243/365

243/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

I was in a nesting mood today and finished getting some more things around the house ready for the arrival of the new baby. One thing I needed to do was move some framed artwork that we were no longer using into the basement. Some shoes I have been meaning to get rid of needed to get moved out of the nursery closet too. I rearranged a few things in the nursery for better use of space, and brought the bassinet up from the basement. We haven't decided where the bassinet will go yet, since we are getting an old wood cradle that was used when I was a baby from my parents. For right now I am just leaving the bassinet in the living room/dining room and will decide after I see the cradle in our house which will be kept downstairs and which will go in our bedroom.

Kenzie left the bassinet alone until this evening when I moved it into it's current location in the dining room area. I had just put her in her pajamas and she went over and wanted to climb in. I put her in it and covered her with a blanket and she just kept saying "bed" and pretended to go to sleep. She was also enjoying playing with the sheep mobile. Maybe she remembered this from when she was a baby. I almost couldn't get her out though, and I am just hoping that she won't revert back to wanting to be a baby once the new baby arrives.

242/365

242/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

I went out to see my mom and grandparents yesterday, since I figured it was hard on everyone after the passing of one of the family dogs last Thursday. It had also been awhile since my grandparents have seen Kenzie...the last time being on her birthday back in July. While I was out there, my mom and I did a little shopping and after my dad came home we were out on the deck enjoying the weather. Kenzie really wanted to go outside and run around. She found a watering can and started walking all around the yard pretending to water the flowers. She was very proud of herself.

It was strange going to my parent's house and not being greeted by Beau at the back door. He was always the first dog to meet you at the door, while Rocky would stand back and just let Beau greet everyone. Rocky was always the more standoff-ish dog, but he definitely seemed a little more lost without his brother. When my mom and I came home from shopping, he was looking out the window at us, and I think maybe he was hoping we went to get Beau. Sadly, we didn't.

The last time I saw Beau was when we were out at my parents house in early July for grandma's birthday. I always would make a point in saying goodbye to the dogs before we left to head back home, but for some reason that time I didn't do it. I don't know why. I think it was the first time in all the years I have been away from home that I didn't say goodbye. I never even thought that the next time I went to visit, one of them would be gone.

241/365

241/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

Just a shot of some of the items I picked up last week at The Oprah Store for Baby #2. The fabrics are so soft and the colors are so pretty I can hardly wait for her to be able to wear these.

240/365

240/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

It's not Halloween yet, but Kenzie is going to be an owl. ;)

We were out running a couple of errands today, one of which was to find a table lamp for the nursery. I managed to find the perfect table lamp, and also found this great owl costume. I first saw an adorable cupcake costume, but then looked to my right and saw the owl. It was a no brainer which one to get. Of course, I know I overpaid for a Halloween costume, but I don't even care because it's so darn cute. Besides look at that happy smile! I put it on her when we got home and she did not want to take it off. I almost thought we were going to end up going out for dinner with our friends and our little owl. Fortunately, she got distracted watching an Elmo dvd and I managed to get the costume off and tuck it safely away in the closet. I had to get the matching treat bag too. How could I not?

239/365

239/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

"Tears are in your eyes
Tonight
Tears are in your eyes
Every night"

- yo la tengo, tears are in your eyes -

R.I.P. Beau

R.I.P. Beau
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

I just found out tonight that my parents had to make the decision to put down one of the family dogs. Beau was 10 years old this year, but healthy until just recently. A couple of days ago he wasn't eating and was just not like himself at all. Even at his age he still acted like a puppy, ran around full of energy and always begged for food. They took him to the vet who said that they believed he had fungal pneumonia which is extremely difficult to treat. There was also discussion that he may have cancer too, but to know for sure would have required a biopsy or other surgery and at his age would have been risky. He hadn't eaten for a couple of days and was not taking the medication to help clear the pneumonia so my parents were going to admit him to the animal clinic near their house for a few days to make sure he got his medication, but they were told it would be best to take him to the Purdue Animal Hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, after my parents got him there they were told that his chances of surviving were less than 5% and they didn't want my parents to leave him there, knowing that he probably would not make it through the night. My parents had to make the decision to do what was best for Beau.

