On Mother’s Day last year, we were just two days away from bringing you into this world! It’s hard to believe that was a year ago!

You are growing up so fast and things are constantly changing so I just wanted to document a few of them:

You usually go to bed around 7pm and sleep til about 8am
You’ve recently started staying awake a little later so we’ve been putting you down closer to 8pm
You most often sleep on your side
You like to have a lovey when you go to bed – it helps you relax
You are eating all kinds of different foods now: veggies, meats, crackers, fruits, etc.
You LOVE mashed potatos – you can’t eat them fast enough!
You are very determined, even at this young age
You are strong – physically, emotionally, and strong-willed
You absolutely HATE public bathroom changing tables
You adore your daycare teachers Kim & Catrina
Your best friend at school is Jailianna (Jay-lee-anna)
You are not yet walking on your own but you can crawl like crazy and you can stand with assistance
You have been struggling with your sinuses – lots of snotty nose and nasal drainage
You are looking more like your father each day even though you are still a good mix of both of us
Your feet, unfortunately, look exactly like mine! 🙂
You are still a SUPER happy baby
You can say “uh-oh” and you are able to use it in context
You know the word “light” and point to it when anyone says it
You know the word “puppy” and point to Maddison when we say it
You are working on saying, or rather grunting, “I love you” – it may be a while for this one
You do what your father lovingly calls the machine gun laugh – we got that on video

Only 2 more days until your 1st birthday! We love you baby girl!

At the start of the New Year your father and I began discussing our desires to live a healthier lifestyle.  Having a precious baby girl like you really made us realize what’s truly important in life! 

After giving it a lot of thought and doing much research we’ve made what we hope will be a life-altering decision.  We signed up to go the Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge – or “The Ranch” as your father and I affectionately refer to it.  http://www.biggestloserresort.com/

The Biggest Loser is a very popular reality show that sequesters extremely obese contestants and puts them through an extremely rigid diet and exercise program.  The goal is to be the one who loses the most weight.  It’s been wildly popular and is in its 9^th season on air. 

The BL Resort at Fitness Ridge was not associated with the TV show until recently.  Having firmly established a system that encompasses all aspects of a healthy weight loss plan (exercise, coaching, nutrition, training, education, etc), The Biggest Loser sought them out with an offer to join forces with their well-known program.  It was a win-win for both parties…as evidenced by the 8 month waiting list!

I will be gone for an entire 4 weeks and your father will join me for the last two.  I leave August 8^th and return September 4^th.  Your dad will care for you the first two weeks I am gone, then Luli & Papaw will watch you for week three and Grandma Karen (and maybe Grandpa Bruce) will be here the last week. 

Though I cringe (and sometimes cry) at the thought of being away from you for so long, I feel very blessed to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change all of our lives for the better. 

The program is rigid – we are limited to a 1200 calorie diet with a scheduled 7-8 hours of exercise per day!  This is not for the faint of heart and it will not be an easy endeavor.  But you are, and will continue to be, our strongest motivation to succeed!