Lauren 4 months old!

Our beautiful Lauren is now 4 months old.  I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by.  She has been such a precious gift and we wouldn't have traded her for the world.  It was One year ago this week that I found out that I was pregnant.  It was quite a shocker to Kevin and I.  1. We weren't trying. 2. I was told that I may have trouble in the future conceiving and 3. It was only 1 month after our wedding day!  We had a lot of mixed emotions when we first found out. Mostly I did...I was shocked, scared, angry. It took a few months for me to be really excited. Then I felt guilty for not being excited from the start. This little baby in my belly was a gift from God. A gift at one time I didn't know if I would ever get to enjoy.  I have an amazing husband who supported me, pampered me, loved me unconditionally even when the stretchmarks reached from belly to boobs! Not a day went by that he didn't tell me that I was beautiful. 
I just look at Lauren everyday and smile. She and Kevin are my everything!



Lauren's 4 month Stats:

      Weight: 15 lbs 5 oz.
      Height: 27 inches
                                                                       
                                                                        Lauren can now roll from back to belly and belly to her back. She prefers to roll to her right side. She can now sit up supported just a little by her back. She has no problems keeping her head up and neck supported on her own.  Lauren has been on cereal consistently for about a week now. She really likes banana's too!

Lauren is in the process of her first cold.  She ran a 100 degree fever one week ago and we took her to the Dr. He said her ears and lungs were clear and that it was just a seasonal cold. We have just been trying to help her symptoms with Vick's Baby Rub and a humidifier. The booger sucker and saline drops have become our lifesaver! 

Well..I hear the little munchkin stirring so I better head to check on her. I hope everyone had a blessed Holiday and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Lauren rolling over!

Lauren rolled over for the first time last night while I had her on the couch with me. I tried her again on her tummy this morning and she did it again, so I know last night was not a fluke! She is getting so strong and so big. Her legs are so long that we have to put her in 6 month pants. Lauren got to spend a few days at work with me this week. I am sure she will be glad to be back home with her daddy this week. I know we will be happy to have him back home. I just love Lauren's "Army Girl" shirt she has on. Kevin bought this for her before she was even born! He will be happy to see her in it when he gets home from drill this afternoon. I hope you all have a great week!

Follow The Yellow Brick Road....

And we're off to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard of ....Ft. Riley, Kansas. Kevin passed his physical for re-enlistment on Thursday and we will be relocating to Kansas! Kansas was NOT on our wish list but apparently there were not any openings at the posts that we wanted to be stationed. When Kevin was doing his paperwork, the guy (I'm sure he has some high rank, but I don't know!) ..said "Do you have a coin? Heads: Germany and Tails: Kansas"....Kevin's response was "It's got to be Kansas, My mother-in-law would kill me if we moved to Germany!" He loves you mom!

Kansas was quite a shock for us. We thought for sure we would atleast get somewhere on our wish list. So now we are back to square one looking at home/condo and townhome rentals that we like and can afford. You would think that every house would have a basement or storm cellar there but they don't! And we have found that the housing is about the same price as some of the rentals in the Seattle area but less square footage. Does that make any sense? I would have swore that Seattle would be more expensive to rent than Kansas!! Suprises all the time I suppose!

So right now we are working on getting things in order. I have put in my resignation at work. It went very well. It was very emotional for me to do. It was the first job where I really felt respected by my employer and they constantly praised me and saw me for the great Hygienist that I am! They had offered me a position with a raise and 2 days later I had to come back and give my resignation. I felt terrible. They were completely understanding of the situtation and said that I would leave with nothing less than a letter of recommendation and professional reference. That took a huge weight off my shoulders. It's always easy to put in resignation for somewhere you hate working but it's not so easy when it's somewhere you enjoy. I look forward to what God has planned for me and my career in the future!

Now...what I don't understand is why the government cut Military funding! That includes enlistment bonus'. Don't get me wrong. Money is not why Kevin is enlisting. He is enlisting because this is what he wants to do for his country, our country. But really... You enlist in the Military and you get a free t-shirt and a back pack with material on how to get in shape?! Makes no sense to me. Seems like there are trillions of dollars from this stimulus going to who knows where but all you can give the brave men and women who are enlisting and re enlisting is a free tshirt and backpack....hmmmmmm.

So.......Kevin leaves for Minneapolis on January 28th. There he will be swore in and then has 10 days to report to Ft. Riley, KS. He is planning on leaving as soon as he is swore in and driving to Kansas to get everything in order and find us a place to live so that Lauren and I can follow right behind only a few days to a week later!! We have found while looking that we are pretty centrally located for family and friends. We are now excited about our move and are anxious to see what God has planned for us in Oz..I mean Kansas :)

Best. Present. Ever. (besides Lauren)

We received our Christmas present early this year from my parents. It is a Flip Video Ultra HD Camera. This video camera is so easy to operate both when filming, uploading and sending videos via email. The software is built into the camera and will upload to your computer the first time you "flip" the usb and plug it in! The picture and sound quality is amazing. We couldn't be happier. We tested it out a few nights ago with Lauren and her bathtime, and Lauren and her penguin. Lauren received a penguin from her Grandma Deb. She doesn't really like it. It's not so much the penguin that bothers her as much as the song makes her cry. Look how she sticks out that bottom lip! My poor baby!



