On a happier note, pics of the gifts I got!

Here are some pictures of the gifts we got at the Shower, but I had forgotten to take pictures of. There were tons more clothes and stuff that we had gotten, but this just some of the adorable stuff. Thanks again to all who attended or sent up gifts! It is greatly appreciated!!

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The adorable bear hat that Grandma Marcie got the yarn and pattern for, and that great Grandma Lorraine crotched!

The fantastic homemade yellow sweater set Great Grandma Lorraine made

Awesome yellow blanket that Great Grandma Lorraine made! It is so pretty!

I love love love homemade stuff!!

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Wine bottle prize from the shower, including the homemade labels

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Front and back view of the blanket from Aunt Cathy

Just in case you want to learn more about the project linus org

Project Linus blanket from Aunt Cathy

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Adorable plaid romper from Moldy!

Brewer Onesie, bib and booties from Moldy!

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Hershey's shirt from Grandpa Mike

Hershey's Kiss onesie from Grandma Leslie, below is a close up of the kisses

Morning from HELL!!!

I just need to vent, because if I don't, I might explode....It all started yesterday.

I did a lot of lifting and cleaning for the shower, and over did it and wound up pulling an ab muscle over the baby. I sneezed and felt a excruciating burning sensation all through out my left abdomen area, and again later when I coughed or bent down or laughed, etc....I called the doc, they said it sounds like I over stretched it, to avoid lifting anything unnecessary, to take it easy and relax, and if it gets worse to call back. Fine, I can deal with some soreness. Jump ahead to later that evening...Brian and I have birthing class since we switched it from Thursday since we are heading down to visit g-ma and papa Thursday night. The class we joined for the night was way behind our class, so it was complete review and Brian and I were bored and a little peeved. We didn't wind up getting to bed until like 11:30, which is super late for us, since Brian works at 6 and I work at 7:30. Now, jump ahead to 4:45 when Brian's alarm goes off and he gets out of bed...

I move into the position where I sleep the best, against the headboard lengthwise, and all the sudden, the puppy decides he has slept enough and jumps off the bed and starts scratching the door for Brian to take him upstairs with him (usually, I have to lift the puppy out of bed and drag his butt upstairs...he likes his sleep...but no, not today). I tell Brian to watch him since I am still so sleepy. Brian pens him up in his crate in the kitchen, goes to his car to leave for work, and the real problems begin. His car won't start. The lights come on, the clock time is still right, just no turn over from the engine. Of course, it is parked behind mine in the driveway, so now we are both stuck. Brian decides he thinks he can push it out of the driveway and into the street, if I maneuver the wheel. Well, we get it out of the driveway easily since it is on a decline, but the incline of the street proves to be too much and now, the car is literally stuck, perpendicular to the road....see drawing below.

All of the sudden, our street is hella busy for 5:45 in the morning and cars are having to drive around our stuck car. So here we are, unable to get the car back in the driveway since the hill into the driveway is too great, and we can't back it up into the street because that hill is too steep. We call his parents who live 4 minutes away, and wake them up, they head over and all three of them are pushing while I am behind the wheel, since I can't push b/c I already messed up my belly. We get it over to a parking area and try to jump start it, but the battery is hidden below other parts of the engine and the jumpstart box we are supposed to use has a lid on it that we can't get off...finally, after 5 minutes of pushing and prodding, Mike gets it off. It finally works, Brian's car is running and they all take off, leaving me home alone. I head inside, by this time, my alarm is going off, so here I am, extra tired from going to bed an hour and a half late, and getting woken up an hour and 15 minutes early...so now I am going to have to go to work on 2 hours and 45 minutes less sleep than normal (I know, I know, it is still more sleep than I will have once the baby arrives, but I was not ready for this today)...grrr....

The puppy is pawing to get out of his crate, I let him out and all of the sudden he is wound like a top. I let him outside into our fenced in backyard, and go down to shower. The shower drain is clogged. I can't figure out why it worked Sunday morning, but not today, and then I realize that Brian, after so nicely steamcleaning the carpets for me, poured the dirty water down the tub drain, which is filled with hair and lint and string that was embedded into the carpets, so now there is 4 inches of standing water in the tub, before I even switch the lever from bath mode to shower mode. I go find our plastic drain unclogger thing, and finally pull some gross crap out of the drain, and go to stand up from leaning over, and that burning pain comes back to my belly and it hurts so bad I want to cry. I put the declogger stick thing back and turn on the shower and get that over with. I get out, dry off, and go to get the dog from the backyard because if he is left alone for too long, he finds all sorts of trouble to get into or barks at things he thinks he sees. Of course, today, he thinks it will be great fun to not listen when I call him from inside our house, so I, in my towel, step out onto the deck and try to persuade him up.