It seemed to all happen so suddenly. Even though I haven't lived with him since 2003, it's still very hard to know that the next time I go to my parent's house he won't be there to greet me. Owning a dog can be one of the best things in life, but unfortunately they don't outlive us. They can give us lots of happiness, but sadness too.

238/365 /// Week 34 of 52

238/365 /// Week 34 of 52
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

"Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
And then leave me alone
Don't try to wake me in the morning
'Cause I will be gone
Don't feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I will feel so glad to go

There is a better world
Well, there must be "

- the smiths, asleep -

I attended a wake this evening for a man who was my supervisor at my last job. I left that job to be a stay-at-home mom, but had worked at the property for nearly 8 years before leaving. I still see my former boss, and we do lunch or get together whenever we can. Just last week we met for lunch and she told me the news that he (her boss) was in intensive care and on life support after becoming ill on vacation. A couple of days later I received the news that he passed away. I hadn't seen him since June of 2008, but he was a wonderful person and such a great person to work with.

This evening just after 9:30 p.m. I found out that my parents had to put down our dog Beau. More details about him are on the previous photo in my flickr stream. Needless to say, this evening has been full of tears.

237/365

237/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

33 weeks today

I went to see the doctor yesterday. Baby looks good and is very active. So different from my pregnancy with Kenzie. She wasn't jumping around nearly as much as this baby. My doctor seems to have a feeling I might be having this baby earlier (38-39 weeks rather than 40). At this point, I'd be just fine with that, as long as she is healthy.

So for a comparison...here is a not great photo that I took back when I was pregnant with Kenzie at 33 weeks and 4 days: www.flickr.com/photos/daisyandjohn/2614837104/in/set-7215...

236/365

236/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

I'm not positive how long The Oprah Store has been open, but I finally went there today. We live relatively close and one of our favorite breakfast places is right by it, but I've never gone inside. The day we went for the ultrasound and found out we were having a girl, we had walked by and the most adorable baby clothes were in the window. Little knit onesies, pants, little sweaters, and hats. They were some of the prettiest colors too, like pinky peach, light lime green, pale yellow...colors that don't seem to be available at a lot of baby stores that seem to think that if you have a girl she should be dressed in pink, and a boy in blue. Anyway, I had been meaning to go and see about getting some baby things, but didn't go until today. And most of the stuff I wanted was up to 50% off, which was a nice bonus. So I picked up a few things for Baby #2, and even got a pretty little sweater cardigan for Kenzie.

235/365

235/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

I really had no ideas for a photo today. I was still exhausted from the Fun & Run yesterday. I took a two-hour nap this afternoon while Kenzie watched cartoons on Sprout. The nap was much needed, since I didn't sleep well at all last night. I just could not get comfortable.

234/365 | Seriously, look at that smile. Someone was EXCITED and HAPPY to meet Elmo.

234/365 | Seriously, look at that smile. Someone was EXCITED and HAPPY to meet Elmo.
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

WTTW Fun & Run 2010
Lincoln Park
Chicago, IL

We waited for about an hour to be able to get a photo taken with Elmo. It was ridiculous waiting that long, but there was no way I was going to leave without Kenzie getting to meet one of her favorite characters. Fortunately, there was this big open area next to the line, so John and Kenzie were able to go and run around, while I held our spot.

Though it was hot, and Kenzie was tired and impatient, it was worth it for the few moments she had to spend with her beloved Elmo. She could hardly stand being so close and yet having to wait in line to get up to Elmo. She was so excited, and it made us happy to see how extremely happy she was.

233/365 | The slide at the end

233/365 | The slide at the end
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

WTTW Fun & Run 2010
Lincoln Park
Chicago, IL

These pictures do not do this justice (more photos on my flickr). I couldn't help but laugh (tears and all) watching them go through this. I wish I had video. It was really hard to get through, and everytime Kenzie would stand up another kid would bounce through and she would fall down again. John went in to help her get through. Otherwise she might have been in there for an hour. Even with Daddy helping her, they still had a hard time getting through. They both kept falling down and the mom who was in there with her kids in front on them had a hard time too. It was hysterically funny. After they came down the slide at the end, the tears were just rolling down my face.

