Thursday, September 30, 2010

273/365


273/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
Still under the weather today. I'm actually feeling worse today than I felt yesterday, but I didn't want to just lounge around the house all day like I did yesterday (with the exception of a short walk around the neighborhood). I went to Marshalls and just did a little shopping. Nothing major, just bought some socks, a candle, a couple of baby items, and some new sheets. I was hoping they restocked the coat I was looking at a couple of weeks ago, but they had the same sizes as they did last time. I'll check again if I'm in the area, but I did already find a coat that I like. I was just hoping they had this one too because I really liked the teal and black plaid that this coat came in and the price was pretty good.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

272/365


272/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
What I thought was allergies yesterday turned into a cold. Ugh...poor timing. I really don't want to have a cold right now. With my luck, I'll go into labor with a full on cold. I tried to get rest last night, but I was tossing and turning all night. This morning, I tried to sleep in, and managed to sleep until about 8:30 or 9, which was good. I decided to take just a little walk around the neighborhood today to get some fresh air, and then came home and had some chicken noodle soup. I now feel a little better. I'm hoping to get Kenzie to take a nap soon, so I can get some rest too. I really just want to fight this cold off as best as I can, especially since I can't take anything but Tylenol right now, which seems to do nothing for me.

Of course, it seems like days when you're already feeling under the weather, those are the days that people just really seem to bother you. This morning one of my neighbors was ringing my doorbell before 10 a.m. I was still in my pj's and I wasn't about to answer the door. It seems like recently, some of my neighbors have just been coming over and ringing the doorbell, and frankly it's annoying. They have our phone number, so if there is something they need, they should just call. I think they're just being nosy to see if I've had the baby, but, honestly, if I did, would I really want them showing up at my house before 10 a.m.? If you're that curious just pick up the phone and call. Even if I did have the baby, and was home, I would not just want random neighbors showing up and bothering me. Just because we live in the same townhome community, doesn't mean you are entitled to just show up when you feel like it. We might share a roof or a wall, but I still want my privacy, and I really don't need people coming over that early in the morning.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

271/365


271/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
I've had an allergy related headache all day today. I woke up sometime around 4 or 4:30 with it, and knew it was going to be one of those headaches that just does not go away. My parents watched Kenzie while I was at my weekly monitoring and doctor's appointment. When I came home we went for lunch at a neighborhood breakfast/lunch cafe and then walked through the park on our way home. Kenzie was really excited to "climb" the tree. She got pretty worn out from all of her activities today, so she's napping now. Now I need to rest and try and get this darn headache to go away.

Monday, September 27, 2010

270/365


270/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
A couple of nights ago I had these books out to refresh my memory on labor and delivery and all the fun that goes along with having baby. We already have a name picked out, but the name book was part of the stack.

Just had a low-key day today. Kenzie slept in really late today, which meant I got to sleep in too. If she wasn't sleeping she was being really quiet and ended up getting back into her bed and under the covers when I went in to her room sometime after 10:00 this morning. It's nice being able to grab some extra sleep, since I can hardly sleep through the night these days.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

269/365


269/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
We went out to the 'burbs today for lunch with the in-laws. We were there for a couple of hours before heading back into the city. We didn't really want to be out there very long since I'm almost 38 weeks pregnant and we just didn't really want to chance anything. I was going to stay home and just let John and Kenzie go so that I could just take it easy in a toddler-free house, but I ended up going anyway.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

268/365


268/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
Just snapped this as we were out running a couple of errands this morning after Kenzie's dance class. I've never actually bowled here. The one time we tried to go for a friend's birthday, the wait was something ridiculous like 4 hours, so we left and ended up doing something else.

Kenzie had her second dance class for this fall session this morning. I might have wrote about how bad it was last week. I can't recall. Short story was that John took her on his own, and she had a total breakdown and they left early. This week, I decided to go with to try and help transition her to taking the class with Daddy, since I can't really do much with her at this point, and I'll be busy with the new baby soon. It might take a few more classes for her to get used to being there with just Daddy, but I think she'll eventually get used to it.