Here comes the fun part, ready? Our flippin idiot cat, that I absolutely hate and want to get rid of (she decided my red chair would be a great new litter box last week), decides she wants an adventure and runs out through the sliding door, through my legs and into the yard. Now I am pissed. I run down the stairs, in my towel, and try to chase her back up. The dog thinks this is great fun and tries to jump up and grab my towel as I am trying to hold it up and grab the cat, all while yelling her name and swearing...good thing it is only like 6:15, so no one else is around or awake. Eventually the dog catches on to what I am doing and starts to chase the cat (a new fun game!) and after 30 minutes of this stupid literal cat game, he gets the cat back up the stairs, into the house. I am so angry I want to kill the cat on the spot.

So now, I have 15 minutes to get dressed, get the puppy fed, and get out the door or I will be late for work. On my way down the stairs to the bedroom, I see a huge spider on the wall. I HATE SPIDERS!!!! I grab a flip flop, bend over since it is sitting where the carpet meets the wall, real low, and smoosh the shit out of it. I feel somewhat vindicated from the stress of the morning and after stepping back to stand up, my tummy starts to hurt again, and I lose my footing and come this close to falling down the stairs, which my body reacts to by tightening up and my belly muscles clinch, making my pulled muscle strain even more, which hurts so bad I want to scream.

I have not been emotional this whole pregnancy, have never cried once or teared up or anything. At this point, I am very close to reaching that level where if I start crying, I am afraid I won't be able to stop. I swallow my soon to be tears and grab the puppy, who is sitting at the top of the stairs with his head cocked, looking at me like I have 3 heads, and bring him down to the bedroom so I can finally get dressed. He decides to be nice and just lays down on the bed, so I can get dressed. I put on my favorite and most comfy stretchy yoga pants, to see there is a whole in the crotch. AWESOME!!!! I grab my second favorite pair and put those on. I look through all my drawers to find a maternity shirt, find one, put it on, it no longer covers my ginormous belly. I chose another one, same thing. Pretty much, overnight, my belly has exceeded the size limit for all my maternity shirts and I look like white trash with my preggo gut exposed. I say f@#$ it, and grab a dress from my closet and keep my pants on because I am afraid that bending over will hurt my belly again. Isabella, at this time, has woken up and is deciding the place that is the most sore is a great place to stretch into, and is now petruding out where the muscles are stretched. I am miserable. I look like a tool, with a dress on and yoga pants, my hair is still wet, bangs are not blow dryed, but I have no time to do anything, because I have to get moving.

I feed the puppy, pen him up, grab a water bottle and head out the door. As soon as I get in my car, I see I am riding on Empty. I have enough to get to work, so don't pay attention to that anymore. I am 5 minutes away from home, and I realize, I haven't brushed my teeth, put on deoderant or face lotion or cocoa butter, which is the only thing that relieves my itchy belly skin. I still have mascara under my eyes from yesterday that the shower water helped come off and I look like a racoon. My bangs are drying frizzy, I am completely tired and worn out and to top it off, thanks to the F@#$(&* cat that I hate more than life itself, I am already going to be late for work, so I can't turn around and finish being hygenic.

I feel gross, already became an exhibitionist to the neighbors when my towel would fall off, my belly hurts and itches, Isabella is pushing on my sore muscles, I didn't grab breakfast, I am exhausted and I am late for work. I get there and see that I am working with the most crotchedy, crumudgeon employee ever to be hired at the Dept. of Corrections, which means I won't be able to listen to the radio since it "bothers" him, and I have to sit in silence (with the exception of his keyboard clicking...he types with one finger and bangs the keys like they won't work unless maximum force is applied) and just keep thinking about and reliving this awful morning. All this culminates to me wondering, IS IT AUGUST yet?

Yahoo for Baby Showers!

We had our BBQ/Shower yesterday and it was awesome!! My friend Laura and Jordan came up Saturday and helped set everything up and grocery shop and clean, which was so nice of them. We finally got to use a lot of the platters and big bowls we got from the wedding, which made me happy. This was the first "party" we threw at our place since getting married...or ever actually!!Jordan picked the colors of the party, green and lilac purple, so there were green and purple table clothes and plates and cups and balloons everywhere. We had champagne punch, which was amazing I guess (I of course didn't get to have any) and beer and soda and then Brian and his guy friends manned the grill and made hot dogs and hamburgers and we served that with Baked Beans and watermelon, plus chips and salsa and guacamole and french onion dip. Jordan brought up the cake from the bakery she works at, which had a baby hiding under a blanket made of frosting and it said "Isabella Reese" on the top of it. It was so delicious; it had white cake, chocolate cake and fresh strawberries in the middle, with a chocolate frosting on top. Sooo good!

Leslie, Brian's Mom, was the only one taking pictures, so after I get those developed, I will post some pics. I forgot to take some of our house all set up though...so I failed there...sorry!

