Great Great Grandma Hantelman

Lauren got to visit her Great Great Grandma while we were back in Iowa for the reunion. The last time that they got to hang out was Halloween 2009! Obviously, Lauren had some difficulty sitting still for her picture this time around...this girl has too much energy for her mom and dad let alone her Great Great Grandma!!

Rouse Family Reunion

We headed back to Iowa this past weekend for a Rouse Family Reunion. It is a long drive but thankfully Kyle's sister, Amanda, lives in Cedar Rapids and we stayed with her to break up the drive. She is also a personal trainer so we went for a little jog on Saturday morning. It was the first time I ran a complete 5K consecutively. I realized I am quite the slow runner so I need to focus in the next two weeks on increasing my time and making longer strides!

Lauren had been strolling around the house for the past few weeks but only going about 5 steps before toppling over. Although my sister stated that this was officially walking, I just couldn't declare her a 'walker' yet. When we were at Amanda's apartment though, she completely took off!! We definitely have an official walker now. We thought that when she started walking, our life would be over but the climbing is definitely much worse! This little girl is EVERYWHERE!! You can't turn your back for 2 seconds and she will have climbed onto something: the kitchen table, the chaise lounge, out of her high chair, you get the picture.

Lauren doesn't like Larry the family dog!

The reunion was at Kyle's aunt and uncle's farm house. They have a beautiful space and the weather could not have been more perfect. His aunt and uncle have two little grandchildren (with another on the way) so Lauren enjoyed their toys. This little house was in their yard and she loved opening and closing the doors and playing peek-a-boo out the window.

Walking around some more

The boys staring at the fruits of their labor.
Our little walker!

Getting Dressed

Everything....goes on her head! She is going to be dressing herself in no time.

Doesn't she look like a little chunker here? For some reason, she has been nursing CONSTANTLY lately. I think it is a mixture of a growth spurt and new teeth. Regardless, I can not even begin to imagine cutting her off in a few short weeks at the age of one. I don't understand what the large push is to end nursing at 12 months.

Yep, that would be my bra she found on the floor. I kept taking it away from her and she kept finding it and putting it back on her head.

She has some funny nap hair on the side...if you can even see the little amount of hair she has. She most certainly has a mullet!

Busy and Tired

We have been super busy lately. I just finished my summer class and am so relieved to be done! Only one more class (it is online) plus my internship and I will be done for good!! Now I need to focus on Lauren's 1st birthday...I think I am procrastinating because I don't want to believe that my baby is going to be ONE.

Tomorrow we are leaving for Iowa for the weekend for a Rouse Family Reunion. It is going to be a busy weekend but nice to spend some quality time as a family. We usually only get to spend Mondays off together between my work and school schedule and Kyle's studying schedule. I don't think I have mentioned it but Kyle found a new position about a month ago. He has been studying and working on licenses for the past month and will officially start mid-September! Yea for having insurance again!

Maya Wrap

I purchased my first wrap! I know...it may seem like I own a lot of baby carriers but I actually don't. The majority we rent from our babywearing group. I have a few slings that fit newborns better (gift and anniversary present), my Moby wrap (gift), and the Ergo (Christmas present). I needed something more supportive that was woven cotton instead of the jersey knit moby that she doesn't fit in anymore. Our Ergo is great but the straps are really bulky on me and it isn't easy to travel with.

So...I purchased a Maya Wrap off Craigslist although it was brand spanking new and half off! It is a ring sling but the fabric is long enough that I can take it off the ring and use it as a small wrap. It has been excellent for a nursing cover in public too when Lauren will actually let me cover her up. I feel sorry for the men that got a sneak peek of my ta-tas the other day on the train, opps!

She loves watching mommy do the dishes but was deathly afraid of the cow at the fair...it was pretty funny!

Go Cubs Go!

Do you see her new carseat in the background too...she thinks it is pretty cool to finally see out the window!