Julia R. Julia R.
Please give a warm welcome to our newest celebrity blogger, Catherine Bell! The actress — mom to son Ronan, 9 months, and daughter Gemma, 8, with husband Adam Beason — stars on Army Wives and can next be seen in the TV movie Last Man Standing, premiering on Lifetime June 6 at 8 p.m.
Bell, 42, can also be found online on Facebook and @reallycb on Twitter. In her first blog, the actress introduces you to her family and talks about life at home in Charleston, S.C.
Hello!! I’m so excited to talk with you about my favorite thing: babies and mommy-hood! Looking forward to sharing stories and experiences and hearing from you guys.
I can’t believe my baby is already 9 months old! Where did the time go?! And my other “baby” just turned 8 … wow! Let me back up a minute here and actually introduce you to the family:
ME: Well, I’m a mom! That’s my most important and most rewarding job! I’m also a wife, of course. And an actress. 
These days I’m on Army Wives on Lifetime and we film in Charleston, S.C. where my husband and I decided to relocate to full time (even though we only film 6-7 months out of the year). Mainly to give our daughter the stability and consistency of her school and friends — and it’s a great place to raise a family!
The show is an ensemble cast, which means I’m fortunate enough to have 1-2 days off a week while other characters film their work … so I get lots of time being a mom and I love that!
ADAM: My hubby of 17 years!!! Very proud of that (especially in our sometimes crazy business). We’ve been together 19 years! Am I that old?! LOL.
He’s a screenwriter, which means he can work from anywhere, so I get to have him with me on location. Though I end up traveling a lot for work, so sometimes we have to juggle who stays home with the kids for shorter trips, or we all go together for longer trips.
He’s amazing! A very hands-on daddy. I’ve worked through both pregnancies and was back to work 2-3 months after each baby was born, so he’s probably actually changed more diapers than I have (and that’s a scary thought, because I know I’ve changed A LOT)!
Adam and I just did our first project together — Last Man Standing. He co-wrote it and I starred in and produced it. It’s a Bourne Identity-esque action movie for Lifetime that airs June 6th!
Gale Anne Hurd (the amazing producer of Terminator and Aliens, The Abyss, both Hulk movies, Walking Dead, etc etc!) executive produced it. What an experience working with her. Amazing. Very proud of the product!
I still can’t believe the baby was 9 weeks old when we started filming that movie. That was the best incentive to keep working out and eating well while I was pregnant and right after. People ask me how I lost the baby weight: do an action movie where you’re in every scene nine weeks after baby!! No pressure! Ha!
GEMMA: My beautiful, sweet 8-year-old girl. She is the best big sister. I’m so proud of her.
There was maybe a two week adjustment period where she wasn’t so sure about this new little creature that was getting SO much attention. Even though we did our best to give her equal amounts of attention … it was still different than being an only child for seven years!
BUT … after a couple weeks, she got used to that and became so sweet and protective and helpful. She’s like his second mommy! We are so lucky. She helps feed him and watch him … or sometimes just entertains herself while we have to take care of him.
For us, the age difference has been perfect. With work and travel, it was nice to enjoy just her and now to have the best little helper!
RONAN: Our little boy! Born August 21 in Charleston S.C.! Yes, in the middle of Charleston’s hot and VERY humid summer. This L.A. girl had an interesting time being pregnant in that heat and humidity! BUT… it was all so worth it the second I laid eyes on him. Thick black hair and gorgeous blue eyes … what a combo. I was instantly in love. My “little man”.
The second baby has been a little easier. Maybe because you know what you’re getting into, or you’re more relaxed about it all … and it seems Ronan’s picked up on this because he’s pretty easy going.
I’m always amazed at how much of their personality you can see so early on. Ronan is a very “go with the flow” kind of guy. We’ve been having so much fun with him. His “boy” energy is very apparent. Inquisitive, wanting to grab (and eat!) everything. He looks at things like he wants to take them apart and try to put them back together. Cracks me up.
He loves to scoot around in his little car thing or do the “Marine crawl” on his belly, exploring the house and pulling everything off every shelf. We’re going to have our hands full when he starts to walk!
We’re also setting aside a fund for his FOOD. The boy can EAT! Anything and everything. He wants our food though we try to stick to our homemade baby food — organic veggies and fruits and meats, all pureed in the blender. Trying to stick to as much healthy stuff for as long as possible …
In between eating, we do a lot of cuddling! Him and his sister or with Mom and Dad. He’s so sweet. Loves to cuddle and caress my face while we read or have a bottle before bed or nap time. The best!
As you can see, I love having another baby. It’s a lot of work for sure and having a second didn’t double the work … it made it exponential! But man it’s worth every second when you get a little smile from them. Or when you see the siblings sharing a sweet moment.
I have a journal for each child that I started when I was pregnant with them and I try to write some of those special moments in there when I can. It’s so fun to look back and remember the adorable things they did and said (you think you’ll remember but I’m always amazed that I don’t! Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation…).
Well, hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know my family a little bit. Looking forward to your thoughts and hearing about your families!
XOXO,
– Catherine Bell
