Little friends and lots of love

Zack has several friends already -- not bad for being less than a month old!


Our friends Reva and Bret had their son, Owen, two days after Zack was born.
Mutual friends Kendra and Jason have a 3-year-old boy and a three-month-old boy, too, and live nearby. The three families got together last week for a little Baby Party.

Then, a fellow reporter (for the local TV station) and her husband (also named Scott) has their baby less than 30 minutes before Zack on the very same day. She and I (and our babies!) got together the other day to exchange war stories and have plans to have dinner together next week.

And that's just the baby's friends... never mind all of the awesome loved ones and relatives that Zack is meeting... like his Jersey grandparents, who came out to visit Zack for the first time this past weekend and couldn't take their eyes off of him.



We're totally feeling the love... and look forward to more love, like when Aunt Alice and Uncle Paul visit Zack Attack in two weeks! :-)

Got a guess?

Our friend Staci started a poll on Facebook to try and guess when Baby Z will arrive and how big he will be.

Do you have a guess? Let me know! (Or join our Baby Birthday Poll group on Facebook)

Guesses for dates so far are:
Aug. 1, 7, 9, 11, 15, 17 and 19.
Smallest weight so far is 7 pounds, 4 ounces; the largest is 8 pounds.

Hints:
Scott was a month early. I was about a week early.
Scott weighed in the mid-7-pound range. I was 8 pounds, 5 ounces. I was also a C-section baby.

Baby Z. was estimated at 5.5 pounds last week... he's probably at about 6 pounds now, growing 1/2 a pound or so each week. He's very long/tall, too.

We are fairly certain of our possible conception date(s) and both think it would bring us a little earlier than due date.

Final hint: He's a Zook. Anything's possible. :-)

So what do you think???

Hot, hot, hot

We are in the middle of a record-setting heat wave here in PA. It's a nightmare for most people, but I'm told the elderly and preggers have it pretty bad right now. Oh, wait, that second part?... I can vouch for that.

My body temperature on its own is automatically 10 degrees warmer than my former "normal" temp would be in the past. The girl who once got chilly in anything lower than 70 degrees now sweats at anything above 60 degrees.
I wake up, make the bed, and am sweating.
I take a shower, dry off, get dressed, and am sweating.
I walk to the kitchen and sweat.

I can almost guarantee that, if at all possible, Baby Z's little brother or sister will NOT be born at the end of summer. Fall or Winter? Meh. Spring or early summer? Sure! August? You've got to be kidding me.

In other symptoms news... I can't sleep. Definitely not restfully at least, and most definitely not for longer than three hours at a time. Scott's been getting up at 3:30 a.m. for work now (groan) to beat the heat and I'm pretty much up for the day at that point as well.

I also can not get comfortable at all, no matter what I do... Standing makes my back and legs achy; Sitting has to be done in the goofiest position, with back far back, legs up if possible; and laying down is even difficult because of the baby's new movements.

My appetite has gone down a bit, but that's supposed to be normal at this point (especially with this heat, yuck!). At some point your body knows it has enough calories and doesn't need any more weight for the baby, so it's supposed to be OK.

Mentally, I'm incredibly excited and anxious. I want to meet and to hold the baby so much and get started on this journey as a mother, but then I start thinking about all of the last-minute things I need to do (finish our birthing classes, weekly doctor's visits now, packing a hospital bag, setting up the car seat, getting things ready for work while I'm on leave... ETC.) and it all makes me go crazy sometimes.

I am so happy though, really and truly. That's one constant of this whole pregnancy. I've got a constant companion who will be one of the loves of my life for many, many years. I love him already. Oh, and then there's Scott, my true companion and soulmate. He's been fantastic this whole time, working hard on house projects, dealing with 1,000 baby-related questions, helping with dinners, going along on doctor's appointments... the list just goes on and on. We're such a good team and I can't wait to see him hold his son.

And finally, there's babies everywhere! (Well, there will be!)
Our friend V. is about 14 weeks along and is doing great. We were so overjoyed to be told of their great news when they stopped here on their way to their new home in Texas.
And we just found out our friend J. is welcoming her second trimester. Hooray!

