Who Knew?

February 27, 2010 as I stood in my parents' backyard amidst coffee-throwing and menu-reciting I thought that Ryan and I were the happiest we could possibly be.  Three years later as I sit here about 11 days out from our due date, I realize how wrong I was.  I look forward to many, many more years of finding new heights of happiness.  Thanks for all you do, sweet, silly best friend and husband of mine.

 I know it's blurry, but this picture makes my heart so full.

Just because I couldn't have a totally serious post.

36: Latin for "Now's the time to FREAK OUT."

Editors Note:  As I sit here finally adding pictures to this post, I am actually now one day away from being 38 weeks.  Timeliness is obviously not my strong suit.

I could not tell you how the heck we got to this point but somehow we did.  What is this point?  Ohhh, you know... the one where I am (most likely) within 4 weeks of giving birth to a tiny little human.  The point where I am frantically looking around our house and wondering if we are even kind of ready for this ginormous undertaking. The point where I am really cursing the fact that I can't have a glass of wine to calm my frazzled nerves.

Last post I said we didn't get much done and that I hoped next time we talked I blogged that I'd have more to share.  Be careful what you wish for because we accomplished a lot in the last few weeks.  Go ahead and get yourself a snack or a beverage because this one is going to be long.

Where do I even start?  Let me think.  First, we've managed to procure a few pretty crucial items.  Namely, we ordered and picked up our glider and my new "mama purse" (laymen's terms: diaper bag). I am very enthralled with both.  I may or may not have practiced rocking said purse in said chair.  That's not weird though, is it?

This chair will likely bring new meaning to the term "rocking all night".  (Do you see what I did there?!)

Mama's got a brand new bag.  (Also, upon reviewing these iPhone screenshots, it seems I have a problem with keeping my phone fully charged.   Cool.)

What else?  Let's see.  Ryan and I made it to an infant CPR class on February 5th.  While I pray we never have cause to use it, I am so thankful that we went.  This was the shortest of the classes we have been to.  However that did not stop Ryan from making more priceless commentary.  Most notable during this class was requesting to have the life-size maternity picture on the wall of some randoms replaced with one of us.  Request was not accepted for those desparately wondering.

Since we were never able to make a prepared childbirth class work with Ryan's crazy shift schedule, I instead opted to buy a well-reviewed DVD off of Amazon.  Just check this cover out and tell me these aren't the people you want teaching you about the process of labor?  The she-mullet, amongst other 80s hair-dos, was nearly as prevalent as the term "birth" in this video.  Once you got past that and the fact that they kept saying "sonometers" instead of "centimeters," I would say the video was very informative and helpful.  If you ever find yourself in need of such a video, please let me know.  I'm sure I could manage to pry it out of Ryan's loving grip long enough for you to watch it, if you so choose.

Making childbirth look good.  (I also have no idea why her eyes are closed.  I think perhaps multiple takes of the photo weren't in the budget).

In terms of the nursery... we have come a loooooong way my friends.  First, Ryan and Brendan used their brute strength to successfully navigate the dresser and hutch upstairs and into baby girl's room.  I was very impressed and they promptly rewarded their efforts with fast food, golf and beer.  Thank you, men.  Next, my dear Mamacita started tackling the daunting task of sewing her bedding and curtains.  As of the time of my writing this she has finished the crib skirt and the curtains.  Both of which look amazing.  Lastly, I finished (with assistance from Ryan) the letters for little miss' room.  I would love to show you pictures of all of these things buuuuuut I am going to wait until her room is finished.  After all, who would have been impressed with the Sistine Chapel halfway through?  I'll also try to share some stories of our trials and tribulations in that post.  For now let's suffice it to say that while it may not be perfect, my little ladybug's room has been sufficiently infused with love, laughter and lots of familial bonding.

Photographic evidence that both her Grandma AND Grandpa had a hand in this project.  Per Daddio there's very little difference between engineering an offshore platform and engineering a curtain panel.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I finally got to move the well-organized piles from her floor into her dresser and closet.  I still don't regret laying on the ground eating those M&Ms in a state of panic though.

Let me see... What else?  We finally got our carseat bases installed in our respective vehicles.  For having 5 pages of instructions, it wasn't quite as difficult as I thought it would be.  AND I packed our hospital bag.  Yes, I did have to argue with Ryan about the propriety of wearing a Ninja Turtles shirt during the birth of his daughter.  It's refreshing to know that some things never change, isn't it?

You'll be pleased to know that yes, I have indeed been driving around the city of Houston with that Beanie Baby buckled in for the last week.  Practice makes perfect guys.

