Bella deserves a round of applause today. She has been such a sweetheart today and has given me a day to catch up on my life. My poor, feverish, snotty baby girl has been an absolute angel today. Not only did she sleep in until 7am, but she took a 2.5 hour nap from 10am-12:30pm! What a treat! After the rather restless night of sleep she had last night, I woke up today thinking that today was going to be a bear, but it wasn't and I am so very thankful. She played so well by herself this afternoon, I nearly forgot to put her down for her afternoon nap. She even went down for her afternoon nap without much of a fight and soothed herself to sleep. Thank you Bella!
Bella's napping and overall good behavior gave me time to organize our babysitter search. Today we received an application from a very nice, young woman and I have made plans to meet with her on Friday. We communicated back and forth today via email and she promptly answered every question I posed. She didn't have a background screening completed, but without asking, she completed a background screening through the website. She is really on the ball and I'm very excited to meet with her on Friday. We have high expectations for the new babysitter, as we were really spoiled by Miss Lauren. Hopefully the new babysitter can live up to these expectations.
Since Miss Lauren told us she was moving, I've been filled with doubt and worry. I doubt that we will be able to find anyone as caring and trustworthy as she and I worry that I'll make a mistake in hiring a new babysitter. It's a different today than when I was growing up and I have to be very selective in hiring a babysitter. It took us nearly a month to get comfortable with Miss Lauren and I worry about starting the process all over again. I know I shouldn't worry and I should follow my instincts, but it's not that easy. Bella deserves the best and in our absence, she deserves the very best care. No one can take care of Bella like we can, I just want the same reassurance that Miss Lauren has given when taking care of Bella these past few months.
I'm on borrowed time and I really need to start dinner because Ian will be home soon. We're having tacos tonight, so there isn't much preparation or clean up. I really enjoy meals that can be easily prepared and easily cleaned up. Oh, we're going to return to Dinner Done! in a few weeks and we'll have some new meals that are quick, easy and delicious... usually.
Today has been a fabulous day and I just wanted to share it with everyone. Hope y'all have had a day as fabulous as mine.
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired
Poor little Bella... it seems as if she is falling apart. First the petechiae, then the HFM disease and now a cold? This poor child can't seem to catch a break! You would think with all these nasty illnesses, she'd be enrolled in daycare, but she's not. I have stayed at home with her since day one and will continue to stay at home with her until all the Lasher children are in school. It's a blessing to be able to stay at home with Bella and I cannot imagine having to balance a full-time career and motherhood. Working part-time from home and raising Bella keeps me more than busy.
Being a stay-at-home-mom is like being a jack-of-all-trades because today I have been: mom, nurse, entertainer, chef and maid (just to name a few). But actually staying AT home with an 11-month-old can lead to boredom for both Bella and me. We do not wish to spread the love of all these fun childhood illnesses, so we are opting to remain at home until Bella is feeling better. Today, I have pulled out every toy, every book in an attempt to keep Bella entertained. Until today, I forgot how much fun building with blocks can be... until I was building with blocks and Bella crawled over, giggled and proceeded to knock over my tower of blocks.
Since October, we've had a babysitter, Miss Lauren, come to the house once a week for a few hours. I typically use this free time to catch up on housework or run errands without Bella in tow. Miss Lauren was the first babysitter we interviewed and she met every single one of our needs. She is a very loving and caring babysitter and I can tell that she genuinely cares about Bella. Unfortunately, Miss Lauren will be moving back to Cincinnati in a few weeks. We are really going to miss her and it's going to be difficult to replace her. She has earned our trust and that's not an easy task. Hopefully we can find a suitable replacement, who we can trust and who will care about Bella as much as Miss Lauren does. Hurry back to Tampa, Miss Lauren!
It's been a long day and it's going to be a long night for Ian, as he has some work to do. Luckily he is working from home, so we were able to eat dinner as a family and put Bella to bed. Busy season is no fun for Ian, Bella or me. This too shall pass, but in the meantime, we're all working hard around the Lasher house. Speaking of working, even little Bella is still awake. She is trying to battle the sandman and I can hear her on the monitor. Hopefully she falls asleep soon and is able to have a good night of sleep. She needs all the rest she can get these days, let's just hope she feels the same way I do.
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Being a stay-at-home-mom is like being a jack-of-all-trades because today I have been: mom, nurse, entertainer, chef and maid (just to name a few). But actually staying AT home with an 11-month-old can lead to boredom for both Bella and me. We do not wish to spread the love of all these fun childhood illnesses, so we are opting to remain at home until Bella is feeling better. Today, I have pulled out every toy, every book in an attempt to keep Bella entertained. Until today, I forgot how much fun building with blocks can be... until I was building with blocks and Bella crawled over, giggled and proceeded to knock over my tower of blocks.
