Wednesday, September 26, 2012

When life gets in the way...

I have been in a major blogging slump recently, major. I've posted a few times this month but so much has been going on that I haven't had time to write down my thoughts. I suppose life has been getting in the way of my blogging, but it's all about prioritizing.

CeCe Rose developed a high fever last Monday, like 104 degrees. So after speaking with a triage nurse at the pediatrician's office, who instructed us to bring her in the next day because of her age, lack of any other symptoms and because of how high her fever was. Tuesday she woke up with the same fever and I took her to the pediatrician's office that afternoon. The pediatrician took a urine sample and the initial dipstick showed an elevated level of white blood cells. CeCe Rose was diagnosed with a UTI and prescribed a broad spectrum antibiotic because the type of bacteria was still unknown (awaiting 48 culture results). Wednesday rolled around and CeCe developed a new symptom: vomiting, like projectile, Exorcist style vomiting. I called the pediatrician and actually spoke with the head of the practice who instructed us to go to the after hours pediatric clinic. He called ahead and told them we would be bringing her in for an injection of antibiotics to treat the infection and antiemetic to treat the vomiting. The attending pediatrician believed that the antibiotic originally prescribed was causing her to vomit so he prescribed her a new antibiotic. We left with a content baby and two new prescriptions. The next morning, our pediatrician called to say that the culture results were in and that the type of antibiotic she was prescribed would be best treated with another antibiotic. In case you were keeping track, this poor child was prescribed 4 antibiotics in 3 days. I'm happy to report that CeCe was on the mend by Thursday and doing much better by the weekend.

We visited with friends this past weekend in Boca Raton. They were visiting family for the week and when they invited us over for a visit, we gladly obliged. Tim and Sarah are good friends of ours who we don't get to see much, but when we do, it's like no time has passed. We spent the weekend hanging out at with their family and it was wonderful. We ate a lot of meals at home and spent lots of time just lounging around, playing with the kids. We managed to do a little shopping and even took the kids to a kid's indoor playground (twice actually). We watched football, ate good food and drank LOTS of wine. It was the perfect weekend. We were sad to leave on Sunday, but hopefully we will be able to get together sooner rather than later. Wishful thinking, right?

Bella is back at her "old" school and this will be the third week she's been back. She is back on track with her potty training (or her pottying, as I think she is pretty much potty trained at this point) and is even going #2 on the potty on a regular basis. She has even woken up in the morning dry, so maybe we'll even try undies over night one of these nights. Go Bella go! She is back to her normal, happy self and is behaving better at home. I'm not sure what was going on at that other school, but it simply didn't jive with Bella's personality. We love this school and we're so happy Bella is back to her sweet, sometimes rambunctious, little self.

It seems as though the weather may be taking a turn for the better. It's been a little cooler here at night and in the morning and less humid, too. Perhaps we will have some fall-like weather in the near future?!? A girl can dream, can't she? Next Monday, it will be October 1st, can you believe it?!? I have purchased the girls' Halloween costumes and they are going to be absolutely adorable! I won't spill the beans about what they're dressing up as this year, but trust me when I say, they will be too cute! I can't wait to do all the fun fall things, like a trip to Hunsader Farms and trick-or-treating.

Well, I have a sleeping baby and I should go join her. We've had a busy week and it isn't about to slow down. This mama could use an afternoon nap to keep up with the kiddos today.

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Size 2

Well, I was kicking ass and taking names with Weight Watchers and working out, but I fell off the wagon. I fell off the wagon so much, that I am now being dragged behind the wagon and it will probably lap me. Ugh! I was doing so well, what happened? Life.

We battled the sickies around here, so we missed a week at the gym because I refuse to take my sick children out when they aren't feeling. It's not fair to the general public and it's not fair to my children. So between the kids and I being sick, we missed an entire week of the gym.

We went on vacation and I suppose I kind of "worked out" while on vacation. Frequent walks to the village, on the beach and swimming out to the sand bar were ways I stayed active while on vacation. Unfortunately I didn't eat very well, but we were on vacation. But again, we missed an entire week of the gym.

I should have gained every pound I lost back because of poor diet and lack of activity, but I didn't. Not only do I feel guilty about not eating right and working out BUT now I feel guilty about not being "punished" for it. I should have gained 10-15 pounds over the past month, but surprisingly enough, I actually lost another 1.4 pounds. Wow! I stepped on the scale this morning, expecting the worst. I was expecting to be in the mid to high 130's, but I was at a slim 126.2 pounds. Seriously?!?

