• Baby

    Shane Thomas: Six Months

    Welp guys I’ve dropped the ball this month on blogging. Something I have not blogged about yet is that Tommy and I are starting our own furniture business through Etsy. This is honestly the reason that blogging has been taking a backseat. We are trying hard to get the shop up and running as fast as possible so every bit of free time I’ve had has been working towards that.

    To be honest for the first time ever, I’ve reconsidered if I even wanted to keep blogging, but for now I definitely want to. Even if that means for a while that I am only about to get one or two posts up a month. I think eventually I will be able to blog more often – when Shane doesn’t need me quite so much.

    Anyways, speaking of Shane, let’s jump right into his update! Oh and also, I decided to change up the format of these updates. That was another reason why I haven’t blogged, the format I was using I didn’t like so it made me not really want to do these updates. I have been filling out a baby book for him so I am going to use that as a format for these as well.


    STATS: At Shane’s six month doctor’s appointment he weighed 14 pounds 10 ounces (5%). He was 26 inches tall (20%) and his head size was 16.5 inches (11%). He’s just a little guy like his daddy and I.

    New Foods: oatmeal, strawberries, and sweet potatoes

    How does your baby like solid foods? Shane looooves eating solids. He particularly likes eating sweet foods, like most babies I believe. It’s been really fun feeding him new foods and seeing his reaction to them.

    Sleep: Shane has always been a decent sleeper. This month he has started wanting to stay up and play for an hour or two in the middle of the night, which has not been fun. 😅(Only on some nights, thank God!)

    Does your baby sleep through the night? I have been avoiding this question on the blog (and in real life if I’m being honest) because I may be one of the only parents who doesn’t want Shane to sleep through the night. Say whaaat?! I KNOW. But there is good reason for it. So Shane is mostly breastfed, but also gets about 6-8 ounces of formula a day. If I cut out his nighttime feed then he would need about 4-6 more ounces of formula a day, which honestly is totally fine. But my goal has been to provide as much of his daily milk as I can so that means I will dreamfeed him in the middle of the night so that he can get that extra amount of breastmilk. I know there many be some people who won’t understand this but then again I know that there will be some people who will. It’s just personally a sacrifice I do not mind doing for Shane and I actually love that I am able to do, so for now it works for us.

    DAILY SCHEDULE (24hr: food + naps):

    • 8:30-9:30am: Wake up, nurse, take the dog out, play while mommy eats her breakfast.
    • 10-11am: Nurse, 2 oz bottle of formula, nap
    • 12-1pm: Wake up + nurse + 1-2 oz of solids sometime before next nap
    • 2-3pm: Nurse, 2 oz bottle of formula, nap
    • 4-5pm: Wake up + nurse
    • 6-6:30pm: Nurse, 2 oz bottle of formula, nap
    • 6:30-7pm: Wake up + 1-2 oz of solids sometime before bed
    • 8:30pm: Nurse, 2 oz bottle of formula, down for the night
    • 12:30-1:30am: Nurse + back to sleep
    • 4:30-5:30am: Nurse + back to sleep (sometimes right away, sometimes it takes about an hour)

    Just keep in mind this is a pretty rough schedule. Sometimes Shane doesn’t want to take his last nap, sometimes we are very busy and only get around to giving him solids once a day, sometimes he only takes an hour and a half nap. But for the most part this is the schedule we follow most days.

    Does your baby have any teeth? Nope! Still waiting on our teeth, which is A-Okay with mommy. 😉

    LOVES: His puppy, being in water, his mommy, and eating!

    Describe your baby’s temperament and disposition: Shane is such a happy baby! But he also knows what he wants and definitely lets us know what that is too.

    Favorite toys this month: This turtle toy, Skip Hop activity table, + this teether. (affiliate links)


    That’s all for this month friends! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

  • Baby

    Baby Zin is finally here!

    Shane Thomas Zinhobl finally joined our family last Friday after being 6 days late. His birth went super smoothly and we are now settling into life at home with a newborn. It has been the best and hardest week of my life that’s for sure, but I couldn’t be more in love with this precious gift God has graced us with. We are so undeserving but so very thankful he is ours. We love you so Baby Shane.