Since October, we've had a babysitter, Miss Lauren, come to the house once a week for a few hours. I typically use this free time to catch up on housework or run errands without Bella in tow. Miss Lauren was the first babysitter we interviewed and she met every single one of our needs. She is a very loving and caring babysitter and I can tell that she genuinely cares about Bella. Unfortunately, Miss Lauren will be moving back to Cincinnati in a few weeks. We are really going to miss her and it's going to be difficult to replace her. She has earned our trust and that's not an easy task. Hopefully we can find a suitable replacement, who we can trust and who will care about Bella as much as Miss Lauren does. Hurry back to Tampa, Miss Lauren!
It's been a long day and it's going to be a long night for Ian, as he has some work to do. Luckily he is working from home, so we were able to eat dinner as a family and put Bella to bed. Busy season is no fun for Ian, Bella or me. This too shall pass, but in the meantime, we're all working hard around the Lasher house. Speaking of working, even little Bella is still awake. She is trying to battle the sandman and I can hear her on the monitor. Hopefully she falls asleep soon and is able to have a good night of sleep. She needs all the rest she can get these days, let's just hope she feels the same way I do.
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Monday, March 7, 2011
Head, shoulders, knees and toes?
After a rather sleepless night... We followed up with the pediatrician this morning and Bella has been diagnosed with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. After a thorough check of every inch of Bella's entire body, Dr. Hosemann discovered a nasty looking sore on the back of Bella's throat. There was no way we could have seen this because it was on the very back of her throat. Our poor baby girl! And the only treatment is TIME! We can give her Motrin for any fever or pain, but other than that, the only remedy is time.
The funniest part about the trip to the pediatrician was when Dr. Hosemann told me Bella could return to daycare within 5-7 days. This comment made me laugh. I told her that Bella does not go to daycare and that I stay at home with her. She laughed and said, "Well she probably picked it up from a shopping cart at Publix." The question that popped in my mind was, "Why the hell does Bella keep getting sick?" Within the past month, the poor child has had pink eye, an upper respiratory infection and HFM disease! I then thought about what Dr. Hosemann had told me about the incubation period... 5-7 days. I immediately thought of physical therapy. Bella goes to physical therapy twice a week and 6 days ago, she went to physical therapy. It makes perfect sense and I like having a scapegoat.
Dr. Hosemann was correct though, she could have contracted this from anywhere. A shopping cart at Publix, a changing table at the mall, the child care center at the gym or physical therapy. I just like knowing the who, what, where, why and when of things, so I need something to blame. For now, until proven otherwise, I will blame physical therapy for this infection. Damn you physical therapy!!!
The Lashers will be quarantined this week and all activities have been cancelled. It's a major bummer because we were supposed to host a play date, go to Gymboree, go to the Strawberry Festival and plan our trip to Disney. Instead, we will play at home by ourselves and try to make the most of our time at home. with plenty of rest, fluids and Motrin.
All things considered, Bella is her usual, happy self and such a good patient. For the time being, we have decided to remove her helmet to prevent any complications from a fever. I must admit, I am very much enjoying a helmet-less Bella. It makes cuddling with her so much easier and my body is thankful for less bruises this week.
That's all from the Lasher Infirmary, for now.
Love always,
Ian, Kim and Bella
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Oy Vey
The only two words I have the energy to utter tonight are, "Oy vey!" We have had a very good, yet very bad weekend.
We went to a birthday day party for one of Bella's little friends at Gymboree. Bella had fun and it was nice to catch up with friends, many of whom we haven't seen in awhile. Bella enjoyed crawling all over the place and even took a trip down one of the slides. After Gymboree, we stopped by and visited with old friends in South Tampa. We hadn't seen these friends in a very long time and they had never met Bella. Their daughters entertained Bella with their toys, and yet again, Bella enjoyed being the center of attention. We got home pretty late, so we put Bella to bed and relaxed by watching a movie.
Ian spoiled me by letting me sleep in on both Saturday and Sunday morning. It's such a treat to sleep in and I'm very lucky that Ian takes care of Bella in the morning, thus allowing me to do so. Today I slept until almost 10:30 and Bella was napping when I woke up. We read the paper, watched Sports Center and relaxed. Around 11:30, I heard Bella babbling in her crib so I went upstairs to get her. I brought her downstairs and began to change her diaper. This is the moment that the weekend took a turn for the worse...