I think one day she will love to sing and dance with the penguin, but right now not so much! Even with that bottom lip stuck out, she still is the most adorable little girl! Love her!

My 3 month old!

I can't believe that our precious baby girl is 3 months old already! She is growing so fast! She is such an amazing little baby. We couldn't be happier. She is always so happy and smiley. I can't help but kiss her chubby cheeks atleast fifty times a day.

Snorin' Lauren

Our little bundle has been sleeping so great lately! The past three nights she has slept 7-8 hours stright, ate and then slept another 2-3 hours. She must be going through a growth spurt. I sure hope that she continues to sleep so well. Lauren has also been talking up a storm. We just love our little conversations together. She is so full of personality! Who could resist kissing these cheeks and just loving on this adorable little girl?!! I know that we can't!

Pictures speak a thousand words.....

As I was browsing Kevin's cousin Melanie's blog, I came across what I thought would be a fun way to really touch up on my photography, As well as keep my blog updated more often and be more involved than once every few weeks. Click on the above box for details. Basically every week there will be a challenge to participate in involving photography. You don't have to be a profession of any sorts. All types of photographers can participate. I think it will be great fun. Anyone in?? ( I know you are Melane! yay!)

shots...

I forgot to mention that Lauren had her first set of shots (immunizations) at her 2 month check up. Kevin and I were both there for her. I think it hurt me more than her. My eyes were tearing up as she was screaming. Two minutes later she was calmed down...and a few minutes after that she was sound asleep. She was a little fussy that evening so we gave her a little Tylenol and she did just fine. I was able to get a few pictures of her while she was napping. I just loved her cute little Care Bear band-aids. I think I will do a little better at her next round of shots at 4 months now that I know what to expect.

Lauren 2 months and some other fun things....

So I am way behind on updating. Not by choice but because of a GB limit per month through our Verizonwireless internet. SOooo...uploading pictures towards the end of the month was not an option.
Well let see if I can remember everything I need to blog about!

On October 28th Lauren was 2 MONTHS OLD!!! She has just been so much fun. She had her check up and is a healthy BIG girl!

Lauren's stat's

Weight: 12lbs 10oz ( 92 percentile )

Height: 24 1/2 inches ( 97 percentile )

Her nurse just could not believe the since birth she had gained 4lbs 15oz and grew 4 1/2 inches..in just 2 months!!

We have had a few milestones of Lauren sleeping through the night. One stretch of 7 hours and one of 8 1/2 hours. The long nights are not consistent yet but they are getting there. Usually she sleeps 4-5 hours through the night without eating sometimes for 6-7hour stretches in the night. She is such a good baby though. We enjoy her smiles and sounds even if it is 3am!

Lauren also celebrated her first Halloween. We didn't do anything too wild and crazy. We honestly didn't think at 2 months old we needed to take her out "Trick or Treating" or spend $20 on a costume that would be too big and she would only wear this one time. On a tight budget, a halloween costume was just not at the top of our priority. Nonetheless she was a cute little one in a pumpkin outfit that my mom had snagged at a garage sale.

We were able to show off her cuteness at her cousin Valerie, Elizabeth, and Elianna's piano and violin recital! All of the little girls just loved her! The girls did great with their recital pieces and Lauren was so good throughout the entire recital. She slept for about 90% of it but when she was awake she didn't make a peep! She must really have a love for music because of all of the music her daddy played for her while she was in mommy's belly.


And now on a completely different note...I am back to work 4 days a week and it's going really well. It's nice that we only live a few blocks away from my work so I am able to go home on my lunches to see Kevin & Lauren. I just love that Kevin is home with her and I love our little family. I feel like we are all getting to spend so much valuable time together :)

As some of you may or may not know, Kevin has decided to re enlist in active duty Army. This has been something he has wanted to do for quite some time now. It is a decision that we made as a family. Many have asked "are you okay with that decision? and are you sure you want him to re enlist?" and my answer is YES. Yes, I am okay with this decision and I am sure I want him to re enlist. This is something that is very important to him and I think it takes a certain, strong, confident man to know that for his career he wants to serve this country and protect others. So please keep Kevin in your prayers this month. He has to go for a physical soon and then by the end of the month or early December we should know where our next adventure will lead us to.

I am actually quite excited for this move. I am looking forward to staying home with Lauren more often and really working and mastering my love for photography. Now that I have my own little model, I can really work at it!!

