Stats: Week 28

Hello Friends & Family--

We are onto the THIRD and FINAL trimester! Wahoo! I certainly can't believe that 7 months have past that's for sure! About 3 more months and he'll be here! I'm sure the time will go fast with showers and prepping for the baby's arrival. We will start our classes on Wednesday and they'll run into March. I know Chris is a little relieved that he'll have some expert advice. I'll have to update on that once we've had a few classes under our belts.

The nursery hasn't seen much progress over the last few weeks. The glider we ordered is supposed to deliver this week and then hopefully we can find a rug to match. Rumor has it that with this new storm coming through, I may have Tuesday & Wednesday off so maybe I'll get some quality time to work on the nursery then! Never thought I'd be so eager for 10-20" of snow, haha! For all of you in the Midwest I'm sure you are bracing yourselves for the same storm--STAY WARM!

Here's where we stand at 28 weeks:

Your Pregnancy: Week 28

Sprung a leak? Those thick, yellow drips (called colostrum), are the precursor to breast milk. Try a pair of cotton breast pads and make sure to change them whenever they get damp to avoid the dreaded chafe. Still milk-free? That's normal too -- some women just don't leak.

Baby's now the size of an eggplant!Baby's lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, she has a pretty good chance of surviving (with help from medical technology). Her skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit.

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

That's a STEAL!

Hello Friends & Family--

Anyone that knows us well, knows that we both LOVE finding deals. I think it actually be the Mingus side of me. Anyway I've been on the lookout for any deal I could find for our little bambino, so I thought I'd share my latest find!

I had done my research on breast pumps and had decided on the Medela Freestyle, however this pump is quite expensive at $380! We put it on our registry, but knowing that it was something that we would probably not receive. Kind of like that big screen TV Chris wanted to register for our wedding :) So I had been looking for deals on eBay and even Craigslist, but hadn't found anything of substantial savings. To my surprise Chris called on Tuesday morning to let me know that a member of his referral group (also expecting) read a blog about a deal at Super Target. Apparently the pump was 75% off, a nearly $300 savings! It only included Super Target, not a regular Target so you had to act fast. They had purchased theirs that way and encouraged  Chris to see if it was still available.




Chris took the next 2 days diligently scouring Super Targets and regular Targets trying to locate a pump, but to no avail. In fact when we went to register he had already been in that particular store 6 times, he was worried they were on the look out for him. Ha! On a whim I decided to head to our local Target on Wednesday night to see if they had any in stock. Sure enough they did! So I bought it for full price (ouch), with the intention of taking it to a Super Target for a return & buy back. I was nervous this wouldn't work (Chris had already attempted at a different store), but for that kind of savings it was well worth another try! I'm happy to say I'm the proud owner of a new Medela Freestyle pump, one that only cost me $94! Now I just hope that I am able to use it! Gotta love deals! Call me cheap I don't care :)

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

Week 27 Belly Pic

Hello Friends & Family--

Today I had my lovely Glucose Tolerance test. I had to drink a small bottle of an orange liquid in less than five minutes. Then have my blood drawn at exactly 1 hour from drinking it to test how my body can rid of it from my blood stream. I should have the results later today as to whether I need to have another test to determine if it is Gestational Diabetes, or if I am in the clear. Let's hope I'm good to go. I don't particularly want to drink a larger bottle of that and have the 3 hour test!

Here's my happy face prior to heading for my blood draw :)

Week 27:

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 27 Weeks

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

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Roughly 7lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Really just maternity pants.

Gender: BOY!

Movement: Super active today after that Glucose drink!

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well.

What I miss: Eating a red sauce w/o getting acid reflux.

Cravings: Homemade malts and shakes...especially with pb snickers!

 Symptoms: Acid reflux...grr!

Best Moment this week: Getting the glucose test out of the way :)

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

Stats: Week 27

Hello Friends & Family--

It's the last week of the 2nd Trimester! Bring on Trimester number 3! Just one step closer to meeting our little guy! It's becoming a bit more of a reality as we are starting to receive gifts and shower planning is well under way. I haven't had anyone try to touch my belly, nor has anyone asked when I'm due, so until that day comes I think I'm still not really showing. Haha, that's a good justification right!?