Bella was still in her pajamas and I wanted to get her dressed for the day. I took off her pajamas and was horrified by what I saw on her left forearm. She had this strange, bruise like rash on her inner forearm. We called the pediatrician and waited for the on-call doctor to call us back. After about 30 minutes, we received a return call, answered some questions and it was decided that Bella needed to go to the ER. We quickly got ourselves dressed, packed a diaper bag and we were on our way.
Upon arrival at the ER, I received a strange look from the receptionist at the front desk when I told him my 11-month-old daughter had unexplained bruising on her arm. My anxiety increased when he told me to have a seat in the waiting room... a waiting room full of sick people. Much to my surprise, we were paged to return to the reception area and we were quickly whisked away to the pediatric ER. Bella was given her own private exam room and we waited for Bella to be seen by the doctor. Almost immediately, the doctor came in to examine Bella and ordered blood work. She diagnosed Bella with petechiae, which is a minor hemorrhage under the skin. She now needed to find the cause of the petechiae. Bella had her blood drawn for the first time since she was a newborn and it broke our hearts. She cried, but I don’t think it was because of the needle or the pain, she simply didn’t like being held down against her will. The nurses told us that she didn’t even bat an eyelash when they inserted the needle. She was such a trooper and we loved all over when the nurses were finished. Then we waited… and waited… and waited.
The doctor returned and informed us that Bella’s blood work came back normal and this was good news, very good news. Her platelet, RBC and WBC levels were normal, which were my biggest concerns. Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell us why Bella had petechiae, which didn’t sit well with us. She discharged Bella and instructed us to follow up with our pediatrician in the morning. She would be sending Bella’s charts to our pediatrician this afternoon. She said that Bella is a beautiful, healthy baby and that this might be an isolated incident. Needless to say, we will be following up with the pediatrician tomorrow. I just hope we receive an answer because I hate not knowing what exactly is wrong with Bella.
Once we returned home, Bella took a nap and things were back to normal. We had eaten a late lunch, so Ian and I skipped dinner, but Bella enjoyed a dinner of ravioli and fruit. Bella’s bedtime routine went without a hitch and we’re enjoying watching some television. It’s nice to relax after a stressful day.
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, especially Bella. Geez! What a way to wrap up a weekend. Good night all!
Love always,
Ian, Kim and Bella
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Bella is 11-Months-Old TODAY!!!
Today marked our last month of infancy for Bella. In only one month's time, Bella will be a toddler and we will be counting down the days until her 2nd birthday. I'm going to take my time and relish this last month of infancy.
Bella didn't have an 11-month wellness appointment, but she made quite a few trips to the pediatrician within the last month for various illnesses. Here are her 11-month stats:
Height: About 30 inches
Weight: About 25 pounds
Clothing Size: Bella is wearing some 9-month clothes, but mostly wears 12-month clothes. She does have some 18-24-month clothes (silly Gymboree). Her closet and drawers were recently organized and we have stored all her newborn-6-month clothes (tear).
Sleeping Pattern: Bella is still sleeping through the night and averages about 10 hours of sleep per night. She also takes a morning and an afternoon nap and averages about 1.5-2 hours for each nap. Some times she spoils me and sleeps for 3+ hours! =)
Eating Pattern: Bella has really cut back on the amount of formula she drinks each day. We have also decided to give her a sippy cup or two with formula each day, in an attempt to gently transition her from a bottle to strictly a sippy cup. She recently decided that pureed baby food is lame and likes to self feed. We have been trying to feed her a balanced diet, in hopes of establishing a good foundation for her future eating habits.
Milestones: Bella still has 5 teeth (3 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth) and is working on tooth #6. This sixth tooth has been a royal pain. It's popped through and retracted... it's popped through and retracted. Hopefully it will make a final descent once and for all within the next week. Bella is a professional Army crawler and she has become quite fast. She has recently started sitting up on her own and has perfected this. Her new favorite thing to do is crawl to the sliding glass door, sit up and bang on the glass and yell at the dogs when they are outside. She is also talking more, which we really enjoy.
Friends: Bella has been sick with pink eye and an upper respiratory infection, so she hasn't seen much of her friends recently. We have met some new friends from the A-T-L.
Current Events: Another St. Petersburg Police Department officer was killed in the line of duty. He was shot and killed by a 16-year-old kid... 16!!! Governor Rick Scott turned down funding from the federal government for the high speed rail project (smart move).
Bella has made great strides with her helmet! When she first had a head scan, the asymmetry of her head was 15.7mm. She had a scan two weeks ago and the asymmetry was only 9.5mm! This is a great improvement and is very good news! Hopefully she'll only have another month or two in the helmet.
Well, that's all from Casa de Lasher. The countdown until Bella's 1st Birthday is underway... in t-minus 1 month!
Happy 11-Month Birthday, Isabella Eve!
