I remember this stage...

We can call Jake's current stage the "bruise stage." He is obsessed with climbing on Toby's big-boy chair (and falling), on our kitchen chairs (and falling), rocking chairs (falling), push-car (falling) etc. etc.

He stands up on chairs, then looks at us, shakes his head and says "DOWWWWWN" sitting down slowly. Then he cackles and stands up again. He is tons of fun but, wow, we can't ever sit down.

He also has taken to sitting in our little organizer baskets like they are little boats. You can guess that he gets stuck, tips over, and, yes, bangs his head. This afternoon, Beckett cornered him when he was stuck and licked his toes. Jake cracked up - it was hilarious.



Clickable Pictures

30 days

After watching a few episodes of 30 days, by Morgan Spurlock, director of Supersize Me, I've been toying with the idea of doing my own 30-days experiment. (with various potential topics: eat vegetarian for 30 days, walk the dog before / after work for 30 days, don't buy food out for 30 days....whatever). But never really set upon a good candidate until, well, around 30 days ago (ok 28 days...but close enough to report on it, I think). After reading a few books / seeing a few shows that left an impression - I decided I would do the following: * buy a pedometer, aim for 10,000 steps a day * walk for at least 30 minutes a day * eat no added sugar, trans / partially hydrogenated oils, eat whole grains rather than enriched flours * drink 8 cups of water a day, try to sleep better (in as much as it is within my power to do so) Random notes: * Walking on work days has been great - I have a path around the river that takes exactly 30 minutes. Most days I am joined by at least one co-worker. We either talk shop, or just chat as we walk. I actually get in better "social" time than normal this way - and get in a walk. Then I just eat at my desk. * Walking on home days had been very hard. I often have to go out in the dark after the kids are in bed and Josh can watch them. While being home is hard hard work and constantly demanding - it does not put the steps on the pedometer that I expected. This came as a big surprise to me. * My relationship with Beckett (the dog) has improved as he has become my walking buddy. He is actually great on leash, provided I move quickly. It's been nice. (I've walked at least 30 minutes every day but one...averaged 10,052 steps a day) * Cutting out added sugar (mainly it was in my breakfast / coffee) seems to have made a big impact in my cravings. I'm really surprised and pleased that I feel like my hunger is on a much more even keel lately. * I'm not going crazy with this - I had birthday cake, s'mores, and a great dinner at Gilson's over the last week. And I'm not saying I'll never eat white bread again. BUT these last four weeks have shown me a lot about how eating this way makes me feel, and it is *good*. The bottom line: I'm down 8 pounds, 2.5 inches in the waist, and fit into all my pre-kid clothing. : )