuff is getting old. Lauren has a severe allergy to milk protein and eggs. By severe allergy, we are not talking just lactose intolerance but true hives, swelling and scary reaction. Her pediatrician was concerned enough to draw labs at 9 months, and confirmed a very high IgE level against milk and eggs- he claimed to actually be surprised/ impressed by how high her levels are. This was one of my big fears all along- I did not want to pass my crazy food allergies on to Lauren. I tried to be so careful about introducing new foods. She did not have a single drop of formula until she was 10 months old and her pediatrician said I had to try formula because my milk was probably contaminated with milk and eggs. And alas, she still has these allergies.

She gets these allergies from me- I was very allergic to milk until I was a teenager, and my brother was similar. And I have a very seriously peanut allergy as well. I have been very worried for her about passing on the peanut allergy, it is too soon to tell, though. She did not have IgE against peanut yet, but she has not yet been exposed to it. We are going to put that off as long as possible.

Dealing with the allergies has been really tricky and frustrating, I actually was fortunate enough to run accross some blogging friends who are in the exact same situation. I really looked to blogging for a way to share my life with far-away family and friends, but now I see it is so much more. There are many women out there with kids with similar allergies who blog recipes and advice about how they cope in these situations- I am so thankful to find these women and I hope to one day have the experience and insight to add some info too. A couple of the bloggers that I am looking at are Boys rule my life and milk allergy mom. This is where I found a recipe for a birthday cake for Lauren that does not use milk or eggs- yipee!

Good reading

So, no surprise to anyone who knows me- I am an avid reader. As in, I DEVOUR books. Before Lauren was born I was at the library 2-3 times per month to pick up a stack of books. I certainly have slowed down since I had Lauren- not just enough time in the day. My friend at work Amy clued me in to a good series of books- The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Amy isn't a huge reader, so when she claimed to be hooked, I figured I should check it out. I am on the 3rd book in the series- Eclipse (4 total) and I am totally hooked. They are a bit juvenile (think teen angst and romance) and very fictional, but really entertaining. I am not used to things quite so fictional- as in teenagers falling in love with vampires, but I am really enjoying these books. They are a lightening fast read, too. I certainly recommend.

ps- the books are being made into movies, too. I am NOT going to see the movies, I have a strict policy of not watching movies of books that I have read because it kinda ruins the imagery I have developed.

Does hunting ever end?

We are up in Winter Park for the weekend. Jeff's plans were to go hunting early this am, but I have a cold and had a very bad night last night. This a.m. I have a fever, was puking and hacking up a lung. Gross! I thought- no way can I be taking care of Lauren alone- who will take care of me?? Poor Jeff was all dressed in camoflage and orange, feeding my angel a bottle cuz I couldn't get up at 5am. I thought- poor guy, he lives for this stuff. So, I sucked it up and sent him on his way. Sure enough- by 8am he shot a buck and is working on bringing it home right now. No problem right? Well, during elk hunting Jeff and his dad each shot an elk, and we have 375 pounds (seriously!!) of elk meat at our house. We had to do some serious freezer organization to fit it all in. Not sure what in the world Jeff thinks we are going to do with this deer? My mom was helpful- she has suggested that the theme for Lauren's first birthday is MEAT! Meat cupcakes, meat ice cream, meat frosting, steaks, burgers, pot roast..... So, any one out there feeling anemic? Cuz, I will set you up!! Guess Jeff's new gun purchase last December is paying off after all.

Girl's Weekend re-defined

This past weekend Lauren and I flew to Chicago to spend the weekend with my dear friend Anne. It was such a nice time, I really miss my friend and I nearly forget how much until we are together. She is a mommy to a 4yr old and 1 1/2 year old, and really knows how to handle the little ones. She was full of great advice, and helped me with some really good ideas to get Lauren eating food again. Our girls had a really good time together, you can see Lauren staring at Ava (4 yr old) in admiration- Ava was great with the little girls and watched out for them. I tried to get a shot of Belle and Ava together, but Belle is not much of a poser! Saturday night Anne's hubby watched the girls for us and we dressed up and went to a wine bar for a late dinner, some wine, and a fun band. (THANKS ROBERT!!) It was so nice! Anne is one of those friends that I may not see often, but when we are together it is as if we haven't missed a beat. It makes me sad to be so far apart from her, weekends like these make me yearn for what it would be like if we lived closer.

Pretty Angel

Some shots of my lovely angel at DIA. We were waiting for our plane, playing on the floor and the light was just shining on her like a little angel- I couldn't resist. I should have moved the stroller though- it is in the background on every shot, I guess I am not winning any photography awards.

Scrinchy Face!

So, last week Lauren was on a little kick with this silly scrinchy face. She has been making the "what you talkin 'bout Willis" Gary Coleman face for a while- especially when she is ticked off. Then, she came up with this new scrinchy face- sometimes it is just to be silly, but often it is cuz she disapproves. When Jeff's mom and dad were visiting it was hard to get a good shot of her, because she kept practicing the scrinchy face for the camera- what a goof ball.

Flu shots for everyone!!

Yipee- the swine flu (H1N1) vaccine is approved and they started to distribute it this week, I got mine today- no pig flu for me!! Lauren has gotten both of her traditional flu vaccines, and jeff and I both got our traditional flu shots last week. Jeff and I get the priority H1N1 vaccine because we are healthcare workers, but it should be distributed to high risk individuals in the public next week, I think. I am hoping they will start vaccinating everyone else soon to slow the outbreak- it is out of control!

