CeCe's first baseball game

Being the second child means that many of CeCe's firsts are happening a lot sooner than Bella's. Today, CeCe attended her first Rays game with us and we all had a fabulous time. I wish every sporting event could be a family event, but unfortunately, that won't be the case for awhile. Today's baseball game was courtesy of Bella's friend, Logan and his parents, in celebration of his birthday. We received the royal treatment with parking passes and an afternoon in a suite at the 'Trop. It was awesome.

We arrived just in time for the first pitch and we stayed the entire duration of the game. This is something we have never done with Bella and I was initially anxious about arriving so "early." It turns out toddlers love suites in sports stadiums as much as adults do because the kids practically entertained themselves. They ate popcorn, peanuts and ran around the suite like maniacs for 9-innings of baseball. The kids could be as loud and as obnoxious as they wanted to be and with the exception of Bella spilling her popcorn on the poor woman sitting in front of the suite, the afternoon went beautifully. The kids chase each other around the hightop tables and climbed the mini-stairs. It was great to share a suite with five other toddlers, two other infants and their parents (of course)!

CeCe enjoyed the baseball game from the vantage point of my arms, Ian's arms and my friend Stephanie's arms. It was sure nice to have two extra sets of arms around. She even received her "My 1st Rays game" pin which I inscribed with the date to document this fun day. Despite the Rays losing (which was a positive thing for my Orioles) and the monsoon we were greeted with after the game, we had a relaxing and fun afternoon with our friends. The kids took naps on the way home and went to bed early... what more could a mother ask for?!?

By the way, there are pictures of this splendid day... I just need to "borrow" them from my friend Stephanie. I'm a ding-dong and forgot to bring our camera and failed to take any pictures with either of our phones. Ooops!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

Boo-boo's for Boo-Boo Bella

Today I received a call from an unfamiliar number, knowing that Bella was at school, I immediately assumed it might have been her school calling me. I "googled" the number and sure enough, it was Bella's school. Fortunately I was sitting in the parking lot of her school, waiting for the clock to strike noon, but I headed inside early.

I went inside Bella's classroom and the kids were all sitting down, eating their lunch. Bella was happy to see me and didn't appear to be the least bit upset. Mrs. Finley, Bella's teacher, informed me that Bella had fallen earlier in the day and bit her tongue in the process. There was a lot of blood, but Bella had been cleaned up pretty well and there was only minimal traces of her accident on her dress. Bella then told me, "I hurt my mouth... I cried." Aww, my poor baby! It really broke my heart to hear this. It could have been a lot worse and I'm glad the teacher was comfortable enough to discuss the incident with me, rather than me receiving an incident report from the administration. I did receive an incident report, but I feel so much better hearing it straight from the source.

Kids are kids and will always get bumps and bruises. I hate it when my kids get hurt. I wish I could switch places with them and take their pain into my own body. Obviously this is impossible, but I can trust that my kids will be comforted by those around them. I think I'll take my little Boo-Boo Bella out for some frozen yogurt after dinner to help numb that sore tongue.

It's going to be difficult switching schools this fall, but it must be done. We've already paid the registration fee, a month's tuition, supply fee and other odds and ends. It makes sense financially for us to send her to the new preschool (one week's tuition at her current school is the price of the ENTIRE month at her new school). While I love the school she attends now, it can wait. Our plans are to enroll her in her current school again next summer, fall and then again for VPK (in two years). Her new school will be wonderful (everyone we know - 5-6 people - who have sent their children there rave about it) and we are looking forward to having a more open schedule during the week. Plus, she can have lunch bunch with a few of her older pals, who will be in VPK this fall.

Anyway... I should have been napping this afternoon, but I felt the need to get some stuff accomplished while the kids are sleeping. The babysitter was here this morning so I was able to run a few errands AND get a massage and pedicure. Both were much needed and well deserved... it was amazing! We'll be heading to the gym this afternoon for my daily workout. Woo-hoo! Ian was already at the gym early this morning, while the girls and I slept. I'll work out, the girls will play in the child care center and then we'll head home for dinner with daddy. Happy Hump Day, y'all!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

Weight Watchers - Week 3 Update

This week is the third week I've been following Weight Watchers (WW) and working out. I am pleased to report that I am down 3-pounds this week, bringing my total weight loss to 8-pounds. Woo-hoo!

But before I celebrate too much, I was "warned" by WW that this is not considered healthy weight loss. WW would like for me to slow down. I'm not doing anything drastic, like starving myself or working out like crazy. I'm simply sticking to my recommended daily points (40 because I'm nursing) and working out for 60-minutes almost every day. I would be concerned, too, but I'm still producing enough milk for CeCe and I feel better than I have in years. I don't even really have a goal date in mind, so I honestly don't see how this is an issue. So I dropped 3-pounds this week instead of the recommended 2-pounds? I'm sure I'll gain a pound or two another week to make up for it. Haha!

Obviously I'm not trying to lose more weight than I should, but to appease the folks at WW, I will add an extra protein shake to my daily diet to ensure (haha, no pun intended) and boost (total pun intended) my protein intake. I will not cut back on my exercise because I need those 60-minutes at the YMCA every day for my own sanity. Or maybe I will work out for 30-minutes and lay out by the pool for the other 30-minutes?!?

Only 7-pounds to go on my quest to get back to wedding weight!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

Long live summer!

In Florida, we Floridians live in a summer climate pretty much all year-round! Having moved down here from the north (Maryland) I had to get used to the lack of seasons and it essentially feeling like summer 365-days a year. Fortunately most of my friends and family who live up north (and elsewhere) and I get to live vicariously through their seasons... or I just giggle to myself when they complain about it being too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter.

Shutterfly is calling all loyal followers and new followers to embrace the summer season! It's time to take pictures of your families and friends and design something cute to remember these memories! Shutterfly is sweeting the pot by offering a really cool photo contest, with a grand prize of a trip to the Bahamas, complete with a photo shoot to capture all fun in the sun. If you're interested in entering this photo contest, use this link: 2012 Shutterfly Summer Sweepstakes.

We love Shutterfly and have ordered Christmas cards, birth announcements, calendars and prints. The quality is amazing and the prices are really affordable. So come on all you photags, start taking pictures and check out Shutterfly for super cool projects!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

Cecilia is 3-months-old TODAY!!!

The 4th of July has come and gone and our little Cecilia is now 3-months-old! We celebrated the 4th of July with our friends and their kids, which was a lot of fun. Cecilia is seriously the happiest baby I have ever met. She smiles, giggles, "talks" and rarely cries. We love her more than life itself and she is the perfect addition to our family.

There is no 3-month well check but, but here are some unofficial stats:

Height: about 25 inches (approximately, she is a squirmy baby!)

Weight: about 13 pounds (approximately, conducted while I hold her on the scale).

Sleeping Pattern: CeCe Rose is an amazing little sleeper! She sleeps from 9pm-6am almost every night. Sometimes she wakes up around 3am but we quickly feed her and put her back to bed, and she will then sleep until 8am or even 9am! 

Eating Pattern: CeCe Rose is nursing or eating 4 ounces of expressed breast milk about every 2.5-3 hours. I think we finally have this whole nursing and pumping thing down!

Milestones: CeCe Rose smiles, giggles and "talks"! She coos and babbles all day long, it's pretty adorable. She can roll from her tummy to back and usually does this in her crib or on her play mat. 

Friends: CeCe's crew of little friends include Zach, Tessa and Brynn. We are back to our normal Thursday play dates and it is fantastic!

Current Events: Andy Griffith passed away, a MAJOR heat wave is causing most of the U.S. to sweat it out, Tropical Storm Debby pounded us with about 3-days of non-stop rain and a severe thunderstorm caused our friends and family in Baltimore to be without power for many days... and most importantly Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes filed for divorce (LOL!). 

Happy 3-Month Birthday, Cecilia Rose!

Love always,

Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

She smiles with her entire face! Love it!

Looking VERY patriotic!

Talking with Mom.

Fun in the sun

After a complete wash out last weekend, we spent a great deal of time outdoors this weekend. Our activities included swimming in the pool, playing in the backyard and a trip to the beach. It was a wonderfully relaxing and fun weekend. Too bad tomorrow is Monday, but at least it will be a short week.

We went to the gym and ran a few errands on Saturday morning, including a trip to the mall. I needed new nursing bras (TMI, I know) and we wanted to look at deep freezers (for breast milk storage, TMI again). Mission accomplished and we came home with new bras for me and a new freezer for our garage. We ended up eating at Chick-fil-a because Bella was starving by the time we finished all of our shopping. We were home just in time for naps and some household chores. We wrapped up the afternoon with some swimming and play time on the swing set.