There were about 17 guests or so, and we played a few games and ate and opened presents. I had like 5 games set up to play, but we only got through 2 by the time people chatted and ate, so I had tons of prizes left over. The prizes were pretty cute. I had originally thought of them for the bachelorette party I threw my friend Erin a week before we both got pregnant...ha; I just readjusted the idea to fit a baby shower instead. We bought really cheap wine (Boone's farm...if you can even call it wine...), and made our own labels for the bottles that had this poem on them:

Here is your prize, to show off your win;
For playing our silly Shower game!
A different kind of “bottle” than Bella will use,
But fun to drink from, all the same!

The only craving mom has had,
Is for a glass of something “strong”.
So she is passing off her thirst to you,
Since drinking while preggo is frowned upon.

So have a glass and two for mom,
Her longing for “grown up juice” must continue to wait!
August 23 seems so far, far away!
Hopefully this baby doesn’t come late!

And then underneath that it had written:

The Martin’s Baby Shower
June 28, 2009

Those were printed on green paper and then the green paper was over purple and white polka dotted paper and that took over the whole bottle. I forget to take a picture of them. I think I have one left over, so I will take a pic and post it tomorrow, if I can remember!

We also had really cute favors to send home with everyone. Jordan also brought up with her 24 cinnamon buns and we put them on cute little plates purple polka dot/striped plates and wrapped them with cellophane and tied them with purple ribbon and they had a tag on them saying "thanks, Love Brian, Carmelle and the 'bun' in the oven". They turned out adorable! Here are a few pictures of those:

The same green paper and purple paper was used on the wine bottles.

Gift-wise, we got some great stuff!

Before the party even started, Dad and Kelly got me a beautiful dress to wear for the shower and they sent it up with Olivia, which worked out perfect since I couldn't figure out what I wanted to wear, so that came in the nick of time!

We got a "Boppy" breastfeeding pillow (seen below in the sweet pea cover), some bottles, a dishwasher crate to wash nipples in so they don't go flying around the dishwasher, a little baby photo album, a framed drawing of her name, some diapers and wipes, a gift card to target and some cute clothes!

Olivia got us a bunch of cute newborn outfits...our favorite is one that has a little dress, seen below, with flowers on it and a sweater that goes over with a stitched in design of winnie-the-pooh.

Jordan got us a little swing that is easily portable, so we can bring it with us where ever we go! It has cute little woodland creatures on it.

Laura got us every bath time necessity out there! Bedtime lotion, waterproof tile sticking letters and numbers, marine life squeezable water toys, 8 wash clothes with fishies on them, a winnie the pooh hooded towel and two winnie the pooh character hooded towels. All we need for bath time is a tub at this point, otherwise, we are all set!!!

Some of the clothes we got included:

A Milwaukee brewer onesie with a bib and booties that match, from Matt Moldenhauer

A cute Hershey Kisses onesie from Leslie and an adorable Hershey kisses t-shirt from Mike (Brian's parents) (will take pics and upload them later!)

Grandma Lorraine made Bella some amazing handmade apparel, which includes a yellow jacket, yellow booties, yellow bonnet and a matching yellow blanket (I will get pics and upload them later). On Etsy.com, there are these cutie crotched baby hats that you can buy, and I found one that looks like a bear that I absolutely loved, and Marcie had a pattern made and bought the yarn, and then grandma made the hat that looks just like it! It is so perfect! I might use it for the birth announcements!

Cathy gave us a quilted blanket that was handmade from someone at the hospital she works/volunteers at. There is an organization, called "Project Linus" (like the Peanuts cartoon character that always has the blue blankie with him), and they make blankets for newborns. Some people, for whatever reason, do not keep the blanket for their baby, so she grabbed us one that was left over, and it is so cute!! I love the organization and am thrilled to have a blanket by them!

I will try to take some pictures of some of the stuff we got and post them so everyone can see how awesome the gifts are and what amazing people Isabella is going to have in her life! Thank you everyone!

I should add, that Justin and Amanda and Erin and Noa sent us our baby shower gifts a while ago, and they include a fantastic jogging stroller and a car seat sac/cover for the winter time, so Bella will not freeze in the frigid Wisconsin snow! Thank you to them again as well!

8 Weeks til the due date, possibly 7 weeks til we meet our girl!

Bella, Brian and I have our first shower today! It is at our place, just a little backyard bbq with our Madison friends! Jordan was sweet enough to offer us to throw one just for our Wisconsin friends since Kelly will be throwing us one in Naperville with all the Illinois friends and family on July 18. I will be sure to post some pictures tomorrow!