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Bella didn't have an 11-month wellness appointment, but she made quite a few trips to the pediatrician within the last month for various illnesses. Here are her 11-month stats:
Height: About 30 inches
Weight: About 25 pounds
Clothing Size: Bella is wearing some 9-month clothes, but mostly wears 12-month clothes. She does have some 18-24-month clothes (silly Gymboree). Her closet and drawers were recently organized and we have stored all her newborn-6-month clothes (tear).
Sleeping Pattern: Bella is still sleeping through the night and averages about 10 hours of sleep per night. She also takes a morning and an afternoon nap and averages about 1.5-2 hours for each nap. Some times she spoils me and sleeps for 3+ hours! =)
Eating Pattern: Bella has really cut back on the amount of formula she drinks each day. We have also decided to give her a sippy cup or two with formula each day, in an attempt to gently transition her from a bottle to strictly a sippy cup. She recently decided that pureed baby food is lame and likes to self feed. We have been trying to feed her a balanced diet, in hopes of establishing a good foundation for her future eating habits.
Milestones: Bella still has 5 teeth (3 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth) and is working on tooth #6. This sixth tooth has been a royal pain. It's popped through and retracted... it's popped through and retracted. Hopefully it will make a final descent once and for all within the next week. Bella is a professional Army crawler and she has become quite fast. She has recently started sitting up on her own and has perfected this. Her new favorite thing to do is crawl to the sliding glass door, sit up and bang on the glass and yell at the dogs when they are outside. She is also talking more, which we really enjoy.
Friends: Bella has been sick with pink eye and an upper respiratory infection, so she hasn't seen much of her friends recently. We have met some new friends from the A-T-L.
Current Events: Another St. Petersburg Police Department officer was killed in the line of duty. He was shot and killed by a 16-year-old kid... 16!!! Governor Rick Scott turned down funding from the federal government for the high speed rail project (smart move).
Bella has made great strides with her helmet! When she first had a head scan, the asymmetry of her head was 15.7mm. She had a scan two weeks ago and the asymmetry was only 9.5mm! This is a great improvement and is very good news! Hopefully she'll only have another month or two in the helmet.
Well, that's all from Casa de Lasher. The countdown until Bella's 1st Birthday is underway... in t-minus 1 month!
Happy 11-Month Birthday, Isabella Eve!
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Friday, March 4, 2011
Ups and Downs
Today was a pretty good, but the day certainly had it's ups and downs...
While Bella was napping this morning, a delivery man stopped by to deliver our new soft vertical shades for the sliding glass door in the family. The shade wasn't supposed to be manufactured, let alone delivered until late March. Levolor quoted me a date of March 17th for manufacturing, so needless to say, I was very surprised by today's delivery. We spent a lot of money on our window treatments because only two windows in our entire house are of standard size. We chose Levolor products because of the quality, the look and the price. This is the second time we've had to replace the shades in the family, but this is one of the only window treatments we open and close on a frequent basis. Add dogs and a very curious infant into the mix and you can only begin to imagine why we've had to replace it. Long story short... Levolor has AMAZING customer service and if we need to purchase any additional window treatments in the future, you can bet that they will be Levolor.
The delivery man rang the door bell, which caused the dogs to bark, which caused Bella to be woken up abruptly. She was not a happy camper and had a mini-meltdown while getting dressed for the day. We overcame the mini-meltdown and were out the door for the afternoon... or so I thought.
I had forgotten her lunch bag and so I had to run back into the house to grab it. The alarm was set and I deactivated the alarm, grabbed the bag and set the alarm again. Apparently somewhere in the process of re-entering the house, I set the alarm off. I did not hear an audible alarm and I had no indication that I had set off the alarm. A few moments later and after listening to a voicemail message from ADT, I learned that the alarm had been set off. I pulled back into the garage, called ADT and began the process of canceling the alarm. We have had three companies monitor our house in three years. At first we had Brinks, then Broadview and now ADT. Customer service with Brinks and Broadview was great and we had no complaints. ADT is a different story. It took me nearly 8 minutes to get through to someone to cancel the alarm. Usually when an alarm is set off, the monitoring company will make several calls to ensure everything is okay. If the company cannot confirm this, then law enforcement is contacted and sent out to the home. Eight minutes is a LONG time! What if our house had really been broken in to? Our house would have been wiped out in eight minutes! Luckily I was able to cancel the alarm and went through a series of procedures to troubleshoot the system. Fortunately, our alarm system appears to be working just fine... unfortunately, we will most likely receive a notice from Hillsborough County for yet another "false alarm." Bummer.
