Disney on Ice in Chicago THIS WEEK! (September 11-15)

It's finally here!  Disney On Ice is coming to the United Center in Chicago September11-15!  Join the celebration as more than 60 of Disney's unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney on Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic.  You'll be captivated by the one and only Mickey Mouse, the irresistible Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio and many Disney Princesses.  Be thrilled by exciting moments from The Lion King; Mulan; and Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Toy Story films; in a skating spectacular filled with magical Disney moments you'll remember forever as Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic

Performance Dates/Times are as follows:

Wednesday, September 11 (Opening Night) - 7:00 PM (Tickets are just $12!)
Thursday, September 12 - 7:00 PM
Friday, September 13 - 7:00 PM
Saturday, September 14 - 11:30 AM, 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 15 - 11:30 AM, 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM (Spanish Language Performance)

Want to attend with your family?  Tickets can be purchased via TicketMaster by going here.  You can save 40% on all weekday shows and 20% on weekend shows* by entering the special promo code MOM.

You can also 'like' Disney On Ice's Facebook page and follow them on Twitter for more family fun!  For a fun-filled activity book visit Pinterest!

*Weekday is defined as any show Monday through Thursday or Friday matinee. Discount does not apply to Circus Celebrity, Front Row, or VIP seats. No double discounts. Service charges, handling, and facility fees may apply.


Disclaimer:  I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided  me and my family with complimentary tickets to Feld shows as well as opportunities to attend private Feld pre-show events.  All opinions expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone

Isla - Month 2

Isla was officially 2 months old on August 17th (4 weeks adjusted).  This has been another crazy month of adjusting to having 2 little ones!  Isla's due date officially arrived- which was just weird.  The last month had been a complete blur and i could no longer imagine having been pregnant those last 5 weeks- especially as giant as i was! 

Isla is a typical newborn: eat, sleep, poop, cry.  by this time, Ian was sleeping through the night, and Dave and I were feeling way less exhausted.  that is not the case with miss isla.  her night sleep varies- some mornings i feel rested, while others i feel like death.  i followed babywise with ian, and while i'm trying to follow it with isla (just being a lot less militant about it), it's a lot harder to do with 2 kids- plus a busy schedule (house hunting, etc).  we're hanging in there, hopefully she'll master sleeping through the night soon- maybe by the time her adjusted age is 6 weeks.  we'll see.

isla had her 2 month appointment last week and she is really growing like a weed- it's crazy to see how much "bigger" she is!  she tipped the scale at 7 lbs 10 oz and is 20" long.  both of these put her below the 5th percentile, of course, but she's really growing!!

she loves being held- sometimes i can't even get anything done.  ian is still doing really well with her- he's such a sweet big brother!  i feel like there isn't much to report that i didn't sum up in the first sentence of the 2nd paragraph.  that's about all she does!  she's absolutely adorable though, so i'll just post pictures instead!

 just hanging out!

 getting some meds from brother (after daddy took him to have his hair butchered)

 tummy time!

 i promise there's a baby in there.  a visit to the petting zoo during dad's 2nd week of paternity leave

 he doesn't ask to hold her as much, but sometimes he still wants to

 doing what they do best

 homemade goodies galore!

 just being cute!

 first time meeting great-great aunt connie and great grammy!

 funny, he never wanted to sit for these pictures when i wanted him to...

 sweetest boy!

2 months old!!!

ModCloth's New Home Decor Collection!

ModCloth is launching a magical new line of home decor items for you to beautify your home or apartment. Take a look at some of the new items here: ModCloth Retro & Cute Apartment Decor! Shop Now!. They have the cutest kitchen and bathroom items to make your abode playful and elegant, all at an affordable price too. And they offer free shipping on all orders over $50, so don't be shy when you find a few things you love at ModCloth! Come back and let me know what you buy!!  The top 2 items on my wishlist are this bedspread for our room and I would love these hooks for Isla's nursery!!

 

while you're browsing ModCloth- be sure to browse their annual end-of-summer Last Hurrah sale!  everything is 70% off!! Get these goodies while you still can

Isla - 1 month. Ian - 3.5

well, considering isla is going to be 2 months old on saturday, i should probably type out this post.  boy, these last 2 months have been exhausting.  i am trying so hard to blog when i get the chance, but i usually can't sit down for any more than 5-10 minutes, and i try to do work for my job during that time, or you know, relax....

so i know i'm way behind, i haven't even typed out my birth saga story yet!  here's what you might need to know:

isla (eye-la in case you need to know b\c we've had way more mispronunciations than we could have dreamed of) was born on june 17th (the day after my birthday!) at 3:48 pm.  she weighed 4 lbs 3 oz and was 18.5 inches long.  she spent 2 weeks in the special care nursery.  her lowest weight was 3 lbs 13 oz.

isla's 1 month stats:  weight 5 lbs 8 oz.  length 18.5".  three words to describe her:  squirrely, gassy, adorable!  we lost out a lot of time during those first 2 weeks- but we spent as much time with her in the nursery that we could- which was a challenge once my family left and it was just the 3 of us.  ian wasn't allowed in, and that cut into my daytime visiting hours, but we made it work, and really, she was home before we knew it.  we really consider ourselves lucky.  some people wait much longer than we had to- or their babies don't come home at all.  we're very blessed.

isla is doing pretty good.  she's definitely different than ian.  she's a pretty good sleeper- she's up to around 4 hours at night- but we have still been pretty exhausted.  right around her one month birthday also marks my due date- which thinking about is just crazy.  her black eye is almost cleared up, she nurses well, and takes a bottle for her vitamins really well.  she finally got too long for her preemie clothes and is now being swallowed whole by nb clothes.  there isn't really much else to say about her.  she's a pretty good baby!

