Christmas post to come...

Yes, I am still here. Just a bit run down from travel and I caught Lauren's cold- she has an ear infection.... My camera battery completely died when we were in Wisconsin and I forgot my battery charger, so we are a bit short on pics, but I will post some as soon as I can locate my battery charger. My camera is so dead it wont even turn on right now. I am working a 7 day stretch, and went to bed at 8pm last night- this cold is really getting me. So, stay tuned in the next few days I will post something more exciting.

Cheese curd tour

Today we went on a cheesemaking tour at Union Star Cheese, a tiny cheese factory out in the country by my brother's house.  We got to see them making cheese curds this am. They were so yummy...

Brewery tour

We also went on a tour of Stevens Point Brewery. It was harder than you think to find a brewery tour on a weekday in Northern Wisconsin- all of the major breweries are by Madison or Milwaukee, and are kind of a long driver from my parents house. Colorado is certainly the place to be for brewery tours, it seems.  But, we managed to get everyone together for this tour and had a great time. I think this counts as Lauren's 3rd Brewery tour- not bad I would say. None of us tried the regular Point beer, but some of their specialty beers were really good- I bought the St Benedict's Winter Ale- it was pretty good.

Shopping with the Girls

Kindle

Jeff bought me a kindle for Christmas. I cannot believe I have never heard of this? And that Jeff knew about it and not me- he cannot believe it either. Apparently I have spent the last couple of years living under a rock! It is pretty cool- I am still figuring it out, but you can download books onto it and carry it around and read them- it is much smaller and more portable than carrying around books. And to download the books you dont need to plug it in or anything- it just connects wirelessly. Pretty neat...

Grandparents are the best!

Lauren opened up her Christmas presents early, because we are leaving to Wisconsin tonight. How is it that grandparents always know what to buy? My mom and randy sent her a little pink rocking chair that she absolutely LOVES. I had to assemble it with her sitting on it, cuz once I put the seat on it she wouldn't get off. The next day we got gifts from my dad and donna- they got her a baby cabbage patch doll and a winnie-the-poo book that talks. She LOVES them, too. I would not have picked out either of those things for her, but lucky for Lauren her grandparents know better! She slept with the cabbage patch doll the past two nights, what a lucky girl!!
Then last night we opened up the last of our gifts and she got a keyboard from her grandma karen and grandpa bob- yet another hit. This morning while I was working, Jeff and Lauren were jamming away. How lucky is she, and it

One more thing...

One more thing that makes me happy- people who comment on my blog posts (so I know that someone actually reads what I have to say) and people who vote in my poll. Do it- vote now  ---------->

10 things that make me happy

1. Lauren. Mostly the way she smells and the feel of her little hands and her head nestled in my neck. And her sweet voice, and her mischevious smile- and pretty much anything to do with her.

2. Jeff's cooking. He does a good job with tacos and elk steaks, and I just love that he will do it.

3. Snow. Lots of it heavily falling, sticking to the trees, accumulation in feet rather than inches. And how it melts in a day or two at my house but sticks for the season in the mountains.

4. Vacations. I love to travel, anywhere and everywhere.

5. Quietly reading a book, with no place to be and nothing to get done.  Bonus if it is under an umbrella on a warm sunny beach.

6. Food. Baked stuff and chocolate stuff. Cookies my mom makes. Bread with butter. Berries and corn on the cob. SUSHI, SUSHI, SUSHI

7. Old houses with antiques and quirky details. I love our house- just wish it would grow a bit.

8. When people are cured of cancer. Nothing is more gratifying than to hear about one of our patients who is off to college and years out from therapy- getting on with life!!

9. Presents. Yeah, I said it. I am adult and I LOVE to open gifts. So much, that I almost never can wait until this appropriate time to open then (read: I am opening all my xmas gifts the day they come- I cannot put them under the tree and wait).

9.5 Christmas music. All year round- who doesn't get happy when they listen to Christmas music??

10. High heeled shoes, the higher the better.

OK, that was easy. I could do 30 things that make me happy and keep going. Did put a smile on my face to sit and think about- what makes you happy?

Frazzled

I am officially losing it. We are leaving for Christmas on Sunday and I have to work all weekend. I am no where near ready with everyone's stuff, much less ready to ship it out to everyone.  With Lauren having been sick this last weekend with high fevers (again) I didn't want to take her anywhere so I finished up my shopping online and here we sit waiting for stuff to arrive so we can wrap it and ship it back out to everyone. OMG!! I am not used to being behind and disorganized. My daughter is 1 year old- I should be able to hold things together by now- what is wrong with me?? I need to channel some strength from the super moms out there......

