Lauren is a Hedgehog!

We had our annual Halloween Parade at Lathrop yesterday, and Lauren joined in the fun. She is just supposed to be a hedgehog, not a "dejected" hedgehog, but I get it L, you're humiliated. But I say it was worth it. Eventually she became so overheated we had to take the costume off; great for outdoor trick-or-treating, not so great for trick-or-treating in a heated environment.

Pumpkin Patch

Lauren made her first trip to the pumpkin patch, to Weston Red Barn Farm, last weekend. The temperature was perfect and the sun was out in full force, although it was a little windy. They have tractor rides to the pumpkin patch, hot apple cider, a little area with farm animals, and of course, pumpkins. I imagine she'll find this more entertaining when she's a little older, but we still had fun. We realized only a few days later that the reason Lauren looks so dejected in these photos is because, if you'll notice, Mom and Dad are wearing sunglasses, but Lauren is not. So she was keeping her eyes down to avoid the sun. Just another reason we won't be winning any Parents of the Year awards.

Lauren Models Winter Fashion

Lauren made an impromptu trip to the American Royal BBQ Competition on Friday night because our babysitter wasn't able to make it, and thankfully friends who have been generously funneling us clothes as they no longer need them happened to drop off this snowsuit on Friday as I was leaving work to pick Lauren up. Good thing, because until this weekend we didn't have any winter clothes for Baby L. She tolerated the Royal for about an hour, and that was it, but she looked cute even while melting down in front of co-workers. And Sean's ribs were delicious.

Lauren turned 5 months old on Sunday. Very very hard to believe. She is still trying to crawl, but isn't quite there yet. She can also sit by herself for short periods of time, although that hasn't quite taken off yet. She has taken to getting her arms out of the swaddle in the middle of the night, rolling over on her stomach, and then screaming for help. To all of those parents out there jealous because she started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, take heart. We are paying now. Lauren (and Sean and I) love her new daycare. They take such good care of her, and she's even taking two long naps during the day, which make for a much happier baby at night. They've been instrumental in getting her used to eating rice cereal, so we are eternally grateful.

I forgot to post Lauren's 4 month stats, so here they are:
Weight: 14 lbs, 3 oz (70th percentile)
Height: 25 inches (80th percentile)

Besides night wakings, the Power House is doing very well. Lauren's current fascinations are Miller, John Coltrane and rolling over, then screaming.