Lauren is 1!!!

Our baby girl is one! We can hardly believe it. What a year it has been. We love her more every day. She continues to amaze us with how much she changes, learns and grows each day. We took Lauren to the doctor for her 12-month well-baby check up and she's perfectly healthy. And Healthy she is!! She weighs 23 lbs and 14 oz (88th percentile) and she's 31 inches tall (98th percentile)!! Whew! She's saying lots of words now (mama, dada, shoes, wow, up, bye, hi, ducky, and a few more). She also knows some of her animal sounds (woof woof, moo, and neigh for the horse). She really is getting funny.

We had a busy birthday weekend! Justin and I were off work on her actual birthday, Friday June 20. We were hoping to take her to Brookfield Zoo that day, but the weather (and her nap schedule) didn't cooperate, so we enjoyed the morning playing at home. Mom and Dad and Grandpa and Grandma Rowe arrived in the afternoon and we took Lauren to the little Cosley Zoo near our house. Lauren always enjoys seeing the farm animals there. Then we went out for pizza for dinner. Uncle Mikey, Aunt Maggie, Aunt Melissa and Stephanie arrived later Friday night.

Saturday was the big party day! We had a Rubber Ducky themed birthday party with ducks everywhere! Lauren was in heaven (even without very good naps that day.) About 20+ of our family members came to help us celebrate her birthday, including her 3 Uncle Mike's, Cousin Michael and Grandpa Mike (better known as Boppa)!

Lauren got way too many presents-- everyone was so generous. Thank you to those who helped us celebrate! She is still loving playing with all of her new toys! We of course we gave her her first taste of chocolate cake! She wasn't really sure quite what to do with it and didn't really like her sticky fingers after touching the frosting. See her eating her cake here.

Lauren (and her parents) was exhausted after the weekend was over but she still loves when we sing Happy Birthday to her!

We are really looking forward to seeing how much Lauren grows and changes during the next year. Thanks for checking in! Enjoy the rest of her birthday party pictures below.

Until next time--

Times are Changing...

The past few weeks have been busy ones for us (as usual!) We've been busy with our house-- working on the landscaping, having the interior painted, ordering appliances, and starting to decorate. We're excited to see things starting to come together.

Next Friday Lauren will turn one! I can't believe it's been a year already. We hardly remember our life without her. She has truly been a blessing and is getting such a cute little personality. She's not quite walking yet, but she's determined. She thinks everything is so funny, especially her Daddy. Her favorite thing to do it swing. Watch her laughing and enjoying the swing at the park. (Click here.)

We're having a Rubber Ducky birthday party for her next Saturday night. Lauren will love it. She loves ducks and sleeps with "Du Du" every night. We hope to see you there! Justin turns 30!!! this month as well. Whew!

Lauren had her first visit to the zoo a few weeks ago. We have this great little zoo/farm near our house that is perfect for young kids. They have all kinds of farm animals and birds. Lauren loved it. Especially the cows, ducks, and goats. She really wanted to get in the pond with the ducks. Enjoy the pictures:

Last weekend we packed up and went to Iowa for the weekend. Lauren got lots of Grandma and Grandpa time and also got to see her Great Grandpa and Grandma Rowe, Aunt Becky, Uncle Denny, Aunt Kris, and Erika. Lauren even got some early birthday presents. She was more excited about the tissue paper and wrapping though. Guess she'll figure out that the fun part is inside. Lauren learned her new favorite word from Grandma. "Uh Oh!" Now, everything she drops (especially on purpose), we hear "Uh Oh!" Sometimes it's "Uh Oh" even when she's anticipating the drop. We all had a great time and can't wait to visit again soon.

My big news is I resigned from the Bank this week. I have been offered a fantastic opportunity to be General Counsel for a new company, Cortland. I'll be working alongside some of my current colleagues. I'm very excited about the opportunity. So look for new contact information from me at the end of the month.

Lots of exciting things to celebrate at the Mead house this month. Thanks for checking in on us. We'll be sure to post pictures of the birthday girl!

Until next time--