We are officially in the 8th month of pregnancy (although I have technically been pregnant for 8 months already and am really starting the 9th month...pregnancy calendars are screwy). Here is what is going on with the Babe this week:

How your baby's growing:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

The big news this week is lung development—baby's respiratory system is almost completely mature. That means if your baby was born this week, odds are she'd be a healthy bouncing baby with a just a little help from her friends (aka, the NICU). Some of the specifics are: Your baby can now detect light and tell the difference between night and day (of course that ability will miraculously disappear once she's born and up all night screaming). Her pupils will constrict and dilate in response to light. If you shine a flashlight on your belly, your baby may shy away from the light as if to say, "Cut it out, Ma. You're soooo annoying." Your baby will continue to pack on the pounds gaining around ½ pound a week from here on out.Your baby weighs about 4 pounds, as much as a grownup duck, and is approximately 17.5 inches long, about the same as a collarbone-length pearl necklace or a medicine ball that you'd find at a gym (gym? what's that? ha ha!).


The diameter of the head is almost 4 inches (10cm).
Under the skin the fat layer is getting thicker.
The toenails and fingernails are completely formed
During this time the baby sleeps most of the day. The uterus is getting to be a small space for the baby to move about, so you may have noticed a decrease in your baby's movements. The baby is still trying to move frequently but it just does not have enough room. The baby will turn its head from side to side and move its hands. As space in your uterus becomes more cramped, your baby's kicks and other movements may seem less forceful. You may want to check on your baby's movements from time to time and do a kick count.

How your life's changing:
As your baby fills out even more of your belly, lots of things might start to change: Whereas before you were sashaying, you may find yourself waddling (Definitley!!). This is because the ligaments in your pelvis have softened, allowing your hips to spread in preparation for birth. Finding an easy position to sit in — let alone sleep — is becoming more of a challenge (Sleep? What's that?? Sleeping has become so uncomfortable! The only time I get deep sleep is once Brian leaves for work and I lay the opposite way one is supposed to lay in a bed, flat against the headboard so I push against it with pillows under my belly...Brian might be getting the boot from the bed soon, ha or will have to learn to sleep the wrong way on the bed with his feet dangling off). And bumping into chairs and counters is par for the course (all the time! I am such a klutz now!!).

OB appointment yesterday

Baby and I had an OB appointment yesterday morning, and all continues to look well! I only gained a pound over the last month, which was somewhat impressive! It probably has to do with the mad heat and humidity and the fact the only thing I want to eat is pineapple and watermelon. yum!

So, I tried to get more ultrasounds out of the OB, but he said that we will only need one more, on July 21, to see if she has rotated into a head down position or not. I won't get any pictures from it, sadly, and it will be the last time I get to see the baby til she is born. I asked him if he thinks she will flip head down, and he said there is still a chance, but he doesn't think it is a great one. He told me if she is still breech on the 21st, we will go ahead and schedule a C-Section for about a week before the due to date. With my awesome septate uterus, the growth makes it impossible for the baby to be turned from the outside, so, unless she can figure out how to get around the growth (and only she can figure it out...this could be her first failure as a human, haha, just kidding), she will stay heads up and mom will go under the knife to get her out.

I am OK with a c-section, whatever is best for the baby is fine with me. Brian and I are telling ourselves it will be a c-section, and if she somehow does flip after all these months of being breech, all the better and it would make us both soooo happy, but if she doesn't, that way we won't be bummed like the floor got ripped out from under our feet. Part of me is sad that I won't get to experience a "normal" birth, that I might not know what it feels like to go into labor, which probably seems funny since I will get to bypass all that pain, but it is different than what I always thought I would experience when it came time to have the baby. Maybe a little anti-climactic, no crazy birth story to pass on...I am not quite sure. Plus, with a c-section, I don't get to have that super important initial bonding period with the baby, when they throw it on your chest and you get to hug it and cry and hold it skin to skin... I think that is the biggest bummer. I will ask the OB if Brian could do that instead, just so she has that skin-to-skin contact that babies seem to love. I am probably being melodramatic, the main objective is to have a happy, healthy baby, and that is what really matters!

Isabella is doing well and we are very excited to meet her, whatever way she enters this world!!! Everyday is one day closer!!!

9 weeks left til Isabella arrives!!

We are finally in the single digit part of our countdown!!!! Only 9 weeks left!! Can you believe it?!?!? I wish it were like 4 weeks, ha, but I will take where I am over a higher number any day!!! As of right now, we have no more ultrasounds scheduled, but I have my OB appointment on Thursday morning, and plan on begging for at least one more! I will let you know Friday what he says! This is the last of the monthly appointments, from here on out, we see him every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, when it becomes once a week! The finish line is in sight!

Happy soon to be Father's Day, Brian!! Isabella got him a manly diaper bag, which he had mentioned he wanted, but he ruined the surprise and opened the package that arrived in the mail before I got home from work on Wednesday, even though it was sent to me, so he is a father's day ruiner, haha, but he loves the bag! It is brown suede and looks more like a laptop carrier than a diaper bag, so he is very happy with it. Brian has a "murse", ha!