* This weekend was busy and I didn't have my camera yesterday, so I am using two photos from today to catch up on my 365. *

232/365 /// Week 33 of 52

232/365 /// Week 33 of 52
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

Currently listening to:
artist: Gringo Star
song: Up and Down

It's another steamy, hot day here in Chicago. I cannot wait until the fall. For one, the weather will hopefully start to get cooler. And second, I won't be pregnant anymore. 8 weeks left. I am ready to not be pregnant anymore. Sleeping is getting harder, and just doing simple things like bending over to pick up toys, or even buckle my shoes isn't as easy anymore. So just looking forward to things being "normal" again. I'm not looking forward to waking up in the middle of the night again, but I do look forward to a lot of other things.

231/365

231/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

It's been over a year since I last bought new trainers, so it was about time to get a new pair. I've never owned a pair of New Balance. The last pair of trainers I bought were Onitsuka Tiger by Asics which I still really like, but they look pretty dirty and worn out. I got bonus points for purchasing New Balance at DSW, so decided to get these. They are super lightweight, and really comfy. We're doing a family walk on Sunday to support PBS children's programming, so it was perfect timing to get some new trainers. They are going to come in really handy when I get back into working out after the baby is born in a couple months too. I needed a better running shoe, and these just might do the trick.

230/365

230/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

"Slide!"

Wearing my hat that she found on the table and wanted to wear.

Sorry for the crappy photo quality. I only had my cell phone available at the time. I ordered a folding slide a couple of days ago because I was tired of Kenzie making her own slides out of boxes, or my lap. This is definitely bigger than I had anticipated, but can be used indoors or outdoors. Because I don't want it covered in bugs, we'll be bringing it in the house for use inside, but it can be easily moved outside when we want to use it out there. She loves this slide, and can't get enough of it. I'm hoping it will help tire her out during the day and give her something to do apart from make messes with all of her toys.

229/365

229/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

Found some shoes today at DSW to go with one of the two dresses I need to decide on for my brother's wedding in November. I know it's a little early yet to worry about it, but I went to try a pair of Madden Girl pumps on that I saw online. The reviews were all good and people said they were comfy, but then I saw these. If I hadn't seen these, I probably would have gone for the Madden Girl pair, but these are much more comfy and have a slightly lower heel. The heel on these is also more of a wedge and I feel more stable in these. I knew that whatever I bought had to be comfy, and something I would wear again. Because the heel is not too high, I can definitely wear these to dress up jeans. The Madden Girl pair, though super cute, just would not get as much use. That slightly higher heel height made all the difference.

228/365

228/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

Spent too much time over at the hospital today. I had to go for fetal monitoring in the morning, which was fine, but then afterwards had to stop by my doctor's office. Normally would have been a pretty quick visit, but she had an emergency in the morning and was in the OR for awhile apparently. Needless to say, everyone who did not reschedule was delayed. I got to the hospital sometime after 10:00 a.m., and didn't get home until almost 2:00 p.m. Not fun. Fortunately, I didn't have Kenzie with. She would have gone crazy waiting all that time.

227/365

227/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

"Oh, you must have misunderstood.
I'm feeling good about the bad.
Airplanes, traffic and trains,
That's the only fun I've ever had."

- the owls, luck -

Met up with some friends at Skinner Park today for a playdate with Kenzie and their little boy. It was much hotter in the sun than I thought it would be, but the kids didn't seem to mind. It was also nice just to get outside and enjoy the day. By the time we got home, Kenzie was half asleep in the stroller, so I took her straight up to bed, even though her hair was covered in sand. When she woke up, we had dinner and then we went out on the patio so she could play in her pool before getting a bath. She was pretty tired out after all that fun in one day, and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Then I realized I didn't even take any photos for today. Looking around the room, I saw this owl shadow puppet that I got several years ago from a DEPART-ment show. So there you have it...another owl from somewhere in my house.