Well I believe I have wrote enough for this post. I will try to update more often. I should have some good pictures after this weekend. Kevin, Lauren and I are heading to Eau Claire, WI to meet up with Grandma Deb, Grandpa Jeff, Aunt Kara and Uncle Jordan. Cousin Ashleigh is also joining us and has offered to be our backseat babysitter! We are so excited to see everyone :)

5 Ingredient fix...

It has been a very long time since we have posted a food blog. During my time off I watched A LOT of food network. A newer show that I would watch occasionally was called 5 ingredient fix. It is a show where the host shows you how to create a dinner in 5 ingredients or less. It makes things very simple for those of us that now don't have time to go through the 20 something ingredients in the Bobby Flay cook book like we may have 3 months ago. Right now our extra time is spent playing with Lauren etc, so the idea of making a delcious supper in a quick, efficient, easy manner, was very appealing. I have yet to dive in an try any of the recipes seen on the show but I have made an attempt to create my own.

Hot Ham & Cheese Crescent Rolls

1 can of crescent rolls
Deli Ham- thinly sliced
Swiss cheese ( or your cheese of choice)

Preheat oven according to directions on the rolls.
Unroll dough on to table & separate rolls
Take 2 pieces of thinly sliced ham and one slice of cheese. Lay flat on top of crescent roll.
Roll dough up with ham & cheese inside :)
Place on cookie sheet and bake according to the roll directions (golden brown)

These were so yummy! They were quick and easy and delicious. 3 ingredients, 5 minutes prep, 15 minutes cook time and voila! I look forward to posting more quick and easy recipes in the future.

P.s. Great DESSERT advice. Save a few of the rolls before stuffing with ham & cheese...Lay flat on counter. Spread an even layer of cream cheese and on top of that strawberry jam.(or jam of your choice). Roll up again and bake according to the directions on can. These were very tasty as well. So there you go folks, you have dinner and dessert in 5 ingredients! I hope you enjoy:)
I apologize for lack of pictures of the dessert portion. I ate those first so I didn't have time to take pictures :)

...insert post title here....

This morning my mind is just a blank. So please excuse the rather vague blog title. Please also forgive me for not updating as much as I should and for that fact could be updating. I have just spending all of my time with our sweet baby girl and when she is napping, I have been trying to keep up on housework, etc. Kevin has been gone for about a week and half now hauling beets (with the exception of 3 days when he was home because of bad weather). Lauren and I miss him tremendously! We had Kevin home on Wednesday & Thursday of this week and then he left again for drill at Camp Ripley. We are super excited to see him this afternoon...even if it is only for a few hours before he packs up and heads back to North Dakota to finish the beet harvest. Please pray for good weather, so the farmers can finish harvesting the crop and we can have daddy back!

Things are going to be especially crazy this week with Kevin gone because it is my first week back to work. Luckily Lauren's grandma Kathy & great grandma Ruth are helping us out this week. Lauren has spent a day or two with her Great Grandma and did great! I had said a few months back that we were going to try and have Kevin stay home with Lauren as a "stay at home dad"...after our unexpected move and an extra $750 dent in our budget because of it... we didn't think that would be possible. After some number crunching...we have determined that it will be possible atleast for a few months until we are on to our next adventure ( I will update you on this on a later post). Please pray that we can make it through this tight time and that God will provide our every need. I have faith!

Lately Kevin and I have been really watching what we eat. Before that literally meant watching the food go right into our mouths. Recently we have been very conscious about the calories/fat/fiber etc. I am happy to post that I have lost all 26lbs of baby weight...do my pants fit? NO. Apparently I have another 20lbs to go before I can bend over in my jeans without suffocating myself and ripping the butt out of them. Oh well..I needed to do it anyway! It is nice to be able to do this with Kevin. Even with him gone we still ask each other everyday what we had to eat and the nutritional value. It has become fun for us. Now I just wish it were nicer out so that we could go on walks together!

Lauren Updates: 7 weeks 2 days old

Weight: 12.6lbs (me weighing myself & then holding her & weighing again)

Length- not sure exactly but her 3-6 month onesies are getting too short to snap almost now too! She is going to be tall like her daddy

Lauren has now started "talking"...we just love listening to her little sounds. It's so cute.