This morning we headed to Treasure Island to hang out with some friends who are renting a house for the summer. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and we spent the majority of our time relaxing under the umbrella. We were right by Caddy's and treated ourselves to some drinks (a vodka soda for me) and delicious food. I wish we could spend more time at the beach, especially with friends, and I am very much looking forward to our upcoming vacation in Siesta Key!

Tomorrow will be a busy day. Bella begins preschool tomorrow, so the entire family will be dropping her off in the morning. I have some paperwork, prescriptions and other odds and ends to bring as well. I already have her clothes laid out for tomorrow and we should be ready to roll bright and early. I don't have plans for while Bella is at school, but I may hit the gym or run a few errands, sans Bella.

It's been a busy weekend and this mama is exhausted! Good night y'all!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

Moving on up!

The 80+ hour weeks have not been in vain... today Ian learned that he will be promoted to Senior Manager at his firm! He is so excited and I am very happy for him. He has worked his tail off to reach this achievement and it is a huge milestone in his career.

Ian received his undergraduate degree at UF in accounting in 1999. He also attended UF for his "5th year" and received his Master's in accountancy in 2000. He made the decision to attend law school at UF and graduated with his J.D. in 2003 and was admitted to the Florida Bar later that year. Rather than entering the legal field, Ian opted to make the most of both of his degrees and accepted a position at one of the "Big 4" accounting firms. He worked his way up to Manager and left this firm in 2009 to accept a position at a local accounting firm. After a year at the local firm, Ian (and I) decided it was time to go back to a "Big 4" firm. In 2010, Ian returned to public accounting and accepted a position at another "Big 4" firm. This is where Ian has been for almost two years and it's where he has really grown. And the REALLY awesome part is that this promotion is one entire year EARLY! He has only been at this firm for 20-months and this type of promotion usually occurs after three years as a manager at the firm!

The girls and I are VERY proud of Ian. This promotion required a lot of sacrifice, hard work and dedication. This promotion required many long days (we're talking 20-hour days, people), out of town trips and weekends of work instead of fun. Both Ian and I knew these things would be required in order for Ian to advance. We planned for it, we argued about it and we cope with it on a daily basis. And if you're thinking "What the heck did Kim do?" and confused about my role, I will gladly tell you. I stay at home and raise our daughters and often do so on my own. When Ian goes in early, works late, works in weekends or travels out of town, I take care of things at home. The days are often long and the nights are often lonely. Such is the life of an accounting widow. It is amazing to see our efforts (especially Ian's) pay off.

So cheers to Ian's promotion and cheers the weekend. What an awesome way to begin a weekend! Congratulations to my smart, driven, caring, loving, understanding and hard working husband on your promotion... you deserve it! We're all so thankful to have you as my husband and Bella & Cecilia's daddy.

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

It's raining, it's pouring

We have been experiencing drought conditions for several months and the lack of rain has certainly been taking it's toll on us. It's been hot and humid, but up until the last few days we've experienced very little rain. Fortunately, Tropical Storm Debby has come along and is saturating us with tons and tons of rain. It has been raining for over 24-hours and that's quite all right with me. We NEED the rain and since we've no place to go... let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!

This morning we headed to the Glazer Children's Museum, but totally forgot to check their hours before going. Unfortunately they were not open until 1pm, so we had to forgo our original plan and make alternate plans. We decided to head to Westshore Mall, since we were already in the area. Oh darn, a trip to the mall, what's a poor mother to do? We were just at the mall yesterday, so I didn't really need anything, but it's always fun to window shop. And yes, I ended up buying a new pair of shoes for Bella at Stride Rite and new bows for Bella since she has been doing such an excellent job keeping bows in lately. Of course we grabbed lunch while we were there, but it wasn't anything exciting, just two really big Greek salads for Ian and myself and chicken strips for Bella. Our trip to the mall was completed with some play time in the indoor playground.

Both girls were passed out by the time we got home and we are currently waiting for them to go back to sleep in their cribs. Ian is currently talking with Bella (via the baby monitor) and the two are in negotiations regarding nap time. I sure hope Bella takes a nap, she was exhausted and could really use the rest. Cecilia is down for the count, bless her little heart. Plus, if both girls take a nap, I can catch a few winks myself!

It's a rainy, laid back Sunday and now that we're home, we can sit back, relax and enjoy the soothing rain. Not much time for relaxation these days, but we make the most of what little time we do have to relax.