Friday, September 24, 2010

267/365


267/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
Some of the first signs of fall....the changing colors of the leaves. It's kind of hard to believe it's almost October actually. I'm not looking forward to the cold, snowy winter months, but I do love the changing colors of the leaves, the cooler weather, and just the overall feel of autumn in Chicago. Since it was so beautiful out today, I took Kenzie and the dog for a little walk to enjoy the weather. The dog needs her walks, and she has been pretty neglected lately in that department. I really need to try and get the husband to take her out before or after work. At least she got out to stretch her legs, even if it was at a slower pace and wasn't very long. But....no complaining for her...she at least got out today.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

266/365


266/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
So I finally caved and got an iPhone4. I had been holding out for the white one, but since it seems like it will never be released and I absolutely hate my old phone, I finally just gave in and ordered the black one. Part of why I wanted to get the phone was for the better camera, video, book apps, some other apps, and I just really wanted it. So it arrived today and I started playing around with it. I can see it might get addicting using some of the features. I want to try the book app out and see how much I like reading from a small screen. If I don't love it, I might opt for a kindle at some point.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

mmm...plastic grapes

Today is my dad's birthday.

I tried to do a little photoshoot with Kenzie, but had just given her a bath, so her hair is all wet and crazy in these photos. She still looked cute, even though she wasn't wearing what I wanted her to wear. I'll have to do a proper shoot another day.

265/365


265/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
37 weeks

Today starts the 37th week of this pregnancy. Baby is technically ready anytime now. Honestly, if my doctor told me that I was going to have this baby tomorrow, I'd be pretty happy about that. I'm just tired of being pregnant now. Bending over to pick up after Kenzie is getting harder, sleeping is harder, and even just sitting around watching tv can be uncomfortable at times. Not to mention, the constant bathroom trips. Over the weekend, the swelling in my feet started, so I have just been taking it easy and drinking lots of fluids to try and get the swelling down. Today the swelling is barely there which is great. All that water really has helped, I guess. Now to just keep it from coming back.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

264/365


264/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
"Sit around, sit around

in the yard,
where they are,
where they go,
when it's cold

outside

company comes to make you feel accepted
you do what the company wants to, asks for

when it's cold outside"

- the feelies, when company comes -

Another lazy day for me, but at least today I left the house to run a few errands. I bought coloring books for Kenzie today, since she has been showing a lot of interest in her crayons lately. She normally would just color on paper in a little sketchbook that I bought for her, but I thought she might actually enjoy coloring real pictures. After coming home from the store, we sat together in the living room coloring pictures of Eeyore and Elmo until it was time for her to take a nap. She seemed to have fun. We just have to make sure we keep the crayons picked up, since we learned that the dog likes to eat them.

Monday, September 20, 2010

263/365


263/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
"you’re only free on the ground
when you fall you never make a sound
it’s not a feeling at all
it’s not like any other feeling
you’d call perfect"

- the thermals, not like any other feeling -

It's raining outside, and I actually don't mind. Mostly because I decided today was going to be a lazy day. I'm just trying to get my feet up and rest when I can. I started to get swelling in my feet on Saturday night after we ate chinese food for dinner, and it hasn't really gone away. The past couple days I haven't been drinking as much water as I should, so I need to drink more water and fluids and hopefully the swelling will go down. I've been lucky because the swelling has stayed away until now. When I was pregnant with Kenzie, I had swollen feet (and hands) much earlier on. It got to the point where most of my shoes didn't fit, and I could only wear my wedding band and not my engagement ring. I've been lucky and have been able to fit into my shoes and still wear my rings. I was still working when I was pregnant with Kenzie and did a lot of sitting which didn't help. This time around, I'm at home, so I can put my feet up when I need to. I've also been able to be more active, which is expected when you have a toddler constantly running around. I'm hoping in these next few weeks, I can try and kick back a little more and just take it easy though.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

262/365


262/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
"In my life I love you more"

- the beatles, in my life -

6 years ago today, John and I danced our first dance as husband and wife to this song. We listen to a lot of music, so we never really had a "song". This just happened to be a song we both liked and decided to use it.