Our 34 week doctor's appointment went well.  Sweet pea's heartbeat was at 153 which is higher than it has been but still within perfectly normal range.  Perhaps I fed her a little bit too much hot chocolate immediately before.  Per Dr. P everything was still measuring right on track.

Our 36 week appointment was the exciting one.  We got to see our little lady bug for the last time before meeting her face to face!  Pre-ultrasound Ryan and I both guessed that our little nugget would weigh between 6 and 6 1/2 pounds based on the weekly updates I keep receiving from Baby Center.  Well, that and the fact that the Dr keeps saying my belly is measuring average.  So you can imagine our surprise when we were informed that she weighed 7 pounds and 9 oz.  Also of note, our ultrasound tech had to measure her head twice because the first time she thought it seemed too large.  M-A-R-T-I-N.  Other than that, she looks healthy, her head is down and things seem to be moving along as expected.  Good news = happy mama. 

Baby Girl was being a little bit uncooperative.  Hey, somedays you just aren't ready for a close up.  This was the best profile shot we got.

At my 37 week appointment I was nervous because she hadn't been moving around much, so they did an extra ultrasound just to make sure she was okay in there.  Of course at that point she decided to demonstrate all of her gymnastic abilities in order to make her mother look like a total paranoid drama queen.  Fortunately, she is just fine in there and as a bonus I got a better profile shot of our little princess.

I seriously love her little feet already.  I look at this picture more often than I care to admit.

Last, but certainly not least (in terms of poundage that is), here are a few pics of the big ol' belly over the past few weeks.

33 weeks.

34 weeks.  Please note that shirts are really starting to toe the line between fully covering where the pant material and belly panel material meet.  I pray they continue to keep it together a few more weeks.

35 weeks.  Why do so many maternity tops feature horizontal stripes?  It seems kind of cruel, doesn't it?

36 weeks.  I fear that if I go past term, I'll no longer be able to fit sideways in this bathroom to take pictures.

Depending on how everything goes over the next few weeks, I may post another update.  It probably largely hinges on how depressing I find the belly pictures for weeks 37-40.  ;c)  Thank you all, as always, for all of your love, support and help with everything.  I could not feel more elated or fortunate to have you in my life.  I can't wait to officially meet our little lady bug!

Editors Ending Note:  Seriously.  I can't wait.  I mean, I will obviously, but this experience is like looking forward to Christmas except you don't know what day Christmas is.  

Showering Little Baby A & B

On February 2nd, I attended a shower for my sweet friend Jenn, who as you may recall is due with twin girls on March 11th.  I found out the Thursday before the shower that these little ladies are set to make their debut annnnny time now as Jenn was put on bed rest.  Thankfully she felt well enough to make it to the shower as the celebration must go on!

Jen, Shawna, Julie & I decided to carpool over to Jenn's parents' beautiful home in Clear Lake where the shower was held.  Just like the gender reveal party, their home was decorated to the nines.  All the food was delicious and the decor left us all in a chorus of "awwwwws".  Precious hats, onesies and other adorable baby garb was perfectly placed in every nook and cranny.  Jenn's mom truly might have missed her calling as a professional shower thrower.

We were all treated to wonderful food, company and watching Jenn open a slew of the most adorable little outfits.  The only thing that inspires more ohhhhing and ahhhing than baby clothes for one baby is baby clothes for two of them!  After attending this shower I feel confident that these little ladies are going to be well-dressed.

Congratulations to the Gartz family and we'll be waiting patiently by the phone to find out when Little Miss Anniston & Little Miss Blakely make their world debut.  We certainly can't wait to meet them!

How cute are those little rhinestone letters?!

Mmmmm... Just looking at this makes my tummy growl.

All of this was just as cute as it was delicious.

If you look carefully those M&M's have Anniston & Blakely written on them.  So stinking adorable.

The favor candy bar.  So pretty!

Last but of course not least, the glowing mama.

Wheeling & Dealing

I originally planned to lump this bad boy in with my next monthly baby post.  However, I decided we haven't devoted nearly enough time as of late to rehashing the daily Ryan-isms I live through. 

Last Friday we managed to purchase a very important piece of the whole having-a-baby puzzle- a new mom mobile.  We decided that it was time for me to graduate from my beloved little red to a more cargo-, baby- and Lola-friendly SUV.  This was the first time I'd shopped for a car with Ryan and I'm sure you won't be the least bit shocked to learn that it was quite the experience.

My dear husband absolutely brought his TI-83 with him.  Conveniently stowed in the inside pocket of his coat a la shady watch salesmen on the street corner.  I know what you're thinking - surely that was for show and he did not use it.  You would be very wrong about that my friends.  He did in fact punch all of the terms into it to make sure we weren't getting lied to each time that they salesman brought in a new offer.

The tools of business with Ryan Martin.