I have a baby shower on Sunday the 28th with friends up here in Madison, so we are excited for that! Otherwise, no other super exciting baby news! This isn't exciting news for the baby, but it is for me! All my maternity leave plans have been ironed out and approved from Human Resources, so I am all set to leave work! August 12 is my official start date for Maternity leave, which is 11 days before baby is supposed to arrive (just in case baby arrives a little early). I will have off completely until September 24th, at which point I will be going back to work 4 days a week until the end of the year, or until I feel ready to come back to work for the normal 5 days a week. I also have a set schedule lined up, so no more guess work as to when I will have off. From the end of September to the end of December, I will only work Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, so I will have the same three days off every week (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday). If Brian stays on the same schedule at work that he has been on for the last few months, we will only need to find day care/a babysitter on Mondays and Wednesdays. If we have any volunteers for those days, please, speak up so we can kiss your feet in appreciation, starting now! Starting August 1st, I have to enter complete baby mode... I am not allowed to be anywhere outside of a 45 minute radius of the hospital, so no more trips to Chicago and no more Brewers games in Milwaukee. Sadness! One of the main reasons for the travel limitations is that Insurance will not cover ANY birth related medical bills if I deliver at any hospital other than Meriter. If I deliver at Meriter, I have 100% of all medical bills covered, so...I will not be straying far from home, needless to say. Meriter is about 10 minutes from where we live, or if I am driving or in labor, it should be about 5 minutes away, ha!

OK, enough about me, here is what is going on with BellaReese this week (I have added my own 2 cents in italics and parenthesis again):

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) or a little less than the size of a 5 pound bag of potatoes from the grocery store, and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 8 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair. Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth. (I can't wait to feel her baby soft skin, and smell her little hair, baby's feel and smell so amazing, don't they? There is nothing like that sensation anywhere else!)

There is something surreal about watching a tiny foot move across your belly (and something uncomfortable about getting jabbed by a tiny elbow in the dead of night) (true story, it is very, very surreal!). Now that your baby is nice and big and mobile, you'll be getting kicked and prodded in all sorts of unexpected places. Oooof! Did you feel that one in the ribs (yes, except it is her head doing it, not a little foot!)? If you're feeling sudden, jerking movements, then your baby probably has the hiccups. Changing positions, taking a walk, or drinking a cold glass of water or juice can sometimes get a very active baby to chill with the kidney shots for a while (I don't really want to discourage them, I actually feel better if I put a hand on whatever is moving and feel more connected to her, if anything). You could also try telling the baby if she kicks you one more time you're going to come in there and give her a time-out. OK, that won't help ease the discomfort, but mentally it'll make you feel like you're still in control. You can also take heart in the fact that in a few more weeks, your Karate Kid will be running out of room for the kind of athletic displays she's so fond of these days. In other words, she'll be too cramped in there to haul her foot back 6 or 7 inches to give you a swift kick in the ribs.

Your Baby:

Although your baby will still remain active, her days of trying out for Cirque du Soleil are nearly over. Other fascinating facts: Both you and baby are putting on some serious weight at this point (meh, I think I have actually been maintaining, if not losing...now that it is hot and humid, I have had no appetite! All I ever want to eat are grapes and fresh Pineapple from CostCo!). You'll probably gain about a pound a week for the next few weeks, with half of that poundage bulking up baby. She'll likely double her weight in the next eight weeks. Ever wonder what your baby is doing in there these days? She's busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things (that stupid septum that has caused all these problems is one of her favorite in-utero toys!), making faces, practicing her breathing, peeing (weird) and listening to everything around her—pretty much exactly what she'll be doing for the first three months of her life, sans the adoring audience and the flashing camera. By the end of this week, your baby will weigh about 4 pounds and measure over 17 inches long—about the length of a hot pair of above-the-knee boots. Christian Louboutin? Manolo Blahnik? We're thinking Isaac Mizrahi for Target—you've got a nursery to furnish (or start! We haven't done anything yet for Bella!)!

A few more fun facts:

The eyes have now completely opened and are responding to light and darkness.
A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump. Your baby continues to grow. Baby's lungs and digestive tract are very near to being mature. Now that almost all of the major organs are functioning, growth will focus on maturing those organs and growing muscle mass and fat stores. Baby's weight gain will exceed its growth in length from now on. She should more than double her weight again between now and birth. A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump (like our crapper of a dog barking at nothing in the middle of the night, hell that scares Brian and me and at least we know what is making that noise!). Baby may move to the rhythm of music (to my dismay, she seems love that stupid Black Eyed Peas song "Boom Boom" and jumps every time it comes on the radio. I debate turning channels, but she seems to like it, so I suffer through it). Studies with heart rates show that they may also prefer some types of music to others at this stage. The eyes can now completely open and the irises are now responsive to light, dilating and contracting as needed.You will probably find that though you have been feeling pretty energetic throughout your second trimester, you are beginning to slow down now (oh yea! It is back to a 9:30 bedtime for me!). Pay attention to your body's signals and rest when you need to. Exercise is still an important activity for you, even though it gets harder as you get larger and heavier. Try swimming, stretching and walking all excellent options for pregnant women (Big City, our wiener dog, and I go on 35-45 minute walks nightly. It seems to be good for both of us. We both just come home and sleep afterwards, ha!)