ian was officially 3.5 on isla's due date.  he's been so awesome since we've had her home.  he was truly born to be a big brother!  he loves and hugs on her all the time.  he always asks to give her kisses and talks to her in high pitch baby talk- my favorite thing is that he calls her "baby grill" and asks "oh, isn't she cute?"  things have been great with them!

here are some pictures from baby grill's first month...

 not long after being born.  in the nicu all hooked up.  

 a couple days after being born.  the nicu nurse brought her to my room for a short visit.  

 ian's first time meeting his baby sister through the window!

 a baby with a name!

 waiting for isla to be discharged!

 going home!!  15 days later!

 he held her hand the whole way home!

 finally holding baby sister for the first time!

 baby and mama!

 isla's first bath!

 just hanging out!

 sweet brother!

hanging out with dad!

whah!  i'm 1 month old!

Disney on Ice is coming to Chicago!!

Disney on Ice is coming to the United Center in Chicago September11-15!  Join the celebration as more than 60 of Disney’s unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic! You’ll be captivated by the one and only Mickey Mouse, the irresistible Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio, and many Disney Princesses.  Experience a skating spectacular you’ll remember forever as Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic!


Ian just loves Disney movies- from the classic cartoons that we all grew up on to the films of today.  I know he is going to be so thrilled to see the show- and your child will love it too!  There will be over 65 Disney characters in the show- so everyone is sure to see their favorite character!

The show opens Wednesday, September 11th and runs through Sunday, September 15th.  Opening night tickets are just $12, and Sunday's 7 PM showing is a Spanish performance.  However, no matter when you go there is FREE PARKING in all official United Center lots. 

Want to attend with your family?  Tickets can be purchased via TicketMaster by going here.  You can save 40% on all weekday shows and 20% on weekend shows* by entering the special promo code MOM.

You can also 'like' Disney On Ice's Facebook page and follow them on Twitter for more family fun!

Hope to see you there!!  In the meantime, here's a Micky or Minnie crown for your little one to enjoy!!

*Weekday is defined as any show Monday through Thursday or Friday matinee. Discount does not apply to Circus Celebrity, Front Row, or VIP seats. No double discounts. Service charges, handling, and facility fees may apply.


Disclaimer:  I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided  me and my family with complimentary tickets to Feld shows as well as opportunities to attend private Feld pre-show events.  All opinions expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone. 

baby #2 week 35- the end is not near, it's here (apparently)

so i have taken a 5 week hiatus from blogging and you may be wondering where i've been (or not b\c probably everyone who reads this knows me).  i got a surprise during week 35- a baby.  it was insanity, and it's a story i will tell eventually, and i feel like i have so much to tell- but i'll finish off my pregnancy first...

how far along- 35 wks (june 12-june 18 (and i only made it to the 17th))

due date- july 20th, or if you're me and my phone- july 17th- either way, i was 4-5 weeks early, and for hospital purposes, my due date was july 20th.

weight gain- i never made it to my appointment on the 18th- but when i weighed myself saturday 6/15 i was up 55 lbs- so i had gained about 15 lbs in the last week or so... i should have KNOWN something was up.

symptoms- same.  acid reflux, heartburn, swollen feet, ankles and calves, tummy issues, terrible snoring and feeling like i can't breathe.  contractions.  i'll get to the rest in another post

cravings- nothing really

aversions- n/a

am i showing-  it's fairly obvious

missing anything-  my feet. sleep.  my husband
sleep-  not sleeping well.  plus dave was out of town and we were staying with his parents. 

innie or outie-  still depends on the time of day! 

movement- lots of movement.  lots of low movement. 

doctor's visits- never made it

boy or girl-  girl!
names-  nothing yet.
braxton hicks-  yes, still...
gym-  never made it to the gym b\c it was just me and ian.
what's next-  dave was out of town wed-friday and we were  preparing for a nice birthday weekend.  i watched my nephews on wednesday and took ian to a museum on friday with my nephews, sister-in-law and mother-in-law.  when dave got back friday i went to dinner with friends- and that night was pretty much the beginning of the end of my pregnancy. 

so there's the last week of my pregnancy... how it all went down... still to come

dress:  old navy maternity

baby #2, week 34

how far along- 34 wks (june 5-june 11)

due date- july 20th, or if you're me and my phone- july 17th

weight gain- it was 40 lbs at last weigh in.  no appointment this week

symptoms- same.  acid reflux, heartburn, swollen feet, ankles and calves, tummy issues, terrible snoring and feeling like i can't breathe.  contractions.  

cravings- raspberries, clementines!

aversions- n/a

am i showing-  it's fairly obvious

missing anything-  my feet. 
sleep-  the breathe right strips have been helping some, but dave says i'm still snoring.  if i take naps though i don't wear them- and i constantly wake myself up snoring.  plus, i am constantly having to go to the bathroom b\c baby is so low i can only go little bits at a time

innie or outie-  still depends on the time of day! 

movement- lots of movement.  lots of low movement.  hopefully she's still head down. 

doctor's visits- no visit this week.  this is my last week off- next tuesday i will go weekly until delivery.

boy or girl-  girl!
names-  nothing yet.
braxton hicks-  yes, still... but i'm beginning to think some of these are real.
gym-  i haven't been to the gym since last week.  sigh.
what's next-  dave is out of town on a business trip this week.  his first since we've been married.  the timing is just crazy...  it's been a pretty tough week.  3 yo, 2 annoying dogs, 35 wks pregnant, storms, ugh.  it's all happening at once.

dress- loft (non maternity, and a size small to boot.  thank you vanity sizing)

cardigan- forever 21.  (it was cold again last week- shocker).