226/365

226/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

I could not resist buying these today for Kenzie. I got them a size up so she can wear them late fall and winter. I also wanted to make sure she has room for heavy socks. They are man-made materials, so they'll be good boots for rainy days and when there is snow on the ground. I had to exchange something I bought at Target, so the family headed over there this afternoon to pick up a couple of things. I love that our store is finally selling groceries and produce, because I'm getting tired of the poor quality produce that our Dominick's has to offer, and it gets too expensive to shop at Whole Foods on a regular basis.

I wanted to take a look at the shoes since it's been awhile since I've looked. I saw these and tried one on Kenzie. She immediately took her other shoe off so she could wear them both. She definitely takes after momma.

225/365

225/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

The Chicago Air & Water show is this weekend. Yesterday we could hear a few planes flying overhead while they were practicing, and Kenzie was very excited to see a few in the sky. Today while she was playing she heard a plane flying overhead and ran over to the window to try and see it. She immediately turned around and shouted "Airplane!". I don't think she could see any, but she knew that what she heard was from an airplane.

Later on when I was trying to get her to take a nap, we were reading and another loud roar went overhead and she said "Uh oh, clouds." I think she thought it was thunder. I thought it was cute that she called it "clouds".

224/365

224/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

My view these days.

8 months and 1 day pregnant.

223/365

223/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

I'm currently reading "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway. I'm just about finished with it and had hoped to finish it last night, but was too tired to read the last 50 or so pages. I'm hoping to finish it tonight. I just need to keep myself off flickr in order to do so. I think I may have read "The Old Man and the Sea" when I was in high school, but can't honestly remember ever reading any of his other books. John had read some of these, and since I was looking for something to read a couple of nights ago I decided to go with some Hemingway, and take a break from the recent chick lit I've been reading.

222/365

222/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

Sometimes just a 10-minute haircolor can do wonders to your hair. I toned down the reddish brown color that I had, and really like this color much better. Not to mention it makes my hair feel so much better. I need to get in to get my hair trimmed up, but I'm hoping to wait until September. I want it cut before the baby is born, but don't want it to be a brand new cut since I want to be used to it before being in the hospital. I also figure I won't get in again until the end of the year or even even into the new year, since I'll probably be pretty busy with a toddler and newborn.

221/365 /// Nursery

221/365 /// Nursery
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

My parents watched Kenzie while I had to go and do fetal monitoring at the hospital today. My mom brought this tree decal that she bought, and we decided it was perfect for the nursery. After I was done with monitoring we went for lunch, then headed over to Land of Nod. I wanted to get a new crib skirt and ended up buying the fitted crib sheet that matched too. My dad raised the crib mattress, and now the room is just about complete. Kenzie got a new Eeyore toy, and Baby got Winnie the Pooh.

I really liked how the lighting in the room looked, so decided to snap a couple of photos. I still need to get a new table lamp for the room. I'm using one that was Kenzie's, but the colors are not exactly what I want to use in this room. I just haven't really found a light that I love yet.

The big owl print started out in Kenzie's room, but it just went so well with the two small prints and it's so lightweight that it's perfect for above the crib. So as much as I didn't want to expand the owl theme into this room, it happened anyway.

220/365 /// Benatar and Bebben

220/365 /// Benatar and Bebben
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

Currently listening to:
artist: Merrymakers
song: Troubled Times

The freckle girls wear their owl dresses.

Even my dolls are obsessed with owls.

219/365

219/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

I just thought this was a cute photo, so wanted to use it as my 365 today. Especially since I didn't really have any other photos that I planned to use for my 365. She was just lounging in the rocking chair while I was checking e-mails.

218/365 /// Week 31 of 52

218/365 /// Week 31 of 52
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

"Hold my hand
Won't you hold my hand
In my time of need
Would you understand?

Understand, won't you understand
In my time of need
Would you understand?

That I'm just havin fun"

- wavves, post acid -

It feels like it has been months since I have been able to open the windows and let some fresh air inside. The humidity dropped, and the air is cooler than it has been. Even though, we'll probably need to turn the a/c on again tomorrow or Sunday, at least we can freshen things up a little bit.

It's also nice enough out that we are hoping to go to the annual Taylor Street Fest later on. We walked through last night, not knowing that it started on Thursday evening. Since they started doing it again a couple of years ago, it's always just been Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We stopped at the playground on our way home so that Kenzie could play for a little bit. She's always talking about slides lately, so she opted to just go down the slide over and over.

217/365

217/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

Someone got new shoes today, and it wasn't me. Hard to believe, I know. Trust me, if these were sold in my size I would have a pair too. I wanted to get these several months ago when I first saw them, but the website had every size, but the size I wanted to order. Then they were almost out of all the sizes. Last week, I checked out the website again, and all the sizes were back in stock, and $10 off. So, of course, I had to buy them. They finally arrived today, and they are adorable. Kenzie could hardly wait to put them on.

216/365

216/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

30 weeks today
---

Next week, it looks like I will start weekly fetal monitoring. I had to do this with Kenzie for about the last month of my pregnancy. This time it's starting earlier since I developed gestational diabetes this time around. It's good to be able to know that the baby is doing well, but at the same time it's a lot harder when there is another little one at home. Now I'll need to make arrangements for John to either work from home those mornings, or have grandparents watch Kenzie. It's only going to get harder when/if I have to move onto twice weekly monitoring.

215/365

215/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

As you might recall, back in February I did an alphabet series as part of my 365 project. I had intended to have it made as a book, and finally got around to ordering it. It looks pretty cute, and I'm pretty happy with it. I might release it to the public on Blurb, but I haven't done so yet. Anyway, the book came a couple of days ago, and I decided to take a photo of it today for my 365 shot.

Sorry for the lack of focus. I was trying to snap a quick shot, before getting distracted by the toddler.

Bench Monday | Hanging around in the closet Edition /// 214/365

Bench Monday | Hanging around in the closet Edition /// 214/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

Currently listening to:
artist: Gringo Star
album: All Yall

It's been awhile since I last took a Bench Monday photo. Things have been busy, and I didn't want to take one just for the sake of taking one. Today, I decided, why not? It's been awhile, and I need a 365 photo anyway.

This past weekend was spent reorganizing the closet in our master bedroom to accommodate all of my shoes that were being stored in the nursery closet. Since I don't want to wait until last minute to get the nursery in order, I just wanted to get that closet cleaned out, and ready for the baby. When I was pregnant with Kenzie two years ago, I could only do so much in her room because we were getting our bathroom redone and that was the staging area. So a lot of her room was finished the month before she was born. I'm much bigger this time around, and this baby seems to be a lot higher making it harder to do simple things like bending over..or even buckling my shoes. I want to get as much done as I can while I can still move around, because I have a feeling it will be a lot harder in the next month or so. On Wednesday, I'll be 30 weeks pregnant, which is hard to believe.

Anyway, here is my Bench shot for today.

213/365

213/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

We went for a Sunday afternoon/early evening drive to get out of the house for a little bit, and decided to go get some ice cream from Scoop's in Bridgeport. We had never had it, but were told to check it out. So our dinner ended up being ice cream, which was delicious. Kenzie enjoyed it too, and kept saying "ice cream!" the entire time we were eating it in the shop. And if I ever wanted to know what too much sugar would do to her, I found out. She was silly as can be when we got home. She was all smiles and laughter. Of course, I was worried she would not go to bed, but she went to sleep without any issues tonight. I guess it might have helped that she took a shorter nap than usual this afternoon.

Here she is lounging in her chair, wearing her sunglasses in the house, and hanging onto Eeyore. I think she's sipping water from her sippy cup too. If you look closely, you can see blue ice cream on her face. ;)

212/365

212/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

Apparently I was so busy yesterday that I completely forgot to take a 365 shot. I didn't even realize that I missed a day until I was thinking about my shot for today. Anyway, since I spent the day yesterday touching up some paint in the nursery, and getting all of my shoes out of the nursery closet (and into our master bedroom closet) I figured the photo could be of something from the nursery. I ordered this print from etsy a couple weeks back. I ordered a different print from the same artist for Kenzie's room too. I just loved this when I saw it, and knew I had to have it for the nursery.