Natalie Time Lapse: Birth to 10 years old in 1 minute 25 sec

For Fun: Week 17 and Week 27

... and I thought I was getting big then! I still have a week 37 to add to the collection.

T3: The Final Stretch

It's a bit hard to believe, but today marks the first day of the last trimester. 27 Weeks. 13 to go. I've said it once, I'll say it again. WOW.

We've been doing a lot around the house in our week off to get ready for our final adult-only weeks. Painting, buying new furniture (for the living room, not necessarily for the baby). We've had a great week together around the house and I'm actually glad that we didn't leave down for a last minute baby-moon. The money spent around here will be much more long-lasting and important over time.

Tomorrow, we're hosting a very small new years eve get together and tonight is marked by last minute preparation and hustle and bustle. It will be great to share our home with a few friends and some good food. (Aunt Eileen's famous meatballs will be making an appearance).

Hope you all have a wonderful, healthy and happy new years eve. We have great hopes for 2011.

100 days left

Wow. Seems like yesterday that I was walking to work, talking to my
mom when I realized that I was at day 100. Now, I'm at day 180... With
100 days left to go.

Still feeling great. Doc says I'm closer to 30 lbs up than the 20 I
thought I had. At least she's still happy and thinks everything is
going well. And it's all still in my belly. I'm starting to get stuck
on chairs due to my shifted center of gravity, but at least I can
still tie my own shoes.

The baby moves all the time now, and we can see him rolling around if
we look long enough. He loves chocolate and is a morning person like
his dad. He also has a new trick where he sits on my belly button. Not
so comfortable for me, but judging by the number of times it happens
during the day, I think he's quite happy with his new talent.

Pregnancy ruminations

Why is it that the only ones who volunteer their seat to an obviously
pregnant rider are middle aged women?

Week 24

6 Months!

Still feeling good, although putting on shoes is starting to be problematic.

it's official

I should be within those green lines. Oops.

As of this morning, I officially have gained 20 lbs of baby weight. The doc says I'm doing fine and hasn't mentioned it at all, but Babycenter.com says I'm out of range. Oh well, at least the baby is healthy and happy and only 53rd percentile at our last visit. My hopes of staying under 200 lbs is long gone. At this point, let's just hope I stay smaller than my husband.

Baby Shower

Over thanksgiving vacation in Boston, my mom threw us a wonderful baby shower. Here are a few of the highlights from the day. Thanks to everyone who helped make it a special and memorable event.

Little Flutters

Just felt the baby kick for the first time. I've been feeling little flutters for a few weeks now, but this was the first good, honest KICK. I thought it would freak me out, but it's pretty amazing. Thought I would share :) Have a good weekend.

Bump: 20 Weeks

Week 20! Halfway there. The baby weighs over 10 oz and is the length of a banana.

And yes, I've started to turn the corner from "Cute and Pregnant" to feeling like a beast. Every weekend, I have a growth spurt and can notice the difference between when I wake up, and when I went to sleep. I have no idea how big by the time the baby is born.

All in all, still feeling good and loading up on fruits and veggies.

Comfy pillow for Daisy :)

Never thought the 5 month belly bump would be a pillow...

But Daisy Mae seems to enjoy it.

Happy Halloween

18 Weeks

The Baby is Bell Pepper Sized! Much cuter than a Turnip.
Read More.

Tried on my winter coat from last year, and the buttons are right at the skinniest part of my ribs (above my belly!) I might be able to make it through the freezing cold Chicago months without having to buy a new jacket. Keep your fingers crossed.

Three Years Later

Three years later, and still as happy as ever.
(p.s. I love that this picture looks like one of the
stock images you find already in the frame at the store).

Bump: 17 Weeks

Holding steady at week 17.

Still feeling good.

Round and a little itchy, but good

Week 17

Week 17: More info
The size of a turnip.... but hopefully a bit cuter

Great day at Starved Rock

Big Foot Sighting!!!

Oh, wait - that's just a pregnant lady who has to pee.
(Thanks, Husband...)