Today we celebrated our anniversary by having a pretty quiet afternoon (John watching the Bears game, I just cleaned a little and relaxed). In the evening, we went to dinner at Rosebud with Kenzie. We figured it might be our last nice family dinner out as just the three of us, so we took advantage of it. Kenzie was really silly and we joked that she was drunk on pasta because of how much she ate and how silly she acted. It was really cute. After dinner, we came home and watched some tv while trying to get Kenzie calm enough (and tired enough) to put in her bed.

This morning was also the first morning in weeks that we were able to sleep until 8:30. We joked that sleeping in was Kenzie's gift to us, since she has been coming into our room almost every morning around 6:30 and climbing in between us to "sleep". She doesn't really sleep, but moves all over the place waking us up. Sometimes she comes in earlier, and I end up having to move her back to her bed. Last night I decided to keep her door closed instead of cracking it open like I usually do. I don't think that had anything to do with her sleeping in though, since the house was so quiet and no one was awake. I think we were just lucky. I'm hoping she might sleep in again tomorrow, but I'm not counting on it.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

261/365


261/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
Tomorrow is our 6 year wedding anniversary. We bought these daisies since they are my favorite flowers, and the colors were really pretty. We have pink, peach, and light green. I'll probably take a better photo tomorrow in natural lighting, but I didn't really take any other photos for today apart from a couple of the new fish we got for our aquarium.

Friday, September 17, 2010

260/365


260/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
A new Marshall's store just opened by my house last week. I was going to go there yesterday with my mom after my doctor appointment, but I didn't get home until after 2:00 and by that time we just decided to go a different day. I figured I would go check it out this morning. Normally, Kenzie is pretty good about shopping, but the second we pulled into a parking space she started whining. I knew it wasn't going to be a fun shopping experience if it was already starting out like that. Once we got in the store she was fine, but then she started whining again. It's so rare that she does this, so it was really frustrating. I distracted her with an Elmo book from the kid's section, and she even got some new shoes.

I got her these cute cheetah print mary jane's by Seven7 and found myself a pair of coordinating leopard print ballet flats by Jessica Simpson. I even found a new coat for this winter for only $29. I can't button it over the baby bump right now, but once this baby is born it should be perfect. There was another one I really liked but it was not in my size. I'll look again next time I'm there, and maybe I'll luck out.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

259/365


259/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
Sorry for the poor quality camera phone picture for today's photo. My good camera was upstairs, and obviously the stairs were occupied. Kenzie decided that her stuffed toys should all sit on the stairs while she read and played with them. At the moment when this photo was taken, she had her toy binoculars out and was using the string as a makeshift jump rope. It was just really cute to watch, so that is why it is today's photo.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

258/365


258/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
"Ahh Home.
Let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home.
Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

La, la, la, la, take me home.
Mother, I'm coming home."

- edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros, home -

36 Weeks
9 Months

Today officially marks the start of the 9th month. So only a couple more weeks of these pregnancy photos. I didn't document photos like this at all when I was pregnant with Kenzie, and since we have no plans to have a third baby I figured I might as well go ahead and keep taking a photo at least once a week until this baby is born. I'm definitely hoping to be a little more prepared this time around, and have started sorting out stuff to put into my hospital bag. I know it's still a little early, but last time I went into labor, I had nothing packed and was throwing stuff into a bag while having contractions in the middle of the night. Of course there were things I should have packed, but didn't, so this time I am trying to think ahead a little more. I think last time around I didn't really expect Kenzie to be born earlier than her due date (only by a couple days), but expected her to be late. If my doctor is right, Baby #2 will be here in about 2 weeks, so I might as well get prepared. I'm also hoping that Baby decides to cooperate and turn herself around. For several weeks she was in the right position, but last week she was full breech. My ultrasound tech was like "Baby! No! What are you doing?" She feels like she might have moved around, but I don't know for sure. I go tomorrow for fetal monitoring and another ultrasound, so hopefully she did what she was supposed to do.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

