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

Not what I expected...

When planning for the upcoming week, I didn't expect the various bumps in the road that happened to occur today. It all began with the babysitter having to cancel because she was sick (poor girl). Things went downhill, then took a surprisingly turn for the better... definitely not what I expected.

When the babysitter canceled she was so apologetic, it wasn't even funny. I felt terrible that she not only physically felt bad but she actually felt guilty about having to cancel. I reassures her that these things happen and that her health comes first and foremost. Plus, I didn't want to catch any germs and I didn't want Bella to catch any germs either. I canceled my morning massage and rescheduled for this evening and kept right along rearranging our schedule.

I had every intention of going to toddler time at the library but when I realized we had 10 minutes to get there and it would take us at least 20 minutes to actually get there, I had to cancel. Bummer!

So I loaded up the car and Bella and I began running a few errands. One of my errands included a stop at a local consignment shop to possibly sell our travel system. When I learned that they would price it at around $100 and only give me 50% of the profits, I quickly changed my mind.

So you're probably thinking, a pregnant woman schlepping around a ginormous travel system without any assistance, wtf?!? You're absolutely right. My back quickly reminded that I am not cut out for heavy lifting right now. My good friend, Stephanie, came to our rescue... even though I had aborted the plan of actually going to the consignment shop. Thank goodness for such an amazing friend!

Rather than do any heavy lifting, we left the car packed with all the junk and let the kids play at our house for awhile. Then lunch time approached and we headed out for a quick bite to eat. Our meal was pretty much a disaster, due to an under staffed restaurant and yucky food. But it was nice to take a moment to feed the kids and chat.

Nap time went without a hitch and I even participated. I haven't been feeling 100% and my back and hips have been killing me, so a nap was much needed today. We are now waiting for Ian to get home from work so that we can eat dinner and relax before my massage tonight.

Our day did not go according to plan, but that's okay. I had a good friend pick me up when I needed it and that truly made my entire day. Oh, that and the fact that my child loves to read and be read to! Things may not always go as planned, but learning to cope with change (even small change) is a part of life.

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

P.S. I cannot wait for my massage tonight!!! I'm in pretty severe pain and I know this massage will bring me some relief... Thank you Ian, for allowing me to indulge in prenatal massages!!!

A productive Tuesday

Thank goodness for our weekly babysitter, otherwise I have no idea how I'd get any thing accomplished in a timely manner. The babysitter arrived early and I quickly began to check things off my to-do list.

A long, relaxing shower was first on my to-do list. I know it sounds unbelievably simple, but showering when you have a toddler means quick showers. I am happy to report that I not only had time to wash my hair, but also shave my legs, too! Sorry, too much information. But I'm sure my fellow moms can relate. I even had time to blow dry and flat iron my hair... what a luxury! Sometimes it's the little things in life that seem to count the most.

I ran several errands, which included running to the mall, Old Time Pottery, Home Depot, Gumballs & Overalls and Publix. I had to make a return to Sears and while I was there, I picked up some pajamas for Bella that were super on sale. I've been wanting a new lamp for the living room, so I headed to Old Time Pottery and picked up a floor lap and dust pan & broom set for Bella. I needed to stop by Home Depot to pick up 3-way light bulbs for the new lamp. And finally at Gumballs & Overalls, I picked up an outfit I ordered for Bella back in December. I finished up my errands with a quick trip to Publix for a few odds and ends. I had a busy morning, but I was home by noon.

With my remaining hour of the babysitter, I began going through storage bin after storage bin of Bella's baby clothes. I'm in the process of purging clothes Bella never really wore and giving those clothes to my friend Lisa, whose baby girl is due next month. I made my way through the 0-3 month and 3-6 month clothes and have a huge pile for Lisa. I began organizing and putting away the clothes we're keeping. I managed to put away everything that doesn't need to be hung up in the closet. Next week I will buy the closet organizer and begin putting those clothes away. There's no doubt about it... my girls have A LOT of clothes. I am really going to try to curb my shopping and make due with what we have, which is a ton of clothes! Although I can redeem Gymbucks tomorrow at Gymboree, so perhaps I'll stop shopping after I used my coupon.

I am pretty darn proud of myself for accomplishing so much in such a short amount of time. I really try to make the most of my "free time" when the babysitter is here. Whether it's running errands, shopping solo or doing stuff around the house, I try to have a game plan prior to the babysitter arriving so that I can take advantage of the time she is here. I look forward to Tuesdays, even though I'm usually super busy. It's nice to get stuff done without a toddler in tow.

And now it's time to catch up with a few DVR'ed shows... happy Tuesday y'all!

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

Busy Friday

This morning I had my monthly OB appointment, complete with the dreaded 1-hour glucose test. The good news is that baby #2 is doing very well and I am progressing as expected. I am almost 26-weeks along and I am measuring perfectly! The baby's heartbeat sounded great and the nurse practitioner said that both the baby and I seem to be doing very well. We talked about how different this pregnancy has been and how I've been plagued with chronic nausea and back pain. She sent in refills for my anti-nausea medications and I was given the green light for prenatal massage! Yay!

For those of you who have undergone the dreaded glucose test during pregnancy, I will just say that it doesn't get any better the second time. I drank the "flat Sprite" and waited an hour. I chatted with a few other expecting moms in the waiting room and browsed the Internet on my iPhone. Before I knew it, it was time to have my blood drawn. I said a little prayer to pass the 1-hour glucose test because the 3-hour glucose test really sucks. With Bella, I failed my 1-hour glucose test but passed my 3-hour glucose test. Thankfully, I didn't have gestational diabetes and I didn't have to follow a strict diet or test my blood. I hope I pass the 1-hour glucose test this time around and avoid the 3-hour test. I should have the results by Monday.

I left the OB's office and headed to Target to pick up a few last minute things for my organization project. Target was having a sale on storage items, so I picked up a few bins to better organize holiday stuff, including the huge stockpile of wrapping paper and bags I have accumulated through really awesome sales at Old Time Pottery and Target. I enjoy being organized so the process of actually getting organized doesn't really bother me. In fact, I think I enjoy organizing a little too much... but is that really a bad thing?

The babysitter was staying until 1pm so I had two hours to work at taking down holiday decorations, including our Christmas tree. I managed to put everything in it's proper storage container and so all Ian will have to do is put the containers away in the garage. I was exhausted after untangling strands of Christmas lights but felt very accomplished and my load felt so much lighter. It's my goal to have the house back in it's normal, organized state by Monday morning. You see, we're having the house cleaned on Monday and I like to have the house neat and tidy for the cleaning folks. My mother-in-law bought us a Groupon for three 3-hour cleaning sessions. I gladly accepted the generous offer and quickly scheduled our three sessions for before baby #2 arrives. There's nothing better than having someone else clean your house!

Despite my super busy (and exhausting) day, I managed a quick mom's night out with my friend, Stephanie. We met for dinner at the Italian Kitchen and enjoyed nearly 2-hours of uninterrupted adult conversation. The food was absolutely amazing, especially the delicious chocolate mousse desserts we both ordered. I've had a bit of a sweet tooth lately, so the chocolate mousse really hit the spot. Every time we have a mom's night out, we always say how we should do this more often and blah, blah, blah... I just wish there were hours in the day or endless amounts of energy to do so.

We are slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things. By next week, we should be back on track with our normal routine. I know I keep harping on our darn routine, but it's what keeps me sane. But it's late and we have a busy weekend ahead of us, so I'd better get some sleep.

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

Holiday hustle and bustle

We have SO MUCH to do this week! It's only Tuesday and I'm already exhausted. I blame pregnancy for my exhaustion because I really I have yet to accomplish much. I suppose being out of town last week didn't help, because I feel like I'm behind on everything. I thought I was really behind on laundry, but I only had two loads to do. I thought my house needs to be cleaned, but it's pretty neat and clean. I thought I had shopping to finish, but all gifts are neatly wrapped under the tree. So what am I forgetting to do?