I should also "brag" that I am currently wearing a pair of size 2 jeans from the Gap (circa 2007). I didn't have to jump up and down to put them on, but I know that my muffin top needs a little work. But still, SIZE 2 jeans? I'll take it. My energy is down big time and I know it's because of my poor diet and lack of exercise. I need to get my ass in gear with diet and exercise. While it's nice to look slim and trim, it would also feel good to have energy again. In the meantime, I will supplement with ungodly amounts of caffeine!

It feels good to be Slim Kim again!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Cecilia is 5-months-old TODAY!!!

Enjoying the Glazer Children's Museum.
Lovin' the Baby Einstein bouncer.

Summer is slowly coming to an end. We enjoyed our first vacation in Siesta Key as a family of four, plus Pop. Our city hosted the 2012 RNC convention (which I volunteered for). Busy season is well underway for Ian. And on a less than happy note, CeCe Rose had her first (and hopefully last) encounter with the pediatric ER due to a nasty stomach virus. In any event... Happy 5-month "birthday" sweet CeCe Rose!

There is no 5-month well check, but she just had her 4-month well check three weeks ago :

Height: about 26 3/4 inches (she was 26 1/2 three weeks ago and had a growth spurt).

Weight: about 17 pounds (she had two weigh-ins recently due to a stomach virus)

Sleeping Pattern: Oh darn you growth spurt and teething! CeCe Rose has had a few nights of interrupted sleep due to hunger or pain, but is sleeping 9-10 hours at night. She still cat naps in the morning and takes a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. 

Eating Pattern: Oh darn you growth spurt! CeCe Rose nursed EVERY hour she was awake yesterday, no joke. She generally eats every 2.5-3 hours, 4-5 ounces or 15-20 minutes of nursing. Maybe not starting solids until next month was a mistake?!? =)

Milestones: CeCe Rose is scooting and Army crawling. She is working on her baby push-ups so she can really get to crawling. She is quite the talker but hasn't said her first word yet (not that she should have). She can pick up things with her hands and is working on her pincher grasp (my poor arms). She LOVES grabbing her feet! She knows her name and will respond with a coo or by looking up. She is also working on sitting up, but is still in the tripod sitting position. She is a much more physically inept than Bella was, so I'm predicting an early crawler and/or walker. 

Friends: CeCe's crew of little friends include Zach, Tessa and now Alana and Emily! It's been a busy two-weeks of births, so CeCe will have a lot of new friends for sure!

Current Events: The RNC Convention has come and gone in Tampa and conversely, the DNC Convention has come and gone up in Charlotte. President Obama was in town today to promote his re-election campaign. Election season is well under way! The Baltimore Orioles are still in contention for a play-off spot and have been on fire recently. Football season (college and NFL) is back and in full swing, in fact the Florida Gators are playing the Texas A&M Aggies today (and are currently losing). 

Happy 5-Month Birthday, Cecilia Rose!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

20/20 vision

Hindsight is 20/20, at least that's how the saying goes. If we were capable of predicting the future, we would be some very rich folks. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) we are not capable of predicting the future and we try to make the best decisions we can. We thought we made the best decision by enrolling Bella in the school she currently attends, however after very careful consideration, we realized we did not.

We enrolled Bella in preschool last February and we were super excited about. The program sounded wonderful, the school was neat/clean/organized and we had recommendations from several (I'm talking like 4-5) friends who all loved the school. I'm certain that this school is wonderful for these families. Bella has been attending this school for two-weeks and it didn't take long to realize that this wasn't the best place for Bella.

It all started with the first day of school, which was complete chaos, at both drop off and pick up. The room was tiny, the teachers were overwhelmed and the other parents were "hovering." We didn't have much time to speak with the teachers about Bella's allergies or her potty training issues. These are two big issues for us and we felt like they were simply brushed aside. Strike 1. We decided to remain positive and give the teachers a chance.

Bella remained dry for the two days she initially attended... then came the third day of school. She had TWO accidents in THREE hours, which is totally unlike her. The teachers actually seemed bothered by her accidents. They even suggested I dress Bella in Pull-Ups. Sorry. Not going to happen. Strike 2. Not to mention a teacher whom I didn't even know mentioned Bella's accidents to me. Apparently my daughter's bathroom habits were the talk of the school. Strike 3. Bella's fourth day of school came with a reward system for potty training at school (which we were pretty much past) and written directions for the teachers. It was also full of accidents, refusal to use the bathroom and refusal to allow the teachers to change her. It also came with an accident in the car and an accident as soon as walked through the door at home. Not good. The teachers seemed frustrated with her and I was REALLY frustrated with the teachers.

