10 things I love about Maryland!

I was reading my hometown newspaper today The Baltimore Sun (online) and they ran an article about the top 100 things The Baltimore Sun loves about Baltimore. I decided to take a moment to pay homage to my home state and town. Here is my take on 10 things I love about Maryland...

1. Steamed crabs - Maryland steam crabs are unlike any seafood you've ever had. Delicious.

2. Ocean City - The only Atlantic Ocean beach access in MD and it's one of a kind.

3. Western Maryland - The beautiful mountains and my home for 4 years.

4. Snowballs - It's not a snow cone, damn it!

5. Berger cookies - Short bread cookies with chocolate ganache, need I say more?

6. Ravens - Crab cakes and football, that's what Maryland does!

7. Orioles - So they haven't won the World Series since 1983? I'm not a fair weather fan.

8. Utz Potato Chips - The B-E-S-T potato chips in the world!

9. Preakness - The second race in the triple crown and the only time it's cool to be seen at Pimlico.

10. Charm City Cakes - The bakery that designed and baked our wedding cake.

The heat is unbearable in Maryland this week. Yesterday it was 100 degrees and with the heat index, it felt like 120 degrees! I can't imagine what that must have felt like. I've experienced 100+ degree temperatures in Las Vegas, but that was dry heat. In Maryland, the humidity is awful during the summer and rivals the humidity here in Florida. Today it's supposed to be 102 degrees and the heat index will make it feel like it's 120 degrees... again. So to all of my faithful readers in the North East, crank up the a/c and try to stay cool!

Love always,

Ian, Kim & Bella

Bella's Rocking Horse

Last summer, while Grandma Ruth was on vacation, she bought Bella a rocking horse from an antique shop in North Carolina. I will be honest and say that at first sight, I wasn't the least bit excited about the rocking horse and I doubted it's potential. That being said, I have eaten my words and I am beyond excited about this rocking horse!


The rocking horse was made in 1940, which makes it 71-years-old. It has the original label with the manufacturing company and year in which it was manufactured, which will be reapplied once the rocking horse is refinished. Grandma Ruth dropped off the rocking horse about two weeks ago so that it could be stripped. We selected the stain and finish today and I am anticipating the addition of this beautiful rocking horse to our family. The plan is to pass this rocking horse down to each generation and the thought of beginning a new tradition brings me great excitement.


Bella and I met Grandma Ruth in South Tampa at an antique restoration shop this afternoon. We've passed the shop thousands of times, but never noticed it until today. It's a little old shop called Dave A. Nores Antique Restoration and is located just down the street from where we used to live. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside it houses beautiful antique furniture. I like unique pieces of furniture, so this place was right up my alley. It made me want to restore and refinish the antique sewing machine I inherited from Ian's Great Aunt Helen. 


The shop should have the rocking horse restored by next week and I definitely will post pictures once it's in our house. Even though it's an antique, it's a children's toy and so Bella will be able to play with it. In fact, Bella can't wait to rock on her new rocking horse! I can't believe Bella will have a rocking horse that is 70 years older than her... that's crazy! 


Okay, that's enough about a damn rocking horse... it's funny how your priorities change once you have kids. 


Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella

PT FREE!

After 9 long months of physical therapy appointments twice a week, Bella has finally been discharged from PT! We are so happy that Bella no longer needs PT and I am thankful to have my Tuesday and Friday afternoons back. 


We took Bella for a PT consultation in October 2010, when she was only 6-months-old. She was diagnosed by the pediatrician with torticollis and her neck needed to be stretched. Like I mentioned before, she was a large baby and I'm definitely not a large woman, so the torticollis likely developed in utero. It's a relatively common occurrence, but Bella's torticollis was pretty severe. After several months of stretching and exercises, her torticollis improved dramatically. We weren't finished with PT just yet...


Around the age of 9-months-old, Bella was still army crawling and appeared to have no desire to crawl on her hands and knees. I informed the physical therapist of my concern and she agreed that Bella was having some issues with crawling, possibly due to the torticollis. After a few months of working on some gross motor skills, Bella was crawling like a pro. Again, we weren't finished with PT just yet...


When Bella turned 1, she still had yet to take her first step and wasn't cruising yet. She would occasionally pull herself up in her crib, but wasn't consistent with pulling up. I expressed my concerns to the physical therapist and she decided to begin working with Bella on pulling up and walking. Bella hated the exercises but cooperated for the most part. I used to observe Bella during her PT sessions, but she began putting on a show for me and refused to cooperate. Once I left the room, she would work hard and cooperated so much better. And, at the age of 14-months, Bella took her first unassisted steps. But we weren't quite finished with PT...