My "to-do" list beginning tomorrow is a mile long. There's a few odds and ends to pick up before the weekend. The car needs to be dropped off bright and early tomorrow for routine maintenance. I "need" a manicure, pedicure and eyebrow wax at the salon. The house needs to be cleaned before the weekend. And I will be flying solo for much of it, as Ian has work to finish up before he can take a few days off. Umm, what am I forgetting? Oh, I have a 20-month-old to take care of! Thank goodness the babysitter is scheduled to come tomorrow!

The holidays are such a busy time of year, but all the hustle and bustle are worth it. Tonight officially began the holiday season for us, as it is the first night of Hanukkah. We lit the first candle and gave Bella a gift. We decided to give her books for Hanukkah rather than toys and will probably make this a tradition. In my opinion, kids can never have enough books and receiving 8 books during Hanukkah each year will make for a very nice library. Tonight she selected a Mickey Mouse book and has already asked Ian to read it to her twice.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

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

Some well-deserved R&R!

Bella and I had a VERY busy day yesterday. So today, while Bella is with Grandma Ruth, I am going to relax! Unfortunately, I have a house that needs to be cleaned, laundry that needs to be put away and a huge pile of mail that needs to organized. Why is there always so much to do when you return from being out of town?!?

Our day started with Bella's first dentist appointment. The child as all of her teeth, with the exception of her second molars. The dentist said we should be expecting those any time between now and the age of 3. She also said that Bella is advanced for her age in terms of teeth so we should expect to see those molars sooner rather than later. I asked the dentist if we were crazy for bringing our 18-month-old to the dentist and she was adamant that it was a great thing to do. She said early exposure to the dentist will help alleviate the fear associated with going to the dentist for children. Bella was a trooper and allowed the dentist to do everything she needed to do, which included an oral exam, a little scaling, a thorough brushing, a quick flossing and fluoride application. We just need to improve our brushing efforts and pay more attention to Bella's gums. Other than that, Bella's teeth are just great and we'll take her back in 6-months.

On a side note... I arrived at the dentist 15 minutes prior to our appointment to ensure the front desk could get Bella into the system and process our insurance. So much for arriving early because we waited for a long time. Our appointment was at 10am and we didn't get called to go back until almost 10:30am! I was on the verge of walking out when we were called to go back. Luckily the dental technicians and the dentist were amazing and Bella's first dental exam was a success. She received a new pink toothbrush, toothpaste and she was able to select a toy out of the treasure chest. They were so lucky the actual exam went so well because I never would have returned to that office. I just know for next time, not to show up early for an appointment.

We then drove to Apollo Beach for a play date at Stephanie and Connor's house. It was our usual Thursday play date and I was really looking forward to it. We haven't been able to attend a play date in almost a month because of doctors appointments and our travel schedule. Bella must have missed all of her little friends because she quickly began playing and talking with everyone. I must have missed all of my friends because I was so chatty! I had so much to catch up on with everyone and I think I talked pretty much the entire time we were there. I guess that's what happens when you don't see your friends for a few weeks! Next week Bella and I will be hosting a Halloween themed play date and we're really looking forward to it.

After the play date, we hit the road and headed to West Chase. I had been selected to participate in a diaper survey at Heakin Research at Citrus Park Mall, so that was our first stop. Fortunately, the 45-minute drive allowed more than enough time for Bella to catch up on some sleep. Too bad, I couldn't have napped because I was exhausted! After her nap, Bella was in a great mood and enjoyed walking around the mall for awhile. After picking up the diapers, we had some time to kill before we met Grandma Ruth. We walked around the mall and then headed to Grandma Ruth's house. Silly me forgot the keys to Grandma Ruth's house so we waited for a few minutes in her driveway. I caught up with Grandma Ruth and then headed out. A long day of running around made for one tired mama!

Since we were Bella-less, Ian and I went out for dinner. We wanted to go somewhere we haven't been in awhile, so we went to the Italian Kitchen on 301. Obviously we won't be bringing Bella to an Italian restaurants any time soon, so we made the most of our dinner with delicious Italian food. We ordered a caprese salad and it was probably the best I've ever had! In fact, everything was really good... and I can't wait to go back.

Well, I'm going to finish watching the Today Show and bum around the house this morning. On a positive note, I found a (normal) buyer for my steam mop and I'm supposed to meet her late this morning. At least that's productive, right?

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