Update

Doctor appointment today . . .
Blood pressure is still down. 1 cm dilated (TMI???)
Back home for more rest . . . BUT I can add the recliner to my sitting locations now! Yippee for change of scenery!

We have another appointment on Friday.

Must be that I've just created the perfect place for this baby and he/she is in NO hurry to vacate! That's OK. We'll wait.

Bed Rest

Well, after a night at "Camp Mary Greeley" as my doctor called it . . . . we are back home. My doc was NOT happy with my high blood pressure on tuesday and put me in overnight to observe me and the baby. Blood pressure went down with rest and she sent me home - on bed rest until Baby Stenberg decides to make his or her appearance.

So, it is the couch or bed (with a few minutes in between for showers and an email check NOW and then . . . . ) for Mandy B Stenberg.

Pray that Baby will decide to come on his or her own and we can proceed with our "plans" for a natural childbirth.
Pray that I will follow doc's orders.

Our connection group and other church family has already been a huge blessing to us. They have meals planned and folks are calling all the time to check on us. We are blessed and loved.

Best way to contact us: email or cell phone.
THANKS for praying!

2 weeks to go

Hey friends and family. You've been asking "How are you feeling?" . . . . so I thought I'd better update!

This past Thursday at my now weekly doc appointment I had pretty high blood pressure. So the doctor told me to take it easy for the next few days, stay off my feet as much as possible. Easy to do unless you have a wedding scheduled to photograph and work on Sunday and Day Camp with 72 campers starting on Monday . . .

But . . .
I found some great friends/fellow photographers to sub for me at the wedding
Left work early on Sunday
and I have been sitting most of Day Camp today just giving everyone else direction!

So we have an ultrasound scheduled tomorrow and we'll know more about if the high blood pressure was a one day fluke or an issue we need to address sooner than later. You can just pray that all will be well and that I will continue to follow doc's orders!

I'll let you know when we know anything else!

Almost 35 weeks

A picture from wedding rehearsal. Almost 35 weeks along.

Angie and Philip Likens Wedding

Well, the wedding weekend was amazing. God was honored above all with Angie and Philip's ceremony. It was wonderful to see family and friends. Here's a slide show with some pictures!


And for those who want a closer look, here's the link to the Picasa album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/thestenbergs/AngieAndPhilipLikens

Newest photo

Here you go ladies (and any gents that might care!) Here's the latest photo. I thought I'd better get dad-to-be in a shot or two. This is just as much about him as it is about me!

I'll post more after the big family shin dig this weekend. That's right . . . Angie B becomes Angie L this Memorial Day weekend. Pray for safe travels for us!

GOD IS GOOD!

Thanks so much for praying! God is good! We had our doctors appointment and ultrasound today and we got great news!

NO SIGN OF FIFTH'S DISEASE!

And we are done with ultrasounds for good! They won't do any more testing at this point and the doctor says at this point there is no risk that I will develop the virus!

YIPPEE!

Thank you so much for praying!

30 weeks

We are on the countdown for sure now! 10 weeks to go until the due date . . . of course, there's only ONE who knows when baby Stenberg will make his or her grand entrance into this world. And we continue to trust Him for the baby's growth and well being.

We have one more ultrasound scheduled for this Friday. I'm hoping that after this one, they will tell us that all is well and that the chances of me developing Fifth's are gone! So pray with us to that end.

I've been feeling pretty good - other than normal aches and pains and tiredness . . . .

It is very hard to imagine how our lives will change in the coming weeks. Both Mark and I are ready to embrace parenthood . . . funny though how we don't really even know what that feels like. We just know that we are ready to meet this little person who has been kicking and flipping and rolling around inside me!

This is our week of concerts! I gave Mark tickets to Bon Jovi for Christmas. So we kicked off the week Sunday night with that show. It was pretty good! Mark, ever becoming more and more dad like, was worried that the noise would be bad for the baby! So sweet! On Thursday we'll go to Casting Crowns and then on Friday . . . MICHAEL BUBLE! (Can you tell which one I'm most excited about?????)

Angie B and Phillip's wedding is set for May 25. It will be tons of fun!

So, here's what many of you have been waiting for . . . the latest picture. I don't feel very photogenic these days . . . but here you go.

Update

We had a doctors appointment yesterday. So far, so good. Keep praying! There seems to be no indication that I have contracted fifth's disease or that the baby is affected at all. The doctor says she'll go ahead and do two more US over the next four weeks just to be sure. But if everything continues to look good through those, we are in the clear. KEEP PRAYING!

Prayer

So I've been exposed to Fifth's Disease (parvo-virus). Apparently, there has been an outbreak here in Iowa this winter. Fifth's Disease is a childhood disease - the fifth in a family of viruses that cause children to break out in fever and a rash. It is a mild disease really, nothing to be concerned about for kids. But for those are expecting . . . it can present a few problems. Over half of the adults in the US have been exposed before and don't even know it. Once we found out I had been exposed, I wasn't really concerned. I figured in all my time with and around kids, surely I had been exposed and was already immune. But no. Can't be that simple.

What does it mean for baby Stenberg?
Well, fifth's disease can cause anemia (lower red blood cell production) in unborn children if the mom contracts the virus. So far, I have not contracted the virus. My immune system is fighting it off. So . . . that's prayer request number one - that God will direct my body to continue to fight the virus and that I will NOT contract it.

How will we know?
I am to the point in my pregnancy (27weeks) where normally I would begin to see the doctor every two weeks anyway. So along with those regular appointments, we'll be getting an ultrasound every two weeks where they will look at the blood flow in the umbilical cord (modern medicine is amazing) and just follow along to see if there is any indication that that baby is being affected. IF over the course of the next six weeks or so everything continues to look normal, then we'll assume I've fought off the virus and there will be no further testing or concern. But IF something comes up, I'll be sent to Des Moines to baby specialist for further testing.

Of course, I'm hoping for the best and believing that God can protect both me and the baby.

So, put us on your prayer list and I'll keep you posted!

Angie B has big news!

Check out her blog!
http://angjoyb.blogspot.com/

24 Weeks

Here you go photo fanatics!


Let it be known . . . . I am only doing this for those friends and loved ones far away.

Yep, we are 24 weeks along (25 on Tuesday) and plans are well underway for the baby's room. We've finished the new guest room and bathroom downstairs and have moved all the furniture down there too. The baby's room is empty now, waiting on our furniture - sweet hand-me-downs from Mark's brother and sister in law.

My mom and Jerry are coming next week. We have another ultrasound and I invited mom to join me for this one. She's pretty excited.

No, we still don't know what we are having, and we are still not planning to find out!

Yes, we have names picked out. No, we aren't sharing them.

I need to go register for baby stuff. That's next on my list. Maybe I'll do that while mom is here too!

That's about it for now!

My sister tagged me

Thanks Angie.

Ten years ago...I was working at FBC Ruston, probably getting ready for the summer - VBS, camp, and day camp.

My to do list today...
1. Blog
2. Clean house.
3. Get a mommy to be massage (Thanks Mark for the Valentine's gift!)

What would I do if I suddenly became a billionaire...
Give lots away to Cornerstone and other churches.
Get a bigger house for all the kids we'll have.
Adopt.
Not sure what else.

Three bad habits...
1. being overly emotional
2. Dr. Pepper
3. eating food that is not good for me.

Five jobs I've had...
1.Babysitter
2.Photographer
3.Children's Minister
4.Summer intern at Tallulah Welfare Office
5.Daycare worker

Five things people don't know about me...
1. I was a duck dog trainer
2. I rode horses in a rodeo
3. I don't like cherry flavored anything
4. I snore a little bit
5. I was valedictorian of my high school class

I'm tagging . . . Elizabeth and Kristie J

More snow

Really.

It was almost 60 degrees on Sunday. Almost all the snow melted. For the first time in months - literally since December - I saw my front yard.

Then, the awful twist. Sunday night the temps dropped and I woke to MORE SNOW on the ground Monday morning. And the weather guy . . . well, he's telling me we'll have more tonight and Wednesday.

Really.

Winter has to be almost over.
It just has to be.

Baby is doing great. Week 24 photo comes next week! Just you wait!

19 weeks

I consulted with a few hollywood starlets . . . they said to keep the public interested in your "fame" (a.k.a. - keep reading your blog) you have to give them what they want.

So, I'm taking their advice and finally posting a much asked for and long awaited "pregnancy pic."
I am now to the point where people at church who may not have already heard the news about baby Stenberg will give me a second glance or two with that look . . . "Are you expecting????"

And the switch of colors on the site to pink AND blue?Well, much to the distress of some (angie b) we will NOT be finding out whether we are having a boy or a girl. It is a little fun, and a LOT out of character for both Mark and I who are planners by nature.

All is going well so far. I am feeling tired often - there is a reason most ladies choose to do this having a baby gig in their twenties! But God isn't surprised that I'll be 36 when this baby comes. So I shouldn't really complain. It was His plan after all!

Names? We are working on a list. It is a work in progress really. While there are some names that come up more often than others as favorites, we aren't settled at all. That will come too in time.

