Isabella @20 months

It is hard to keep up with everything you are learning. You say new words every day. You are not a baby anymore. You are this beautiful girl who inspires me to be a better person. And I love you so much it hurts.

- You think the Sesame Street characters are part of our family. When you list everybody (Grandma, Grandpa, Vovo, Vovo, Papai, Mommy...) you make sure to include Elmo, Zoe, Cookie, Abby and Ernie.

- You say many adorable things. Some of my favorites are: your name, so cute, awesome, mommy, please (you actually say fizz but that's ok, you have the right intentions), the way you say frog (you actually say something really inappropriate but that's ok, you have the right intentions), night night, sleepy, angel, puppy and orange juice.

- You still love DVDs and playing with the IPhone.

- You still hate having your hair washed.

- You know the alphabet, the numbers up to 20 (in English and Portuguese- you can countdown too!), many shapes and you are working hard on your colors. Orange, pink and blue seem to be your favorites.

- You have been asking to go poopoo in the potty. We're still not potting training yet but you are very interested.

- You make our lives so much more beautiful. Keep shining like that forever, my little star!

To have and to hold from this day forward

There aren't many things in life that require a life long commitment. You can change careers (like I did). You can move to a different country (like I did). You can change hair color, friends, hobbies, your name and your decor and know deep inside that those are all reversible.

Now, marriage is a different thing. It's one of the only things in life that you do with the intention of having it last a lifetime (and beyond, if you are LDS like me). At least, that should be your frame of mind when you take the plunge. You want it to be eternal. You intend to try with all your heart and soul to make it work, no matter what. It takes A LOT of work. And dedication. And compromise. Every.single.day of your life. That is a lifetime commitment.

Today I became a LIFETIME member of Weight Watchers. And I was thrilled. And I was scared. Because guess what? Today I married my WW lifestyle. Forever. The dating phase is over. No more butterflies in the stomach as I approach the scale in the meeting room. No more daydreaming about how wonderful it will be when I see a big loss on my weight tracker again. No more after meeting rush. The heart beating fast, the eyes sparkling with utter passion (I just lost 3 pounds for Pete's sake- I'm in love with myself!).

14 months and 65 pounds later that phase is over. And I'm glad it is. A person can't live a lifelong heated passion like that. That would kill you. The thrill and uncertainty. The excitement and anticipation. It would kill you.

So now what? (you ask me and I ask myself) Now, it's on to working hard (er). On to making it work in the long haul. Even if you don't have the excitement of the weekly encounters with the scale. You'll have the calm, constant reassurance of a solid routine of healthy habits. Even if you have no more huge surprises (I lost HOW MUCH?WOW!). You will have the simple pleasure of fitting into every single piece in your (6 size smaller) wardrobe. Even if you can't count on the boost you get when you hear someone else ask if you lost weight. You'll be able to rely on your own experience and self-confidence to know how far you've come.

There's no turning back for me. I'm in it for the long run. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Forever. I DO.

PS. Here is an adorable photo of Isabella with her dearest friend Max. Thanks Cleta. We love the photo. Thanks Max. We love you.

This is what my birthday looked like

(click to enlarge)

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln

PS.I'm going through a purple loving phase. And a blog writing phase (as if you hadn't noticed). I go through a lot of these. Don't be like me.