15 Months

Lauren had her 15 month appointment today. It's hard to believe that our baby is already a toddler. Here are her stats:

Weight: 17 lbs 15 oz

Height: 30 3/4 inches

She's in the 1% for weight and the 34% for height - which is about where Will stays. The doctor was concerned about her weight, but was "okay with it" because Will is steadily in the 1-2% also. He suggested some food options, which we already have been doing.

One of Lauren's favorite things to do is read. I think it has something to do with her age. They just want to soak in tons of information and they love to learn. She can be seen reading books by herself, and if you happen to walk by she'll want you to sit down for a story. My favorite thing is when she's in her room reading her books (and she's sitting in the middle of a book pile). She'll come wandering down the hallway with a book in her hands and give it to me (or Joe). She'll then turn around and start backing in to sit in your lap (even if you're standing... you have to hurry up and sit down!). She also gets jealous when Will reads books with me and she's even tried to pull him out of my lap so that she can sit there. I guess I have two readers on my hands! Lauren loves to color. She uses crayons, markers, and SIDEWALK CHALK. She loves to use sidewalk chalk when we're outside. She'll go into the garage and come out with the little container of chalk. She wanders around the yard drawing on everything from the trees to the cars.

She's not talking a whole bunch, but that's typical for a second child. She knows a lot of animal sounds and she loves to "woof" at dogs, "ack" at ducks, "moooo" at cows (in books), "kiss" at fish, and growl at any other animal. She loves her Daddy and she gets so excited when he comes home from work. She'll stand at the garage door and try to open it and say, "Da-ddy." She'll say "Ma-ma" when she wants me to hold her. Her favorite thing to say is "isshh" (which we think is "this") and she'll point to something. Lauren is in love with shoes (or shhushh) and she loves to put them on and take them off!

She is such a sweet little girl and we just love her so much. She is a true joy to be around and she is always SO HAPPY. She's been feeling a bit under the weather recently, but she still has a smile on her face. She loves to play and her new found accomplishments (walking, talking, running, climbing) are just so exciting to her! My grandpa nicknamed her "smiley" and that is a very appropriate name for her.