My words of advice to EVERYONE: GET YOUR FLU SHOT ASAP. Get your pig flu shot, too- it is a nasty sickness to have. And nasty to give to expose others to. Here is a link to the CDC with some commonly asked questions- there are a lot of misconceptions about the swine flu shot.

Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize

Obama's Nobel Peace Prize: High Honor or Heavy Burden? - ABC News

Check out this link, pretty shocking I would say! No surprise that I am a Obama supporter, but I am shocked about the Nobel Prize already. This story has a nice explanation of why they awarded it to him- more in encouragement of things to come rather than celebration of accomplishments. I think President Obama's response was nice- sounds like he was as shocked as we all are.

So, we are up in Winter Park with Jeff's parents- lucky for me the boys are so busy hunting that they don't know about this yet. I am sure Bob would have something to say...

Finger Lickin' good

We went to Smokin' Moes for dinner tonight. They have my favorite ribs- yummy!! Lauren enjoyed them, too.

Shopoholics!

I just went through Lauren's closet and took out all the summer/ too small clothes. It is super-sad how little is left behind. Poor baby, she has nothing to wear! Ok, well not nothing, but it is limited. So today I went shopping with Jeff's mom and with Lauren. Karen has been waiting for the green light to buy Lauren clothes- but up until now she has had so many. So, today was DANGER! Lauren made a haul and should be fantastically dressed all autum!! This is the skirt that Karen bought for her from gymboree. What a mess! She is wearing pink camoflage pants and brown shoes! Her dado took off her shirt for her to eat, she is so funny!

Maternal Instinct- I might have it!

So, Miss Lauren has been a trouble maker lately. She stopped eating about a month ago- no breast milk, no solids and despite my reluctance- no formula either. Little stinker, she just stopped eating!! So her pediatrician wanted to see her for a 10 month visit to check her weight ( this chubby baby, really???). Well, I still dont know what the heck is going on- my milk supply is suffering, it is weird. Lauren is allergic to milk and eggs and that is what they think is the issue. To make matters worse, she is a stubborn little girl and will NOT be fed. No spoons anywhere near this pretty little mouth. I bought her coconut and soy milk yogurt- but no chance she will let me feed them to her. She will only eat food she can feed herself. So, I decided to make popcicles out of soy yogurt for her. I use a shot glass (bye-bye former party life) and a plastic baby spoon for a stick. She LOVES it. Seriously- the best she has eaten in over a week!! Wow, I was pretty sure I would never pick up this mystical mom instinct where you just figure out the right thing- HA- i think i might have. I am so pleased...

Congrats Boys!

So, Jeff and his dad are up in WP for elk hunting season. Lauren and I came up to hang out for a few days cuz Karen is in town too, and Lauren wants to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa (she says papa). The boys have had a great time so far, Bob shot a large cow elk within a couple hours of the season opening, and spent many hours hauling the meat down. This photo is of their victory shot (with their favorite cheerleader, Lauren!).

WP fall festival

We happened accross a cute kids fall festival in Winter Park. Lauren's favorite part was watching kids in the moon bounce and riding the tricycle.

ps notice Winter Park ski resort and the runs in the background

Kitchen remodel

Check out our new appliances and granite counters at our home in Winter Park. The oven has a chicken nugget button and a setting for the Jewish Sabath (whatever that all means...) Ooooooh fancy!

Diva baby

Check out this cool outfit- she is such a snappy dresser! My cousin Kayla got this for Lauren at my shower- too cute! Thanks, Kayla!

Why I cannot get anything done...

Watching her is a full time job, I turn my back and there she goes!!

Taco Tuesday!

Lauren and Jeff LOVE tacos. They think we should have tacos at least once per week!

Christmas Music

I LOVE Christmas music! It makes me feel so happy, warm and fuzzy! I am listening to a jazz christmas album right now. I have literally hundreds of christmas songs in my ipod and listen to them all year round. Am I nuts?

Upromise Guest Shopping for Nicole

Upromise Guest Shopping for Nicole

Shared via AddThis

So, I just learned about this service. I was doing online research about 529 accounts and investing in college. I ran across two different financial advisors who said you were dumb (moi?) if you didn't take advantage of Upromise. Well, I am not dumb, i just didn't get what it is. I am skeptical about everything and thought there must be a catch. There isn't apparently, you just register your credit, bank, grocery cards with them, and when you go to certain stores and websites, you get money deposited by the companies. They dont charge you or use your credit card info (i have done extensive research and am convinced this is safe). It is a means of marketing for the companies, and apparently a tax write-off for them. Neat- I cannot believe I didn't start this sooner. All parents and grandparents out there should sign up! The link above is a way you can shop online and help build Lauren's account- I think you get discounts too. If you want to sign up as a contributor for Lauren let me know and I can send you a link (grandparents- I may have already sent you a link- hint-hint).

Big Girl

Yesterday we went to breakfast and I ordered some apple juice to put in Lauren's sippy cup. Well, it came in a cute kid's cup with a soft plastic straw and she seemed excited so I let her try it out. She was able to suck the juice up the straw, although it surprised her a bit and made her choke at first. She was so proud of her big girl cup.

Fifth's disease

So, I think lauren has Fifth's Disease. This is a illness caused by parvovirus B19. She has the classic bright red cheeks, and a bit of a runny nose. It is really not a big deal, most kids get over it with no problems, and it is super common. But of course in my world, (the world where kids get cancer- alot) we see kids with this disease being admitted to look for leukemia. The two aren't related really, it is just that the parvo suppresses their bone marrow and makes their blood counts look like they might have leukemia. I really do believe I know too much about this stuff and wish I were a bit more in the dark.