Day 68: There Were Ten in the bed and the little one said ROLL OVER!!!

My little darling decided today was the day she would roll over at 2 months and 1 week old!! I am so proud of her :)

She has been lifting up one side of her body since she was 2 weeks old but hadn't done much else during her tummy time. I was so surprised she did that so early but then got impatient and decided maybe she wouldn't roll over early. She was just working hard on her head control, however, and has made great progress there. I put her in the bumbo at 7 weeks and she held her head up and sat mesmerized at the new world of sitting up!


Isabelle at 7 weeks old and quite groggy in the early morning!

She has been getting more adept at holding her head up on my chest as she rests her little elbows and looks at me with pride!!! I guess she was working on her rolling over muscles during her tummy times and our little exercise sessions because today I put her down to play for 10 minutes or so then switched her to her tummy and she immediately lifted her left side and then rolled over!!! Luckily I quickly grabbed my phone and yelled for Dylan so we got to see our Angel perform! I think she was going for the kitty I put in front of her....she kept staring at it and rolling over all day!


I took this at 7 am after about 4.5 hours of sleep combined...so that is the reason I say it is December 29....For the record it is November 29 and I am seriously sleep deprived. Who knows what other goofy things I say and do and don't realize!

Happy 2 Month Birthday Isabelle

It is hard to believe you are already 2 months old and even harder to believe how much you have grown! You are such a happy little baby. You rarely cry, only when you are hungry and occasionally if we wake you up from a nap! You smile and coo all the time. One of your favorite things is to be sung to. My latest favorite is the Sound of Music where we sing together (you coo along with me)!!!

At out last Birthing Center appointment, at 7 weeks, you were 10 lbs 2 oz and 21.5 inches long. I am amazed at how big you have gotten already. You hold your head up well, but when you are tired it is wobbly.You love to rest your arms on my chest and explore the world. You can sit in your bumbo and are tracking very well. You are a good sleeper but eating takes precedence over long periods of sleep. You are forming a schedule and the longest you sleep is about 4 hours at night.

What a joy you are to us and we can't wait to watch you grow!

Isabelle's First Halloween

Although I am not a huge fan of the holiday, complete with ghosts and all things evil, I s till wanted to participate on my firstborn's First Halloween!!! So we are going with the rule my mom had when we were growing up....we could do the Halloween thing but no evil costumes!! So don't expect Isabelle to be dressed as a witch or skeleton or ghost---instead she was a Precious little Cupcake!



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Isabelle's First Halloween was a success! We attended the Crites' Halloween party on Saturday night and dressed as Bakers with our little cupcake. Unfortunately she "dirtied" her costume before I could take a picture so I have pictures of the backup costume she wore to her Mimi and Pop's house the next day where she got her First Treat, a super cute pink hat with a flower. This is a Mimi approved head ornament. She does not like most of the things I put on Isabelle's head because she says they "restrict her brain growth"! I asked my pediatrician and he says she is fine so our "No bow no go" policy is still in place.

Happy Halloween!!

Discovery: The New Mom Edition

I understand things in life better since becoming a new mom. Everyone says you will appreciate your mother more which of course I do. I also thought my Mom was pretty amazing before I had Isabelle. If you are lucky enough to know her, you know that she is the human embodiment of the energizer bunny! Despite being 36 years my senior she can ALWAYS keep going when we are working on a task together and forget trying to beat her in exercise/sports. It is a combination of energy and tenacity that makes her akin to the character. I am totally off on a tangent! Anyway, the discoveries I have made since becoming a mom are different than what I expected!

For instance, drive-thrus (can you make that plural?). I always considered drive-thru windows somewhat redundant in some cases and in others for the lazy. Don't think for a second that I didn't use them before baby (BB); However now I understand their importance and they are a downright necessity for a new mom. I find myself wishing there was a drive-thru version of every venue I frequent. Grocery shopping would be considerably easier if you could just go through a drive-thru. Somehow I managed to buy a house in the only neighborhood in the US that DOES NOT have a Starbucks with a drive-thru close by.

Mom Jeans



Fashion High Waisted



Another thing I never understood BB were high-waisted pants and I am not talking about fashionable high-waisted...I am talking about mom jeans. I thought they were a fashion faux pas that I would never repeat; However when you have gone from housing a 6-9 lb baby inside your body to all of a sudden giving birth you have a little extra belly going on. Now I am happy to report the belly goes down quite quickly but any "pinchiness" around the mid-section is not cute Post Baby (PB).