Well the boys and I survived our time without Chris just fine. He had a wonderful time skiing in Colorado with the guys. I think this may have just become an annual guys trip. Usually we both go to Breck once a year, but I may have just gotten the boot :) I spent my time cleaning and organizing a few things, didn't get near as much as I had planned though! Oh well I guess.

Here's where we stand this week...

you're 27 weeks pregnant!

Got a sudden pain in your rear? That's just baby, settling into place for his upcoming debut. His head might be pressing on your sciatic nerve, which can cause pain and numbness down the backs of your legs. Don't worry -- it'll ease up soon after labor. For now, your aching back deserves a pat. You've reached trimester three!

Baby's now the size of an eggplant!
Baby's lungs are going through some major developments these days, which (combined with the opening of previously plugged nostrils) means he's now able to practice inhaling and exhaling. The lack of air in your womb means every "breath" is filled with amniotic fluid, but hey -- it's progress.




Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

Week 26 Belly Pic

Hello Friends & Family--

I'm posting the belly pic a day early because Chris is leaving me for the great state of Colorado with some good friends. I'm certainly jealous, but I encouraged him to take a guys weekend skiing before Baby Z arrived. Who knows when the next time he'll be able to get away with just the boys will be! I'll be having a nice quiet weekend at home w/ the pets. I'm looking forward to having some time to myself and getting some of my "nesting" out of the way. I feel like there is a lot of organizing to get done!

Plus I can't wait to fumble around with our new camera! We purchased a Canon T2i from the recommendation of all of our photographer friends and I think it's a perfect fit! I'm definitely more familiar with Nikon, but I'm finding this to be fairly easy to operate. We will also be getting an upgraded lens because the kit lens is a bit too basic. I love photography and I can't wait to dive in head first learning the ends and outs of this new camera! My new models (Coop, Hurley & Bo) are not too happy with the constant paparazzi flash and lens in their face though!

Week 26:

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 26 Weeks

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

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Roughly 7lbs.

Maternity Clothes: My t-shirts for the gym are no longer fitting properly :)

Gender: BOY!

Movement: He's really active at night and right when I get to work.

Sleep: Waking up more throughout the night to go to the bathroom.

What I miss: Eating a red sauce w/o getting acid reflux.

Cravings: Fruit smoothies!

 Symptoms: Acid reflux...grr!

Best Moment this week: Getting the crib put together, bedding and all!

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

Stats: Week 26

Hello Friends & Family--

Our dr.'s appt. on Friday went very well. The heartbeat is down to 135, which apparently is normal as their heart develops it slows down a bit. Plus he was not active whatsoever at the appointment. We scheduled my glucose test, I only have to fast for 1 hour so I'm thankful for that. I scheduled it for early in the morning so I shouldn't be too bothered. After our next appt. we start going in every 2 weeks instead of 4. Can you believe it's that time already--3rd trimester is almost here!

Nursery Update: The trim is now up in the nursery! Chris painted the pre-existing shelves to give the dingy white an update (they are still white). The bedding should arrive today, as long as the weather cooperates (it's already 2 days delayed b/c of adverse weather conditions elsewhere). We are only getting 3-5 inches today, but things are pretty nasty out there! As soon as we move the crib & dresser upstairs I'll take a picture for the blog.

We had a pretty busy weekend, as we also registered the little bambino at Babies R Us (we will also register at Target). This was soooo overwhelming! It took nearly 4 hours and it was clear we NEED a lot of stuff! Thankfully they gave us a semi guide to go off of too! One more thing to check off the list though!

you're 26 weeks pregnant!





Don't panic if your uterus suddenly starts tightening and relaxing -- Braxton Hicks contractions often begin around this time. They're simply your body's way of practicing and preparing for labor. (If the contractions are regular or particularly painful, call your doc just to be sure it's not the real thing.)





Baby's now the size of an eggplant! (again)
Baby's soaking up your antibodies, getting her immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and she'll soon be practicing the blink...perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

Love,

Chris, Amber & Baby Z

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