    I really want to write his birth story and share it here, as that is one of my favorite posts to read. I honestly don’t know how many of the details I’m actually going to remember but look for that sometime within the next month or so. 😉

     

    Shane Thomas Zinhobl

    January 12, 2018

    8:11 AM

    7 pounds 1 ounce

    20 inches


  • Baby,  Pregnancy

    Baby Zin: 37-39 Week Bumpdate

    Hey friends! I had a rare moment of actually really wanting to blog today so here I am. It’s been really hard to find the motivation amidst such a huge change in my life. I am technically 40 weeks pregnant as I write this, even though I’m not recapping this week, and we are still waiting for baby. I am only two days past my due date but we are hoping he’ll come soon. Please pray that I don’t have to be induced and that labor and delivery would go well. I am quite nervous about it. Thank you for all the support you guys give me as well. It means so much to me!


    Size of the Baby: At 39 weeks baby was the size of a pumpkin – about 7.23 pounds and 19.9 inches!

    Total Weight Gain: 32 pounds as of last Wednesday!

    Doctors Appointments: At my 36 week appointment I was tested for GBS and that came back negative, which I’m really happy about because I hate antibiotics.

    At my 39 week doctor’s appointment my doctor checked to see if I was dilated at all and I wasn’t. I also had this done at my 36 week appointment, which didn’t hurt at all but at the 39 week one it hurt so badly. I’m really hoping I go into labor before Wednesday so I don’t have to have that done again. 😵

    Symptoms: Nothing too much that’s new to be honest. I have had Braxton hicks contractions still, most of them coming at night but nothing to get crazy about. After my 39 week cervical check, I had a lot of them the next day and I could have sworn I had my bloody show, but now that it’s been 4 days I’m thinking it was only because of the cervical check and didn’t actually mean baby was coming.

    My hips have been really sore at night. Mostly early morning. I will wake up every hour or two after like 4 or 5 am and have to switch sides because they ache so badly.

     

    Stretch Marks: Nope!

    Nursery: I know I mentioned that I was going to do a nursery reveal and I really hate to be the blogger who says they will do something and then falls flat on their words. I still have every intention of sharing his nursery (and name!), I’m just not exactly sure when at this point. I want to say this week but it is baby week so I don’t want to make any promises! Even if I end up sharing his nursery after he’s born, I will definitely still be creating a post about it.

    Tommy is: patiently waiting for baby along side me.

    Best Moments: Probably Christmas. We had a great Christmas this year at my in-laws. They are all just as excited as we are to have this baby come. Tommy also made me this really thoughtful gift – a bulletin board of all of our special moments during this pregnancy. I love it so much.

    Looking Forward To: Baby Zin’s birth! I still am in shock that it is just around the corner to be honest.


    If you don’t already follow me on Instagram and don’t want to miss out on his birth announcement, then click here and wait patiently (or not so patiently if you’re like me) for when he’s born! I’ll definitely be updating over there first before I’ll get to show up here.

  • Baby,  Pregnancy

    Baby Zin: 35 + 36 Week Bumpdate

    Hi friends! Even though my picture might be technically 37 weeks, I’m here to update you on weeks 35 and 36 of this pregnancy. I cannot believe he will be here so soon. I CANNOT wait.


    Size of the Baby: At 36 weeks he was the size of a papaya – about 5.73 pounds and 18.7 inches.

    Total Weight Gain: Up exactly 30 pounds as of week 36!

    Symptoms: A definite increase in discharge. (TMI I know.) Also an increase in Braxton hicks contractions. I also get this feeling where it feels like my bladder is being pinched while I’m standing, I’m guessing from all the pressure, and that isn’t a nice feeling at all lol. My appetite picked up again around 36 weeks. Some days I feel ravenous, while others I’m okay eating just about as much as I was before I was pregnant it seems.

    Doctors Appointments: Starting at 36 weeks, I am now going to the doctor once a week! The way my doctor’s office works is they check to see if you are dilated each week when you come in. I know some people don’t like doing this because it technically doesn’t mean anything, but I really enjoy knowing if I’m dilated at all. At my 36 week appointment, my doctor’s words were “Not much going on there. Maybe a fingertip”. So I’m still excited that I’m just slightly dilated at all. I’m excited to be checked again this Wednesday and see if anything has changed.

