Banana

Today Eli said "banana." It was a complete accident, but still. :) It's a big word for a baby to say...

A baby who is not that much of a baby any more! I can't believe Eli will be one year old on Saturday! On the one hand, it seems like forever since I first looked into his big blue eyes and kissed his sweet face. But on the other hand, I am amazed at how fast this year has gone by. How right all those many moms were when they told me not to miss a single moment, because it all goes by so quickly.

Eli and I have had a good week here at home, darting outside whenever the sun decides to peek out for a moment or two, and spending lots of time on the porch swing out back. Eli loves to be outside and cries if I carry him near the door and don't actually go out. He spends quite a bit of time standing against the back door, banging and yelling and driving the dogs insane. :)

I didn't think I would make it through the first few days of this week. In a fit of insanity, I purchased Jilian Michaels' "30 Day Shred." I thought, "How hard could it be?" I didn't think I was that out of shape- I walk for 45 minutes at least 5 days a week, and I'm not a lazy bum (usually). "How hard could a 20 minute DVD workout be?"

Answer: VERY VERY VERY HARD. Oh. My. Goodness. I literally didn't think I would be able to walk down the 3 steps of our porch to get into my car for work on Tuesday morning. Every time I had to sit down or stand up I groaned out loud in spite of myself. Eric affectionately squeezed my knee in the car on the way to Awana club and I almost jumped out of my skin. Lifting little Eli became a feat of Olympic proportions.

Jilian Michaels is one tough cookie. And I am one big weenie. But one big quitter I am not. I have done the workout for 4 days straight and am happy to report that my legs are starting to feel somewhat normal again. My left bicep, on the other hand, feels like someone beat me with a crowbar for an hour straight. But we'll focus on the positive. And hope and pray that the 20 minutes of pain I'm determined to put myself through every day will pay off at least a little.

Tomorrow I have Heather's kids as usual, and a whole list of things I need to get done for Eli's party on Saturday. I am so excited to bake my son's first birthday cake! I just hope he actually eats a little of it. I have been praying for a long time now that he would eat his cake on his birthday. It seems like a silly prayer, I know, but we have battled this feeding thing for so long, and it would just be so encouraging to see him eat birthday cake. A special blessing from God.

I hope you all have a great weekend!