Week 25 Belly Pic

Hello Friends & Family--

Yep 2 posts in one day, I'm on a roll!

My, my have things changed. At one point I was practically begging to 'show' and now I'm definitely unable to hide it! I won't say I'm huge by any means, but it's interesting trying to put together an outfit these days :) Hence my "Grimace Outfit" as Chris so lovingly called it. I wish I had a picture so I could get everyone else's opinion--he claims he was only kidding. Oh and a very special thank you to Kristin and her Mom Toni & Sister Leigh for letting me borrow some maternity clothes--it's expensive to buy a new wardrobe and I'm so thankful to them! Plus the clothes are super cute! I'm trying on a shirt/jeans in the photo :) If I had permission I'd post a pic of Leigh's little boy, he's ADORABLE!!

While everywhere else around us is getting pelted with snow (haha, Nebraska!), we are sitting tight with just a mere 2.5" of snow for the last storm. Our winter has been rather mild thus far, but I'm sure it's coming. I'd rather it stay this way, it makes a paranoid pregnant driver a little bit calmer. Plus, I'd like to avoid falling on my butt on the snow/ice too! The dogs certainly enjoy the snow though!

And now some more advice questions...Chris and I are looking to purchase a D-SLR camera prior to Baby Z's arrival. We've done a little research and it appears the main contenders are: Nikon, Canon and Sony. We've probably eliminated Sony, but does anyone have any info they could share about Nikon or Canon? Or currently use one that they can recommend? This is a big purchase and we want to make sure we get what's best for us. Thanks!

25 Weeks:

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 25 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Z is the size of an Eggplant

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'll find out on Friday at my appt.

Maternity Clothes: I'm really only wearing maternity bottoms.

Gender: BOY!

Movement: I can now see it and not just feel it :)

Sleep: I'm now an early riser, 5:45am. Hmm.

What I miss: I could use a nice cup of joe.

Cravings: Gummy Worms!

 Symptoms: Acid reflux...grr!

Best Moment this week: Since our appt. was cancelled last week we look forward to hearing his HB on Friday!

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

The great diaper debate

Hello Friends & Family--

This may not be an exciting topic for all of my readers, so bear with me. Chris and I have recently started making some important decisions regarding our little man. There's always the topics of: breast feeding vs formula, organic or not, etc. The most recent being whether or not we choose the standard diaper versus the modern cloth diapers. Between the two of us we really had no knowledge of cloth diapers, other then it really appeared to be a hassle more then anything. So when we went into a local store we had the opportunity to have a nice woman teach us everything we could want to know about today's cloth diapers systems.

    

Let me tell you they have come a long way from the cloth and pin options! These new fancy pants come in velcro or snaps that have the option to grow with the baby. That means ONE diaper cover for the duration of the child's diapering stage! Wowzers! Then there's the option of a hybrid cloth diaper, meaning it has an insert along w/ a disposable liner. Or you always have the more standard option of just the washable insert. This gives you the opportunity to go out in public and not have to carry around a soiled insert (granted they do have some pretty cool bags for that purpose). You can just toss the disposable insert and be on your way just like a normal diaper. This was a big concern of mine with cloth diapers, I felt it really could hinder your outings. Boy was I wrong!

I think one thing that intrigues the Hubby the most is the cost savings :) And saving the environment of course, haha.We all know Chris is a sucker for a good deal or anyway he can save a penny--not that I'm complaining! A cloth diaper starting system is around $200, this gets you through around 3-4 days before you have to wash the inserts. Not bad. So if you add a few more inserts/covers to the series you could have a 5-6 day supply and you are really only doing the laundry (for diapers) once a week. Not saying the extra laundering will be fun though (hoping if Chris wants to save a buck, he'll be helping out w/ it). I know I'll be doing laundry on a daily basis anyway, what's one more load? Haha I'm sure I'll eat those words too!

Needless to say we are very much leaning towards cloth diapers. I'm not overly organic, but I do see the benefits to cloth diapering and right now they outweigh those of standard diapers. So any friends and family out there that have used them and have any advice for us PLEASE share! We'd love to hear your opinions either way. We are both new to this ballgame so we are all ears (on most topics) :) !

Here are a few links for the systems I'm talking about if you want to check them out!

http://www.bumgenius.com/

http://www.fuzzibunz.com/

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

Stats: Week 25

Hello Friends & Family--

My appointment for last Friday was cancelled b/c my Dr. was ill. I thought Dr.'s were supposed to be invincible? They rescheduled me for this Friday. We also started really working on the nursery this weekend! Yippee! We (and I say "we" loosely) picked out trim and started to paint. I'm not going to hint at the color just yet, the bedding hasn't been ordered and I may change my mind before that! I'm relieved that it's finally coming a long!


25 Weeks:


Got a dark line running down your belly? That's your linea nigra, and it's totally normal. Pregnancy hormones might also be making your complexion a little spotty. Switching to oil-free, water-based, noncomedogenic makeup should help clear things up. No dark line for me, and truthfully there are no stretch marks as of yet. Not saying either isn't coming, but I still look pretty normal I think. After Chris' comment of calling me Grimace (the big purple guy from McDonald's) this morning after seeing what I was wearing I may be changing my opinion. 

