Painful

For the last two days, I have been working out with my husband. For those of you who don't know, Ty is a former Marine in the Unites States Armed Forces. Translation: He knows how to kick my butt when working out. We did something called the Marine Corps Seven. There are seven different exercises that you do in sets of 20. Did you know that if you don't use your muscles for a long time then use them a lot, your muscles get mad at you? Mine are not on speaking terms with me. In fact, every time I move, they seem to yell at me. It hurts so bad then when I bend down to pick something up, there is a split second that I think my legs will give out from under me and I will never get up again.

The good news is that I am one pound away from losing 10 pounds! It is totally worth walking around like I just broke every bone in my body. It's only temporary, right? I believe that my muscles will one day work properly. I just have no idea when that will be.

Spring Break

Lauren is on Spring Break this week and home with Daddy until I get home from work. Please allow me to share the scene that I saw yesterday.

I came home to a little girl wearing only her pajama top, no pants (she takes them off so it is easier to use the potty and never puts them back on), running in circles with her Dr. Seuss backpack on pushing her shopping cart filled with food and a baby doll. Every once in a while I would see the flash of a bare white tushy fly by. It took everything in my being not to jump across and pinch the snot out of that kid's tush. It was too cute!

I wonder what I'll see today.

Lauren-isms

Here are some of the most classic phrases Lauren is learning to say. Even though the hearing aids have been in for a while, she hasn't quite got all the correct pronunciations of letters in the alphabet. It makes for a cute sentence every once in a while.

"Daddy, top it!" - translation: Daddy, stop it!

"I und peeta." - translation: I want pizza.

"Tank too, Mommy." - translation: Thank you, Mommy.

The most exciting thing is the fact that she says them without being prompted. That is a sure sign that these words are in her vocabulary and she knows how to use them correctly. This is what we have been waiting to see for a while now. I couldn't be more excited. There's no turning back now. I'm going to look back on this blog and wonder why I ever wanted to put an end to the peace and quiet. I have a feeling that she will never want to stop talking once she gets the hang of this. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Gone!

I finally got sick of brushing out endless numbers of snarls in the morning and decided to cut it all off. Lauren was an angel and watched 'The Bee Movie' the entire time. We went to a place called Doolittle's. She got to sit in a car and watch a movie while the lady cut her hair. I know she's my kid, but I have to say she looks awfully cute! Maybe now, Daddy will even do her hair before he takes her out into public.

I Scream, You Scream

This is the face of a happy customer. She loved her very first push-up from the ice cream man. You know it's a good day when red sherbert has reached your right arm. You should have seen the driveway....

I see a light...

I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it has never looked so good. Lauren has only gotten up one time for the last two nights. It is a big difference from the 5-7 times a night for the last month. We tried everything from letting her cry it out to bribing her with Hershey Kisses and everything in between. I felt like I had a newborn again.

After many countless tries, I think we figured out the problem. I think Lauren is afraid of the dark. For the last two nights we kept the light on in her room. She has a lamp that has three different settings, so we just kept it on the lowest. The two days we kept it on all night, Lauren only woke up once.

I guess it makes perfect sense if you think about it. She spends all day hearing clearly with her aids in. At night we take them out so she can go to sleep. I wonder if she is hearing things at night, but not hearing them clearly. She might not be able to tell what the sounds are. Pair that with a dark room that only has a nightlight and you got one scary situation for a three year old.

I know it's only been two days, but I am hopeful that we found a solution and I don't have to whip out the 'baby tylenol pm'. Kidding!

Relief

Even though I have been having some writer's block lately, there has been some good stuff going on. Here they are in no particular order:

1) Lauren's vocabulary continues to increase. Sometimes she just jabbers on and I have no idea what she's saying, other times I am blown away by how many new words she knows. Most common is the request to talk to Grammy and Pappy on the phone. She does nothing but giggle and say "hi" over and over again, but it's super cute. I am still relieved about her progress.

2) We got a new car this week. We saved a bunch of money and were able to get a great deal. I never thought we would be able to do it so soon, but we just ran out of time with the truck. We just couldn't drive safely anymore and needed a car that wouldn't spontaneously combust while we were inside. I am relieved that we have a car that doesn't make me cry in fear when I have to drive it.

3) I found a light at the end of the tunnel with Lauren's hearing aids. There is a program in Chapel Hill that helps parents fill the gap between insurance and the cost of hearing aids. We have to apply, get a hearing evaluation, and jump through some hoops, but anything is worth exploring if it will help pay for the aids. We have to go to Chapel Hill, but I am excited since I have never been there before. I am relieved that there is still hope for help.

Hope everyone is doing well. Sorry I have been a terrible slacker with my blog. My brain is apparently on shut down. Miss you guys!