'Twas the night before Easter

Around here, Easter holds a very special place in our hearts. On Easter 2010, I woke up in the middle of the night and soon realized I was in labor . Our Isabella Eve was delivered, 12 hours later, the day after Easter. On Easter 2012, I woke up on Easter Sunday, began getting ready for church and yelled down to Ian, "Hey Ian? I think my water broke, but I'm going to take a shower and shave my legs first." Just 5 short hours later, Cecilia Rose was born on Easter Sunday.

Two of the most amazing gifts God has given me will always have a special connection with Easter. Whether or not either of the girls' birthdays actually fall on Easter Sunday, I will always remember where I was on Easter 2010 and Easter 2012.

Happy Easter!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & CeCe

CeCe Rose is 11-months-old TODAY!!!

Someone is happy about their new Tom's!

Now standing and walking... sometimes.

Happy. All. The. Time.

Oh my, time is quickly passing before my very eyes and my sweet CeCe Rose is now 11-months-old today. It's hard to believe that this time 365-days ago, I was miserably pregnant, suffering from yet another pregnancy with Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy and counting down the days until my due date, from the comfort of an ice cold bath tub or our pool. Little did I know the little girl inside of me would be my sweet CeCe Rose. 

CeCe doesn't have a check up until next month, so here are her unofficial 11-month stats:

Height: approximately 29 inches (she can still fit into 6-12 month clothing, but can also fit into 12-18 month clothing, depending upon the brand). 

Weight: approximately 20 pounds (she can be quite the load to carry these days)

Sleeping Pattern: CeCe's routine has been a bit off recently. She will go to bed as early as 7:30pm or as late as 8:45pm, it all really depends upon her naps during the day. She will nap in the morning as early as 9am or as late as 10:30am. Sometimes her afternoon nap will be as early as 2:30pm or as late as 3:30pm. She's still a good little sleeper and will put herself to sleep, with her trusty thumb and blanket. 

Eating Pattern: CeCe still eats about 4.5-5 ounces of breast milk every 3-hours. She hasn't nursed since January and I'm totally okay with that, except that I'm married to my breast pump. Breast feeding, is a tiring and thankless job at times. She is eating solids three times a day and we are still working on the whole sippy cup thing. Hopefully by her 1st birthday, she will be totally off the bottle and breast milk. I cannot wait for sippy cups and whole milk!

Milestones: Just two days shy of her 11-month "birthday", CeCe took three steps! She will walk all around the room when you hold her hand, but will only take 2-3 steps on her own. I have a feeling that she will be walking by her 1st birthday. She has also started waving "hello" and "bye-bye." She enjoys waving at strangers especially. She still says "da-da", "ma-ma", "Bellllllllll-a" and has recently started saying "hi." She now has a total of seven teeth, four on the top and three on the bottom. Her sister now enjoys singing the song "Cecilia" by Simon and Garfunkel to her and it brings the biggest smile to CeCe's face. Both girls were recently asked to do some modeling for a children's clothing company, but we had to decline because CeCe has the sniffles and Ian is knee deep in tax returns and memos. 

Friends: The usual friends, Kaylee, Avery, Evan and Connor. I really need to socialize CeCe with more kids her own age and I'm going to make a point of it.

Current Events: The Pope has decided to retire and a new Pope will be elected. Hugo Chavez (president of Venezuela) passed away this week. A sink hole swallowed a man alive last week in Seffner, just 5-6 miles from our house. The mid-Atlantic was prepared for a HUGE snow storm that never happened and it's been unseasonably cold here in Florida.

Happy 11-Month Birthday, Cecilia Rose!

Love always,

Ian, Kim, Bella & CeCe

CeCe Rose is 10-months-old TODAY!!!

Look Ma, no hands! 

Enjoying the beautiful Florida weather and her swing.

Afternoon play date with friends.

In just two short months, we will be celebrating CeCe's 1st birthday! Oh my goodness, time has passed by so quickly and we are loving every minute of this sweet little girl. Her personality is really beginning to develop and she is such a sweet child. She giggles and smiles so much, her cheeks should be sore. Even big sister Bella is beginning to play with CeCe more often and has even referred to her as, "my poor baby." We can't wait to see this sisterly relationship to flourish.

CeCe doesn't have a check up until 12-months, so here are her unofficial 10-month stats:

Height: approximately 29 inches

Weight: approximately 20 pounds

Sleeping Pattern: CeCe goes to bed around 7:45pm and wake up around 7:00am, so it's safe to say that she is a good little sleeper. She is also napping twice a day, 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. She loves going to bed with her lovie and her blanket. Give her those and she is good to go!