Bella and I met some friends for lunch and it was a really great afternoon. We also stopped by Buy Buy Baby and Babies-R-Us after lunch for a little shopping. I'm proud to report that I did not purchase one item at either store. I practiced some major self control and I am quite proud of myself. I also saved $10 at Babies-R-Us on an outfit I had purchased for Bella that went on sale. I dread having to make returns at Babies-R-Us because they make it so difficult. I prepared myself for the worst, but hoped for the best. I am pleased to say that Babies-R-Us price matched the outfit and credited my bank account $10.
We went out to dinner once Ian got home from work and had a nice evening. Bella is so funny at restaurants and enjoys putting on a show for people. She enjoyed the chicken fingers, french fries and salad we ordered for her. It's crazy to think that in another month, she will be eating what we eat, all the time.
Today wasn't entirely great, as I received some bad news about a friend of mine. A mutual friend of mine informed me that he had gotten himself into some trouble and today he agreed to a plea bargain. The whole situation is very complicated and I really don't want to get into details. He will be sentenced in June, and he's looking at a minimum of 5 years in federal prison. I am really disappointed in this friend, but I still feel sorry for him. Okay, that's enough about that.
I'm looking forward to the weekend and we have some fun things planned. The highlight of our weekend will be Bella's friend, Taylan's, 1st birthday party at Gymboree. We also have some chores around the house to do and we could use a little rest and relaxation, too. Speaking of rest, it's time for me to hit the sack. Goodnight all!
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
While Bella was napping this morning, a delivery man stopped by to deliver our new soft vertical shades for the sliding glass door in the family. The shade wasn't supposed to be manufactured, let alone delivered until late March. Levolor quoted me a date of March 17th for manufacturing, so needless to say, I was very surprised by today's delivery. We spent a lot of money on our window treatments because only two windows in our entire house are of standard size. We chose Levolor products because of the quality, the look and the price. This is the second time we've had to replace the shades in the family, but this is one of the only window treatments we open and close on a frequent basis. Add dogs and a very curious infant into the mix and you can only begin to imagine why we've had to replace it. Long story short... Levolor has AMAZING customer service and if we need to purchase any additional window treatments in the future, you can bet that they will be Levolor.
The delivery man rang the door bell, which caused the dogs to bark, which caused Bella to be woken up abruptly. She was not a happy camper and had a mini-meltdown while getting dressed for the day. We overcame the mini-meltdown and were out the door for the afternoon... or so I thought.
I had forgotten her lunch bag and so I had to run back into the house to grab it. The alarm was set and I deactivated the alarm, grabbed the bag and set the alarm again. Apparently somewhere in the process of re-entering the house, I set the alarm off. I did not hear an audible alarm and I had no indication that I had set off the alarm. A few moments later and after listening to a voicemail message from ADT, I learned that the alarm had been set off. I pulled back into the garage, called ADT and began the process of canceling the alarm. We have had three companies monitor our house in three years. At first we had Brinks, then Broadview and now ADT. Customer service with Brinks and Broadview was great and we had no complaints. ADT is a different story. It took me nearly 8 minutes to get through to someone to cancel the alarm. Usually when an alarm is set off, the monitoring company will make several calls to ensure everything is okay. If the company cannot confirm this, then law enforcement is contacted and sent out to the home. Eight minutes is a LONG time! What if our house had really been broken in to? Our house would have been wiped out in eight minutes! Luckily I was able to cancel the alarm and went through a series of procedures to troubleshoot the system. Fortunately, our alarm system appears to be working just fine... unfortunately, we will most likely receive a notice from Hillsborough County for yet another "false alarm." Bummer.
Bella and I met some friends for lunch and it was a really great afternoon. We also stopped by Buy Buy Baby and Babies-R-Us after lunch for a little shopping. I'm proud to report that I did not purchase one item at either store. I practiced some major self control and I am quite proud of myself. I also saved $10 at Babies-R-Us on an outfit I had purchased for Bella that went on sale. I dread having to make returns at Babies-R-Us because they make it so difficult. I prepared myself for the worst, but hoped for the best. I am pleased to say that Babies-R-Us price matched the outfit and credited my bank account $10.
We went out to dinner once Ian got home from work and had a nice evening. Bella is so funny at restaurants and enjoys putting on a show for people. She enjoyed the chicken fingers, french fries and salad we ordered for her. It's crazy to think that in another month, she will be eating what we eat, all the time.
Today wasn't entirely great, as I received some bad news about a friend of mine. A mutual friend of mine informed me that he had gotten himself into some trouble and today he agreed to a plea bargain. The whole situation is very complicated and I really don't want to get into details. He will be sentenced in June, and he's looking at a minimum of 5 years in federal prison. I am really disappointed in this friend, but I still feel sorry for him. Okay, that's enough about that.