Today at PT, Bella walked down the long hallway (about 50 feet) from the PT room to the front door. She babbled and giggled the entire way and greeted me with a huge smile. The physical therapist said she didn't see a reason for Bella to remain in PT and that she's made great strides (pun intended). And with that, Bella was officially discharged from PT.


Bella isn't consistently walking on her own yet, but she's improving each and every day. Today for example, she walked around the family room the entire day and walked to Ian when he arrived home from work. Within a few weeks and months, her walking should improve and we'll forget what it was like to have a non-walking child. It was comforting to have the encouragement and support of the physical therapist, pediatrician and neurologist throughout this experience. Now if I could only stop people from commenting and asking questions regarding Bella's walking... oh well! 


Our little trooper worked hard at her last PT session and is worn out. She took a 3 hour nap this afternoon and went to bed this evening without any protest. She is fast asleep and I'm not too far behind her... nighty night y'all!


Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella

Girls day in

Our weekly babysitter has family in town, so she took the day off to spend with her family. To be honest, it was nice to have a break from having the babysitter and I will definitely won't feel guilty when she comes next week. I haven't been feeling well, so Bella and I had a girls day in. I'd say we both spent the day in our pajamas, but Bella spent the majority of the day in only her diaper and I spent the majority of the day in my pajamas.

She played very well by herself for most of the morning and I read a few books with her as she brought them to me. This child loves her books! She takes them off her shelf and brings them to us. When we finish a book and try to put it down, Bella picks the book up and asks you to read it again! Some days I read the same book to her 10-15 times! It does get a little monotonous, but I can't refuse reading to my child. We brought a few new and forgotten about toys to entertain her and she was busy for most of the morning. Thankfully she still takes a morning nap, so when 9:30am rolled around, I was more than ready to lay her down for a nap. She napped for nearly 3 hours! Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep but I was able to rest on the couch for a few hours.

After her morning nap, we had lunch and more play time. We stacked blocks and giggled as we watched them fall down. Bella played in her Bumbo seat for about 20 minutes, climbing in and out... in and out. I then came across a Lifetime movie that peaked my interest and so I watched a movie on the couch while Bella played a few feet away from me. Every now and then I'd get off my butt to go play with her, but I'm not kidding when I say the child played very well by herself. She talked to her toys, rocked her stuffed animals in her arms and danced. It's adorable to watch her play pretend with her toys. That little imagination is growing day by day!

Working hard.

Violet in the Bumbo seat.

Bella riding her zebra.

Stacking blocks and cups on the coffee table.

I had a follow up appointment with our primary care physician in the afternoon that turned out to be the longest appointment ever! Maybe it was because I had an over-tired 15-month-old with me or because I didn't feel well, but the appointment seemed to take forever. We waited in the waiting room for about 30 minutes and were finally taken back. We waited an additional 15 minutes to see the ARNP. She went over the ER discharge paperwork with me and explained that she believed the source of the cough to be a viral infection. She said the infection should be clearing up, but the cough could last for weeks! Oy vey! She prescribed a cough medicine for daytime use and one for nighttime use. She also instructed me to use the inhaler 1-2 times a day for the next week. Hopefully these medicines help suppress this nagging cough and I can shake this illness once and for all. By the way, if you're looking for a a great primary care physician in the Riverview/Brandon area, I highly recommend Dr. Mickel Anglin of Anglin Medical Center. His speciality is family and sports medicine and his bedside manner is second to none.

Even though Bella was bored and over-tired, she was a trooper! I wouldn't say that she was an absolute angel, but she did so well. She was talking to people in the waiting room and toddling around for them. She watched as I made my pulse, BP and temperature taken. She appeared relieved when all the poking and prodding didn't involve her. I was a little anxious to bring her with me, but it turned out to be okay. After about an hour of being at the doctor's office, we were on our way home for Bella's afternoon nap. I tried my best to keep her awake in the car and my efforts paid off because she took a 2.5 hour nap! I even had to wake her up because it was getting so late.

I'm going to take some of my nighttime cough medicine and try to get to bed early. Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning after a good night's sleep. Goodnight!

Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella

Do you zulily?!?

About 9 months ago, I was introduced by my dear friend, Jessica S. to zulily.com. It's a super cute website that offers daily, private sales to moms. They've had amazing sales on everything from children's clothing, maternity clothing, nursing bras and even the coveted Ergo baby carrier. The company sends out daily emails and has a ton of listings every day. I recently made my third purchase from zulily and I think it's one of my best purchases yet. Thanks to Jessica S., I am now a zulily junkie and browse the various sales each and every day. 


