Snow and a new video camera for Christmas

By Michael Zaller

Click on the video to play

Maternity Photography

I was convinced to let Michelle take a few pictures of me yesterday.

So here is the 34 and a half week mark (in the 35th week). We have a little over a month to go.

Today we're rounding out our baby registry at Babies R Us, as well as preppi

ng for Christmas, which basically means that we are having the worlds' tiniest Christmas (just the two of us) and having a very very small gift exchange. Still, I'm excited to be spending my first Christmas here at home with Michael.

The baby's crib

Today Michael set up the baby crib. As per Rhonda's request, Michael took a picture of it so you can see how awesome it looks.

So far it's the only thing we have set up, and it's a small crib, so standard bedding won't fit (portacrib bedding will), but it is solid wood and sturdy (thank you Betty, Larry, and Mike!!!). It was far and away our favorite crib that we saw in all of the stores. And because of it's size, we didn't have to move the queen sized guest bed, so we can still have guests come and stay over for the first few weeks the baby is here. Don't worry, we won't leave the baby in the crib with you in the middle of the night. Unless you deserve it.

Scan Gun!!!

Just thought I'd share the pic from registering at Babies R Us! That's all for now.

Smaller Zallers need showers too.

So, from what I understand, the official shower for the Smaller Zaller will be on December 30th at Michelle's at 2pm. Just a heads up. I thought it would be good to wait until after Christmas so that we could take advantage of sales and not stress people out about money.

We are registered at Babies R Us (you can go instore or online) for things we NEED like bottles, shampoo, bibs, rocking chair, etc. Online, you just type in the last name "Zaller" and then the city "Savannah" and GA as the state. We are also not opposed to getting diapers (but we will have enough of the "newborn" size). And... NOT using cloth diapers, for those curious. I decided knowing myself I won't do it.

We are also registered at a local store called "Punch and Judy" for bigger items like a stroller, changing table, and baby bedding (our crib is the size of a portacrib, so it requires special sized bedding), and you can probably call in and give a gift card or something if you can't make it into the store. I'm just assuming. I haven't asked.

Babies R Us: http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=2255957

Punch and Judy: http://www.punchandjudysavannah.com/

So we're starting the 34th week now. That means (according to my app on my phone) that if it's a boy it's testicles are dropping. lol. I assume if it's a girl it will not be dropping any testes. Any guesses yet as to what the gender is? I'm not sure what the official count is right now. And (also according to the phone app), we have 49 days til the due date. Will our baby be told when it's gonna get here? We will see...

Christmas is coming up! Anything you guys want?

On the update front: Had a checkup last Wednesday, and the baby is turned head down, so that's good news. That being said, I was pretty sure it was already there for a while. Heartbeat is good, it kicks a lot. I'm still having rib pain on the right side, but I've only got 6 weeks left, so I'm just going to tough it out.

Happy holidays?

I'm sure this was supposed to look sexy. It just looks ironic on me right now. Maybe it would help if I fixed my hair or did my makeup. Oh, well. 32 weeks pregnant.

Also, adding a video from a couple of days ago. The kid is CRAZY moving around. Seriously. Oh, and we're watching one of our tv shows, "The Good Guys", which is why Michael is so entranced. It also might be because he's eating cheese, crackers, and sausage. :)

Christmas Wish list part 2.

Michael decided he wants a book that chronicles the history of Nebraska football that should be coming out soon, as this is the last year for them to be in the league. I have no idea what the book is called, but he requested it today.

I also know we're looking at camcorders, and he's favoring something simple for now, like the FlipHD that you can get at Sam's or Best Buy. Since he's not really tech savvy, I think it's a great idea.

I think I'll add that I'd love a case for my ipod touch. Something cute.

That's the wish list for now. Stay tuned.

Omaha Photoshoot

So when we went to Omaha, Nebraska, in October we did a photoshoot with Lara Hanlon who is a local photographer there in town, and we got a few of the previews back now! :) Enjoy! We'll have the full sized versions soon.

Carpal Tunnel. More fun than it sounds.

So we went to the doctor on Wednesday and learned a whole lot about breastfeeding. Michael said he hasn't seen that many boobs in a video since college.

When we got to the appointment, I was pulling down my tights when my thumb started to hurt.

"Ouch!"

The midwife: "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. My thumbs have been hurting for a couple of weeks for some reason."

"... Yeah. That's carpal tunnel. Very common during pregnancy."

"What? Seriously?"

"You should wear wrist braces when you sleep. It should go away after you have the baby. Eat less salt. Buy wrist braces."

"... oh. Okay."

So, adding to my list of super non-sexy things I'm donning during the first year of marriage in the bedroom: body pillow (my boyfriend), the wedge pillow (my girlfriend), my beer gut (the smaller Zaller), and my carpal tunnel wrist braces.

How in the heck is all this stuff related to pregnancy? Carpal tunnel? Come on.

CLEANING!!!

by Shannon

Today is the house cleaning day.

I kind of feel like every day is the house cleaning day, only little bits at a time. Unfortunately, it's easy to fall way behind, since I'm pretty sure we make more mess than the bits that we clean. Happily, we're good with deadlines, and Betty is coming into town on Wednesday (also her birthday) and it seemed like a good time to get everything done at once.

Also, I cooked brownies last night. That is another example of messiness vs cleanliness. I did not need to make brownies, but felt like doing so, and then was too tired to do the dishes. They're done today, but I could have done them last night and saved myself the trouble. :/

Christmas is coming up. Of course, since we live in Savannah, it's about 70 degrees. We've already bought 3 different scents of Yankee candles to celebrate the holiday spirit (on the Bed Bath and Beyond arsenal of gift cards we have from the wedding! Woo hoo!), and Mike busted out the peppermint schnapps for hot chocolate.

Doctors appointment on Wednesday (before Betty gets here). I'm pretty sure they'll tell me I'm pregnant.

Kid's a-growing.

by Shannon

Week 29 of the smaller Zaller. It's been kicking me in the side. It doesn't hurt (yet), but it kind of tickles. And when it gets down into my hips it feels really squirmy and like there's a snake under my skin, which is sort of gross.

Why didn't anyone tell me that a baby can kick you in the butt? Literally. I'm pretty sure I've gotten jabbed right in the brown eye once or twice. And your rib cage gets much bigger, even before a baby is up in there. I can only assume it's from the organs that are being pushed up. I'm going to have to start a list of things people should have told me about pregnancy. Did you know that the umbilical cord is what turns into your intestines? Yeah, it basically gets sucked into your stomach through your belly button.

When Mike and I went in for our first ultrasound, we had only just barely become aware that it is NOT on your stomach. Oh no. They put it right up into your business time. And they roll a condom onto the thing they put in there, which made me laugh and secretly think, "Too late for that!"

My bellybutton does not look right anymore. It doesn't feel good and it looks all wrong. I give it another week and a half before it goes flat. :/ Mike agrees with me. He tries to help my discomfort by holding up my stomach sometimes when I'm laying down. It surprisingly helps.

That's all the baby stuff I can muster out today. Oliver is sleeping in the windowsill (the only one with light streaming through it) as it's the only highlight of his day. No pun intended. Also I'm trying to reorganize my photog business, and expand a little. We'll see how 2011 takes us.

Shannon's Hypothetical Christmas List part 1.

by Shannon

Thus far, I've come up with a few things I want for Christmas. I don't do this, but this year I am, and let me explain:

This is the last year that I will get presents by request for Christmas, as it's the last year that I'm not a mother, and as of next year all of the attention will be on the Smaller Zaller. And I hate requesting things for Christmas, but I can't fit into normal clothes (which is what I usually want), and the kitchen is stocked with stuff, the house is overflowing, etc. So to minimize confusion, I'm going to start my list.

It's a purely hypothetical list, since everything is out of a normal price range. But that's how lists used to be. I used to ask for a horse every Christmas, and I was just as happy with the glitter glue that I got as I would've been with a horse.

1) Daria boxed set. It's a show that used to be on MTV that's a cartoon. I loved it. I have no idea how much the boxed set is, but it's probably at Best Buy.

2) The Kelly Moore B-Hobo bag. It's a camera bag that looks like a purse. I'm obsessed with it, but can't come up with the courage to buy it for myself. But I'd actually use it for shoots. http://kellymoorebag.com/full/kelly-moore-b-hobo-bag-2.html

3) Massage!!! I'm obsessed with massages. Really. And that's something I can use even after the baby gets here (and I'll probably need one). I dig Savannah Day Spa, Poseidon Spa at the Mansion... I've heard Glow is a good spa, but I haven't been there. Really any massage will do. Or any amount. I'll pony up the extra if someone wants to put in a little for me. :)

4) Short white socks. I keep losing the good ones I have. How do all white socks turn into ill-fitting rags?

5) Wacom tablet. I think I need this for business. I could be totally wrong, but sometimes a mouse just isn't easiest to use, and a pen would be better. Especially for the graphic design stuff I like to do. Best Buy has a cheap one for like 60 bucks.

6) Starbucks gift card. I like to go to Starbucks, but I just don't like paying for it. Three bucks for a coffee sucks, unless someone else gave me three bucks for it. Then it's awesome.

That's all I can think of for now. Stay tuned.

Heading into the holidays

by Shannon

We've finally finished the last of our wedding receptions. That sound weird, but we officially had three of them: one here in Savannah after the wedding (August 22nd), one in Tennessee during grandpa Zaller's 90th birthday bash, and one in Omaha in mid October so that Michael's friends could be there.

He likes to make lots of jokes about the pregnancy too. His favorite:

"They say time flies after you get married. I had no idea. We've only been married 2 months, and she's already 6 months pregnant".

I had no idea I'd married a comedian. And I'm actually impressed that he keeps making me laugh.

However, my flying days are done til the baby gets here next year. It's just too uncomfortable. That being said, I went in for my gestational diabetes test today (where they make you drink this super sweet liquid, and check your blood an hour later) and I barfed at the 50 minute mark, which is not good, considering that might mean I have gestational diabetes. They're checking the bloodwork to be sure. But I felt terrible that the nurse had to clean up my vomit that got all over the bathroom...

Michael has been in rehearsals for Broadway on Bull, since they open next week. I'm sad that I can't be in it with him this year, but I'm sure there will be opportunity for me to work with him at some other point. He's been such a trooper, and he's really helped me a lot these last few months. I'm not sure what I expected, but I'm really happy to have him around.

We done gone and done it.

Well, we officially tied the knot on August 22nd, and it’s been a whirlwind of a month so far. The biggest chore we seem to be having is finding space for the wedding gifts, and making time for thank-you cards, which haven’t actually started yet.

On the procreation front, everything seems to be on par. The baby is now 21 weeks along, and tries to bust out of the womb whenever it hears it’s daddy talk. We had our second ultrasound, but as there wasn’t enough amniotic fluid to accurately measure the baby, we get a third one in another few weeks. Shannon’s job: drink more water.