257/365


257/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
I knew that I wanted to make a pair of baby booties for Baby #2, and I finally got around to getting a pair finished. Since it's my own baby, I knew I could put together just about fabric combination that I liked, and I was pretty happy with how these turned out. I used the pink woodland animal fabric, and orange and white polka dots for the accent. I've been too exhausted to work on any booties for my shop, but I had one last custom order to finish. While working on the custom order, I made these too. Now I'm finished with sewing baby booties until probably early next year, depending on how things go around here in the next few months. I'm just glad I have a pair for my baby. I only made Kenzie sample booties when I started focusing on making baby booties. Then she outgrew the booties phase, so I didn't make her any of the finished version. I had intended to make her a pair to use as slippers, but I just never got around to that either. At least her sister will have a pair and will be the right age to wear them.

Monday, September 13, 2010

256/365


256/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
‎"Glance don't stare
Soon you're being told to recognize your heirs
No not me
I'm an island of such great complexity
Distress surrounds
The muddy peaceful centre of this town
Tell me off
In the hotel lobby right in front of all the bellboys
And the overfriendly concierge
A shady lane
Everybody wants one
A shady lane
Everybody needs one"

- pavement, shady lane -

I guess tonight is an unofficial anniversary date with John. Our 6 year wedding anniversary is on Sunday, September 19th. We got tickets to see Pavement tonight, since we couldn't get tickets to see them at Pitchfork this year. We would not have been going tonight if we didn't get pavilion seats though. There was no way I would have wanted to sit in the lawn at almost 36 weeks pregnant. The in-laws are watching Kenzie tonight, and we're going to go out and enjoy the beautiful Chicago weather and listen to some good indie rock.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

255/365


255/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
"I'll give you all that I have
I'll tell you everything
love me all of my life
never listen to me"

- the thermals, never listen to me -

I feel like I hardly slept last night. Kenzie was really crabby in the evening, and I noticed she started to get a stuffy, runny nose. I couldn't get her to eat dinner, and then when I tried to put her to bed, she slept for about half an hour, only to wake up crying and the only way I could get her to calm down was to hold her and let her fall asleep in my arms. After she fell asleep, I put her back to bed, turned on the humidifier and hoped she would sleep through the night. Unfortunately, she was moving all over her bed and I was constantly checking on her to make sure she was ok. On top of that, John was out at a bachelor party for a friend of ours and didn't get home until almost 3 in the morning. Needless to say I was pretty annoyed with him, especially after learning about where he was at until that hour. It wasn't hard to figure out....bachelor parties usually end up at strip clubs. I know that he went to the same place for his own bachelor party 6 years ago, but when you're a few days shy of being 9 months pregnant, it is really irritating to know that your husband is out with a group of single men at a strip bar. Needless to say, he's been in the dog house all day, and I've just been in a bad mood. Boys are really dumb sometimes.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

254/365


254/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
I got new Fluevogs on Thursday, and on Friday John got a Fluval. This is our new fish tank. Since the fish hobby has lasted longer than I expected, it made sense to buy a tank that worked more with our decor. After having some issues with the fish in our last tank, we decided to go to a new store to aquire more fish. We ended up not buying any fish, because we learned A LOT about what was going on in our tank. The chain stores just want to sell you what they have, and when you're still a novice like we are, we didn't know some of the things we learned today. The chain store sales people probably don't even know some of the stuff we learned today. Since the tank is new, we were told not to add any new fish to the set up for several weeks. Even then, we were advised to bring a water sample so they can test the levels to see if it is suitable for adding any new fish. Instead of buying new fish, we went ahead and purchased some new accessories...Tower Bridge and two new fake plants that have better bases. The new set up looks so much nicer. When the tank is ready, I think we are going to add some neon tetras. The apple snail we bought back in January is still around, and we have two guppies left.