Baby's now the size of an eggplant!
That oh-so-handy sense of equilibrium is kicking in, and baby's learning to distinguish right side up from upside down. We've upgraded into the veggies!

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

Week 24 Belly Pic

Hello Friends & Family--

Here's the 24 week picture! You can definitely see the protruding baby bump, it's getting bigger and bigger every day! I read in one of my pregnancy books that in the 3rd Trimester you can gain up to a pound a week. Lovely, I have a lot to look forward to in a couple weeks! As long as I can still get my snow pants on to go ice fishing I'll be a happy camper--Yes, I love ice fishing!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Z is the size of an Papaya!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'll find out on Friday at my appt.

Maternity Clothes: I'm really only wearing maternity bottoms.

Gender: BOY!

Movement: He's definitely active!

Sleep: I'm now an early riser, 5:45am. Hmm.

What I miss: My balance, I'm definitely a bit front heavy.

Cravings: VANILLA MALTS--and now I make my own!

 Symptoms: Acid reflux...grr!

Best Moment this week: I'm sure it will be hearing Baby Z's heartbeat at the appt. tomorrow!

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

Stats: Week 24

Hello Friends & Family--

6 MONTHS! Can you believe that? I certainly can't! That means there are 4 months left (It's based on a 10 month period)! Reality is finally sinking in for the both of us that time is slowly running out, this definitely took awhile for Chris :). I still feel wonderful and am very thankful for that! I know there are many women that are not that fortunate. I still haven't put on too much weight, but I'll find out for sure at my check-up on Friday. It's just the basic appointment to measure my growth and hear Baby Z's heartbeat. The next one will be the lovely glucose text at 28 weeks.

** I forgot the Highlights for week 23's picture so I'm including them here!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 23 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Z is the size of an Papaya!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: ??? I need to weigh myself ???

Maternity Clothes: I now have a pair of maternity jeans & cords! I love them! Oh and I purchased a few pairs of leggings and shirts too!

Gender: BOY!

Movement: He's definitely active!

Sleep: Chris' snoring keeps me awake, but other then that I'm sleeping well.

What I miss: Nothing really this week.

Cravings: VANILLA MALTS (especially from Culver's!)

 Symptoms: Acid reflux...grr!

Best Moment this week: Seeing all of my family over the Holidays!

Week 24 Stats:

As much as we love your company, take a break from the computer if your fingers feel numb or tingly. It's probably carpal tunnel syndrome, often brought on by pregnancy. Stretch your hands frequently to loosen them up. For significant symptoms, try wrist braces or splints at nighttime.





Baby's now the size of a papaya!
Baby's skin is becoming more opaque as the fat starts to pack on. And, thanks to the formation of small capillaries, her newly thick skin is taking on a fresh pink glow. Told you! Maybe they ran out of fruit ideas :)

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

Week 23 Belly Pic

Hello Friends & Family--

This picture was taken after the unfortunate Badger loss in the Rose Bowl. Hats off to TCU. Not a good year for bowl games with any of my teams, the Huskers had a heartbreaking loss in the Holiday Bowl as well. Oh well there's always the excitement of having both teams in the Big Ten for 2011! Needless to say this isn't my best picture... Speaking of that Baby Z received his first sports gear for Nebraska! I told Chris at least it's red :) I'm sure ISU and WI gear will be following soon! He is definitely already spoiled, lots of clothes and a few toys including a cute little ark/barn! :)

And an update on the nursery, Chris very diligently cleared out that room. It's now free of clutter and the dog kennels! Poor dogs are going to be confused for awhile. They went from being spoiled rotten with their own room (don't worry they still are), to sharing the room with the guest bedroom furniture. Now we are working on picking out bedding and a paint color. It's a lot harder then one would think. He won't really be having a themed nursery, but a color instead. I'm not going to announce just yet for fear that I change my mind! Hopefully by this weekend we'll have something decided and ordered! Oh and a lot of people have asked about how the dogs will do once Baby Z arrives, and my best response without knowing the outcome is they'll do just fine. Cooper loves kids, love may be an understatement. Whenever he can he'll try to "play" with kids when we are on walks. He really just wants to lick them--must be all the PBJ sandwich remnants!Hurley is more of an observer so he'll gladly just watch from a distance until he's sure they won't "get" him.I have no doubt that they'll do great, but I'm sure it will be a major adjustment to no longer being number 1 in the household.

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

Stats: Week 23

Hello Friends & Family--

This is from last week, so it's a bit behind. We had a wonderful Christmas & New Year's, and I hope you all did as well! I most certainly gained some weight--probably just from all of the food I ate! Got to love the holidays! I'm working on catching up the blog, so bear with me!

Week 23:




Swollen from head to toe? Increased blood flow, by now an old friend, is to blame. Consider a trip to the shoe store because loosening ligaments will cause your feet to expand even more in the weeks to come.





Baby's now the size of a papaya!
Baby's little face is fully formed...minus the baby fat, of course. The next task at hand for baby: sprouting two teeny-tiny nipples! It appears that he's going to be the size of a papaya for awhile :) 



Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z