    She also measured my fundal height, like they do at every appointment. I actually could feel that she did it differently than the other doctors I’ve been to before her (there are 4 in the office and this was the first time I was seeing this specific doctor). She sent me for a growth scan because my fundal height was 2 cm behind. To be honest with you, I really didn’t feel it was necessary, I’ve heard 2 cm is nothing to be behind and I could just feel she had measured me differently like I mentioned before, but I went anyway. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself just in case there was something wrong and I chose not to go.

    I went to the ultrasound yesterday and everything went well. Baby boy is measuring about 6 pounds 4 ounces and is in the 25th percentile! She said if I went another 2 weeks that he would be around 7 pounds when he was born.

    Movement: He really likes to throw me for a loop when it comes to movement. He has some days where he moves a ton during the day, then he has others where he doesn’t move too much at all. I also like the days when he’s moving a ton so I don’t have to worry. On the days where he doesn’t move a lot, if I eat or drink something sweet he always reacts to it so I don’t get too worried. It would be nice if he moved around a lot more on those days though so I don’t have to worry at all lol. I’m wondering if this means he’s going to be a pretty chill baby because I hear some babies move constantly in the womb and baby boy definitely is not one of those babies haha.

    Stretch Marks: Nope, still none so far! Everybody keeps telling me I’m so small for how far along I am though so maybe that’s why? I’m also still faithfully putting on my belly butter, which keeps my skin so soft.

    Nursery: Like I mentioned in my last update, we were very close to being done with the nursery. I am so excited to say we are done! I did buy a pattern to make a mobile, but honestly am not sure if that will get done before he is born. That’s okay though. I think I’m going to try to take pictures and share his nursery this week. I love it so much!

    Tommy is: excited to become a dad and feeling the weight of the responsibility that is very closely before us.

    Best Moments: When I was 35 weeks we went over to my in-laws for dinner and spent a lot of time talking about the baby. It was so much fun and everyone seems so excited for him to be here soon. Tommy’s brother and his wife had a fetal doppler and they suggested we try to get the baby’s heartbeat on it so we could all hear. Tommy used it and found the baby’s heartbeat and it was so much fun!

    Looking Forward To: Christmas! I would absolutely love for baby to be born before Christmas and for us to make it home from the hospital for Christmas but only if he’s ready of course. I’m not holding my breath for it but it would be so great. 🙂

  • Baby,  Pregnancy

    Baby Zin: 31-34 Week Bumpdate

    Hi friends. I am finally getting around to posting about my last 4 weeks of pregnancy! Thanks for all of the encouragement and for being patient with me. 🙂 It’s actually been harder to document the symptoms the further I get because they all kind of stay the same.


    Size of the Baby: At 34 weeks baby is the size of a Butternut Squash – about 17.7 inches and 4.63 pounds! I can’t believe how big he’s getting.

    Total Weight Gain: At my doctor’s appointment I weighed in at 130 – up 27 pounds. I’m still feeling really good about my weight gain. It’s really only going to my belly/hip area, which I am pretty happy about haha. I’m also happy because it’s been very gradual and not too uncomfortable.

    Gender: Still a sweet baby boy! 🙂

    Symptoms: Oh this is a fun one! I noticed I started getting a linea nigra at 31 weeks! I was so surprised because on my baby bump apps they said that you might start getting it at something like 14 weeks and I hadn’t noticed anything until 31 weeks so I thought that the time for that had passed. It’s still super light but it’s definitely there!

    I noticed around that same time that I started getting a lot more emotional as well and that still continues on until today for the most part. It’s nothing compared to the first trimester but since I’m also getting a lot more tired more easily, that mixed with so many changes so soon, sometimes I get a bit emotional. But that’s to be expected haha.

    I have been having Braxton hicks contractions as well. I usually get them most at night and they usually happen the most when I haven’t drank enough water that day. They aren’t anything to worry about though. I also noticed that if I don’t drink enough water, I wake up so much more overnight to drink water. It’s super interesting.

