Not so typical Monday

Our daily routine of going out in the morning and returning home around lunch time has gone by the wayside. Our daily routine now consists of playing at home in the morning until its time for lunch and naps. It's kind of boring but I don't really have a choice. Fortunately Grandma Ruth, Stephanie and Jessica (the babysitter) have been kind enough to help spice up our new routine.

Today Grandma Ruth arrived bright and early to spend the morning with us. I secretly had a few errands that I needed to run and I was hoping Grandma Ruth would assist me in completing those errands. Sure enough, she did! We headed to Babies-R-Us to pick up a new booster seat for Bella and a few other odds and ends. I then quickly ran into Target to pick up laundry detergent, which we were completely out of. We were back home within an hour and I spent minimal time on my feet. I also wore my maternity support belt to help support my baby belly and reduce the pelvic pressure. By the time we got home, my body was definitely glad to be home and I parked myself on the couch to recooperate from our outing.

Grandma Ruth helped me feed Bella lunch and put her down for a nap. It was great having an extra set of hands today and it was really great having someone to do all the heavy lifting. It was a huge help and I am definitely very appreciative for the assistance today.

Bella and I ended the afternoon by playing outside at her sand and water table. Our lanai is a royal mess, but that's okay because I needed to entertain Bella until Ian arrives home from work, which should be shortly. I can sit in a chair and she happily plays at her sand and water table for awhile... probably one of the best purchases we ever made!

It may not have been a typical a typical Monday for us, but it sure turned out to be a pretty nice day. It's wonderful to have such helpful family ad friends close by. We wouldn't be able to survive without them! I just hope they know how much I appreciate their love, concern and helpfulness.

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2

As usual, our Monday started bright and early, as we were out the door by 9am. I had a few errands to run and Bella had an appointment for pictures at 10am. By some stroke of luck, we were both dressed, ready and in the car by 9am and began our busy morning. Why can't Mondays ever be relaxing, lazy days?!?

I almost cancelled Bella's picture appointment this morning, but I am SO glad I didn't. Not only was she in a great mood, but she was so photogenic! The last few times we've taken her for pictures it's been a battle of wills... and Bella usually wins. We usually buy a few pictures but only because any picture of Bella is adorable. Today was a different story... Bella worked it and managed to take some awesome pictures. It was difficult to decide which ones to order because I didn't want to go overboard. I bought a few collections of several shots and even designed a composite picture that will be framed. I was really happy with today's photo shoot and can't wait for everything to be delivered! Here is a sneak peak of just one of the many adorable pictures of my beautiful Bella.

Today was busy but productive and totally worthwhile. We knocked out Bella's pictures, bought a "going home" outfit for baby #2 and I managed to clean the kitchen, bathrooms and steam mop the floors. Even though I didn't get a nap in, you can be rest assured that I will be in bed early tonight! Thank goodness tomorrow is Tuesday and I'll have some extra help around the house, courtesy of our babysitter... yay! Good night y'all!

Love always,

Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2

A wonderful Monday

Today was a great way to begin another busy week. Bella and I had an impromptu play date with my friend Sara and her daughter Reese and then spent the rest of the relaxing. Bella played so well by herself and actually sat and listened while I read her several books. It was a wonderful Monday.

Speaking of my friend Sara... we began discussing preschools and the whole enrollment process. In our area there is one preschool that everyone sends their children to and obviously I want to enroll Bella in this preschool. I know she will be about 2.5-years-old but I think getting her situated in a school environment at an early will be beneficial in the long run. A two or three morning a week program would be ideal and hopefully we can get a spot for this fall. Wish us luck!

We wrapped up our day with an early bath and a movie. Ian worked late and had dinner plans so I pulled dinner and bath duty by myself. I promised Bella we could watch a movie and she selected Winnie the Pooh. So while I'm blogging, she is chillaxin' on the couch, just watching her movie. Again... It's been a wonderful Monday!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2

Headaches and Heartaches

Thank goodness Bella was with Grandma Ruth last night because, I was sick as a dog last night. I woke up yesterday morning with a headache, that progressively got worse throughout the day. Once I returned home from Lisa's baby shower, I was in a lot of pain. I decided it was time to take some Tylenol and relax for a little while. When I went to lay down, my headache was so bad that I couldn't get comfortable. I tossed and turned for almost 2-hours and finally managed to fall asleep. When I woke up, I thought my headache would be gone, but I was so wrong. My headache was still there and I felt even worse. 


I tried every trick in the book to get rid of this headache. I took a bath... drank some tea... chugged water... rubbed my temples... applied an ice pack to my head... ate a snack... you name it, I tried it. Nothing worked. The headache was so awful, that I ended up getting nauseous. So not only did I have a pounding headache, but I felt like I was going to throw up. 


Sufficed to say, I put all my plans on hold for the afternoon and evening. I wanted to finish up my arts and crafts project, but couldn't. I wanted to mop my floors, but couldn't. My afternoon and evening to catch up on things around the housed, didn't happen. I was disappointed, but I physically couldn't do anything. I hate it when I have plans and my body doesn't allow for me to follow through with my plans. 


I have said it before and I will say it again, this pregnancy is SO different than when I was pregnant with Bella. I had 12-weeks of nausea with Bella and I'm going on 21-weeks of nausea with baby #2. I had a few minor headaches with Bella and I've had many debilitating headaches with baby #2. I had zero complications with Bella and I'm having to go for a level II u/s with baby #2. I had some back pain during the last trimester of my pregnancy with Bella and I've had terrible back pain since the first trimester with baby #2. Bella was a dream baby and is a very well-behaved toddler, so God only knows what baby #2 has in store for us! 


It's not even 10am and I have already called Walgreens to refill my prescriptions for anti-nausea medication. I refilled both (yes, there are two) so that I have an arsenal of anti-nausea medications for the week. I need to hit the road to go pick up Bella from Grandma Ruth's and run a few errands. Bella and I have a busy week ahead of us... appointments, meetings and play dates. The weekend won't bring much relief, as we have a really busy weekend planned. Unfortunately, there won't be much time for rest and relaxation until after the holidays.


And on top of me not feeling 100%, I received some heartbreaking news from my dad yesterday. My god father, Uncle Mickey, is not doing well at all. He's been in the hospital for the past few weeks and needs a liver transplant. Unfortunately his condition is too far gone and he is too weak to qualify for a liver transplant. My dad went to visit him yesterday and he is now in a coma. His arms and legs are strapped down because he is having such bad tremors. I called his wife, Aunt Laurie, yesterday to tell her that we loved him and that we were thinking about him. It's funny because Aunt Laurie and Uncle Mickey aren't biological relatives, but we have always treated them as such. My dad and Uncle Mickey grew up together and have been best friends since childhood. He is the brother my dad never had and has always been there for our family. My heart aches so badly, as I cannot imagine life without him. So, please keep him and our family in your thoughts and prayers.


Well, I'd better get a move on and pick up my beautiful little girl. I haven't seen her since Sunday morning and I can't wait to see her! I hope Monday is good to y'all!


Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2