I'm super behind on my photo editing
(I just finished the backlog of Karsten at four months …
four months late)

so …
more recent Instagram pics!

First time back wearing! It's a hit. #babywearing #wearallthebabies #meitai

A photo posted by Lauren Wayne (@hobomamacom) on May 16, 2015 at 6:05pm PDT

I'd call baby #Crocs impractical except for how much they make me smile. #babycrocs

A photo posted by Lauren Wayne (@hobomamacom) on May 14, 2015 at 3:06pm PDT

Unsurprisingly, someone's favorite game right now is pretending to be a baby.

A photo posted by Lauren Wayne (@hobomamacom) on May 13, 2015 at 1:55pm PDT

All three at once facing the camera and smiling? Win!



Good moods all around.



Watch out — attack baby!

We went to the beach for our annual silhouette summer portrait.

Our configuration has changed a lot
since our first:

Welcome to the June 2015 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Talking to Yourself

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written letters to themselves. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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Dear Lauren of 2007,

You have a new baby, and though he is indecently large, you know in your heart that everyone wishes their baby could be so impressive. You know precisely how you're going to parent, and it's going to be the right way. Enjoy feeling sure of everything you believe. Enjoy feeling just the teensiest bit smug, in fact.

Because eight years later, you'll know the truth: You don't get to decide what happens.

I'm not trying to scare you, just give you the honest news. Parenting is not a vending machine where you pay in your money, make your selections, and trust to the technology to drop what you desire at your feet. Or maybe it is like a vending machine, but one of those janky ones that keeps spitting your dollar bill back at you and for some reason won't take your nickel — even though it's a perfectly good nickel!! — and once you get the indifferent keys to respond to your request, it turns, turns, turns the spiral and then … your prize hangs. Just there, in your sight, but behind immutable glass.

Maybe I am trying to scare you.

The way Karsten laughs cracks me up.

He's always cooed, babbled, and fussed like this, too:

something of a cross between a dolphin
and a pterodactyl.



Whatever the cause,
I can't help but laugh along.

Now that Karsten can reliably sit up,
we figured it was time to head to JC Penney
for some sweet and happy family portraits.


Nailed it.


At least Mikko thinks it's funny.
Seriously, could Karsten be any redder?


Ok, there. That's better.




Here are the other bros
in the same smocked outfit by Nana!
It was super loose on Alrik, ha.