Eating Pattern: CeCe is an eating machine! She is drinking 5 ounces of breast milk every 2.5-3 hours! She is a good little eater. We have pretty much given up on nursing, due to CeCe being very "busy" and inability to not use her teeth while nursing. She is eating solids 3-4 times a day and has started with table foods. We are still working on the whole sippy cup thing, but it's definitely a work in progress. I can't wait to continue to introduce new table foods in the upcoming months.

Milestones: CeCe is now standing on her own. We caught her in the act the other morning in the kitchen, which she quickly realized and went right back to crawling. But she is standing a lot more these days and we're thinking that walking will be her next move. CeCe now has 7 teeth, four on the top and three on the bottom, with more popping through. She is such an active baby and I love having my little shadow follow me all day long. 

Friends: The usual friends, Kaylee, Avery, Evan and Connor. We enjoyed spending a day at Disney World with our friend Kaylee; the girls had a blast.

Current Events: A Carnival cruise ship is stuck at sea without power and is in the process of being towed back to port; it sounds like a pretty miserable vacation. The Baltimore Ravens WON THE SUPER BOWL and are now NFL Champions!!! We enjoyed watching part of the game at the Brass Monkey in St. Pete Beach (the other half we watched in the ER due to Bella falling and knocking several teeth loose). 

Happy 10-Month Birthday, Cecilia Rose!

Love always,

Ian, Kim, Bella & CeCe

I bought a sewing machine

I am a sucker for adorable, handmade clothes for my girls. Bella and CeCe have many cutesy outfits, with their initials or names embroidered on it. It's absolutely adorable and people are always complimenting the outfits I dress my girls in and if I made them. Bwhahahahaha! Clearly these people have no idea who they're talking to. I tend to be crafty in spurts (i.e. my bow making project of 2012) and I tend to take sabbaticals from being crafty. Well, things just got a little more interesting around the Lasher household...

I bought a sewing/embroidery machine. I bought a VERY basic machine by Brother, that will allow me to sew and do applique/embroidery work. I did a lot of research, weighed the pros/cons and decided on this machine because it was affordable and a good starter machine. I then used two clicks to purchase my new machine on amazon.com. It arrived the day after I purchased it (thank you, amazon.com for your prime expedited shipping) and I quickly got to "work."

So.... I'm definitely NOT a seamstress and I have a lot to learn, but I'm learning as I go. I set up the sewing machine and threaded it (all by myself). I even attempted to sew a dress, but quickly learned, that I need to learn the basics before I take on such an elaborate project. So in lieu of a dress, I made little purses for the girls. They are simple and have ribbon handles, but I made them completely on my own! Needless to say I am proud of myself.

I'm hoping to devote an hour or two every week to my new "hobby" and I'm hoping that in a few months, I'll be sewing dresses and embroidering outfits for my girls. Until then... I will practice and continue ordering from my favorite boutiques.

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for amazon.com! After searching all over town and even eBay, I FINALLY found what I was looking for:

To those of you who aren't familiar with Minnie, this lovey is Bella's absolute favorite thing in the entire world. She must sleep with Minnie, eat her meals with Minnie and even ride to school with Minnie. I ordered two back-up Minnies in case something should ever happen to Bella's beloved Minnie lovey. I was even more pleased that they only cost me $10 a piece, compared to the $35 some crazy person wanted for one on eBay.

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

Friends... need I say more?

Sleep?!?

While my beautiful family sleeps peacefully in the respective beds, I am wide awake in my bed. I should be sleeping like a baby, because Lord knows Bella and CeCe do! With two children who sleep 10-12 hours, I should be doing the same. I had a feeling I'd have issues sleeping tonight because my mind did not feel ready for bed, although my body was definitely ready for bed.

I have difficulty turning my mind off when it's time to go to bed. I often lay in bed, thinking of the day's events or planning the next day's events. Call it motherhood, insomnia, or whatever you will, but not being able to sleep sucks. I've tried many things over the years to assist in my quest for sleep, including wine, prescription sleep aides and homeopathic remedies. It's been a crapshoot as to what works and what doesn't. It's frustrating when your body is exhausted but your mind is still going full speed. I envy those who can fall asleep without any trouble (umm, especially Ian).

So while most people I know are fast asleep in their warm, comfy beds, I am wide awake. Boo! Sleep is for the weak anyway...

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & CeCe

Sunday Funday with the family

Today wasn't just a good day; it was an amazingly great day. We spent time together as a family, with our extended family, the Pelusos. The weather was beautiful and we had the perfect Sunday Funday.