For Easter, I ordered Bella an adorable Silly Goose pink and white smocked Easter bubble. It was so cute and had adorable little Easter bunny smocking. She looked beautiful and the outfit and I paid about half price for the outfit. I didn't get a great deal on this outfit, but I ordered it last minute and it was holiday specific. The outfit retails for $64 and I paid $34.99 for it. 

Last month I order Bella a Rosalina yellow and blue smocked two-piece set with seahorse smocking. I thought it would be festive for her to wear it to the aquarium or Sea World. I paid a little more than I would like to admit for the outfit, but it was really cute. The outfit retails for $68, but I only paid $34.99. 

A few days later, I saw bright and colorful patterns from Claire & Charlie. I bought Bella a pink and white seersucker two-piece outfit with pink polkadot trim. I'll probably have my friend Sara embroider Bella's initials or name on it for me (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). I also bought Bella a paisley print Claire & Charlie bubble. The two-piece outfit retails for $66 and the bubble retails for $78, but I only paid $68.98 for both outfits! 

I know you're thinking that I paid way too much for clothes for a 15-month-old, who may only wear each outfit once or twice, but I couldn't resist! I love dressing Bella in beautiful clothes and she is worth every penny. I rarely buy clothes for myself any more, so I enjoy splurging on adorable outfits for my darling daughter. Plus, depending upon if and when we have another child, I plan on either reusing or consigning Bella's clothes (depending upon the gender). The best part about zulily is that you can receive $15 for each person you refer once they make a purchase from zulily. Check out the zulily website and use my link if you are new and want to make a purchase: my zulily link. New sales are listed daily and new brands are offered from time to time. 


Anyway, we've had a relaxing day at home and we've been able to catch up on work and housework. Now we're off to meet Grandma Ruth for dinner in West Chase. Enjoy the rest of the day y'all!


Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella

A long and eventful day

Like I mentioned yesterday, I developed a cough that persisted throughout much of the afternoon. I thought I had a tickle in my throat because or was irritating it. I didn't feel sick, I just had a nagging, dry cough. When I woke up today, I was still coughing but I couldn't catch my breath. 


Bella and I were playing in the family room this morning and every time I coughed, it felt like my lungs were on fire and I couldn't get enough air. It really hurt to breathe. I called Ian and asked if Grandma Ruth could come over so I could go to the doctor. Grandma Ruth was busy, so Ian said he'd come home because he didn't want me to drive myself to the doctor. He even called the doctor for me, who suggested we go immediately to the ER because I was having difficulty breathing. This F-R-E-A-K-E-D me out! I started crying, which made it more difficult for me to breathe and so I called my friend, Sara, who came running down to our house. I handed her Bella and went to sit down in the family room. I was worried that I'd pass out or something and Bella would be all by herself. Luckily, a few minutes after Sara got there, I was able to calm myself down and try to get my breathing under control. 


Ian arrived home a few minutes later and we went to the ER at Brandon Hospital. I was taken back immediately and then I began getting upset again. I don't like hospitals and I especially don't like being in control of my own body. Every time I coughed, I was in pain and I had difficulty catching my breath. After being seen by a nurse and a physician's assistant, a battery of tests were ordered and I was given an IV. The PA ordered something to open up my airway and for the pain. Within a few minutes of receiving the medications, I was feeling better. It didn't hurt to breathe, I wasn't struggling to catch my breath and I felt in control again. Since I was having chest pains, the PA ordered a blood test and chest x-ray to rule out any blood clots. You see, my sister has Factor II/prothrombin mutation which causes her blood to clot more than normal. It's genetic, so when the PA asked if any immediate family members had any clotting disorders, I had to answer yes. Luckily the test came back negative and my chest x-ray came back normal. The PA diagnosed me with an upper respiratory infection and asthma. 


I felt stupid going to the ER for an upper respiratory infection, but I have never experienced trouble breathing. Our primary care physician recommended we go to the ER, so that's exactly what we did. I still need to follow up with our PCP on Monday and I will discuss the asthma diagnosis. I've had allergies my entire life, but I've never had asthma. Both of my parents have asthma, so it could be a  possibility. The inhaler the PA prescribed works wonders and it really opens up my airways. Hopefully it's just illness induced asthma and not chronic asthma... keep your fingers crossed! The PA also prescribed a pain reliever and antibiotics. I feel much better since taking the medications and a nap. Hopefully I'll be back to normal within a day or two. 


I'd better get some more rest. It's the weekend and we have no formal plans for the weekend. I see a lot of rest and relaxation in our future. Both Ian and I deserve it. 


Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella


P.S. A huge thank you to Sara and Ian. She stopped what she was doing, ran down in her pajamas and was ready to drive me (and three kids) to the ER. Thank you so much Sara! Ian left work early and spent the entire day ensuring I was feeling better. Thank you so much Ian!

Let there be light!

We had to cancel on our weekly play date today because we had an electrician come to the house to install our new chandeliers installed. We recently picked out new chandeliers for our foyer and dining room. The fixtures that came with the house were pretty plain and basic. Grandma Ruth found a chandelier at Home Depot that she thought we might like and it turns out she was right, because both Ian and I liked it. Now came the issue of who was going to change out the fixture in the foyer because the ceiling in the foyer is 20 feet. Needless to say the new chandeliers sat in the garage for a few weeks while we got a game plan together.


While Grandma Ruth was here on Tuesday, she called around to various electricians and finally received a reasonable quote. Some places were quoting her $300-500! But Brandon Electric gave her a quote of $105-135, which was much more reasonable. The electric work was all there, we just needed someone to switch out the fixture in the foyer. Grandpa Don was supposed to switch out the fixture in the dining room because the ceiling are only 8 feet. Grandma Ruth decided that Brandon Electric would be the best company to hire and so I made an appointment for today between 1pm-3pm.


Fortunately, the guys from Brandon Electric showed up early and were out of here well before Bella's nap time. The head electrician actually used to be a superintendent for M/I Homes and helped build our house, so he was quite familiar with our house. If anyone ever needs an electrician in the Brandon/Riverview area, I would definitely recommend Brandon Electric. Their prices are reasonable and their electricians are knowledgable and friendly. Here are a few pictures of our new chandeliers:

New chandelier in the foyer

Another angle of the new chandelier. 

New chandelier in the dining room.

Another angle of the new chandelier.

It's funny how something so simply can really spruce up a room. We've replaced all but 2 lighting fixtures in our house since moving in 3.5 years ago. Had we actually designed the house and picked out the fixtures, we wouldn't be doing these little projects, but it probably saved us a ton of money in the long run. So what do y'all think?!? 

Bella and I are off to dinner with Grandma Ruth. We were supposed to stay over night in a hotel room she had booked, but I started coughing this afternoon and can't seem to shake it. I would hate to be coughing all night long and keeping Grandma Ruth and Bella awake. Everyone will sleep much better if Bella and I just stay home. 

Love always,

Ian, Kim & Bella

Change of plans

Last week our play group planned a trip to the aquarium, so when we woke up this morning we were planning on meeting our friends at the aquarium. Bella woke up at 7am and so her morning nap would occur around 10am, however we were meeting our friends at 11:30am, so I put her down at 9:30am. She fought her nap for about 15 minutes and finally fell asleep. I was planning on waking her up by 10:45am so that we could make it by 11:30am. Well apparently we weren't the only family experiencing a crazy morning, so our plans fell through. I figured Bella would take her usual 2-hour nap, but she had other plans and was awake by 10:30am. We were without plans for the day, so I decided we would do a little retail therapy.


Like I mentioned the other day, Gymboree was having their "gymbucks" redemption sale, so we headed to the mall. They recently released new collections that were absolutely adorable! There was also a bunch of stuff on sale from older collections which was super cute. Before sales and coupons, all of this would have cost me $167.45! I would be crazy to pay retail! I only paid $62.78, redeemed $50 worth of "gymbucks" and here is what I got:

Gymboree loot

Bella and I had lunch at the mall and walked around for a bit and then decided to head to Ellenton. I wanted to check out the stride rite outlet after our shoe fiasco yesterday. Ellenton is only about 30 miles from our house so it's not too bad of a drive. I ended up getting Bella a pair of shoes for $32.99, which was about $10 cheaper than the regular stride rite store. They had some better deals, but had limited sizes. It was almost impossible to find size 4.5 shoes that I actually liked! Luckily I found a cute pair of shoes and decided to buy them since they were on sale. We also hit up the Gymboree outlet, but I couldn't justify spending more money at Gymboree today. We left Ellenton and headed home for Bella's afternoon nap. Unfortunately she fell asleep for about 10 minutes on the way home. She is currently in her crib, talking to herself... I hope she talks herself to sleep!

We have dinner plans tonight with our friend Ryan and his parents, who are in town visiting for the week. We usually try to get together with Ryan's parents when they're in town because they are really great people. And we're going to one of my favorite restaurants, Bella's, in South Tampa. I can't wait to have some yummy Italian food! 