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

P.S. At lunch today, Ian said to me, "Are we having fun yet?" to which I replied, "Oh yes!" He then reassured me that he is having fun raising our girls and spending time together as a family. I agreed and said, "I couldn't imagine our lives any other way..." - just another blissful moment, shared with my amazing husband. =)

Decisions, decisions...

Over the past week or so, I've been observing and interacting with Bella in order to obtain a better understand of how to foster that every busy little mind of hers. Each day we had really good moments, okay moments and really bad moments, in terms of behavior. We tried some new things and we relied on some old things. We made it through the week, but we reached a major decision: Bella will be attending school this summer.

Through my observations, I learned that Bella often acts out when she is bored. She is very smart and wants to be stimulated constantly. While she plays very well by herself throughout the day, the times when she needs the extra attention from me, she DEMANDS it. From what I've read, it's completely normal for a 2-year-old, especially a 2-year-old with a new baby sister. And taking the two of them out together by myself is such a chore, especially if one (or both) of my children do not want to ride in the stroller. So going to our usual places like the zoo, aquarium or children's museum during the week seems like such a big production. Plus, I don't feel like I'm able to interact with her the way I used to, when it was just the two of us.

We toured several schools this week and decided on one, however she will only be attending this school during the summer. She is registered to go to a different preschool in the fall and we (along with many of our friends and neighbors) absolutely love the preschool. We plan to use this school as a summer school, if it is needed. The school Bella will be attending this summer is great! The curriculum is good (so it's more than a daycare), the school itself is immaculate and very well kept and the staff seem to be very good, too. I think this school will be a perfect fit for Bella this summer. She even has a little friend, whom she's known since before both girls could crawl. Her friend Gia already attends this school so she will know at least one person in her class. And Gia's mom, Carina, has been a huge help to me and I've asked her a ton of questions regarding this important decision.

Now to the mother's guilt... I feel a great amount of guilt because all I've ever wanted to do is be a mother and stay home to raise my children and here I am shipping Bella off to school at the tender young age of 2! I know this decision is best for our family, but I can't help but feel guilty. The financial aspect bothers me, too. If we're going to be spending all this money on Bella's school, should I not return to work? Obviously now is not the time, as I have a newborn, but the thought did cross my mind. Simply because we can afford it, doesn't mean it's absolutely necessary. Sigh. I suppose I should be used to this mother's guilt thing by now, but I'm not. Everyone else seems so excited about Bella starting school next week, but I have mixed emotions about it. I'm confident in the school's ability to challenge Bella, Bella's ability to absorb everything she is being taught, but I'm sad that my little girl will be starting school. This is a great opportunity for her and it is a huge adjustment for our family.

But, the more I think about it, the more excited I become, as I think about Bella bringing home art work from school or sharing with me something she learned in school that day. Luckily her 5-day school week will only be temporary and she will only have 3-day school weeks in the fall, so we have that to look forward to as well. Last, but not least... what will Bella wear on her first day of school?!?

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia

Weight Watchers

Yesterday I made the decision to join Weight Watchers. While I am 10-pounds less than before I got pregnant with Cecilia, I'd still like to lose a few pounds. I joined the online program so I can keep track of what I'm eating every day. I set a goal of 10-pounds... but in all honesty, I'd be happy dropping 15-pounds or even 20-pounds.

For the first 22 years of my life, I never had an issue with my weight. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, never worked out and never gained a pound. It was awesome. After I graduated college my awesome metabolism began to slow down. I gained a few pounds over the years and before I knew it, I was several pounds heavier than when I graduated college. Was I super skinny, back in the day? Sure. Am I super heavy now? Not at all. We all have a weight that we are most comfortable at and I'd really like to get back to that weight.

But alas... I grew older and my metabolism changed. I gained a few pounds each year and before I knew it, I was the "heaviest" that I had ever been. Luckily for me, my heaviest was a whopping 185-pounds when I was pregnant with Bella. I dropped 40-pounds of that weight within 2-weeks of delivering Bella, as much of that was water weight. I've averaged around 140-pounds over the past few years (after/before pregnancies).

I stepped on the scale the other day and weighed myself... I weighed 140-pounds. I then set a realistic goal of shedding at least 10-pounds, but am aiming for 15-pounds. I didn't give myself a deadline or unrealistic expectations. I joined Weight Watchers online and plan to eat healthier. I also plan to hit the gym several times a week to help tone things up, too. No crazy diets or insane workout regiments, just a healthier lifestyle and hopefully dropping a few pounds along the way.

So here's to my first week on Weight Watchers! Woot woot!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Cecilia