We had a picnic in our family room for breakfast, which was so cute. We put a blanket down and ate breakfast together, all four of us. This is a rarity and such a treat. Our girls are amazingly sweet and sitting with them at their level to enjoy a meal was wonderful.

We then picked up our friends the Pelusos and headed to Lakeland. There is an AWESOME park there called Common Ground and so we hit it up with our three girls in tow. This park was A-Mazeballs! Bella enjoyed running around, swinging g, climbing, sliding and just being a carefree kid! CeCe and Daniella enjoyed swinging and crawling around (it had astro turf and squishy padded "flooring." We will definitely be heading back there soon.

For lunch, we ate at Harry's in Lakeland. I enjoyed shrimp and grits (how southern of me) and everyone else enjoyed po boy sandwiches. The atmosphere was great and we enjoyed a leisurely lunch, all 7 of us! The girls (all three of them) were so well behaved.

Today was such an awesome day and for that I am grateful. We are looking forward to another family fun day next Monday at Disney World, with Grandma Ruth! Time with my family is so precious to me and I relish each minute I get. There's no better feeling than ending the weekend with such a great day.

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & CeCe

CeCe Rose is 9-months-old TODAY!!!

Mama and CeCe being silly on the plane ride home from Baltimore.

Just playing with her toys at Pop's house in Baltimore.

Holy moly, I cannot believe CeCe is already 9-months-old! She is growing like a weed and changing every day. Preparations are already under way for a joint birthday party for my two lovely ladies in April. In just three short months, I'll have a 3-year-old (OMG!) and a 1-year-old (OMG, too!). We celebrated CeCe's first plane ride and Christmas, complete with snow!

We went to the pediatrician for CeCe's 9-month check up and here are her official stats:

Height: 28 1/2 inches (she's so long!)

Weight: 19 lbs 2 ounces (she's a petite little thing!)

Sleeping Pattern: THANK GOODNESS, CeCe is back to sleeping through the night! She perfected her sleeping habits while our "vacation" in Maryland during the holidays. She goes to bed around 8pm and wakes up around 7:30am. She is still napping twice a day and takes about a two-hour nap in the morning and in the afternoon. This girl loves to sleep!

Eating Pattern: CeCe is still eating every 3-4 hours and takes about 5-ounces of expressed breast milk. We haven't actually nursed in awhile, so I'm EP'ing at the moment and I'm totally okay with that. CeCe is also eating solids for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She can suck down a pouch in no time flat and loves eating puffs and baby mum-mums. 

Milestones: CeCe is ALL over the place! She is cruising and climbing on furniture. She is so active and loves to follow me all around the house. This little girl is going to be big trouble because she is into everything (unlike Bella). She pulls things off tables, out of the outlet and even broke a glass pitcher! I have a feeling we are going to be on our toes with this one! She is babbling all the time, with her favorite words being "mama", "dada" and "Bell-a." CeCe still only has the two bottom teeth, but Dr. Hosemann says more teeth should be popping through any day now.

Friends: We've been spending lots of time with Kaylee, Evan, Avery and Connor. Oh, and big sister Bella, too! It's neat to see the girls interacting and playing together. We also reconnected with old friends in Baltimore while we were in town. 

Current Events: A terrible tragedy occurred in Newtown, CT before Christmas where a gunman shot and killed students and teachers in an elementary school. The fiscal cliff was avoided and the feds passed a budget to keep our country afloat. It looks like the Mayans were wrong and the world DID NOT end on 12/21/12. The NHL lock-out was resolved and we will have hockey this season! The Ravens are heading to the NFL playoffs again, woohoo!

Happy 9-Month Birthday, Cecilia Rose!

Love always,

Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

Healthy Living: Day 1

After a few weeks, okay, a few months of maintaining a somewhat unhealthy lifestyle, today marks the beginning of the end. It's time to get back to healthy eating and working out regularly.

Tonight for dinner I will be making Savory Chicken from our South Beach Diet cookbook. It's a pretty basic meal of chicken breasts, onions, garlic and chicken broth with a little bit of rosemary. It may sound bland but it's actually pretty tasty. I'll be serving the chicken with a fresh salad and mashed cauliflower.

I'm sure this will be more than fine for Ian and me, however I am concerned that Bella won't too fond of it. For the time being, Bella's meals will continue to be served with a side of ranch (at least until I can find a healthy alternative).

Now I'm not saying that we will never splurge on Chick-fil-A or ice cream, because that's just crazy. We will occasionally indulge but for the time being and in order to jump start this lifestyle change, all indulgences will be saved for the weekend.

Wish us luck!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia