Super Lauren

Lauren has always seemed to get the short end of the stick around here. (I probably shouldn't write this or she will use it against me in about 12 years.) Just when she was starting to develop her own personality, Max got sick, and life became all about Max. She has never had a real birthday party. Her first one got cancelled because of Max's illness, I just wasn't up to throwing one for her second because things were still stressful because of Max, and this year, her uncle got married two days after she turned three, plus, I am pregnant and tired all the time and once again just wasn't up to doing much. Yet, she is one of the happiest children I have ever met, and a total joy to be around. She makes me smile every day with her humor, hugs, and laughter. She seems to enjoy pretty much everyone, even giving total strangers hugs (we may need to work on this one, but she is still little and it is so funny to see the confused looks on people's faces). She is still into everything and so strong, especially for her size. When we met with her teachers, they laughed that she was the youngest and smallest child in her class and yet nothing phases her. They did mention having to tell her to get off the table on a regular basis. I was really hoping she wouldn't do that there, but they said it with a smile. She is definitely my little tomboy, spending hours playing with trains and trucks, though her "babies" don't get ignored. Josh brought home a Hotwheels for Max and a Barbie for Lauren (from a super rare visit to McD's) and while Lauren did spend time playing with the Barbie, the car was much more popular. She was a pirate again this halloween and it was the perfect costume for her personality.

Even now that Lauren is 3, she is still a pleasure to be around most of the time. Yes, she is stubborn, but she has always been that, and she has hit the "it didn't go exactly as I wanted so the world is ending" phase, but compared to many 3YOs that I know, it hasn't been too bad. I still do think I should have had her in my 20s, though. Her level of activity often leaves me worn out. But, I can set her up with paints or crayons or trains, and she will play quietly for quite a while, so I do get a break. I am trying to do more to take advantage of the us time, and instead of just giving her things to do by herself, have been making an effort to do stuff with her. She seems to really enjoy puzzles right now, and often asks to "play puzzles, mommy" so we are doing them a lot. We only have three at the moment, but she is plenty happy with them. The dinosaur one seems to be her favorite.

I sometimes worry that having this new baby come along will stiffle her some, but I hope that it won't affect her. I think that her strong personality will survive the middle child syndrome, and can't wait to see her take care of her little brother. Another thought that just makes me smile.