God only knows what they said to her for her to refuse to use the bathroom OR be changed. I assume that their frustrations may have been felt by Bella, but she won't say much about the situation. I feel bad for subjecting Bella to an environment where she may have been made to feel shameful for having accidents. She's not even two-and-a-half-years-old and she WAS potty trained before attending this school. I know there is a learning curve and regression in potty training but this was too much for our family to handle. We have to ensure Bella's emotional needs are being met by her teachers and I'm not certain her needs were being met.

We talked... and talked... and talked some more. We talked with our parents. We talked with our friends. We talked to each other. After all of this talking, we decided it would be in Bella's best interest to return to her old school. As luck may have it, the old school was having an open house today so we attended and we re-enrolled her. She starts Monday and we could not be more relieved.

Bella was thriving at her old school. She was happy and so were we. She would come home singing songs she learned and talking about her friends and teachers. While we may not have given the new school a chance, she didn't seem as happy there. Bella is a child who needs to be stimulated or else she will act out at home. Her behavior at home took a nose dive when she started the new school. Something was obviously not right. Fortunately she has only missed 9 days of the school year at her old school, so she's not that far behind. We're excited to return her with two teachers who love her and a classroom full of her little friends, old and new.

I'm certainly going to miss seeing MY friends at drop off/pick up every day, but I can talk/see my friends any time. This decision was made with Bella's best interest in mind and nothing else. I just wish we would have kept her in her old school for the sake of Bella's feelings. But like I said before, hindsight is 20/20 and you live & learn!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia


Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Life lately

The past few weeks have been somewhat difficult. Difficult in that Ian is working like a crazy person (oh how I love public accounting) and there have been many changes in our household. We returned from vacation, Pop returned to Baltimore, Bella finished up summer school and started church school. Not to mention we battled the sickies and had another round of out of town guests. We are running on empty and it's starting to show.

Vacation was AWESOME! It was great to have quality time with my family and I enjoyed every moment of having my dad and Ian around to help with the girls. The days were laid back and relaxed and I loved it. I wish we could have spent more than a week in Siesta Key, unfortunately life called and we had to return to reality. We said goodnight to the sun every night, ate every meal together and made so many memories on our first family vacation. All the preparation and packing/unpacking was a little stressful, but it was well worth it.

Ian's busy season is in full effect. He works LONG days and nights and it's exhausting. He returns home from the office late and works after the girls are in bed. The girls miss their daddy and I miss my husband. But such is the life of a tax widow, right? I could go on and on about this, but his career affords us the life we have and for that I am grateful. I'm especially looking forward to the two days of PTO that he acquired this past weekend as a result of having to work over Labor Day weekend. We even survived an entire week of Ian working at home due to the RNC Convention in downtown Tampa.

Bella finished up summer school and we said good-bye to her friends and teachers. We LOVED her school, but we couldn't justify paying the tuition for a two-year-old. We look forward to Bella returning to this school next summer and fall, but in the meantime she began another school at a local church. I had high hopes of the church school, but nothing compares to the school she attended in the summer. It's still pretty early into the school year and I have to give it a chance. Friends of ours love this school and I'm sure we will learn to love it, too. Plus, it's fun being part of a community and a network of moms/friends who I see on an almost daily basis.

We battled colds and gastrointestinal infections last week. Poor little CeCe Rose contracted a nasty GI bug and ended up in the ER for vomiting and dehydration. After a few hours and a bag of IV fluids, she was discharged and we were able to nurse her back to health from the comfort of our home. I picked up her germs and had a day or so where I was practically down and out. We made it through and even managed to disinfect the house before my sister, brother-in-law and nephew arrived.

I finally met my nephew, Luke, in person. We spent a long weekend entertaining our guests, which included a trip to the aquarium and beach. A house full of kids was interesting to say the least. It was fun but exhausting. I'm just so glad to have finally met Luke! I love that my girls have a cousin who they will grow up and visit with. I predict a lot of memories to be made over the next few years.

Well, I'm on borrowed time this afternoon. Bella is having a sleep over at Grandma Ruth's and it's just CeCe Rose and I at home. It'll be a nice quiet evening at home and I'm looking forward to that. I plan on an early bedtime for both CeCe Rose and me. We have a busy week ahead of us with school, play dates and other outings. I really regret not taking a nap this afternoon... sigh.

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia