Final Post

Considering that 

a) I am no longer a "Steubie" Wife, but now a Houston one..

b) have limited internet access.. 

c) need to read more..like a lot more..

d) find Facebook sufficient for keeping in touch with family and friends..

I am going to discontinue blogging for now...

St. Anne, pray for us and for our families.

Happy 5 Month Birthday Sweet Daughter

Piggy has come a long way in 5 mos. She loves...

laughing

being tickled

touching her toes

talking in the morning

watching kitties on youtube

acting shy with her papa

tasting new foods

cold water!

bath time

watching me dance 

nursing to sleep

kisses all over

bananas

LOTS of eye contact

changing facial expressions

lounging in her bouncer seat in the mornings

birds

walks outside

Spring in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh

The sling police would be after me for having the ring so low and not on my shoulder. sigh.

At our favorite Mediterranean restaurant..wearing sunglasses because they're prescription! Usually people think he's trying to be "cool" and he has even had someone tell him to take his glasses off while he was ordering. He responded, "But then I wouldn't be able to SEE." haha

Clare snoozing and mama being very still and quiet at a coffee shop while Jon studies

Our giggly girl in her sunbonnet 

skins and the sauce! skins and the sauce!

The girl that I let pull my hair all day...because I love her.

Perspectives

Jon, 6 ft 3 in and 175 lbs, takes demands from a 25 inch girl who weighs 16 lbs. 

Laura's Baby Shower

These happened in a slightly different order, but for theatrical effect, here is the girl getting caught with her hand in the jelly bean jar

Husband taking comprehensive exams

Why today was AWESOME

1. Had a good night's rest, which is hard to come by these days.

2. Got Jon around midnight with my April Fool's joke that "I thought I was pregnant again." Best part was he WAS HAPPY (and honestly surprised since I am breastfeeding and Clare is only 4 mos old). Realized I was indeed married to a saint. 

3. Woke up this morning to the smell of coffee. And to my handsome husband. I wonder how people say that they "would get bored married to the same person" or that they "would stop finding them attractive over time." Every day my attraction to and love for Jon grows. And coffee too; Gotta have the bean juice.

4. Got to run 3 miles at the track in great weather...dance-running to the 80s...and meditating on God's glory. AND Clare napped practically the whole time I was gone. Won't be long before I am back to pre-pregnancy shape and fitness level. Am eager to find out what my weight is (we don't own a scale). Last time, I was about 60% the way there.

5. Dressed Clare in her spring dress from Grandma and went shopping at the dollar store (for her friend Patrick's upcoming baby shower) and mall. Found a 12 month sleeper for her...got to be ready, she grows overnight and is already in 9 month clothing!

6. Came home to the best news Jon and I have had all semester (or past two years, except for Clare): He got admitted into the University of Houston's philosophy MA program--one of the best in the nation for PhD placement in philosophy. We were both overjoyed and are pretty much anticipating moving to Houston this summer. Thanks be to God for His blessings on our family. And to Jon for pulling off an incredible achievement!

.....But even with all of this good news, I remember Job's words, which come to my mind often...the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.

Eminently Kissable

3 mos, 3 wks

and watching mama "dance"

The only hard part is you risk "Little Bo Peep" staying in your head all day

Absolutely Fascinated..Had to snap a photo of this!

Jon: I got a rejection letter today. It was really nice. They said I was one of their top choices. That means I must have been really close, you know, in the top tier of applicants. 

Me: Wow, that is quite a compliment, so where is the letter? I want to see how they write something like that.

Jon: Um, it's in the trash

(digs it up and begins reading from the top)

Me : I don't see where it says anything like what you said about being a top choice.

Jon (puzzled) : Yeah, me either, weird...hmmm....

Oh wait! I misread this line...I thought they said I was one of their top choices, but instead they thank me for choosing them as one of my top choices!

*A good laugh, and back in the trash. Wouldn't it have been great if we never pulled it out in the first place? ;)

What life is like on the "other side" of the Boppy!

[Opposite Day]

All fades into the background as

I watch you

ponder all of the opportunities

and mistakes of time

gone by

It's all too much.

I utter 

Not enough strength, but

thankfully 

you do not understand.

My eyes well up with tears

deeper than 

deeper than

nothing as

I watch you 

and see you 

add and subtract

and multiply

all that has been lost

You are reminded--

there is so much to come

Yet you can't let go--

So much has been undone.

Imitating her papa...hard at work studying!

Can someone please tell me

where we are moving to? so I can pack my bags

and ship out?

Some funny comments..meant to build my self esteem, I think?