It's so wonderful to have a group around you that "gets" it and, of course, who are making baby playmates for your little one. :-)

Good luck to all my pregnant and new mommy friends out there. You're doing the best job out there, I think.

Wishing you love and cool temperatures. :-)

'Cause that's what friends are for

Nicole is out visiting this week.

She's been a great guest, although I've had to shoo her away from the dishes and stove pretty frequently.

The one area she has free realm over is our nursery, which has been inundated with piles of clothes, toys, diapers and other baby gifts. She's been organizing them, sorting, putting away and today she's busy washing baby clothes for us so that we can be as ready as can be for Zachary's arrival.

I hope Zachary realizes how lucky he is to have so many loved ones who would absolutely do anything for him... and for us!

Shower of love

This weekend was filled with showers -- and love!!!

Our friends Reva and Bret celebrated their upcoming arrival (due Aug. 8!!!) with a shower Friday night. It was amazing to see their love for one another and see all the people that came out to support them and Baby Smith (who needs a name...!)

Then, on Saturday, my group of PA loved ones helped me celebrate with the first of two showers I'll be having this month. I felt all sorts of gooey love to and from each of them and I'm so grateful for the work my friend Julie put into the day. It was a really special moment that definitely got me a little choked up a time or two.

Zachary got some GREAT gifts already... lots of cute clothes, some bath items, a few books, diapers, a humidifier and all sorts of other things to make him happy and healthy. We are so grateful for everyone's generosity. And we are all so lucky.

Here are some photos... Reva and me comparing bellies, some present-opening fun and a shot of me and Julie to go up next to a shot from her baby shower last year. :-)

For the moms... and this mom-to-be

Yesterday was Mother's Day, as you all know. It's usually a difficult day for me, as I mourn the profound absence of my mom and ponder what I could or would do for her to make her day special.

This year, the day was much more special, however.

You see, in a few months, I'll be a Mommy/Momma/Mom/plain old mother. I already feel like one, though, and really, I have since that positive pregnancy test in early December.

A lot of people helped make this weekend special, even though I had to work!

There were the two Mother's Day cards -- my first ones! One was from my Aunt Dot and one was from a family friend. Both of them made me feel so lucky and giddy. They've been prominently displayed in our dining room for everyone to see.

Then on Saturday, I received a package. Not just any package. A bouquet of my favorite flowers -- hydrangeas -- in a cute basket holder from my Godmother, the lovely Aunt Alice.

But then, the moment that finally caused the hormone-driven teardrops.
I came home at almost midnight after working a long day Saturday and had a card waiting for me on the dining room table. My husband was pacing impatiently because since it was a mommy-to-be card, it had to be opened on Mother's-Day-to-be, which was ticking by as I emptied my lunch bag, organized my notebook and papers and started some dishes.

The card was pretty and lovely, and signed from my hubby -- and Zachary, my darling little man who I can't wait to meet, and who has honored me with the title I am most proud of -- mommy-to-be. :-)

There are a lot of special 'moms' in my life.

There are the friends who are moms themselves, who take the time to answer my new-to-this-experience questions, help me register and let me giggle with their beautiful babies. I love you.

There are the friends who aren't yet mommies, but understand what a mom means to me and what being a mom means to me. I love you.

There is the woman who told me that pregnancy was the most beautiful time of her life. I love her.

There is the woman who never had her own children, but has touched the lives of many two and four-legged creatures that are better for having her in their lives.

There is the woman who has adopted me as her own, treating me to lunches and girls' nights out, letting me cry, ramble and complain -- even about her own son!

Then there is the woman whose presence I haven't felt in years, yet suddenly I feel her nearly every time I enter our baby's room, like a cool, comforting breeze that lets you know it will be OK. There's an ultrasound photo on her grave and I'm sure a piece of her, whether it be her laugh or passion or mysterious grey eyes already in my son.

I don't know what sort of mother I'll be, but I certainly have had a lot of great influences. And I can not wait to hold my son and tell him how much he's already loved.

Regist-GRR-ing

Who would have thought registering for a baby would be so overwhelming, intimidating, intense and confusing?!

It was less than a year ago that Scott and I registered for our wedding and that was such a piece of cake. Granted, we had both already lived by ourselves for extended periods of time and had been moved into our new house for several months, so we didn't have a lot of things we needed.