The other thing that I am discovering is the definition of "sleeping". I know you don't get a lot of sleep with a newborn but BB I was unable to function on less than 9 hours of sleep ( for prolonged periods of time). Now I am somehow able to form complete sentences, most of the time, on a mere 4 hours of sleep and that is a COMBINED 4 hours! The little miss has taken to sleeping in 2 hour intervals, meaning by the time I feed her and put her down I have less than 2 hours to sleep :) So sleep has taken on a whole new meaning. I used to call the sleep I get now a nap or cat nap.

I am sure there are more unexpected discoveries I will make as the weeks go by and when they happen I will update! Motherhood is quite an adventure and I feel incredibly blessed to be on it!

Week 2 and Tummy Time

Little Miss Isabelle has been doing great this week! She is doing so well at tummy time and is already lifting one side of her body to try and roll over!!! We are so proud of her! She has definitely been having a growth spurt which has resulted in eating every 2 hours!!! I think she might just be 6 ft tall by the end of the year :)

2 Week Update!

Isabelle had a great visit at the doctors' office. She is now 7 lbs 6 oz!!! I guess those feedings every 2 hours are paying off--what a blessing!

Right now she is a pretty good sleeper and really only cries when she is hungry or when she is having her diaper changed. I hope she stays this easy going! The Little Miss is also SUPER strong! I started tummy time with her today and she lifted her head up and changed to the other side. She also started lifting the side of her body trying to get change positions to her back! I am so proud of her. She gets really frustrated during tummy time and cries but she is also super determined to move!

Glamour Shots

We had the newborn photos taken of the Little Miss on Sunday by Tiffany over at Mulberry dreams! Isabelle proved herself to be quite strong willed, no surprise considering her lineage, as she refused to sleep. The idea was to get our sweet sleeping beauty posed on all sorts of cute girly props with headbands etc. Instead we got a few sleeping beauty pictures and the rest show off her beautiful eyes :) Despite her stubborn streak (streak that will last a lifetime) the pictures turned out great and I can't wait to print out the pictures and share them!

On a sad note, today is Dylan's last day of paternity leave. I am so thankful for his generous paternity leave and have really been spoiled by getting to spend time with him. Not to mention all the help with Isabelle...the middle of the night diaper changes/burping/cuddles to get her to sleep at 3 am! I know he and Isabelle needed this time to bond too! We will miss you tomorrow my love!

Happy Wednesday!

Laughing Baby

Can my 13 day old baby be laughing???

I will try and capture it on video. We noticed from the very first day she smiled. It is so cute! She smiles after she nurses, when she is in a deep dreaming state. Now Dylan and I have noticed she does this cute little giggle while she smiles sometimes too.

I think she is laughing for sure....
We are such first time parents :)

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Birth Day My Darling!

Introducing Miss Isabelle Grace Dahmann

Psalm 139:13-16

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

The purest of joys



Born September 22, 2010 at 7:13 AM
6lbs 9 oz 19 inches long

I won the lottery!!!

Well.....in a way! I feel like I won the lottery at least!

Today I had my weekly appointment with the midwives and I appear to be making progress!! I am 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced---YIPPPPPEEEEE the Bradley exercises work! So if you happen to see me walking in the mall or some other air conditioned venue, just know that I am trying to help the process along!

My Mom, AKA THE Doula, is going on a work trip for a couple days next week so it would be nice to have a baby before or after her trip!

Here is a picture of me at 38 Weeks 3 Days!



And here is something I got today which I am SUPER excited about...I highly recommend it to all pregnant/nursing mom's:

The Bravado Nursing Cami....it is heaven in a pink cotton blend :)

Happy Birthday Doug!

My Father-in-Law really doesn't like the spotlight, but today is HIS day...AND his twin sister's of course! So Happy Birthday Doug and Aunt Judy!

We think you are pretty wonderful and Isabelle is lucky to have you as her Grandpa....I hope she acquired the Dahmann nicknaming gene you passed on to Dylan so she can give you a REALLY good Grandpa name. You DESERVE it :) I hope you know how thankful we are for you.

Happy Birthday Doug!

