a long way from aapo

these days, yusuf has a vocabulary that constantly surprises me. he knows words that are very difficult to define, and i know he learned them by just absorbing their meaning, but i am still very impressed at the nuances that he understands.

how did he learn words such as "instead" and "already" and "thinking"? i seriously don't get it.

and in the meantime, nooriya over here is crawling (not gracefully, but offically crawling), and as i type this she has made her way into the foyer and is navigating her way directly towards the shoes. i see what's ahead in the coming months - gates that have been open will soon be closed and yusuf will either have to learn to manipulate them open or live in confines he hasn't experienced in over a year - but for now i'm thrilled. she is mobile and curious and brave, and now she is over by the stairs. i guess we'll add "speedy" to that list.

insanity

yesterday i started a new workout called "insanity"- it's a series of dvd's that you use on a rotating schedule, and on my 2nd day in, i can say that the series is aptly named.

the warm up alone is a great workout. and the stretches before and after the workout are basically a series of yoga poses.

hello, i just worked out and showered and my heart rate still hasn't gone down all the way! it's awesome.

it just feels good to sweat through a workout, really- since nooriya's been born i have been sort of walking/jogging on the treadmill and not feeling like i've done anything, and i've done pilates which is amazing but isn't aerobic. this insanity thing is a whole lot of jumping around and squats and pushups, and by the end i'm satisfyingly wiped out.

anyway it's only day 2. in a few weeks let's see how i feel- my main thing is that i want to have more energy, as well as get back in shape, of course. feels good to just be doing something...