Lauren also now follows moving things with her eyes and loves having her picture taken. All I have to do is get out my phone to take pictures and she starts smiling and looking up at it :)

Daddy's little girl

"Since the day they got married
He'd been praying for a little baby boy
Someone he could take fishing
Throw the football and be his pride and joy
He could already see him holding that trophy
Taking his team to state
But when the nurse came in with a little pink blanket
All those big dreams changed

And now, he's wrapped around her finger
She's the center of his whole world
And his heart belongs to that sweet, little, beautiful, wonderful, perfect
All American girl"
-Carrie Underwood

Nothing makes my heart melt more than watching the man I love with our baby girl! He is so proud of her. Anyone who knows Kevin, knows that he is slightly obsessed with sports. Of course he would want a little bit of that passion to rub off on Lauren, so he thought he should get started early. Lauren's wardrobe would not be complete without an outfit from every sports team in Minnesota. So far we have 3 Twins outfits and a Vikings Cheerleading uniform. I am guessing there is MN Wild Hockey outfit in the works and maybe a Timberwolves..not sure!
(Grandma Deb, I promise Lauren can wear her Packer PJ's when Daddy is not around!)

Here are a few pictures of Kevin and Lauren from the past couple days!

Daddy & Lauren cheering for the Twins!

The Twins winning the AL Central Championship was just too much excitement for one day!
I kinda posted these backwards but Monday night was another exciting night for sports in Minnesota. Monday Night Football Vikings vs. Packers.

-Kevin ran to Walmart on Monday afternoon to buy a thermos for his coffee for when he harvests beets...He walked in the door and said "Honey I'm home, and please don't be mad at me!" One can only imagine what he was talking about. The first words out of my mouth were "what and how much?" and his reply was "I couldn't help myself, it was the only one left and it was just her size, please don't be mad" He then pulls out of the plastic bag, a Minnesota Vikings Cheerleading uniform. Kevin was so excited about his purchase. I could just see the joy and excitement in his face. How could I be mad at that? Of course it took a whole 5 minutes before Kevin had our little darling changed and ready to cheer the Vikings to a win againts Green Bay.

1 month old

1 month old and getting cuter and cuter everyday!

Just for fun...the ABC's of me :)

A -Age: 25
B- Bed Size: Queen and it is oh so comfortable
C- Chore you hate: dusting
D- Dog's Name: N/A
E- Essential starts to your day: checking my facebook...HA!
F- Favorite Color: green
G- Gold, Silver, or Platinum: white gold
H- Height: 5'5
I- Instruments you play: In elementary/junior high I played piano and clarinet
J- job: for the next month I am a stay at home mom, after that back to being a dental hygienist
K- Kids: Lauren Grace, 3 weeks 1 day old. Born on Aug. 28
L-Living Arrangements: Our fabulous apartment with my husband Kevin, and daughter Lauren
M- Moms name: Deborah
N- Nicknames: Diablo, Jolly, Red, Krissy Wissy
O- Overnight stay in the hospital other than birth: giving birth to my daughter last month
P- Pet Peeve: unsolicited advice, dumb drivers
Q- Quote from a movie: ??
R- Right or Left handed: Right.
S- Siblings: 2 sisters (Stephanie & Kara) Brother (Jordan)
T- Time you wake up: Whenever Lauren does!
U- Underwear: Um, yes. big ol' granny panties and I am not ashamed...they are comfortable!
V- Vegetable you dislike: Squash
W- Ways you run late: I hate being late, I am very particular about being on time, although having a new born has really been testing me on that. It doesn't matter how ready to go I am, if Lauren has a poopy diaper or wants to be fed, then that trumps being on time!
X- X-rays you've had: xrays on my foot when i was 4 and broke my leg and then dental xrays
Y- Yummy food you make: I make THE best chocolate chip cookies... I am not lying
Z- Zoo Favorite: I don't really have a favorite. I think they are cute but I'm not much of an animal person

19 days old!

Today Lauren had her 2 week check up (even though it was almost 3 weeks~!) She is getting so big! She has gained weight from her previous appointment: 2 lbs 15 oz and now weighs 8 lbs 15 oz and she is now 2 1/4 inches longer to make a total of 22 1/4 inches long. We just love her so much. We were happy last night to get 3 hours in between each feeding! She hasn't been very consistent with sleeping but we just keep reminding ourselves that she is still a very new infant and getting adjusted to life with us as much as we are getting adjusted to life with her :) We wouldn't have it any other way though. We get to spend all of our free time with this darling little girl :) We love you Lauren Grace

10 days old

Our little angel is 10 days old already! She has been such a blessing to our lives.
My parents left on Sunday afternoon, so I have been adjusting to being home alone with Lauren. Things have been going pretty well. I have been very tired but that is to be expected. We have had our ups and downs with breastfeeding, bottle feeding, bowel movements, schedules etc but it all seems to be balancing out. When we aren't changing diapers, boiling bottles, feeding, making supper, doing laundry, of playing Farkle or Cube Crash.... we now spend our time staring at this little beauty!

Lauren Grace Erickson

Lauren Grace Erickson
7lbs 11 oz
Born 8-28-09 @ 12:15pm

Mommy & Baby are doing great! We are so blessed to have her in our life. We have never experienced love like this before. She is just so beautiful!!!!!!!!!