Jessica to me weeks ago: "Wow, Lauren, you look normal!" 

(This counts as a compliment to a postpartum mother, otherwise, probably not the best compliment you would ever hear lol)

Jon to me a few nights ago: "You're nerdy. But, I like that." 

(ME the NERD?! I don't think so! Jon's the philosophy geek with glasses, Star Wars, and who secretly watches college science lectures on YouTube at night. There--I've said it.)

Contact Fr. Jenkins at president@nd.edu if you would like to protest Obama's invitation to speak at Notre Dame's commencement

Dear Father Jenkins,

I must write to you concerning your invitation to President Obama. I am a Catholic young woman who just had her first child. As a Christian, I rejoice in the gift of my daughter Clare. Her new life only reinforces my dedication to the protection of life, both wanted and "unwanted." 

It is deeply painful to me to think that a president who is okay with and forwards legislation for the killing of innocent young babies would be honored as a guest speaker at Notre Dame. How can such a thing happen under Our Lady's beautiful statue raised high on Notre Dame's golden dome? The image makes me cringe in grief. I hope that you too will come to share in this grief and that it will compel you to action.

Please, please, be courageous and rescind your invitation to President Obama and honor Our Lord instead by your faithful witness to the protection of the unborn children entrusted to us all.

Lauren Sorenson

The other day when I returned home from the gym...THIS is what I noticed...

Me: Wow, what's all that black stuff on her diaper??

Jon: I don't know...

THEN, he tried to frame Clare!

But I know the TRUTH and it involves Jon and some chocolate muffin shenanigans.  

Jon: Wow, I'm glad that cake is gone, I ate way too much of it.

Me: You did? 

Jon: Yeah, like A LOT.

Me: I didn't really eat that much of it. It was okay, but I don't think I ate much of it.

Jon (continuing): Yeah Yeah ...I'm totally done with it, I'm glad it's gone. I'm finished with that cake.   

*pause*

Soooo... is there any left? 

;)P

Thursday confession...

To get this smile I had to dance like a maniac to one of the songs on Clare's new nursery rhyme CD. To make it better, the song was "Humpty Dumpty"...rap version. I later performed it for Jon in the kitchen; I think he was, um, surprised. 

Long day?

In Frames

Clare is officially ticklish now...and teething. Our tri-part routine goes something like this: cue--washcloth dipped in ice cold water to Clare's mouth--cue--Clare on lap gnawing on one of our fingers--cue--nurse to sleep. Can't wait to see these teeth surface in a few months--we've worked hard for them!

She still loves bath time, being kissed/and now tickled, diaper changes (huh? weird), conversations with lots of eye contact, and her papa! 

She has some steady obsessions like staring at the closet with all of the clothes and the window that is covered by a dark square blanket that contrasts with the white wall (ghetto, I know! Studies show children in homes with ghetto makeshift window coverings score higher on IQ tests--j/k!--but I guess you don't need contrasting mobiles, kids find their own). 

She still resists tummy time and gets jealous when I am talking to someone on the phone or if a friend is over. 

She has become better at sleeping on her own after I nurse her down, which is a great improvement, affording me some needed free time. Yes, I have come to consider doing dishes and laundry free time.

Oh, and did I mention she has learned to read?

Happy 3 Month Bday!

I have to let out a little laugh every night when I ask Clare if she "is ready for a change?"

The question reminds me too much of the recent presidential campaign and mandate.

And, really, the two realities aren't that different from each other...especially when the diaper is full of, well, you know.

Youngest Member

Little Lauren with a tan?

Clare's Evening Pilates

Working up a sweat

Woo, holding up almost 12 lbs here!

Okay I am getting tired

Time to lounge now

Prisoner in Pink

What we like to call "Kissy Kissy Game"

Men in the kitchen...

As coffee brews with no carafe, wife starts to quickly appreciate separate gender spheres 

Tired parents

Culprit

2 Months Old...with chubby cheeks & Papa's hairdo

Jon is responsible for blow-drying her hair this way..haha..it has a peak!!

Update: Clare weighed in at 11.2 lbs at her 2 month check-up! Her doctor (whom I like to call "Dr. Giggles" as a joke [esp since he is on the serious side of life...but we nevertheless like him a lot and think he is highly competent]...*I do hope he never finds my blog now that I have confessed this) said that we more than made up for the beginning when weight gain was slower due to a small case of breastfeeding jaundice (which made Clare very sleepy and hard to feed). Good work Clare! According to Jon, she deserves some Chinese food and a toy for visiting the doctor.