It's fun to go to the YyyyMCA!

Inspired by The Biggest Loser (one of our all time favorite weekly shows), we joined the Y.M.C.A. today! This month they were offering 100% off their joining fee ($80) so Mark and I figured it was a perfect time to hop on board. With a few cuts to our usual budget we can afford the extra cost - at least for the next few months.

We toured our local branch on Sat and thought the facilities looked good. I signed up to take an aerobics class on Tues and Thurs evenings while Taylor is in their child care room, and that means Mark can work out with the weights and other exercise machines during that time too. The class starts next week. I wanted to do a yoga class too, but child care isn't offered during that time (and Mark will be in work).

The plan is to go to the Y at least 3 times a week so we can get our money's worth. I want to get going on the treadmills too so I can get in shape for the BoysTown Memorial Day 5k, or even the St. Louis Family Fitness Day 5k in April. I plan on dragging Mark along with me for these runs. Mark's ultimate goal is to lose 20-25lbs.

When the next sign-up session rolls around in April, we'll put Taylor in a beginner's swim class to prepare for a summer of fun in the pool. During these next few months we'll have the chance to slowly acclimate her to the water, so the class won't be terribly traumatic.

Come summertime, we're going to be a fit and gorgeous family! You just wait and see!

Certified toddler

That's right, Taylor is now walking. Though she's still crawling about half of the time, I think it counts anyway. Here's a video:

Walking

She's getting so smart and capable! She's been playing with the toy that has beads on wire and she was really studying it last night, figuring out how everything worked. She knows that toilet paper is for wiping her bum and then it goes in the toilet. And when I was holding her the other day and she was playing with my hair brush, she began brushing MY hair. Very cute!

I'm in the process of buying the next size of Motherease Sandy's diapers for her (used from DiaperSwappers, of course). They're Mark's favorite because the snaps on the side make it really easy to put on - even when she's on the move.

1 Year growth update: Taylor is now 20lbs 2oz and 27.25in tall. She is on track to be very petite, height-wise.

A few new things

I forgot to mention a few other things Taylor has been doing:

• Trying to put her shoes and our shoes on her feet (and sometimes our feet!)
• Putting my purse on her shoulder, or around her neck, or around her waist
• Licking
• Emptying all her toys on Phoebe's bed...while Phoebe is in it
• Singing along with her musical stuffed rocking horse
• Taking 4-5 steps at a time
• Saying "hey, baby"
• Lounging

Happy 1st Birthday, Taylor!

My little groundhog (or monkey for that matter) is 1 year old today.

Mark and I were remembering how exhausted we were this day last year, holding such a tiny, brand new, little baby. Mark is thankful he is not sleeping on that awful hospital couch bed tonight, and I'm glad I haven't just given birth (hehe).

Birthday weekend

The last couple of weeks have been busy with preparations for Taylor's 1st birthday and the party that goes along with it. You might think, "Two weeks to prepare for a baby's birthday party?! That's ridiculous." Well, do it when you and the baby are sick, overcoming jetlag, still unpacking from your international vacation, and keeping up with all your regular activities.

But sadly, the number of guests has dwindled to about four - my parents and Mark's sister and her husband. Everyone else was either struck hard by the snow storm or sickness. So, I am tailoring the menu and decorations accordingly. It was going to be a fabulous monkey themed soiree, but instead it'll be a respectably modest event for a child who will in no way remember it. ::sigh::

Taylor and I are doing well on our antibiotics, feeling almost completely better. Thank God for modern medicine and His healing mercies.

In an attempt to slowly wean Taylor out of family bed mode I moved her crib into our bedroom a few days ago and converted it to a Toddler Bed, which means it looks like a day bed with little gates attached to prevent rolling off. Taylor has taken a couple of naps in it already, but unfortunately in her sleepy wakefulness she crawled right out of the opening between the gates and tumbled on the floor. She wasn't too happy. I'll have to better "roll proof" our setup.

New things Taylor has been doing:

• Crawling inside drawers
• Wrapping cords around her neck (Eeee...)
• Flipping to favorite pages in her books
• Using "food" sign regularly, and frequently!
• Eating all different kinds of meats
• Responding to lots of words/phrases (Where's Phoebe? - "Dah!", See you later! - ::waves::, I'm hungry - ::shows sign for food::)
• Mimicking sounds and words (well, her version of them) more readily
• Nursing less frequently during the day
• Falling asleep without nursing more frequently
• Hugging, kissing us or Phoebe
• Taking 2-3 steps at a time

Sleep schedule success

Last night it happened, Taylor slept while it was dark out! She went to sleep around 7pm after not napping then entire day (yikes!) and then woke up at 5am. Whoopee!

But there is a sad side to the story. I am still on the wrong schedule - conscious from 12am-4am - and I think I'm getting sick. Likely Mark gave me whatever illness he contracted. He is about done with his round of antibiotics now and feeling much better.

Taylor was giggling a bit in her sleep last night. It was adorable. Other nights I've heard her talk in her sleep (ex. "Mama, ba da ba woo").

Home, jetlagged, and without mail

Our trip to the Philippines was amazing! But more on that later. We're home now and Taylor (and, by default, me as well) is ridiculously jetlagged. Even though we still go to bed at 9pm, she has been waking up at midnight and staying up for about 4hrs. Then we sleep again until 2pm.

Mark was sick when we returned, so he has been sleeping in the guest room. This has also worked to his advantage because he is back on Central Time and functioning fairly normally.

Today I'm trying to break the cycle. I set my alarm for 9:30am, thinking that we'd get up try to act like it was a normal day. Well, after I hit snooze and 10:30 rolled around we got out of bed. I opened up all the shades and blinds and curtains in the house and I started tackling some of the chores while Taylor sleepily played. She's asleep again now, but I think I'll have to wake her up soon so it's more like a regular nap. Tomorrow we actually have appointments out of the house, so we definitely need to get back on track.

I think we'll head by the post office this afternoon. We haven't been getting any mail since we came home. I set our "hold mail" for 12.24-1.12, but I think the postal worker has continued to skip our house. I want my mail!