Though this fish thing is John's hobby, it's nice to have a tank as cool as this. The Tower Bridge was pretty darn cool, so we had to get it. It's also perfect because hanging on the wall above the tank are a couple photos I took when were in London in 2007, so it all works really well together.

Friday, September 10, 2010

253/365 /// Week 36 of 52

Because I am a shoe addict, I had to buy these boots yesterday. I've been eyeing them on the Fluevog website since they were first listed, and I love the fact that they have double zippers (one on the inside and one on the outside with a hidden gusset). Not to mention they are a gorgeous purple color with grey accents AND they aren't heels. So many Fluevogs for women have heels, which I love, but I just don't wear as often as I used to. They definitely cost more than I needed to spend right now, but I know they are going to get lots of use.

It was really cute when I brought these home yesterday and took them out of the box. Kenzie immediately lifted her own feet and wanted to put them on repeating "Feet" while she pointed at her own. I slipped them on her feet, but she could barely move since they covered her entire leg. She still insisted on trying to walk in them though. I wonder where on earth she gets her shoe addiction from? ;)

Thursday, September 09, 2010

252/365


252/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
I had some appointments today...fetal monitoring in the morning, doctor's appointment after that, and then headed to Wicker Park to get my hair cut before it gets too close to when the baby is born. I basically got the same cut as the last time I was there, which was months ago. I asked my stylist to go just a touch shorter since I know it will be awhile before I get back in there after the baby is born.

I was running a little early, so headed across the street to Fluevog because I HAD to try on the Radio RTP boots in purple. Of course, I also HAD to buy them. Oops. My stylist helped me justify the purchase by telling me that they are my last purchase before the baby. ;) I know they'll be my last Fluevog purchase, but we all know too well how I like to shop, so there will be other purchases before baby is here.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

251/365


251/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
Moving into the final week of the 8th month. Baby will be here right around the corner. Hard to believe she'll be here already, yet at the same time it feels like I've been pregnant for an eternity. I think I might be rounding the corner of swollen feet and puffy face too, which I have tried so hard to avoid. I need to make sure I keep the feet elevated whenever possible, and drink lots of water and fluids. Hopefully that will help.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

250/365


250/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
My new Toms arrived today. This was the pair I wanted when I first started thinking about getting a pair, but they weren't going to be available until Fall 2010. Last week when I saw they were listed, I ordered them asap. I'm glad I did, because they were sold out of my size the next day, and it looks like they sold out completely after that. They aren't even on the website anymore. The colors are pretty bright, but I'm thinking they will fade a little with wear. If you're looking for a comfy pair of casual shoes, and want to help a child in need, you should get a pair of Toms. They've been so great to wear during this pregnancy, and I'm hoping I can keep the swelling in my feet to a minimum so I can keep wearing these until Baby #2 is born. If only these came in Tiny Toms, I would have ordered Kenzie a pair too.

Monday, September 06, 2010

249/365


249/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
We had this weird branch on our tree that was growing out over our patio, so John decided to cut it down today. It was bothering us how it grew down, rather than up and out. After getting it cut down, it was amazing how much more light we have in our yard. There were also a lot of dead sections on the branch, so it was good to get rid of that section of the tree. We should have cut it down earlier in the year, but at least it's down now.

