Annabelle had a follow-up doctor’s appointment to check on her ear infection, pink eye, and a weight check. Everything is cleared up and she was given a good bill of health! She is weighing in at 17 lbs – gaining almost a pound since her last appointment, 3 weeks ago. They predict she’ll be about 18 lbs for her first birthday. She has come to recognize Dr. Kessel and begins screaming as soon as he walks in the door. She definitely does not like getting her ears checked. We spent the rest of the night reading books and walking around the house both of which seem to be favorites of Annabelle’s.

After Maya & Draper’s birthday party we headed over to Sheila and Lance’s house for a wine tasting party. B was in heaven because he finally had the opportunity to indulge in some wine and have a designated driver. I didn’t feel too left out because there was another pregnant women there who couldn’t partake – she is due in August also. Sheila and Lance have a 2 year old, Wyatt, and a 9 month old, Rhys. They invited lots of people with kids and hired a babysitter for the evening who watched the kids downstairs while the adults enjoyed the wine tasting upstairs. It was a great idea and everyone was able to relax and enjoy some adult time and the kids had a blast playing together and getting rowdy downstairs. Annabelle was the only girl surrounded by lots of little boys! It was a very fun evening and Annabelle conked out in the car on the way home. She played hard and was out!

I spent two days in Austin for a cash flow conference and it was the first time I was away from Annabelle overnight. She was in great hands with her dad so it was much harder on me than it was on her. Her dad got her ready for school in matching clothes and even a ponytail! Lookin’ good!

I’m so glad I was able to spend my 1st Mother’s Day in Chicago. We went for a wonderful brunch at the Double Tree. It was one of the best brunches I’ve ever been too. We stuffed ourselves but managed to save room for desserts. They had a chocolate fountain – Madison got her money’s worth! She had chocolate all over
her face and arms.

YaYa, Becky, Madison, B, Annabelle & I met Joe and Casey for a day at the Shedd Aquarium. Annabelle loved it and enjoyed checking out all the fish. She is much more in to it these days and is becoming less of a scaredy cat. She even liked to stand up and lean against the glass – although she did really enjoy banging on it which probably is not strongly recommended. It was really good to see Casey & Joe even though it was just for a short time.

B headed downtown to meet up with friends from work for lunch and then had a few meetings in the afternoon. Annabelle and I spent the afternoon shopping with YaYa. Our big stops were at Gymboree and Carter’s where Annabelle, Maeva, and Baby Meyer were hooked up for the summer. They should be all set for clothes…and lots of them are matching outfits so plenty of photo ops ahead!

Thursday morning we dropped YaYa off at work and headed downtown. We had lunch at Goose Island and then met up with Cathleen and Mike at the White Sox game. It was a great day for a game and it was Miss Annabelle’s 1st White Sox game! She was all smiles and then dozed off around the 3rd inning.

After the game, we sat in horrible traffic (over 2 hours) and picked YaYa up from work and then met Auntie Becky & Madison for dinner. Madison & Annabelle entertained each other the entire evening and Annabelle was very sad when Madison had to go home to get ready for school the next day.

On Friday, I hit the 27 week mark of my pregnancy so I’m officially in my 3rd trimester. I’m very round! The baby is moving so much. I really love how active she is – but I’m a bit worried that it’s a sign of what’s to come. Annabelle is so mellow and was even like that in the womb. This girlie is all over the place – we’re thinking she’ll continue to keep us on our toes after she has arrived.

That evening we met the Lemek’s at Los Arcos for dinner. They just got back from Ireland & we really enjoyed hearing about their trip. It brought back a lot of great memories since we visited quite a few of the same sites when we were there 2 years ago. Annabelle and Andrew had a blast sharing lots of different foods – puffs, cheerios, cheese, and avocados. They were in heaven and both seemed to enjoy having the pint size company. The mariachi band kept Annabelle very entertained – this girl is a dancer!

Saturday, Bob & B spent the day putting up the new cabinets in the kitchen. They are really coming along well. The kitchen looks so much better already. They have all the cabinets installed now we just wait for the cabinets doors and countertops. The doors should be here in the next few days but the countertops take between 3 & 4 weeks. We’re entering the home stretch. After a hard day of work on the kitchen, B hung out with Annabelle so Sarah and I could grab dinner at Three Sons in Highlands. It’s a cozy little neighborhood-style Italian restaurant with very tasty Rigatoni alla Vodka and bread pudding. After dinner we saw Margaret Cho at the Paramount Theatre. She was hilarious!!

Sunday, B spent a few more hours working on the kitchen and then we went over to the Rewalt’s house to celebrate Paul’s 34th birthday. The entire family got together including Paul’s parents. They brought over pictures of Paul when he was a baby – very funny stuff. Annabelle really enjoyed playing with her cousins and got lots of lovin’ from her Aunt Chriss.

Annabelle made it through the day laughing and happy. She seems to be getting back to her old cheerful self. She was a bit fussy in the evening but she’s finally starting to get her appetite back. She’s working on some new teeth and is enjoying the frozen teething rings.

I made it through a half day at work and had to head home. The sore throat and stuffy nose are getting to me but the kidney pains are really slowing me down. It’s hard to not be able to carry Annabelle around for long. The strain is a bit too painful so B is still pulling Superdad duty. We’re really lucky to have him – he does his best to take care of us. We’re a handful.

B got his braces put on today. He’s an official brace-face! 🙂 They are clear so you can’t even see them unless you look up close. As YaYa says, Annabelle and B will have the same diet of soft foods for the next few weeks. They don’t seem to be bothering him much – I guess he’s toughened up since the last time he had them.

The baby’s new bedding arrived. It’s just as cute as the pictures on-line. Miss Annabelle agrees. After the kitchen is complete we’ll be getting started on the baby’s room.