In the Canyons

Flash Back

Deja vu
Reliving a fun moment from our honeymoon,
almost exactly 3 years ago.

Let's go to Starved Rock!

Daisy demands that we play hookie
and make a trip downstate to Starved Rock.
Who are we to say no?

Bump: 15 Weeks

Boy oh boy (or girl!) I'm getting big.

Apple Picking

Baby Z comes along for a trip to Apple Holler for a fall tradition.
Apparently, an apple a day keeps baby's allergies at bay

Bump: 11 Weeks

And so it begins...

Another member of the family

Welcome to Brewster, Earl

Hurricane Earl gives us a show. Luckily, it turns into nothing but a thunderstorm, and we're back to Boston in time for a lovely wedding

Sun protection

Cape cod carnage

We do good work with fried clam and onion rings. Arnold's- a cape cod tradition!

Hard to keep secrets...

It's hard to keep a baby secret when your
closest friends want to share buckets of beers

First Ultrasound: Week 9 - We could see the little guy/girl kick! Pretty amazing.

Baby News!

Turns out, our trip to Union Pier was our last hurrah. On the way back to town, I started feeling questionable. Turns out feeling questionable = being pregnant! We found out today that we're having a baby! Due: March 30

Any takers?

Obviously, we had a great time in Union Pier. If you're interested, Mike & Sara's house is actually on sale. And available to rent for weekends.

Don't make us leave!?

Sunday morning. A sad sad day. We had a great last swim at the clubhouse before hitting the road for tacos at Rio. Mid-taco, a sudden DOWNPOUR rolled through town. It was the perfect way to end our trip. A fun and random little sun shower. It was a fantastic trip and we treasured every second of the getaway. Even if it ended too soon. Thanks again Mike & Sara.

Heaven on Earth: a good book, stiff breeze and a screened in porch

Who's crabby now? Not me!

We'd gotten a few recommendations for restaurants, and as usual, we ate our way through town. At Marilyn's, we'd heard we would get an amazing breakfast, but I couldn't resist ordering the crab cake sandwich from the specials menu. Now, being an native new englander, I've realized that living in the midwest has made me a sea food snob. How can something so far from an actual ocean be good? A picture is worth a thousand words. There were TWO of these bad boys in my sandwich. I didn't even bother with the bread.

Scooter Saturday

We woke up early(ish) on Saturday and took the scooters our for a scenic tour of the ocean side mansions of New Buffalo. We've always wanted a scooter and it was fun to learn how to ride, and take a spin in such a beautiful setting. The ride put us on official vacation-mode.

Friday night

After a delicious dinner (and a few bottles of wine) at the Red Arrow Roadhouse we took the party back home for a roaring fire in the pit, thanks to my professional fire-builder husband. I do like a roaring fire. Once we got toasty, we watched the stars and tried to find constellations, thanks to my handy iPhone Pocket Universe app. We didn't realize until the next morning that we had been DEVOURED by mosquitoes.

Union Pier, A retrospective

We had a wonderful 48 hours in Union Pier, Michigan - thanks to our great friends Mike & Sara Smith, who let us stay at their BEAUTIFUL summer home on the shore of Lake Michigan.

It took us no time to get into vacation mode after a long week. And with no computer, and no cell reception, we were completely disconnected from the outside world. Like it or not.

Here are a few pics to share from our weekend.

Three weeks later...

Look what I just pulled out of my foot. No wonder the damn infection
wouldn't go away. That sea urchin got me good!!

Mahalo Maui

Thanks for a great trip. We'll be back.

Great great days

Yesterday: snorkle in molokini crater, swim with the turtles. On the
way, whales and dolphins galore. Late lunch at kimos in lahaina.

Today: the ENTIRE road to Hana. Including some pretty remarkable
vistas off the beaten path.

Happy new year everyone. We're enjoying wine and home made burgers on
the lanai.

Leah Zalinski | Campaign Manager | Cramer-Krasselt | 312.616.2448
| www.c-k.com