Hospital Information

If you are just accustomed to reading the blog posts from your email, then check out the actual website at http://babymartini2009.blogspot.com/ where I posted information about the hospital where we will be having the baby. The hospital information is located underneath the big, main picture of Brian and me, next to the pregnancy countdown tracker. This information will stay up there until after the baby is born and we have left the hospital, that way if you delete the email, you can still access this information. Thanks!

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.

29 weeks down, 11 to go!!!

Almost to the single digit count down!! Who's excited??? Come on, now! I know I am! And nervous, and scared and overwhelmed and relieved it will all be over and anxious and thrilled...and the list can go on and on and on.

So I have always loved feeling Bella move, but lately, I have to admit, the fear I had of being pregnant is starting to come true, much to my dismay. I always thought it would be alien-like to feel the baby move and up until about 3 days ago, that fear was squashed since it felt "normal" to feel her kick, but now, her movements are becoming so much more animated and they are making my whole belly stick out in a new way and look square instead of round, and it sort of freaks me out. I still love that she is moving, but it is a very intense movement and I am taking a while to adjust to it. Last night, for example, I was doing my kick counts and feeling slightly annoyed since she wasn't cooperating, and then as soon as I said, "I haven't felt her in hours" to Brian, she began to move. It wasnt just a quick jab, it was a full on "let me drag my entire leg across the entire side of your belly over to the other hip". I swear, I saw a long baby leg move like a snake from my left waist to my right hip. That is exactly what it felt like and looked like, a snake moving across my belly. You know how they depict Bugs Bunny in the cartoon, when he travels underground and leaves little mole hill looking things on the surface of the ground? That trail is what my belly looked like!!!!! I got a little freaked and waited for more movements, and it happened again and again. The body parts that are sticking out are getting harder and sticking out for longer, and it is bizarre. I touch the part of my tummy that she is moving in, and it just feels different. I am very glad she is moving so much and that she doing so well, but it is just weird. Hopefully that doesn't make me a bad mom, because I want them to continue, I just am having a hard time adjusting to her new strength and flexibility. Anyway...this is my own problem, keep kicking away, Bells.

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Big news for baby's brain this week: It's starting to wrinkle and fold and looks like something that grew in the back of your fridge. This is due to the rapid growth of your little genius's brain cells. Other highlights this week:Fingernails and toenails are finally finished—her parents great fear and anguish the first time they try to cut those little daggers (it gets easier, we promise)! Plus, the bone marrow is completely in charge of red-blood-cell production now. Trust us, this is a good thing.Baby is starting to shed her lanugo—the downy hair that was covering her skin. Now that she's chubbier and better able to regulate her body temp, she doesn't need to sport a fur coat 24/7."I spy an umbilical cord and the inside of my mom's uterus!" When your baby is awake, her eyes are now wide open and she's whittling away the hours looking around, checking out her rather dark, limited environs. Your baby hasn't gained much weight or height this week, as most of her energy's been channeled to the brain. She weighs about 3 pounds and is approximately 15.5 inches long, about the size of London, not the city, Britney Spears' Yorkie terrier. Of course your baby is less hairy and way cuter!

Baby's muscles and lungs are continuing to mature.
The fetus can taste and respond to pain.
The milk teeth have developed under the gums.

The baby's head is growing bigger to accommodate the brain, which is busy developing billions of neurons. The eyes can move in their sockets. They may be able to follow a blinking light. As well as your baby's increasing sensitivity to changes in light, they may also be able to taste. Various studies show that your baby may indicate preferences or dislike for particular tastes at this stage.Baby is also moving from side to side, but probably still is head up. In the next few weeks, they will move to the head down birthing position. At times you may feel as if baby is performing somersaults for an olympic gold medal. Baby may be performing fewer movements because living conditions in the womb are becoming more cramped. The baby is still doing a lot of kicking and stretching. Some of your baby's kicks and punches may even take your breath away.Baby hears things better from the vibrations all around, and can now distinguish real sounds and voices. Do not forget to continue to 'teach' your baby in the womb by exposing them to music, literature, and simply talking to them. At this stage baby eyes are almost always blue and can distinguish bright sunlight or artificial light through the uterine wall. At week twenty nine, your baby measures about 11 inches from crown to rump, or a total length of about 15 inches from head to heel.