    I also get some indigestion every once in a while. It depends on what I’m eating and I’m starting to learn which foods cause it more than others. For some reason, I can’t really eat oatmeal. Oatmeal seems to give me the worst indigestion oddly enough. Frozen pizza also causes it (but not ordered pizza?) but that doesn’t stop me from eating it of course. 😉

    Movement: Baby is still moving around like usual, which is great. He will have some more active days than others but if I ever get worried that I haven’t felt him in a while if I drink something sweet and lay on my side he always wakes right up.

    Stretch Marks: Still none thankfully. I’ve been using Burt’s Bees Mama Belly Butter every night and it makes my skin so moisturized and soft. I still have 6 more weeks to go though so we will see!

    Nursery: When I was 31 weeks (right before our baby shower) we redid his closet to have better storage. The picture below was my inspiration. I can’t wait to show you guys how it came out. I love it.

    Source

    Also, we are just about done with his nursery! I just ordered a little nightstand for next to the glider, which should be here late this week/early next week. Once all of the finishing touches are put on, I will definitely be doing a nursery tour post and also a name reveal! 🙂 His name is up on the wall and our friends and families know his name so I might as well share with my blogging friends as well. I’m super excited for that post.

    Tommy is: Working hard and extra saving up money for the baby. Also working hard at home trying to get the house baby ready! He’s the greatest. 🙂

    Best Moments: We took a childbirth class and the hospital tour over the course of these 4 weeks. I loved them both. I became more empowered during the childbirth class that my body is able to do this and I don’t need to be afraid. We learned some helpful tips and positions and I’m really glad we went.

    The hospital tour was equally exciting because it really helped me feel prepared. I usually get anxiety when I don’t know what to expect in a situation so being about to see exactly where we have to go and the room where I will give birth in helped calm me down a lot. It also made it a lot more real.

    Looking Forward To: Just being that much more closer to meeting our sweet baby. I dream about him every night and I cannot wait until he’s here!

  • Baby,  Pregnancy

    Baby Zin: 29 + 30 Week Bumpdate

    You guys. Today is exactly two months from my due date. Holy cow, how did this happen?? I’m so excited to meet our baby boy and it seems with each passing week things just seem more and more REAL. I’m also freaking out just a bit too because I’m actually going to have to birth this baby soon! Let’s see how the past two weeks have gone.


    Size of the Baby: At 30 weeks, baby was the size of a Zucchini – about 15.7 inches and 2.89 pounds!

    Total Weight Gain: Weight: 123 – up 20 pounds. It seems that the weight gain has finally started to level out and I did not gain anymore weight over these past two weeks. (Which is a relief because I was putting on weight very quickly over the past month or so. I think baby went through a growth spurt!)

    Symptoms: Still kind of the same old symptoms, which I’m not complaining about! Pregnancy insomnia. Muscle cramps in my calves. Feeling quite heavy.

    This isn’t a symptom but I did get a cold when I was 29 weeks. That wasn’t fun and I was sick for probably close to a week, but it wasn’t that bad. I managed to get by without taking any medicine and just rested a lot. I think this may have had to do with not gaining weight as well because I wasn’t eating quite as much as I would have been if I was feeling more normal.

    Movement: So far a few times this pregnancy so far it seems like the baby has turned himself sideways in my belly and then his kicks and punches get so much more intense. The weekend when I turned 30 weeks he did this and all weekend long I was feeling super crazy movements!

    Tommy is: really excited about becoming a dad! Also super glad that all of the painting is finally done in our apartment, haha.

    Best Moments: Tommy took me up to Lake George for a small little babymoon. It was a super nice relaxing weekend getaway. We may or may not have binge watched Stranger Things 2 while up there. 😉

    We also took Maternity Pictures this week as well! It was just a mini photo shoot that I actually got a great deal off of Groupon for. I honestly just wanted a couple special pictures from this time to remember it by, and I also wanted one really good one for our Christmas cards!

    Looking Forward To: Organizing all of the baby things we got from our baby shower! We had that yesterday (when I was actually 31 weeks) and we are so, so blessed by our friends and family. They went above and beyond for our little family and we got so many things that we needed. (I will probably do a whole post just about the baby shower in the near future.) Now just to organize and figure out what we still need! My fav!