#1 Pregnancy Coach/Partner

So I took a trip to the mall a couple of weeks ago and dashed into Bath and Body Works for some final touches for my labor bag including their AMAZING Eucalyptus Spearmint lotion! I highly recommend going out and trying it if you are in need of some relaxation! Anyway, the annoying sales guy tried to convince me to buy a "Push Present" of sorts for my husband....since he was trying to get me to buy cologne/body wash and other things Dylan wouldn't dare use (he will ONLY use bar soap....sometimes even on his face--yuck) I ignored him. Then I got an idea! So I decided to go and buy this on the day it dropped.....



Boy was Dylan surprised!

I know we haven't actually had our little girl yet and that the whole idea behind giving each other a present is to celebrate our daughter's birth. However I just thought that Dylan has been so sweet and supportive for the past 9 months and 2.5 weeks... He has brought me food/water/milk/warm wash cloths in the middle of the night, held my hair back when I puked, kept me with a constant supply of puke bags/buckets, thrown away the puke bags, endured my aches/pains/complaints/worries/strange questions, encouraged me when I needed it and made fun of me too, given me more strange pregnancy themed nicknames like "Nancy"/"Preg-Nancy"/"Pregnancy", attended all the important appointments, completed our nightly relaxation homework (free massage, gone to 12 weeks of birthing class to become an OFFICIAL card carrying certified Bradley Birthing Coach :), AND attended Breastfeeding class! I thought he needed his thank you...you are wonderful present TODAY (Because today was our Breastfeeding class and he really was questioning whether this class was for Dad's too---which it WAS!)

I am already regretting the gift as I sit in my living room with all the lights off, gun shots in the background, crazy alien squeals echoing, with my husband's face glowing in front of the TV.....



Thank you my wonderful husband!!!!!

Week 37: The Baby Bump

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week:

How Far Along: 37 Weeks

Fruit/Veggie: Swiss Chard ( they said that last week...??)

Size: Approximately 18-19 inches long and 6 1/3 lbs!

**My Friend Added this on her blog**
Progress: 1 cm dilated and 25% effaced...that was as of 36.5 weeks....we will see what I am at 40 weeks when they check me again!!!

Contractions: All evening/night long and now during the day too...let's hope that means progress!

Baby changes: Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Best Moment this week: Attending the Keller's Saucer Party, commemorating the end of their Beer Tours, and getting all the funny looks people give a 9+ month pregnant girl at a bar :) It was a lot of fun to hang out with friends and I got to eat some yummy soft pretzels too :)

ALSO-Finishing the accents for Isabelle's room with my mom (I will post pictures of her nursery soon so you can see our sewing projects!)

Movement: Still a little mover and shaker!

Food Craving: Not really into food lately...my appetite has definitely decreased!

What I miss: Having clothes that fit...my dresses are great still though :)

Sleep: I still sleep well but wake up with contractions and bathroom breaks!

What I am looking forward to: Holding my little girl!

Symptoms: Sore feet, backache, indigestion

Baby Bump Week 37:

****I need pictures from Sarina because they are the ONLY pictures I took this week--OOPS!***

Week 36: The Baby Bump

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week:

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Fruit/Veggie: Swiss Chard

Size: Approximately 18-19 inches long and 5 pounds 9 ounces according to the ultrasound!

Baby changes: Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position (PRAISE THE LORD---She is!). But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Best Moment this week: I picked Dylan up from the airport and got him home around 10:30 pm on Wednesday. At 3:30 AM I awoke thinking I was in labor!

After a couple of calls to the midwife she sent us STRAIGHT to the hospital, explaining I was too early to deliver at the birth center :( After crying through some very important questions with the midwife Dylan and I headed to the hospital and met my mom there! We had a great dress rehearsal and confirmed that our family is AWESOME... Everyone literally moved mountains to be there for us and we so appreciate it! I can't wait for the REAL Delivery Day (D-Day) when we get to have our REAL Birth party!!! They ran some tests at the hospital and luckily I was NOT in labor and Miss Isabelle was looking perfectly healthy!!

We headed straight to the birth center and got some AMAZING photos from our 4D ultrasound. They checked me out and confirmed that everything was good and we could go home without restriction.





Movement: Still a little mover and shaker!

Food Craving: Not really...

What I miss: Having normal feeling feet....tennis shoes or not they feel worn out!!

Sleep: I have contractions all night so I wake up every couple of hours but luckily go back to sleep usually!

