Let the countdown begin! 10

We have reached week 30, only 10 weeks left!! The end can't come soon enough! For some reason, this seems like a bigger milestone that entering the 3rd trimester. Life is getting harder and harder, each day it seems! Brian, Jordan, our friend Matt and I went to a Brewer/White Sox game yesterday, and between the uncomfortable bleacher seats and the direct sunlight and heat, I was near miserable! The two teams only play each other like once every 5 to 7 years, and I was looking forward to the game for months!, but by the 3rd inning, I was looking forward to the air conditioned car waiting for us outside! Bending over to pick something up is becoming near impossible, I can't find a comfortable position to sleep in and haven't gotten a good deep sleep in what seems like forever! When I wake up to go to the bathroom and then go back to bed, it takes me forever to fall back asleep...combine that with Brian's snoring and Big City's love of taking up all my foot room at the end of the bed, I am one HAPPY preggo! (please add tons of sarcasm to that last point). I am not sure how I will make it this summer once it gets warm and stays that way. Oh well, enough complaining. Oh wait, one more complaint! I have sprouted the first stretch marks!!! I have one on each side of my hips! My back spare tire section is the first place I gained weight, so it is no surprise it is the first place I get stretch marks, but they are pretty gross and awful! Yuck!


BellaReese has become a rubber band in my belly! When I lay on my side right before bed, she tries to move from the breech position to a transverse one (where she forms a cross with my spine instead of being up and down an parallel to it) and tries to stretch out, but since there is even less room that way, she freaks out and tries to stand up and then stops, and does this really fast and really hard for about 20 seconds. It looks like she is stretching a rubber band in belly, and my belly geeks out. It makes my smile and laugh out loud; poor thing, trying to get comfy in such a small amount of space. Little does she know that space is only going to get smaller and smaller.


Brian has become more involved in talking to the baby and kissing my belly and trying to feel her move. It used to bug me that he never would take initiative and try to feel her move...he just seemed detached from the whole situation, but now his hands are like a magnet with Isabella. I know they say moms become moms when she finds out she is pregnant and a dad becomes a dad when he first sees his baby, but I really didn't understand what that meant until Brian just didn't seem to want to talk to the baby...for him it just didn't seem real yet. Well, it is becoming more "real" for him now! Whenever we are just relaxing, his hand finds a way to the baby. We keep having these moments where we look at each other and are just like, "oh my god, this is going to happen" or "we are going to have a baby". Sometimes they are followed by a smile and sometimes they are followed by looks of sheer panic, ha! It has been easy to talk about having a baby, but now that certain milestones have come and become long gone, and we are coming up on ones that seemed like light years away, we are starting to understand the severity and amazingness of the situation! Some of the big things coming up are: touring the birthing section of our hospital, starting OB appointments every 2 weeks, the Shower that Jordan is throwing us, getting things together for her nursery, etc... 10 weeks seems like forever to wait, and at the same time, too close!





Here is what is going on with our favorite little girl:





How your baby's growing:


This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges), about the size of a soccer ball, and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn his head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Your Body:

Your mind may not be anywhere near ready for your baby to arrive but your body is already making preparations. One of the ways it's getting ready is by "practicing" for labor in the form of Braxton Hicks contractions. Luckily, these are generally painless, although somewhat annoying as they can occur frequently (the middle of the night, during an important meeting, while you're trying to focus on Access Hollywood, etc). Braxton Hicks contractions feel like a sudden tightening of your uterus. This is just a little preview of what real contractions will feel like. They usually start to become noticeable around the eighth month and can become very strong by the end of your pregnancy. While you can't get rid of Braxton Hicks contractions, there are some things you can do to make yourself more comfortable, like gentle exercise (such as walking) or taking a warm, relaxing bath. Calgon, take me away. ...

Your Baby:

From this week on, your baby will continue to gain around ½ pound a week until shortly before birth (even though it may feel like a whole lot more with every step you take). Other highlights this week:Due to increasing space constraints, your baby's arms and legs stay drawn up close to the body now, known as the fetal position (oh, so that's where that name came from!). Plus, your baby can now process information from all five senses—so she'll be all set to smell the pureed peas, taste them, feel them as she mashes them into her hair, hear you crack up and then see the flash as you grab the camera to snap picture after picture. By now, your baby's lungs are the only system not fully mature. And by mature, we're not saying that the rest of your baby's systems are mature enough to be out past 10 PM with the neighborhood hooligan, just that her lungs need a little bit more time to bake before they can kick it in the outside world. Your baby weighs about 3½ pounds and measures a little over 16 inches, about the same length as that miniskirt you used to wear (and will again someday!).

Week Thirty: Baby puts on pounds

Length is 40cm and your baby's weight is 1.4 kilograms.
The head is almost 3.5 inches (8cm) in diameter.
The feet are nearly 2.5 inches (6cm) long.
The wrinkled skin is becoming smoother now.

The baby controls its own body temperature. For several months, the umbilical cord has been the baby's lifeline to the mother. Nourishment is transferred from the mothers blood, through the placenta, and into the umbilical cord to the fetus. Their bone marrow is now responsible for red cell production. These red blood cells will continue to service your child's body by transporting oxygen and removing the wastes. Your baby begins storing iron, calcium and phosphorus. The fetus now weighs about 3 pounds. She will gain about half a pound a week until week 38. Baby is getting fatter and beginning to control its own body temperature. Baby continues to put on fat stores and the major weight gains will occur in the coming weeks. Eyebrows and eyelashes are fully developed, and hair on the head is getting thicker. Head and body are now proportioned like a newborn. Hands are now fully formed and fingernails are growing, eyelids are opening and closing. You may be starting to experience some swelling of your ankles and legs. If you have not experience swelling yet, it is highly probable that you will, as approximately 40 to 75 percent of women experience mild swelling related to pregnancy. Your uterus is now about 4 inches (10cm) above your bellybutton. It may feel like you are running out of room as your uterus grows up under your ribs. However, your fetus, placenta and uterus will continue to get larger, you still have 10 weeks to go. The average weight gain during pregnancy is 25 to 35 pounds. About half of this weight is concentrated in the growth of the uterus, the placenta, the baby and in the volume of amniotic fluid. At this point, you should be gaining about a pound (500 grams) a week.