Not Waiting Until Next Year

I heard that pitchers and catchers report in less than two weeks. Put me in coach . . . oh you know the rest. Let me tell you, I had to suffer through a disappointing year in my first year of being a Cubs fan. There is NO WAY I can go through that again. I mean two years of disappointment? I just couldn't imagine. So to spare myself and the other Cubs fans out there another year of pain (surely it won't last, right?) I have decided to make myself eligible to play. I've got the whole throwing thing down and as someone once said, that's a third of the game. Next, I know how to catch, I just haven't done it yet.



So that's two thirds. Last, I need to figure out hitting. No problem. I'm sure there are plenty of Cubs players who can teach me hitting. Right?


Booking my tickets to Mesa right now in LAUREN'S WORLD!

Celebrity Doppelganger

Long word? May be trouble for some, but not me. What? You didn't hear me say it? Well of course not. But I'm saying it in my head. I say tons of things in my head. You think just because I don't talk means I don't know the words? Hmm, well there's a whole other post for another day.

Who do I look like? That's what this is all about. Who do you look like? I wish I looked like Elmo but then that might get a little itchy. So who do I look like? It didn't take me long to figure out who I look like. I mean I see this person every day! No, no, no, I'm not rubbing elbows with the upper echelons of society (oh yeah, I can type the big words too). This is a different kind of celebrity. Wanna see?


What, you think celebrities only appear on the screen or after Elmo on TV? My daddy is the most famous celebrity I know. Lookin' like dada in LAUREN'S WORLD!

I Mostly Sleep In the Car, Mostly

Yes we took another car trip and we went back down to see Nana Mary. We spend all this time in the car going to see Nana Mary. Any thoughts on just moving down there? Or what about Nana Mary moving up here? Just thought I'd throw that out there. But the car trip was fine. I think I'm getting better at it. The key is sleeping. If I can sleep during the entire trip then I don't get fussy and the ride isn't as long. So, I'm trying.


But it doesn't always work so there are times during the trip where I'm awake. Luckily I have friends.


Speaking of friends, the trip to Nana Mary's was wonderful. I met my new cousin Colin from Colorado. Colorado Colin. It's not like I know of any other Colins. Oh and my cousin Andrew was there too!


But no matter where I go, I always have one friend close by. Trying to keep up with my best friend and big brother in LAUREN'S WORLD!

When I Speak, People Listen

The cat no longer has my tongue. I've got words! You can count them on one hand but I'm speaking. Let's see, there's baba for my bottle, mama for the most important person in my life, dada for the most important person in my life, elmo for the most important red furry person in my life, and nana for my favorite person to visit. Oh and just today I learned that I can get a great reaction out of dada when I drop the menu on the floor and say, "uh-oh." I know what you're saying, what about my brother's name? That's a tough one for me but Landen still speaks a bit of gibberish so we don't have any problems communicating.



So we recently took a trip down to Nana Mary's for Thanksgiving and it gave me a chance to truly express what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for two loving parents who would do anything for me. I've known this since day -270 but I truly felt it in the car ride down to nana's. Shortly after entering Staten Island I decided to share my entire breakfast, lunch, snack, last three bottles and whatever else was in my stomach with everyone in the car. While it wasn't a pretty sight and the aroma had even stinky pants Landen turning green, mama and dada were right there to clean me up and redress me. One second I was losing my lunch and the next dada was pulling the car over on the highway, getting a change of clothes for me from the trunk, cleaning my carseat and mama was changing me right on her lap (sorry about your clothes). The last time I saw dada move that fast was when he forgot to set the DVR for Glee. Thanks, mama. Thanks, dada. I know I sometimes can be a handful but I think I'm worth it!



The trip was great. We had so much fun and Nana Mary made everyone feel as if she planned the day for just them. People played games, ate good food, sang, played dress up and we even got to play on the beach. Even I got caught up in the dressing up!



Every day is a new day for me. I might learn a new word, eat a new food, hear a new sound or smell a new smell. I can't get enough of it! There's really no stopping me now that I'm walking and talking. This growing up thing isn't bad, especially when I'm doing it right. Enjoying growing up Giambalvo in LAUREN'S WORLD!

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Someone may have once sung it differently but the point of the matter is, a clean baby is a heavenly baby. So I take baths, but, there was something about the whole bath routine that just didn't do it for me. I needed more. Let's take a bath at church! Apparently it's this big event. My Uncle Thomas said he'd be my godfather and my Nana Joan said she'd be my godmother. I even got all dressed up. Dressed up, for a bath. It is what it is.


Well that was good but I was still searching for that spotless shine that I see elsewhere and then it hit me. The dishwasher!


I think that makes me the cleanest baby in all of Park Slope! I like that and if what they say in the song is true then I'm on the right track. What more can I do to achieve spiritual happiness? Attend a Jesuit university like my daddy? Already making college plans in LAUREN'S WORLD!

One, Oh One!

I turned one! Such an accomplishment that I'm quite proud of. Apparently I was not the only one who felt the day was worthy of a celebration as some family came to visit. My grandmother, Tutu Kathleen, came all the way from Hawaii and my great grandfather and Barb came from Florida. So I'm wondering, do they know that I'm turning one again next week? And I think I'll be celebrating my first birthday again the week after that. Looking forward to seeing them again for those celebrations and to getting all dolled up again.


A truly special day for me. Oh and get this, it continues on through the month because both my nanas and my Uncle David are coming to visit me for my baptism. What a month! And let me not forget my daddy. Daddy made me a special video to celebrate my milestone. Thanks, daddy. I'm looking forward to many more with you. Knowing my daddy can rope the moon in LAUREN'S WORLD!

Lauren Turns One! from Brian Giambalvo on Vimeo.

Summer Vacation

We took a family vacation this summer to a place called Martha's Vineyard. I just want to go on the record as saying we need to do this more often. We had the best time. I was able to hang out with my all my family in this super huge house and do all sorts of fun things like bike rides, play at the beach and hang out with my cousins.


I really can't remember the last time we all had such a good time on a family vacation. Well, maybe that's because I can't remember the last time. This was my first!


When you consider all the responsibility I had in making this vacation possible, it's quite amazing. I basically was responsible for representing the cuteness in the house the entire time, every day, all day long. By the end of the trip, I was definitely in need of a rest.


Thank you to everyone who had a part in watching over me on the trip. I know that I'm not quite capable of taking care of myself so of the 16 other people in the house, I'd say 14 of them watched over me at one point or another. Ava, it won't be too long before you have your shot and Conor, maybe one day I'll be watching over you. Missing all my family in LAUREN'S WORLD!