Mark has been working hard on renovating the basement with the new guest room and bathroom. As soon as it is finished we'll get to work on the baby's room. That will be fun and make it all the more real.

Thanks for reading!

Sacramento Area and Las Vegas

This will be a long post. So keep reading! I'll include pics and posts from our whole trip!


Mark was headed out to the World of Concrete Convention in Las Vegas and asked me to tag along. He then discovered that there would be a 50th birthday celebration for Larry Thiel . . . the director of InterVarsity (a ministry for college students) where Mark was involved when he was in college at UNLV. So we decided to get the most bang for our buck and head out to Sacramento/Stockton, CA the weekend before Vegas to attend the party. It was fun to meet Mark's college friends and especially Larry (and his family) who has such a big place in Mark's growth as a believer. Larry really took time to disciple Mark and help him establish a great foundation for his faith. Here are some pics from the birthday party weekend . . . .


This is the UNLV crowd. Larry and Nina Thiel are on the far right.




Mark, Heather, and Larry
Heather was one of Mark's good friends in InterVarsity. We spent two nights in the home of her and her husband Mike in Sacramento.

Mark and I were both excited to eat at In-N-Out Burger in California! If you've never had one, too bad for you. And thanks Angie S for the "secret menu" tips!

On Sunday night we made a quick trip with Mike and Heather down to San Francisco so I could see the Golden Gate Bridge and to meet up with Eric, a great friend who actually traveled all the way to Iowa for our wedding!

Mark and I with the bridge in the shadows behind us . . .

The Stenbergs at Ghiradelli Square


Dinner at "The Stinkin' Rose" where they flavor their garlic with food!

LAS VEGAS

We flew from Sacramento to Las Vegas on Monday. Mark was really excited to show me the city where he lived and went to school for four years. It was my first Vegas adventure. Some highlights: A nighttime helicopter ride around the strip, dinner with another college friend (Tina and Jay and Avi), incredible dinner at the "top of the world" restaurant at the Stratosphere (800 feet above the city in a revolving restaurant), walking the strip and downtown and seeing all the wild and craziness that is indeed Las Vegas, and seeing "O" (Cirque du Soleil) show at Bellagio.

Getting ready to get on the helicopter


Us on the helicopter with our cool headsets


Vegas at night from the Stratosphere. We had a GREAT meal here! And what a view!


Us at the Stratosphere.

Fountains at Bellagio

We had a great trip!

Coming soon!

Posts from our trip to Sacramento/Las Vegas

AND

a long awaited "belly pic!"
Yes, I'm giving in.

Check back soon!

Final Christmas 2007 post

After a wonderfully lazy Christmas morning at home in Waverly, Angie B, Mark and I made our way to the Madden camp for Christmas night dinner with Dad - SHRIMP GUMBO! Here's Dad cooking away . . .

Dad - after his haircut!

Alidya and Bret (my cousin) and their boys met us in Shreveport for a Mudbugs Hockey game. It was so fun to hang out with them. Mayson McKeiver - JUST LIKE HIS DAD when we were growing up! Carson McKeiver - too sweet! Not at all like his dad! HA HA HA

Mark and I at the hockey game.



Carson learned to do the CHICKEN DANCE with his cousin Mandy! He's a dancer!

This lady (black jersey, #17) led the cheers in our secsion. Her hat has a Mudbug (crawfish for those Midwesterners reading this blog) on top and the hat reads - "PUCK HEAD." Can you say "DIE HARD HOCKEY FAN?"

Mark and I with the Mudbug mascot!

Friends Reunion in ruston

Some dear friends moved back to the states from overseas and of course that was just a great excuse for a holiday gathering. Mark, Angie B and I headed to Ruston to meet up with the Johnsons and other sweet sweet friends just before Christmas. Here are some photos of our afternoon together.

Miss Bailey Johnson and her new best friend Chris Ellender.












One happy family! Jamie and Tammy are getting married in the Spring. Cameron approves!
















Mark meets newest Johnson family member, Jesse Benjamin.




















Billy James and his "boys" - all grown up now!
















Angie B, Whitney and Lauren Massingale
















Tiffany Webb Kinnison and Mandy B Stenberg















The Johnsons!

More Christmas

I guess when you do something twice, it becomes a tradition. So this year, we made our gingerbread houses/men again at mom's house. We had special guests for the event too! My uncle Larry, aunt CJ, and cousin Caitlan-Dallas joined us for the fun. I made a Tech house - all decorated with red and blue. Angie and Caitlan made what they kept calling "juicy couture" house . . . we all just called it a mess. Cynthia's resembled mine - at least in the "neatness" of it all. And mom and Jerry collaborated on another outhouse. Too fun.