Since Bella is supposed to be napping, I think I'm going to try to get a nap in, too. While I was a little disappointed our plans changed, today turned out to be a great mommy/daughter day with Bella. I love days like today!

Love always,

Ian, Kim & Bella

The joys of womanhood...

Last night was a rough night... I woke up at 3am with the worst cramps! I'm talking about cramps that rival contractions during labor. Okay, perhaps I'm being a little dramatic, but the cramps were pretty bad. So bad that I eventually threw up. I dug out the heating pad and laid with the heating pad until I finally fell asleep around 6am. Ahh, the joys of womanhood!


I didn't know how I would get through the day being so sleep deprived. Fortunately Grandma Ruth was willing to lend a helping hand and came over to watch Bella while I took a long (and much needed) nap. After my nap I was feeling a lot better, thanks to the heating pad, prescription strength ibuprofen and sleep. Stephanie and Connor stopped by to pick something up from our house and Grandma Ruth invited everyone to go to lunch. So we went to lunch at the mall so we could return a pair of shoes. Lunch at Ruby Tuesday was chaotic, but enjoyable because Stephanie and I are on the same page with our kids and parenting. We're not going to leave a restaurant because our kids are acting like maniacs, we just give sympathetic smiles and encourage each other to be patient. The kids had fun sharing snacks and passing crayons back and forth, so it was well worth it. 


stride rite... don't even get me started! I wish there was another reputable kids shoe store but unfortunately stride rite is pretty much it. I know we could order shoes online, but I'd rather be in a store so Bella can try the shoe on. I've never had a great experience at a stride rite store because it always seems to be crowded and hectic. Today's experience was no different and we ended up walking out without returning the shoes and empty handed. Luckily, Grandma Ruth called the stride rite at Citrus Park Mall and they have the shoes we want in the size we need. Bella has extremely tiny feet and so she is limited in which styles are available. She wears a size 4.5 shoe, which is pretty much average shoe size for a 6-9-month-old. But I do love those tiny feet! 


Oh, and why the hell does a children's shoe store only have ONE sales associate working?!? This chick was out numbered and completely overwhelmed. She will probably never have children after working at stride rite. 


Well, I've got a date with a heating pad and some ibuprofen. Such an exciting evening! =)


Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella

Busy Day

It's amazing how much I can accomplish when Bella is with the babysitter! This morning I went to the gym, ran errands, got a pedicure and did multiple loads of laundry while the babysitter was watching Bella. Thank goodness we have a regular babysitter because otherwise I wouldn't be able to accomplish so many things, so quickly. And Grandma Ruth is always ready, willing and able to watch Bella when we need her. 


I hadn't been to the gym in several months and I've been meaning to get back into a routine, it just took a little longer than expected. Our gym is a mecca for moms and kids during the summer because it has multiple pools and a mini splash park. The parking lot is full but once I went inside, the gym wasn't nearly as crowded as I had originally thought. I did an hour and a half worth of cardio and it felt good. Being physically active is something I've always enjoyed, it's just a lot more difficult to get to the gym when you have a toddler who naps twice a day. My goal is to get to the gym 2-3 times a week before Bella's morning nap. She does well in the childcare center at the gym and it gives me peace of mind knowing that she is having fun while I'm working out. 


I stopped home briefly after the gym to shower and said hi to Bella. I treated myself to a pedicure and even splurged on a shellac nail polish. The shellac nail polish is different than typical nail polish in that it dries instantly when placed under a UV light and lasts up to 14-days without smudging or chipping. The nail technician said since I was getting a pedicure, the shellac nail polish should last 4 weeks without chipping. Like I mentioned before, it's a little more expensive than a regular pedicure, but if it lasts 4 weeks and looks as good as when I walk out of the nail salon, then it's worth the extra money to me. I'll let y'all know how long the shellac nail polish lasts and if I recommend getting it done or not. 


I ran errands and returned home to finish up a few loads of laundry. I really need to devise a better system of doing laundry. Currently I wait about 2-3 weeks to wash all of my clothes and so I have 3-4 loads of just my own laundry. Add another 2-3 loads for Bella and another 1-2 loads for household items and I'm stuck inside the laundry all day! Ian typically washes his own clothes (yes, he does his own laundry) and so that lightens my loads of laundry a little bit. I did 6 loads of laundry today which means I'll have 6 loads worth of clothes to either hang up or fold and put away in drawers. Geez, laundry really is a never ending chore!!!


It's been a long and productive day and I'm exhausted! I also haven't been feeling the best and so I'm hoping to get into bed early tonight. Hopefully I'll wake up feeling better tomorrow. So it's off to bed for me with a heating pad and some Advil. Nighty-night!


Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella