...and the red circles show where Lauren is on the chart. If you're not familiar with these kind of charts, the top set of lines shows the percentiles for height, and the bottom set shows the percentiles for weight. The top line in each of the groupings represents the 97th percentile. Lauren weighs 27 lbs. 3oz. and is 30 1/4" long or tall. When do you change from length to height? Hmm...maybe once they're vertical more often than horizontal? Or is it once they're walking? Who knows. In any case, Lauren is obviously growing well. I've heard of 2 years olds this size.
She had one shot and one anemia test. Chris reports that there was no crying this time. None. She really is a freak of nature.
Whew. I think I've finally caught up on my rest from our busy weekend. Although we went to the NHL Draft, the highlight was Comfest. If you've ever watched a professional sports draft of any kind on TV, you probably know why. It's basically a bunch of old guys in suits sitting at tables. Every 5 minutes or so, one team comes up and announces their pick. That's it. What's crazy about the NHL draft is how young the picks are. Out of the top 30 picks, one was 19 years old and all the rest were 17 or 18. These kids looked like babies. I'm seriously starting to feel old, especially when I realized they were born in years that I vividly remember. Don't believe me? Look at the #1 pick.
So then, on to what many call the best weekend in Columbus. As usual, Comfest had its share of hippies, freaks, children, topless women*, dogs, political activists and the like. Saturday was the adults night out, so we took our blanket and a box of wine to chill and enjoy the scenery. Goodale Park really is nice, but you couldn't tell that on Saturday night. I've never seen so many people at Comfest. How many people were there? The line for the porta-potties was an hour long. We hung around at the festival for maybe an hour, and then the drizzle started. It never really rained, but it was annoying. So, we headed over to visit one of James' friends from college. Did I mention she lives a block from the festival? That was some great people watching in itself...sober people struggling to make it to the park with way too much beer and entertainment stuff, along with very inebriated folks leaving the festival trying to remember where they parked their cars. The evening was topped off by a random guy walking up to us as we stood outside. He just stood there, arms crossed, and stared. He didn't say a word. Just stared...and stared...and stared. We went inside. Then it was home and off to bed.
*According to Ohio law, breasts (male or female) are not a reproductive organ, so exposing them is not considered indecent exposure. So, I could mow the lawn topless if I wanted to. Don't worry, I won't. I don't mow lawns.
Sunday we headed back with Lauren, and the Thornburgs brought Tenzin as well. They were too cute.
Obviously Tenzin fit right in with his hippie garb. Lauren fit in once she soiled her pants 5 minutes after arriving. After that, it was smooth sailing. Sunday's always a nice, mellow day at Comfest, and we could actually get around and pee in a normal amount of time. The usual mix of people was there, including a woman who had back piercings that created a skin corset. Or so I hear. She was balanced out by the "A-OK Lady, Ambassador of Kindness of the USA." (I stole this pic from James...thanks!)
What really amazed me was the number of tiny babies there. The people sitting behind us had a 12 day old baby there. Seriously. 12 days old. I don't know about that.
Anyways, it was a great time, and now comes the countdown to next year. My only suggestion to the Comfest organizers is MORE PORTA POTTIES!!!!!
Finally, on an unrelated note, Lauren has decided she doesn't like wearing shirts. So, what to do? Take it off, of course. She's not quite successful in this attempt, but hey, she's only 9 months old!
Tonight we'll be going to the NHL Draft at Nationwide Arena here in Columbus. Not sure how exciting watching the draft itself will be, but there's a pre-game concert, food & beer, and all of the NHL trophies will be on display. Plus the tickets were free, so why not?
Also this weekend, the hippie fest known as Comfest. And it's only 3 blocks away from Nationwide Arena. That's right, hippies and hockey fans converge on the same city. Comfest is an annual ritual for us, and I've been going since I was in high school. Ask me about stories sometime and I'll be happy to share...just not on the internet :) We're doing an adult night on Saturday, and the Thornburgs have a babysitter, too, so they're joining us. Then Sunday will be more mellow and we'll take the babies to just hang out on a blanket in the park. The weather's supposed to be good, but keep your fingers crossed!
What else is going on....We celebrated our first official Father's Day with a yummy barbecue and fun with friends. Lauren still has 2 teeth, and we think she weighs about 30 lbs. She's huge. We'll get the official report next week when she goes to the doctor. Other than that, nothing too exciting. I don't have any new pictures of the pumpkin to post. We've been exceptionally bad about taking pictures lately due to our frustration with our 5 year old digital camera, but we'll try to catch some good shots at Comfest. Have a great weekend!
That's my brother-in-law, Jeff Christian, at the announcement of his trade from the Youngstown Steelhounds to the Tulsa Oilers. For those of you going, "Huh?" my sister Dorie is married to Jeff, who has played for the Youngstown Steelhounds of the Central Hockey League for the past two years. It was just announced yesterday that he will be playing for the Tulsa Oilers beginning this season.
This trade works out relatively well since my Dad currently lives in Tulsa, so at least they won't be completely without family nearby. Of course I'll miss having them around, but it was a great opportunity for Jeff and Dorie. Congrats!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Lauren likes being tickled with feet!
Now that we've gotten the laughing out of the way, on to our not-so-regularly scheduled blog posting. James has informed me that I'm slacking on my blog posts. I have a feeling the whole summer's going to be like that. We have the busiest summer coming up that we've had in quite a while.
It officially started on Memorial Day weekend. Check out the pictures in the Kodak Gallery if you haven't already. It was great to see the Bilek side of the family, and Lauren made her first trip to an official art studio. She even managed to leave all the art intact.
Chris also got in some golf with his friends, and we had the traditional Bilek barbecue and bonfire. Lauren also met her second cousins, Cooper (Coop) and Jackson (Jack). Coop was being a bit shy so there aren't any pictures of him. Jack is one month older than Lauren. She was really jealous of all of his hair.
It was perfect weather for a bonfire, which also meant we had to make a run to Babies R Us to pick up some long-sleeved onesies, pants and socks for Lauren. Lauren also got her second tooth while we were there. She'll be ready for steak before long! Basically, this picture sums up our trips to Minnesota. This is what we do pretty much the whole time. I know, it doesn't look that exciting, but it really is a good time!
Next up: Columbus Arts Festival this weekend. Grandma Darke is taking the munchkin Friday night so we can go for a nice dinner and a stroll at the arts fest. Keep your fingers crossed for no rain!
And now for the extended calendar.
June 22-23: Double duty this weekend. The NHL Draft is in Columbus this year, so of course we have to go to that. This weekend is also Comfest, a free outdoor music festival with lots of great people watching. Going to Comfest is a tradition...ask James about the time we went when were in college and he slept under a pine tree. I don't foresee any of that going on now, but we still have to go with a picnic and some beverages to hang out in a nice park with a really diverse group of people to listen to bands I've never heard of.
June 28: Lauren's 9 month checkup. Yes, it's been almost 9 months already. Where does the time go? She's actually starting to look like a little kid instead of a baby. She's in size 18-month clothes, mostly thanks to some junk in the trunk. I'm looking forward to an official measurement of "Tiny."
July 8: I'm going for a girls night out to see Wicked. Chris could care less about musical theater, but I'm looking forward to doing something girly.
July 12-13: I'm volunteering at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational, a stop on the PGA's Nationwide Tour. I'll be working in the media tent, and I also get a week long pass to the tournament, plus 2 additional passes. Of course Chris is excited, and I think he might talk James into hanging out with him as well.
July 20-22: Trip to Ann Arbor/Detroit, Michigan. We're really excited for this one. Grandma Bilek is in the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, which is only a 3-4 hour drive from Columbus. And I have college friends and family in the area, so it should be a great time. This will be Lauren's first road trip since Thanksgiving. Something tells me it won't be as quiet as the November trip.
August 4-11: A week at a cabin on Sand Lake in Michigan with my mom, sister, brother-in-law and niece. We'll be near our aunts and uncles and cousins that we were so close with growing up. I can't wait to catch up with my extended family in Michigan. Since we all went to school, started our careers, and got married and had children, we've kind of lost touch. Chris won't be able to stay the whole time, but Lauren and I will be there for a full week.
September 27: Lauren's first birthday! Lots of messy cake fun to be had by all.
I think that's all we have planned for now. Throw in Father's Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and Chris' birthday and I think we're booked solid. Hopefully we'll enjoy all the craziness and won't forget where we live!