Among other notables in this transaction he also offered the salesman the marketing deal of a lifetime when he suggested that we would leave the dealership paraphernalia on it for a marginal advertising fee.  (Salesman politely declined, for the record).  Ryan also requested a jacked up truck as a loaner car during the time between when we traded my old car in and when my new car made it to Houston from Dallas.  I have no doubt I'm forgetting some other shining examples of the man I married but suffice it to say he generally kept the salesman and myself in fits of giggles with his commentary.

While I most definitely shed a few tears over saying good-bye to the very first car I bought all on my own, the car I started my first job in, the car that saw me through my engagement and marriage, the car I bought a house with- I am very excited about my new Mom mobile.  I look forward to all the wonderful memories and things that this car will see our family through.

I think Lola is also excited as she no longer looks at me like I am on drugs when I try to get her to hop in my car.  I presume that is somewhat connected to the fact that she can actually fully stand up in this vehicle.  Spoiled, right? 

Mad props to my TI-83-wielding husband who managed to score us a good deal.  He is available for rent if you are in the market for some new wheels yourself in the near future.

The fruits of Ryan's wheeling and dealing.  It's a white GMC Acadia.

"She Made a Movie": A Celebration of Baby Martin

On January 20th the world's best maids of honor threw an absolutely beautiful shower for the little lady bug and I.  Jen was gracious (read: brave) enough to host it at she and Brendan's awesome abode.  Every element of the shower- from the precious guestbook entries to the games to the decor to the scrumptious food was well thought out and flawless.  I also felt so blessed and honored to have so many people care enough to celebrate with me that they drove in from across town or even as far as from Brenham and Dallas.

Everyone present was treated to some absolutely troublesome baby birth fact learning thanks to Google (e.g. longest birth recorded: 375 days), fantastic adult (and pregnancy-friendly sparkling) beverages, a belly-filling smorgasboard of appetizers and desserts, a sampling of some of the awesomest celebrity baby mullets that the internet has to offer and the general hilarious commentary that comes standard with gatherings involving my friends and family.

Little Miss was, once again, BEYOND spoiled.  She racked up far too many too-die-for ensembles, amazing baby swag and toys.  I'm starting to get worried that she is going to cause us to outgrow our house in her first month of life if she keeps acquiring items at this rate.  Is 1 month too early to ask her to get her own apartment?  Yes?  Fine, we'll reconsider around 1 year.  Okay.  Moving on.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to come celebrate.  I really can't put into words what that means to me.  An even bigger thank you to my wonderful hostesses and all my sweet friends who were kind enough to contribute food or decor.  I laughed far harder than I usually do without a glass of wine beforehand.  Thank you for warming my heart.  I love you all so much more than you realize and can't wait to see how much baby girl loves you as well.  You are all the best and I can't wait to return the favor for each of you.

Author's note:  I am very pale and looking especially swollen/large in these pictures.  Normally I would edit myself out of them, but for the sake of posterity I am not.  Just know that I am indeed aware of these facts.  :c)  As an added bonus they should serve as some post-partum work out motivation, right?!

Melissa's pintrest diaper wreath masterpiece.  Everyone together:  ohhhhhh.  Ahhhhh.

Jenn's pasta salad, Julie's mozzarella, tomato & balsamic appetizers & Jen's educational rainbow fruit sticks.  More things showed up in these bowls post picture that were equally delicious.

The finger licking good product of my Mom & Julie's Friday evening.  I think Ryan may ask for an entire box of the strawberry ones for his next birthday.

I love those yellow pom poms.  I hope Jen decides to leave them up permanently.

I want all of these fabrics.

Ryan, Yours truly & Little Miss' baby pics.

I had such a good time laughing at everyone's answers to the guestbook questions.  Except those of you who wished a 9 pound baby on me.  That's a little too real.

Shawna's adorable onesie decor.

Way too much cute in one space.

Jen & Julie organized a trivia game which pitted grandmas against a team of new mamas and a team of baby-free ladies.  Jenn & I are representing the mamas-to-be team.  We promptly lost to Shawna & Dena who were the baby free team.  I assume this means that they'll be better mothers than I and that they want to babysit my child regularly.

This is probably when Julie was reading the question about how much the largest recorded baby weighed at birth.  The look on her face is representative of how I felt when I learned the answer.

I only thought Christmas was over.

Thankfully Ms. Brenda was sitting next to me to inform me of the uses of any items I was unsure of.  Maybe she should move in with us to do so full-time.

The beautiful hostesses, Jen & Julie, and I.

My wonderful mama & I.

My sweet niece, Kylie Pie, sister-in-law, Tiffany, & mother-in-law, Melanie, and I.

The super cute party favors.  Thank you again everyone!