How your life's changing:

You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you're having trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsier than normal, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, but the concentration of weight in your pregnant belly causes a shift in your center of gravity. Plus, thanks to hormonal changes, your ligaments are more lax, so your joints are looser, which may also contribute to your balance being a bit off. Also, this relaxation of your ligaments can actually cause your feet to spread permanently, so you may have to invest in some new shoes in a bigger size.

Birthing Class

Bri and I had our first birthing class on Thursday night. We are taking a six week long class, each class being 2.5 hours long, that covers everything from the birthing process to relaxation techniques and massage therapy to breastfeeding and newborn care. It meets at the hospital we will be delivering at, which is nice since we will be that much more acquainted with it when it comes time to have the baby.

Our teacher was OK, not "with it" enough, if you will, for our liking, but she is very nice and seems knowledgeable. We watched some videos, saw some babies come out, learned about what happens in the body when you go in to labor and the best part, got a massage!

The room was set up in two parts, with chairs on each side and an aisle down the middle, and we went around and did introductions on who we were, where we worked, when we were due, what the gender is (if we knew) and what the name will be (if you picked it yet/released that information). The side opposite us went first, and they were all having boys! All 7 couples are having boys and only 2 knew what they are naming them! It got to our side, the couple behind us went, they too are having a boy and don't know the name. It got to us, we were the first to be having a girl and we, of course, knew the name. Out of the entire class, only 3 girls are to be born and only about 4 out of 15 couples have a name picked out. I was completely shocked by the numbers! I thought girls would be dominant and I thought people would have all the name stuff covered, but I was completely wrong! Most people were so nonchalant about not knowing the name, too, which weirded me out, since I would be like, "we only have 2 months to figure this all out!" I guess this all boils down to the fact that I am neurotic and impatient and have to figure everything out as soon as physically possible. Poor BellaReese, she will probably have Brian's laid back attitude and a mother who is so ridiculously on-top of things and neurotic, and she too will just roll her eyes when I freak out when something changes or something happens I don't know how to fix or if there are little deviance from my original plans...ha! I apologize in advance, little girl!

The best part of the whole class was the last 20 minutes, where we sat in front of our hubbies on the ground and they learned different back massage techniques to help us through labor before we get the epidural and/or pushing time. (there is a name for some of the techniques we went over, but it is french and I don't remember it and wouldn't be able to spell it anyways, ha) Brian was like, "I do all this already! My crazy wife loves massages and head pets and asks for them all the flippin time!" His homework is to practice more and more so he learns what I like and don't like. Haha. I love the homework!

I am not sure what is on the agenda in class for next week, but the week after that, we get a tour of the birthing center, which I am excited for. All in all, it was informative and worthwhile so far. I look forward to more one on one interaction with Brian in terms of relaxation and breathing techniques, since that is what we will need to use the most of. Knowing how my uterus contracts will NOT be on my mind come birth day, but trying to think of how to breathe so I don't kill someone will DEFINITELY be on my mind!

28 weeks! 12 left to go!

Your pregnancy: 28 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (Bella is at 2 3/4 pounds) (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet hwe increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Your Body:

Let's get right to the point: You're a bloated, water-retaining mess. Chances are good you can't get your sneakers on or your wedding ring off, so get comfy in your slippers. Your pants don't fit (correct! Which is why I wear dresses and stretchy yoga pants). Your shirts don't fit

(my belly is too big and lets be honest, so are my boobs). And now, thanks to the swelling in your feet, your shoes don't fit. You can thank a wonderful thing called edema for that. Go edema!Extreme swelling (as in "Oh my god, what happened to my hands?!") might be a sign of preeclampsia, so make sure to see your doctor. For mild edema, your doctor may recommend support hose—with plenty of room for your belly—and drinking plenty of water. Also, a low-salt diet may not be any fun (No potato chips! No soy sauce!), but it may help to minimize edema and water retention. On the bright side, edema is a great excuse for sitting down, propping your feet up, and asking your partner to bring you a cool drink and this week's US Weekly.

Your Baby:

Having a baby prematurely is frightening, no doubt. But here's a reason to relax: Due to the impressive advancements of medical technology, if your baby is born this week, she'd have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival, which is seriously great news. Other awesome developments: Baby's brain can now control her breathing and body temperature. She can also cough, and her sucking abilities have been perfected. Look out, boobs! Your Mini's skin is looking less wrinkled as she packs on the pounds. She's starting to look more like a Pampers model and less like a Depends model. She's now beefing up on the energizing and insulating white fat she'll be born with (unfortunately, white fat is not energizing and insulating for adults!). And speaking of energy, your little Energizer Bunny is on fire these days. You're sure to feel your share of kicks, punches and elbows, especially when you're lying down. You might want to start keeping a kick chart to monitor your baby's movements, and also to later show your 13-year-old child what you endured for him or her. Ask your doctor how to count kicks and how often you should do it. This week your baby is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread or the size of a basketball—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop.