What I am looking forward to: Seeing her plump little cheeks and confirming whether or not she looks like Dylan...I think she will!

Symptoms: Poor Sleep, Heartburn (sometimes), Arthritis, Sore feet, Backache

Baby Bump Week 36:

I think Dylan deserves a picture on here too..he is after all 36 Weeks pregnant too...even if he has no bump to show for it! I wish our birthing class made the guys wear a sympathy belly like my friend's!

These were our last B.I. (Before Isabelle) pictures...or so we thought! We were both a little worried/nervous/excited/overwhelmed!




This was from the day before....

Baby Isabelle Grace

Here is our little princess, Miss Isabelle Grace!!
I think she looks just like her Daddy :) God is SO good!

Week 35: The Baby Bump

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week:

How Far Along: 35 Weeks

Fruit/Veggie: Honeydew Melon

Size: Approximately 18-19 inches long and 5 1/4- 6 pounds

Baby changes: Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now. Because she's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.


Best Moment this week: Dylan and I put together the bassinet this week. When we finished we looked at each other and it became so real that we were about to put our little girl in her new little bed. We opened up the newborn diapers and couldn't believe how small she is going to be!





Movement: All the time, but now she is definitely staying in the same position and just shifting and kicking around!

Food Craving: Not so much lately...I am not all that hungry. I think my stomach is a little crowded!

What I miss: Being able to sleep on my back.

Sleep: All of a sudden I can't sleep! I feel sorry for all those Mom's out there who struggle being able to sleep for throughout their pregnancy. I have been so blessed to be able to sleep for looonnggg periods of time :) UNTIL this week---I guess God decided it was time to get me ready for my sweet little one and her newborn schedule. After three nights of sleeping 4 hours I spent an entire day asleep! I am hoping my baby lets me catch up on sleep like that when she is here!

What I am looking forward to: Dressing the little Miss up in all her cute clothes! We have been so blessed to receive THE CUTEST clothes and accessories! I

Symptoms: Swelling, Poor/Little Sleep, Heartburn, AND NOW Arthritis ....all of my knuckles are swollen and sore! This whole pregnancy thing is hilarious...I can't believe I am 25 and have arthritis.

I am so very thankful that those are the only symptoms I have. I am feeling really healthy and kind of like being pregnant! It is such an exciting time in my life and I have this sweet relationship with my daughter that nobody else has! What a blessing this is :)

Baby Bump Week 35:

Here are some pictures on our little getaway to Fredericksburg for our Fourth Anniversary!

 

 

Happy 4th Anniversary My Love!

I cannot believe that it has already been 4 years since we married. What a magical day it was! It is hard to believe that we got to live such a fairytale right after being married. On the hard days when we have a newborn and my emotions are out of whack I will cherish the memories of our newlywed life in Spain and travels around Europe! We are so lucky!!!

God has constantly given us new and surprising adventures every year in our marriage and I look forward to this year's new adventure: Parenthood! I think as a team we can do anything.

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband that I am more and more in love with every day and I look forward to our many future adventures. You are my best friend, my confidant, my joy and I love you with all my heart.

Happy 4th Anniversary My Love.


-Katherine

Week 34: The Baby Bump

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week:

How Far Along: 34 Weeks

Fruit/Veggie: Cantaloupe

Size: Approximately 18-19 inches long and 4 3/4 - 5 pounds

Baby changes: Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. She is probably settling into the head-down position, although it might not be final. Organs are now almost fully mature, except for lungs, and the skin is pink instead of red. Fingernails reach the ends of fingers, but toenails are not yet fully grown. She might have lots of hair. Movements are less frequent because of the tight fit.

Best Moment this week: When Dylan felt and saw her foot drag across my belly...he looked at me like he was in complete and total shock! I was like "Babe she does that all the time...probably several times a day. How have you Not NOTICED THAT!!"

Another favorite moment was when Dylan was leaving for work and he kissed me goodbye and saw Baby girl simultaneously kick my upper right side and punch my lower left side...which made my whole belly shake! His eyes got as big as saucers and he started talking about all the sports she was going to play....I hope he knows she can play sports but she might ALSO want to do Ballet or something!

Movement: I had a couple days when she was not moving as much which totally freaked me out, but she still moved so they said everything was fine! She just usually kicks and punches and shakes her body and those days she just sort of shifter around. She returned to her energetic self and still makes me laugh every day at her spastic movements!