I'm looking forward to the weekend and we have some fun things planned. The highlight of our weekend will be Bella's friend, Taylan's, 1st birthday party at Gymboree. We also have some chores around the house to do and we could use a little rest and relaxation, too. Speaking of rest, it's time for me to hit the sack. Goodnight all!
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Life is just a bowl of cherries...
All things considered and after the past few days, today was a very pleasant day. The weather was breezy, but warm. Bella was in a relatively good mood. And I was able to have some much needed "me time." The house is also clean and we have groceries for the next few days. I feel like today was a productive day and I am very happy about that. Life is just a bowl of cherries... as can be seen on Bella's outfit today.
Bella was up and at 'em bright and early. She has learned to sit up and enjoys sitting up in her crib until one of us comes to get her. She is aware of the video monitor and often gazes into the camera. It's actually pretty darn cute and is much more pleasant than waking up to a crying baby. Bella played contently by herself this morning, while I was able to get a few chores done around the house. She did fight her morning nap, but gave up after about 20 minutes of playing in her crib. She slept for about two hours and woke up in a great mood. Her good mood has continued into the evening and she is playing by herself while as I am typing.
We are waiting for Ian to get home, who has been working long hours. He may even have to work tonight, which is no fun, but hopefully it makes for an easier day tomorrow. Busy season in the accounting world is no fun for the employees or the families they often leave behind. Luckily busy season comes and goes relatively quick, so this will be all but a forgotten memory in another few weeks.
Tomorrow we were supposed to go to the zoo with some friends, but this has been cancelled. Perhaps we can get to the zoo within the next few weeks, before it gets too warm. We are going to have lunch with our new friends, the Parks tomorrow, which should be fun. This weekend we have a birthday party to attend and will possibly be making a cameo at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City. I am really looking forward to family time this weekend and it's so nice to know that we won't be wasting the weekend having to complete chores around the house.
I would also like to give myself a pat on the back for being so diligent with the blog this week. I set a goal and I am in the process of accomplishing this goal... Good job, Kim!
Well, it is getting close to Bella's bed time, so I'm going to finish this post by saying that today was a very good day... end of story.
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Bella was up and at 'em bright and early. She has learned to sit up and enjoys sitting up in her crib until one of us comes to get her. She is aware of the video monitor and often gazes into the camera. It's actually pretty darn cute and is much more pleasant than waking up to a crying baby. Bella played contently by herself this morning, while I was able to get a few chores done around the house. She did fight her morning nap, but gave up after about 20 minutes of playing in her crib. She slept for about two hours and woke up in a great mood. Her good mood has continued into the evening and she is playing by herself while as I am typing.
We are waiting for Ian to get home, who has been working long hours. He may even have to work tonight, which is no fun, but hopefully it makes for an easier day tomorrow. Busy season in the accounting world is no fun for the employees or the families they often leave behind. Luckily busy season comes and goes relatively quick, so this will be all but a forgotten memory in another few weeks.
Tomorrow we were supposed to go to the zoo with some friends, but this has been cancelled. Perhaps we can get to the zoo within the next few weeks, before it gets too warm. We are going to have lunch with our new friends, the Parks tomorrow, which should be fun. This weekend we have a birthday party to attend and will possibly be making a cameo at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City. I am really looking forward to family time this weekend and it's so nice to know that we won't be wasting the weekend having to complete chores around the house.
I would also like to give myself a pat on the back for being so diligent with the blog this week. I set a goal and I am in the process of accomplishing this goal... Good job, Kim!
Well, it is getting close to Bella's bed time, so I'm going to finish this post by saying that today was a very good day... end of story.
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Can I Get a Do-Over, please?
Have you ever had one of those days when EVERYTHING seems to go wrong? Today, I am having one of those days. I'm in desperate need of a do-over.
Let me begin by saying, I love Bella very much and I love being able to stay at home with her, but days like today make it very difficult for me to enjoy this luxury. Bella has been extremely fussy this week and today is no exception. She woke up twice last night but managed to get herself back to sleep after a few minutes. When she woke up for the day, she was crying, which is not like her and I knew that today was going to be a very long day. Bella usually plays very well by herself and can entertain herself while I wash dishes or start a load of laundry... usually. Today she whined while I washed dishes and cried when I went outside to let the dogs inside. She fought her morning nap AND her afternoon nap. And, when I woke Bella up from her afternoon nap, she was not happy. She screamed and screamed, until I handed her to Ian and she fine. While playing with Bella on the floor, she was very rough with me and tried to head butt me several times. What happened to my sweet baby girl?
Okay, that's more than enough complaining. On a positive note, Bella is Army crawling like crazy. She loves crawling on the tile and is quite efficient. Her mobility means she gets into everything. Her favorite places to crawl include one of the surround sound speakers and the door stopper by the front door. She also enjoys watching the dogs through the sliding glass door when they are outside. Today she was "yelling" at them and banging on the window when they would bark. I have no idea where she learned this... umm, yes I do, as she has probably seen me do it a million times.
When Ian was the only one who was able to console her this evening, for a moment, my feelings were actually hurt. It was like mommy wasn't good enough for her and the more I tried to console her, the more upset she got. I quickly got over this when I saw the smile that came across her face once Ian picked her up. I do love the bond she and Ian share and I'm glad he was there to wipe away her tears. I always knew she would be daddy's little girl and man, does she have him wrapped around her little finger!
Busy season is in full swing and Ian has been getting pulled in multiple directions at work. Tonight he has been working at home and estimates he will most likely be working until at least midnight. I teased him at dinner and suggested that maybe he should learn better time management skills. I think I offended him, but I assured him that I was merely teasing him. Ian juggles work and home very well and does so much around the house. He helps out with Bella, chores and other things that pop up. Bella is thankful for such a great daddy and I am thankful for such a great husband.
Well, that pretty much sums up our day. Bella is asleep and I am right behind her. Unfortunately, Ian will be working late and his date with the sand man will be delayed. Hopefully tomorrow will bring better moods for Bella and me. Here's to hoping...
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Let me begin by saying, I love Bella very much and I love being able to stay at home with her, but days like today make it very difficult for me to enjoy this luxury. Bella has been extremely fussy this week and today is no exception. She woke up twice last night but managed to get herself back to sleep after a few minutes. When she woke up for the day, she was crying, which is not like her and I knew that today was going to be a very long day. Bella usually plays very well by herself and can entertain herself while I wash dishes or start a load of laundry... usually. Today she whined while I washed dishes and cried when I went outside to let the dogs inside. She fought her morning nap AND her afternoon nap. And, when I woke Bella up from her afternoon nap, she was not happy. She screamed and screamed, until I handed her to Ian and she fine. While playing with Bella on the floor, she was very rough with me and tried to head butt me several times. What happened to my sweet baby girl?
Okay, that's more than enough complaining. On a positive note, Bella is Army crawling like crazy. She loves crawling on the tile and is quite efficient. Her mobility means she gets into everything. Her favorite places to crawl include one of the surround sound speakers and the door stopper by the front door. She also enjoys watching the dogs through the sliding glass door when they are outside. Today she was "yelling" at them and banging on the window when they would bark. I have no idea where she learned this... umm, yes I do, as she has probably seen me do it a million times.
When Ian was the only one who was able to console her this evening, for a moment, my feelings were actually hurt. It was like mommy wasn't good enough for her and the more I tried to console her, the more upset she got. I quickly got over this when I saw the smile that came across her face once Ian picked her up. I do love the bond she and Ian share and I'm glad he was there to wipe away her tears. I always knew she would be daddy's little girl and man, does she have him wrapped around her little finger!
Busy season is in full swing and Ian has been getting pulled in multiple directions at work. Tonight he has been working at home and estimates he will most likely be working until at least midnight. I teased him at dinner and suggested that maybe he should learn better time management skills. I think I offended him, but I assured him that I was merely teasing him. Ian juggles work and home very well and does so much around the house. He helps out with Bella, chores and other things that pop up. Bella is thankful for such a great daddy and I am thankful for such a great husband.
Well, that pretty much sums up our day. Bella is asleep and I am right behind her. Unfortunately, Ian will be working late and his date with the sand man will be delayed. Hopefully tomorrow will bring better moods for Bella and me. Here's to hoping...
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Rainy Day Blues
When I woke up this morning, I made a mental note for myself to water the plants in the front yard before the sun was at it's peak. I went into the garage, found the watering can and filled it up. As I was watering the plants, I was quickly reminded of the family of birds who have taken up residency in one of our trees in the front yard. I could hear the baby birds chirping and caught a few glimpses of the mama bird. She flew in and out of the tree, as if she was warning me that I was too close to the nest. I have watched Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds" and I consider myself a sensible person, so I quickly finished watering the plans and ran for my life. No sooner did I finish watering the plants that good old mother nature reminded me that she calls the shots... and it began to rain. Okay, it poured. It just goes to show that whenever I water my outdoor plants, it will always rain. Forget weather forecasts and all the scientific mumbo jumbo, if I water my plants, it will rain.
The rain did assist in a marathon nap for Bella in the morning. The child slept for 3.5 hours! Despite multiple losses of electricity, Bella's trusty white noise machine remained on and she slept... and slept... and slept. She slept though play group and she almost slept through lunch. Luckily we were able to meet up with a few friends for lunch and run a few errands before her afternoon nap. As exhausted as she was after running around all afternoon, she fought her afternoon nap, but has since surrendered to the sand man.
Bella has not been her usual, happy self the last few days. She has been fussier than usual and quite clingy. During her 10-month photo session yesterday, she screamed and cried... the entire time! She has never done this at a photo session and it was a really awful experience for Bella, myself and the photographer. She managed to crack a few smiles in between her bouts of crying, so I was able to select a few good pictures to purchase. We will be going back sometime this month and hopefully Bella will be her cute, jolly self. I think she may be teething, so I'll give her a mulligan for the time being.
I'm hoping it will rain again tonight so that I won't have to water my plants in the morning... wishful thinking, I suppose.
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
The rain did assist in a marathon nap for Bella in the morning. The child slept for 3.5 hours! Despite multiple losses of electricity, Bella's trusty white noise machine remained on and she slept... and slept... and slept. She slept though play group and she almost slept through lunch. Luckily we were able to meet up with a few friends for lunch and run a few errands before her afternoon nap. As exhausted as she was after running around all afternoon, she fought her afternoon nap, but has since surrendered to the sand man.
Bella has not been her usual, happy self the last few days. She has been fussier than usual and quite clingy. During her 10-month photo session yesterday, she screamed and cried... the entire time! She has never done this at a photo session and it was a really awful experience for Bella, myself and the photographer. She managed to crack a few smiles in between her bouts of crying, so I was able to select a few good pictures to purchase. We will be going back sometime this month and hopefully Bella will be her cute, jolly self. I think she may be teething, so I'll give her a mulligan for the time being.
I'm hoping it will rain again tonight so that I won't have to water my plants in the morning... wishful thinking, I suppose.
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Monday, February 28, 2011
We're Famous!
This weekend we celebrated Grandma Ruth's birthday by going to Buca di Beppo. Our last time at a family style restaurant with Ian's family did not go very well, so I was very hesitant to go to Buca di Beppo, but it turned out to be a fun evening out. Bella was the center of attention and enjoyed the attention she received from patrons and waitresses. Bella was not having her pureed pasta and chicken meal, so we shared our chicken parmigiana and pasta with her... and she LOVED it! She also used her sippy cup to drink her formula and finished the entire sippy cup. What a big girl!
Grandma Ruth spent the night and watched Bella so Ian and I could get some chores completed around the house. We power washed the lanai and the front of the house. We also trimmed the hedges and pulled out some plants that did not make it through winter. Let me just say... power washing is awesome! I love seeing the results and I love not having to use harsh chemicals to get rid of dirt and grim. We began power washing the driveway, but stopped about a quarter into the project because it would have taken all day. It's amazing how dirty our driveway and I cannot wait to finish the project. We also finished cleaning the interior of our house and it feels great starting the week with such a clean house!
Last night we had some new friends over for dinner, James, Jodi and their two adorable (and well behaved) children. Ian and James work together and Jodi and I have been getting to know each other via email. They just moved to Florida and they live in the same community as our friends Paul and Lisa. They seem to really like the house and neighborhood, but I don't think they're very fond of the weather. Who doesn't love 85 degree weather in February?!? Okay, okay... I kid, I kid! Anyway... they're both really nice people and their children are super cute. Their daughter is almost 3 years-old and their son is 9 months-old, so Bella got on very well with them. I think the the favorite toy(s) of the evening (for the babies) were James' shoes. It was funny watching the two little ones untie James' shoe, over and over again. Jodi is working on her master's degree, works from home, raises two kids and blogs. She blogs DAILY and she is the reason I have resolved to keep up with my blog. We actually made it into her blog (only good things)! Woo-hoo, we're famous!
This week Bella and I have a few things on the agenda. I need to take Bella to get her 10-month photos done, we have a huge consignment sale to attend, we have a play date in Tampa to attend and of course her twice a week physical therapy appointments. I'm sure there are a few other things I'm forgetting, but these are the ones I can remember. I'm fairly tired this morning because Bella woke up several times last night and of course my insomnia joined the party. I was awake from 3:30am-5:00am, which was not fun, but thankfully, I managed to fall back to sleep for a few hours. We let Bella cry-it-out last night because this is the method we have been using since our return from Baltimore in January. We obviously ensure all of her needs have been met (i.e. hunger/diaper/pain) and if all these needs have been met, we then allow her to self soothe. She never cries for more than 10-15 minutes and it works for us.
Well even though we have a clean house... I have a TON of laundry to do. The early bird gets the worm... or her laundry finished, so I'd better get to it!
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
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