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!