Sunday, September 05, 2010

248/365


248/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
Today was my future sister-in-law's wedding shower. It was held not too far from where I grew up, but about an hour drive from my house. I went with Kenzie, since she will be the flowergirl at their wedding in November. It was a nice shower, and the weather was beautiful. After the shower, we went out on the balcony for a few minutes and Kenzie was watching the boats out on the lake. She was non-stop on the go for about 3 hours, and by the time we left to head home, she fell asleep in the car and slept until we pulled into our parking space at home.

247/365


247/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
This is my photo for Saturday. Just catching up tonight. We mostly ran errands yesterday, but had a couple friends over for dinner at our house in the evening. We ended up getting hooked on playing Super Mario Brothers on the Wii and were playing until well past midnight. After realizing we were never going to beat the level we were on, we decided to just call it a night. Plus I was really tired and knew I had to be up early today to go my future sister-in-law's wedding shower.

This shot is our dog Zoe. She's 5 years old. We've been sort of on each other's nerves lately, but after the recent death of one of my parent's dogs, I feel like we bonded again. I think part of our frustration with each other is that we are with each other every single day, and with the heat this summer I haven't taken her for walks as often as I should. Now that the weather seems to finally be cooling off, I'm hoping to be able to get her out more often...or at least as often as I can before Baby #2 arrives.

Friday, September 03, 2010

246/365


246/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
I was really undecided on which photo to use today for my 365, but I think I'll go with this one. After walking the dog, Kenzie and I headed back out to enjoy the beautiful day. I was also hoping to tire Kenzie out for her nap. While walking back towards the house, we crossed the field at the park and this streamer from a kite was laying there. Kenzie immediately picked it up and pretended it was a jump rope, then when she discovered that it blew in the wind she was calling it her kite. She was having so much fun, I almost didn't think I'd get her to come home. We ended up bringing the streamer with us.

It was so nice waking up today to the cooler weather. I love fall weather, and look forward to more days like this.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

245/365


245/365
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three
My parents used this cradle for a short time when I was a newborn, and then used it again for my youngest brother when he was a baby. It's been stored in my grandma's attic for years, but last week my grandma got it out, and my mom cleaned it up so that we can use it for the baby. When Kenzie saw it, she wanted to go in it, but we put a baby doll in it instead so that she can learn that it is for the baby...not her.

We have a pack'n'play with a changing table attachment that we used downstairs up until this past January when we decided to put it away and just get a changing table from Ikea that takes up less space, and has more room for changing a toddler's diapers. Instead of getting that out again, we are going to use the bassinet downstairs and use this cradle in our bedroom. The bassinet has wheels and is a little smaller, so it just fits downstairs much better than the pack'n'play or even this cradle. With any luck, we won't need to use this for very long. Kenzie was about 8 weeks old when we officially made the switch to the crib. She slept better with less distractions from daddy getting ready for work, and I got more rest too. I'm hoping things will go the same way with this baby, but you never really know.

* Ignore the dog bed sticking up from under the cradle. This is just the temporary location.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

244/365 /// Week 35 of 52

34 weeks today

Not much longer now. It's funny how I didn't really document myself when I was pregnant with Kenzie. It wasn't really until close to the end of that pregnancy that I even looked pregnant. This time around, I definitely started showing earlier, which is common in second pregnancies. I also have gestational diabetes, that's most likely another reason, since g.d. babies tend to be bigger because they take all of mamma's nutrients. This time around I'm not experiencing some of the things I had from the first pregnancy...itchy feet which drove me crazy for months, and swollen feet. I'm definitely able to get my feet up more often now that I don't work, so that probably helps too. I'm hoping I can avoid the swelling for as long as possible, but I know it's bound to hit probably any day now. As much as it's kind of nice being pregnant, I will be really happy to be done.

I cannot believe today is already September 1st. This summer has been so hot and humid that I've done a lot of staying indoors, which unfortunately made it feel like the summer just flew by. I don't normally look foward to cold weather, but I do look forward to the cooler fall temperatures. I'm tired of this heat and all the sweat it brings with it.