The fetus has its own regular intervals for sleeping and being awake.
The feet are just over 2 inches (5.5cm) long.
The hair on the head is now clearly visible.
The milk teeth have developed under the gums.
The eyes are starting to move in their sockets. Brain waves show rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which means your baby may be dreaming. Eyelids are opening. Eye color may change within the first six months of life especially if your baby's eyes are blue or gray-blue at birth. Remember to talk to your baby often; reading stories, singing songs has been seen to slow the baby's heart rate. He or she can recognize your voice now and will often calm to it later after birth. Your uterus will be about 3 inches (7cm) above your bellybutton. During this time of your pregnancy, your belly will grow about half an inch (1cm) each week. Branches of lungs are quite developed now.

28 week ultrasound!

Yesterday was quite the busy day for us. I had to get my Rhogam shot for having the o- blood type, which a lot of people scared me about saying the needle is huge and you have to get it in the butt because it is so big and painful, blah blah blah, but needless to say, it was just fine. I got it in my arm, even though the tech said it would hurt more, it just felt like a regular shot. The needle was slightly fatter, but not anything I would have noticed on my own without people telling me beforehand. So, we are set on Rhogam shots til Bella arrives. The gestational diabetes test came back good, so I don't have to worry about that, which is a huge relief! I am on the high side of the low end in terms of my iron levels, so if they drop anymore, I will have to start taking iron supplements, but as of right now, I am doing just fine all around.

Then we went to have the ultrasound done, and BellaReese is doing fantastic! We had to wait 45 minutes in the waiting room because the place was backed up pretty bad, but we got $11 to use in the coffee shop afterwards, for the inconvenience, which was pretty sweet!

So back to Bella. She is measuring 4 days ahead, and is in the 57% percentile for height and weight. She is currently 2 pounds 12 oz, so 2.75 pounds! What a big baby! Her heartbeat was 145, also a good number. She is still breech, the little stinker! Same exact position for the last 3 ultrasounds! She doesn't seem to want to flip at all!!! I don't blame her, who would want to hang upside down for months on end. My fluid levels look good, so she can just keep swimming away and having a grand ole time in there. We got to see great images of her hands this time, we even got a thumbs up at one point. We got one amazing shot of her face, it is so incredible, all the details it picks up. She has chubby cheeks and a cutie little nose and these pouty lips! Such a cutie! Luckily for us, she wasn't covering her face with her arm and leg this time! The best part of the ultrasound, however, was:

ISABELLA HAS HAIR!!!! Hair long enough to stick straight out from the back of her head! Our baby isn't bald! It would have been totally fine if she was, but I love little newborns with thick heads of hair! It was so amazing to see, I can't believe the detail that the ultrasounds can pick up nowadays! It is such an awesome experience. I do not have anymore ultrasounds scheduled, it is up to the discretion of my OB if I need more, so I am going to call and beg for at least one more in August! I can skip July's....If he wants to let me have 2 more, I will gladly accept them, but I really, really want one more before she arrives.

So here are the pics. The quality is kinda crappy since we didn't get a CD this time, for some reason, so they are just scanned. This first one here is the best shot ever! Look at her little face! Such a blob of cuteness already!

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Here is a side profile shot. Last ultrasound, she was looking like she had my chin and jaw line, now we think it is Brian's chin and my jaw line. The nose we aren't sure about yet, and the lips are more mine we think, but we can't quite tell. You can even see a little bit of her ear on the left side of her head...she has little elf ears!

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Here is her hand, she is waving. I am so mad it scanned so dark, because the real image you can see each finger individually. She has 5 fingers on this hand, at least, so that is a plus!

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Side shot again.

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This one I doubt anyone will be able to tell. The image is of her side profile, with her arm resting on her forehead. She is almost flexing her muscle and giving her bicep a kiss. Really shitty quality though, so it probably just looks like a blob to you. Sorry!

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Here are her legs, from the knees down to her feet. Her feet are actually pushing on my bladder in this one. The tech was like, "this is the exact reason you have to go to the bathroom so much. She is pushing on it right now!"

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Here she is demonstrating her flexibility. Her hand and foot in the same shot. She plays with her toes a lot. Her hand and fingers are kind of curving over about to grab the toes.

So all in all, everything is looking good, the Septum isn't creating problems yet, but it might be preventing her turning to a non breech position. She actually plays with the little piece and boxes with it and grabs for it, so it is kind of like a built in play thing, ha.

We start Birthing classes on Thursday! We are both very excited! I will keep you posted!