But still.

This is one human being.
A small one at that.

Do you know how many brands of diapers there are? And then how many different types and sizes each brand has? Or the sheer volume of things like onesies, towels and pacifiers that you may or may not need?

I have closed the computer several times while registering online this past week, mostly when I have such an overwhelming moment that I start speaking gibberish and Scott has to flee the room.

Today, while Scott and our friend Ben took an adventure to Jersey to pick up some fencing from my dad, my friend Julie (and proud momma of nearly-one-year-old(!) Olivia) offered to walk through Babies 'R' Us with me to tell me the things I can't go without, the things she never thought about and the things you never have enough of to help wrap up our registry.

Seriously, Julie is an ANGEL.
We had a lot of laughs, first of all, which always helps. Like the laughs from when we couldn't get the scanner gun to work... or when it would be scanning the ceiling instead of the bouncer. And the laughs from our Pregnancy/Baby Brain moments.
In the end, she had so much good advice and I can officially say after taking a few more items off our list that we are OFFICIALLY registered!

I'm glad that I have a few more months before I have to see some of these items again, especially now that I've more or less memorized which page they are on, but today really also got me so much more excited.

I mean, the Little Baby Z will be sitting in this Pack 'n' Play, will be wearing the "Bananas for Mommy" shirt and will be smelling like Aveeno in just a few months. This is such an exciting experience and I can't wait to meet the little man, although I am really enjoying my pregnancy so far (especially now that the Stomach Bug of 2010 is over).

Our due date is in less than 18 weeks!!!

Much love from the Zooks xoxo

Honorary aunties

My dear friends Kacey and Jeannine came out for a visit this weekend. Despite knowing them from two very different (and yet not so different...?) periods in my life, they were like the best of friends when they arrived, laughing at jokes from their four-hour drive and in great spirits.
They brought lots of love and many belly pats and I am grateful that Little Baby Z will have great aunts like his Aunt Boose and Aunt Jeans.

Here are a couple of photos.
Jeannine really isn't afraid of the belly ... wait, I don't think she is.

And Kacey gave me a book called 14,000 Things to be Happy About... I'm pretty sure good friends is at the top of my list...

(PS- I even hear Kacey is working on a guest blog entry!!!)

Making space

With the help of grandma-to-be Debbie, I managed yesterday to cross off the pre-baby organization to-do list one of my most dreaded tasks... cleaning out my closet and dresser, packing up the clothes that do not currently fit and probably will not fit for quite some time and re-organizing maternity clothes better (to see what I still need, too).

First of all, I could not have done it without Debbie. I spent so many long minutes with my wardrobe doors opened, just staring in fright at the project that lay ahead. Then Da Momma came over, cracked her whip and set things into motion.

About two hours later, we had five boxes that went merrily into our attic space and three garbage bags of clothes that "just shouldn't be worn by a Mommy." Basically the mini skirts and things like the college shirt Aunt 'Boose and I made that had devil signs on the back of it. :-)

And what a difference! It looks amazing.

To cap it all off, Scott, my slightly OCD husband, then labeled all of our drawers, my wardrobe and his closet so that if one of us is putting laundry away there's no doubt as to where the comfy pants go or what shelf the maternity skirts belong.

We then met up with our friends Mike and Julie (and their BEAUTIFUL daughter Olivia) for some mall walking and then dinner. It was a great time. I don't think Scott or I realized just how much talking with them (the girls split away from the guys for a while) would help us after we both had a long, difficult week. Not to mention, watching parents about a year into their Mommy and Daddy Adventure helped us realize just how real our own journey was becoming.

It's hard to believe little Olivia is nearly a year old. She's babbling and shoving food into her face and attracting all sorts of "awwws" everywhere she goes. And Mike and Julie are great parents that we can learn a lot from.

So overall, it was a great day.
The icing on the cake? Mommy got two new maternity work shirts! :-) (Well, there was all that room to fill in the wardrobe now!)

Next on our to-do list?
Organizing the storage spaces in our slightly cramped bathrooms (we need necessities like giraffe-hooded towels and rubber duckies) and then other areas of the house in preparation for Little Baby Z's entrance in a few months.

So, who wants to help??? :-)