Food Craving: Water....I am so thirsty lately! Usually I get tired of plain old water but this week it is just not so.

What I miss: Pineapple... sweet glorious pineapple! I still can't eat it because it will make me throw up. I can hardly bare to glance at the beautiful mounds of pineapple in the grocery store with the gleaming sign that reads $1.99...as if it is mocking me. I may just have to buy a pineapple for $3.99 after I have this baby and enjoy every second of it's over-priced goodness!!

Sleep: Glorious sleep...I am still sleeping great! Have I shared that one of my biggest fears about becoming a mom is the sleep deprivation...I don't know how to handle that!!

What I am looking forward to: Finding out what my sweet little one looks like...Dylan...me...someone else...a combo DYlatherine

Symptoms: The swelling monster has come to my door and he wont leave! I have been very mildly swelling since Aug 1. I was christened into the pregnancy sweliing club with square looking feet and botox-bulgy lips and all. Rachel called me Sponge-Katherine-Square-Feet :( On bad days my feet look like squares (they are wide) and my face is quite full....Pregnancy is a humbling experience but such a wonderful one too. I feel so thankful to have a healthy baby growing and thriving inside of me even if she makes me look like I'm all puffed up!

Baby Bump Week 34:

Happy Birthday Diane!!

(My in-laws....Grandparent names TBD...although Doug deserves a really good one since he has been doling out nicknames for a long time! I have two words for you "Fat Toes")

Boy did I win the lottery with Mother in Laws! I am so thankful for you and hope you know how much we love you today!!


(The Dahmann Crew)


(The Girls)

I will never forget the first birthday of yours I got to celebrate with the family. It was 2002, Dylan and I were 17, and I could not understand why Dylan, Derek, and Doug wouldn't light candles on your cake and sing to you!! I am sorry we didn't sing to you at Pappasitos today... now that I have a home-grown ally I will definitely be making sure that we Dahmann girls sing and light candles :)

Happy Birthday Diane!

Week 33: The Baby Bump

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week:

How Far Along: 33 Weeks

Fruit/Veggie: Pineapple (for weight)??

Size: Approximately 17-19 inches long and over 4 pounds (my updates keep giving me conflicting measurement approximations)


Baby changes: This week your baby is 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 his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. The next few weeks will mark lots of growth in the baby. She will gain more than half its birth weight in the next seven weeks. Baby begins to move less now as it runs out of room and curls up with knees bent, chin resting on chest and arms and legs crossed. 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 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Best Moment this week: I was sitting on the couch next to Dylan and he had to "boost" me up....needless to say it is getting harder to get in and out of chairs etc lately :)
P.S. By boost I mean push me up onto my feet...we laughed so hard. Him at me for the obvious reasons and me at him because he started pushing me up without any prompting.

Movement: She is still a little mover although I have noticed the movements are different. I guess she is starting to run out of room! She is still in the same position and loves to kick me on the right side of my belly, but still no kicks to the ribs yet! I think I have a thoughtful little girl because she could reach them if she wanted :)

Food Craving: No strong cravings really. I do kind of crave Italian food. Pasta, pizza, dessert any Italian food sounds nice :) My heart burn is getting worse so I also like ice cream and all things dairy.

What I miss: My cute clothes and being able to see! The belly is blocking my view!

Sleep: My sleep has gotten even better! For a while now I have had an insane amount of bathroom breaks in the middle of the night, but they seem to have stopped! Most nights I have been sleeping all night long and very soundly---I am so thankful! Let's just hope baby girl is a sleeper like her mom and dad!

What I am looking forward to: Holding my sweet baby girl!

Symptoms: I am still swelling off and on but it is just my feet and my hands and only when I have been overdoing it! My heartburn has now made me have coughing fits!!! I feel bad for people who have this all the time! I had a puke0free week---Praise God!!!!


Baby Bump Week 33:

I took this picture then the next day she grew or something because all of a sudden I started getting the torpedo belly....see below!



She felt so big that day!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Mom,

I am so thankful today is your birthday! You are so wonderful and always helping all of us. I hope you know how much we cherish you and thank God for you every day. I hope you feel loved on your birthday!!!

Here are a few pictures from the Birthday Dinner we had for Mom on Saturday night: