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!