(PS- These days I am looking pretty close to this lady in the picture, bad hair and baggy sweats included. My baby is way cuter, though. What has happened to me?)

Merry Christmas!!

The cards are finally done- they are going in the mail tomorrow. Yikes, I usually have them ready to go and mail right after Thanksgiving. Hmmm..... I must have something new to keep me busy.

Silk Yogurt

Thanks to the makers of Silk for making this tasty product. Lauren loves the Silk soy yogurt, it is literally the only food she allows me to feed to her with a spoon, otherwise she only eats food she can feed herself. It is really yummy, and more sour than dairy yogurt. The only downsides are that it is hard to find and kinda pricey.

Printer woes

I got a new printer, and it sucks. It is an HP photosmart wireless printer, and the quality is horrible and often the color doesn't work. I am trying to get HP to take it back and refund my money- will keep you posted on how that works out. Anyone have a wireless printer that they love? I guess I dont need wireless, we can probably hook through our wireless router too.

1 year photos

Here are Lauren's 1 year photographs. It was a very challenging photo session, to say the least. I really wanted more pics that were non-Christmas themed, but we had to take what we could get. Thank you to my mom- she talked me into getting a family picture and I love it. My very favorite shot is the one of Lauren reading a book.

Deck the halls

Last night we set up the tree. Lauren had a fun time helping. This year is the first time we are using an artificial tree. We will be in Wisconsin for Christmas and didn't want to leave a tree to get dry and brittle in our house the whole time we are gone, but didn't have the heart to throw it away before we leave. The fake tree isn't too bad, it is not quite the same- but my mom is getting a real tree at her house that we will enjoy.

 

1 year stats

Lauren went to her 1 year pediatrician appointment yesterday- here are her stats.

height 30.12 inches (82%)

weight 23 lb 4 oz (54%)

In summary, we are lucky to have a healthy, happy young lady who is right on track with her development. She stood up on her own and took a few steps in the doctors office, just to confirm how great she is doing.  The allergy issues are not going anywhere any time soon, but Dr Matt assured us that she can achieve good nutrition without eggs or milk.  She also got A LOT of shots- 5 in all, plus a heel stick for lead. Poor baby, she was tough though. Everyone keeps suggesting that we give her tylenol because of the shots- I am not really a believer in medicine without a reason, and she is doing fine without it. If she gets a bad fever or I think she is uncomfortable, then maybe. Otherwise I think babies are better off without drugs (unconventional wisdom from a pharmacist, I know...)

Poor baby has had a bad cold for over 2 weeks, though. Cough, cough, cough all night long.  She is past the fever and goopy eyes, but still with the coughing and crabbiness. Her pediatrician  just reassured us that she will be fine, and that is what kids do- but it is so tough to watch, you just want to help her. Last night was a bit better and we are hopeful that she will be as good as new in a few days.

Brrrrr

Yikes- it has been so cold here the last few days. Just like last year right after Lauren was born. I thought I moved to Denver to escape this!! I woke up this morning to a temp of  -2 degrees outside- THAT is not supposed to happen here. Tomorrow it is going to "warm up" to 30 degreees for a high. Poor Lauren hasn't gotten to play outside in a whole week!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart

This weekend we celebrated Lauren's first birthday. I cannot believe it has been a whole year, yet I can barely remember life without her. What a little angel she is- our lives are a million times better because she is here! I keep getting choked up remembering 1 year ago.

The little sweetie had a nice birthday party on Saturday, a bunch of our friends came over and a few kids, too. Grandma and Susie were here and helped with all of the party preparations. We had a cake (egg and milk free- didn't stand up as well as I would like) that I made and decorated in polka-dots. And I even found dairy-free ice cream for her.

The party was fun, we had many helium baloons and streamers and Lauren received all kinds of gifts! She was good at opening the gifts, and liked to share her cake with the other little boys who came over.  It was a great day- we have a couple videos to help us remember.

Grandma visit

This past weekend my mom and susie came to visit for Lauren's first birthday. It was a nice visit, and they were such a big help. On Thursday they watched Lauren while we worked, and Friday night they babysat so that Jeff and I had a night out- just the two of us. It was wonderful. They also helped with cooking, decorating and making crafts for Lauren's big party. We had a very nice weekend, and I so appreciated their help!

Hands-free advice

There is a new law here- no texting in your car while driving. Sounds like a great idea to me- I dont really text much anyway, so I can live with that. I cannot live with no talking on the phone, and that might be next. I agree that it is distracting, so I want a hands-free device for my car- anyone have feedback?? Is the blue-tooth the way to go, or should I get some kind of "in the car" thingy? I haven't done any research, so i dont know much about the options, but I would like some feedback pros/cons on any of these devices so I know what to put on my Christmas list. Thanks!

Xmas cookies

My mom is so fancy- she made these Christmas cookies this weekend and is going to freeze them for Xmas- makes my mouth water to look at them. Believe it or not my mom's cookies actaully taste even better than they look!

Why I cry on Thanksgiving

I am just having a glass of vino, getting over my thanksgiving cry. I cry every year on Thanksgiving when I make the turkey. This year I cried when I put the turkey breast in the oven- it isn't even a real turkey and there was no thinking involved. Why do I cry? Because since I moved away from home, every time I have made a turkey I always call my Grandma R for help. I have made many, many turkeys in my time- Jeff likes the whole bird for every special occasion, even if it is just the two of us. So, I have made more turkeys than many people my age- I probably have it down by now. But, every time I make a turkey it seems I have just one question or concern that I want to confirm with an expert- my grandma. Such a nice talk- to get advice and guidance from her. I still love her so much and miss her dearly- it especially hurts when I do the turkey and have no one to call. So, of couse I called my mom (lauren is asleep and jeff is at work) for some moral support. She could probably help with the turkey questions too- but I dont really have any- just need to be cheered up.
My other grandma was the baker - she would be my "go-to" lady for baking advice, something that I struggle with at this altitude, so I cry less in the kitchen about her, but I miss them both so much. It makes me think, with a smile, will I be someone's beloved grandma one day?  I certainly hope so. The way a grandchild loves her grandparents is so amazing- it is the purest love- just adoration. I cannot wait to be on the receiving end one day- I bet it is great!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so many things to be thankful for this year- the biggest of which is our baby girl. I am thankful for every minute with my little petunia, and the joy and changes she has brought to our lives. I am thankful for my kind husband, and the way that he loves our daughter. I am thankful for our families and for the fact that we get to see them as often as we do, despite the miles that separate us. I am thankful to have wonderful friends, near and far. And I am thankful that I have a fulfilling job at a great employer- I get to help make a difference in the lives of Children going through some tough things, and I feel blessed that I can help make things better. What are you thankful for this year?

We are staying in town for the holiday- Jeff has to work. We had plans to spend today at Geoff and Trina's house, but Lauren was sent home from daycare yesterday with a fever and was feeling pretty tough all day yesterday, so i had to cancel. Guess it'll just be the three of us this year, unless she is miraculously better today. Have a great day, reflect on all the great things in your life!

Dear Santa...

We have been working on Lauren's Christmas wish list. There are so many cute/fun/necessary things we want to get for her- how to we decide??  I dont want to go overboard with her first Christmas, she doesn't really need much. But there are so many fun things that I would like her to have. I wish her birthday were spaced out a little bit, and I also wish I had a bigger house with a playroom for her.  I really am eyeing some big stuff- like a little table and chairs- we may just settle for one chair. And a wagon, and toy box......... you can see the need for an extra room in our tiny house. Oh, my- such troubles.

Whoot whoot!

Passed my BCOP home study review. Despite the fact that 12 of the 90 questions were statistics (pertaining to subset analyses- yikes!), I got 90%. Oh, yeah- that is right! That means I even got some of the stats right!

Gotta love Carters

So, the cute hat and mittens that I posted about a few days ago really suck. The hat is worthless, and will not stay on for more than 30 seconds. So, I called the Carters store and ask them if I could return it, although I already removed the tags. No problem they said- how nice is that? I am usually very happy with my Carter's purchases, and thanks to their great customer service, I will continue to blow large amounts of cash on their cute baby clothes and accessories!
Thanks Carter's!

Last days at Wolf Park

There is a really nice park just up the street from our home in Winter Park. Lauren loves the baby swings (although I put her in backwards). Yesterday we took a walk around the neighborhood and stopped at the park to play. I dont think we would have made it if it were not for our excellent ATV-stroller. They do not plow the park, and it is likely soon to be burried in several feet of snow.  Oh well, it is fun while it lasts!!

I love daddy

even when he puts on too much sunblock...

New hat and mittens

These are so cute- I bought them at Carter's on Friday. I thought that the mittens looked like they would really stay on- and my are they cute. Well, the hat stinks. It pops off her head within seconds- a totally bad purchase. I need to get her some more (bigger) hats that link under the chin, this was a bad buy. :( (but, gosh, isn't she cute!)

I can almost walk

Lauren walked all the way to our table at the restaurant and all the way back using her walker (up in WP). She can easily stand by herself as well, we are close! (she had spagetti for dinner- that is what is on her cute cheeks)

Scratched my fancy stove

So, the very first time I used my brand new stove up in Winter Park- I scratched it. It is electric, and has the fancy flat cook-top in black. And my best frying pan must have some scratchy parts on the bottom and I was slidding it back and forth while cooking and I really, really scratched it bad. I am not used to this kind of cook-top, I am more of a gas-range kind of girl. So now I am just sad when I look at my new stove- is there anything I can do to make it look better?

Sausagefest

Jef has decided to make his own sausage, so I am helping this morning - ick! It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Newman and Kramer are making sausage in Jerry's kitchen. I wish we had that song to play (although we just watched the bit on youtube).

Homework

Deadlines...homework.... I've got a lot on my plate. It is time to renew my BCOP (Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist) this year, and I have to submit all of my final continuing education work by the 30th of November. AAHHH!! I am behind, and it is very challenging stuff- I already have done the stuff I find interesting, so I have statistics and a bunch of lame adult cancers to work on (prostate, breast, lung.... things I am not super into reading about). This is gonna be brutal, I should have gotten more of my 100 hours done before Lauren was born- I just had no idea....

To top it off, lots of deadlines at work. I have to finish a big presentation for my work "competency" by the first week of December- what?? How am I going to get this all done? Maybe I am better off incompetent?? LOL_ not really- just sounds tempting.  I'll get it done- suppose I should not be blogging.... better get to work!

Christmas Dress

We got the Christmas dress! We all went to Gymboree together to pick it out- isn't it cute?? Jeff was totally wanting everything in the store for her- it is nice for him to see how that store totally sucks you in. The tights are cute, and they match another outfit that her Grandma bought for her. Now we just need patent leather black shoes, and I already have a red hair bow. She is going to be so darn cute!

Getting crafty

This weekend I was working on invitations for Lauren's 1st birthday party. We are planning a pink and purple polka-dot theme, so I wanted to include that in the invites. I was really hoping to find some blank invites to fill in, but no luck. So, I decided to get crafty and make them. The trouble- no place has a round stamp that I could use to make a polka-dot. I called all the craft stores and even Archivers only had a circle the size of a nickel- too small!! So, I decided to improvise and made a stamp from a potatoe and a cookie cutter that I bought to make polka dots out of fondant for her cake. Thanks to my mom for the idea- I wasn't sure how to make my own stamps. They turned out super cute- here is an example- it is of course edited because I didn't want all of our info on the internet -so the funny looking blank spots are just editing. Cute, huh?

Snow day!

We got a nice big dump of snow and Lauren and I went out to play.

"Help! I'm stuck- guess the hippo doesn't have snow tires!"

 
Yummy...

Lauren Cuteness

She looked so cute on saturday- just couldn't stop taking her picture.

Ode to Gymboree

Gymboree, Gymboree
Oh how I love thee

You have the cutest baby clothes,
everything has matching tights and hair bows

You lure me in to spend my money
on such unique outfits for my honey.

You've sucked in her Grandma Karen as well,
how much we spend, we will NEVER tell.

Continue with your sales and the outlet too,
Oh Gymboree- how we love you!

School Pictures

Yesterday we picked up Lauren's school pics- they were cute, but her hair is kinda messy. We just bought 2 pages. The scanned image is pretty good- I am sure I could make copies if anyone is interested (or you could save and print). The bummer- her tights have puppies on them that match the skirt, but it doesn't show up. That Gymboree store- I am so hooked!

Lauren Silliness

This morning Lauren and I were playing putting bows in our hair while Jeff was getting ready for work. Doesn't she look pretty? I had almost as many in my hair too- pretty fancy for 6am.