38 Weeks- Husband Interviews for Doctorate Program at PSU!

38 Weeks

Husband Interviews for Doctorate Program 

at 

PSU

Many fun things to celebrate 38 magical weeks of pregnancy!! 

The first thing of course would be another week of growing and developing for this little one. Even though, I'm so ready to push this baby out and meet our little one, I know that with each passing day, the more "ready" our little one will be to enter this world, and that is what's most important. A healthy, developed baby!! 

The second and exciting celebration would be Jon's interview TODAY!! at PSU. As I'm sure you all know, Jon is applying to get his Doctorate here at Penn State and we as a family are thrilled for him because we know without a doubt that he's the most amazing, most deserving of this opportunity! We are praying for you today honey and well, Ruthie... she misses you terribly!! We can't wait for tomorrow to hang out with you! 

I'm going to back track to my 37 week appointment (on Monday)

It was a great appointment. I met with Dr. Cherry for the first time and she was absolutely wonderful. I think she may be my favorite- but Dr. Patel is def close in the running. She was very thorough. Made sure our little one's head was down and in place. As much as I didn't want to be checked, we found that progress has started. My cervix is soft and getting ready! No dilation yet, but I'm positive this little one is making itself ready!! This, I believe, was also my first doctors appointment that I traveled alone :( It was nice not to have to worry about entertaining my little girl, but I also missed having her with me to listen to the heartbeat and make all the receptionist, nurses, and doctors coo over her! :) One thing for sure, when Ruthie enters a room, she is noticed! It's fun to know she brightens peoples day and I pray that continues as she continues to grow into a beautiful girl. 

Back to my appointment- Dr. Cherry decided to do a quick ultrasound just to make sure everything was in place. She felt pretty confident that the head was down, but couldn't be 100% sure so she wanted to get the ultrasound. Head is down!! She was also kind and let me just look at my little peanut for a few minutes. The baby has completely shifted to the opposite side of my body and is having a blast kicking and wiggling around! So fun!!

Baby Names:

A lot of you have been asking what our names are for this little one.  We have decided to keep our names a surprise (what's one more!!) and cannot wait to share with you all. We are 100% confident with our girls name and have our boys name picked out but have not decided on a middle name yet. 

The Big Sister:
Ruthie and I went to her Sibling Prep Class two weekends ago. We had such a great time. I was really impressed with the program and even though a lot of it was directed at "older" children, Ruthie I feel took a lot from the class and really enjoyed herself. When we arrived, Ruthie got a special Visitors Badge for when she visits the hospital to meet her baby brother or sister. It's purple (which is currently her favorite color!) She then got to make mommy and baby a special sign for the hospital room and then after we come home, for the nursery. She had a lot of fun making the sign. She loves to color and paint and do all that artsy stuff! :) Next was story time (Ruthie didn't care much since mommy wasn't reading the book) but she stayed patient and waited to go over to the next station.. the bathing station. Here, Ruthie got to hold her own special doll and give her doll a bath. Ruthie could care less about giving the doll a bath, but she loved holding the Rubber Ducky. She learned that when mommy and daddy are giving the baby a bath she could hold the ducky. :) Next we moved to the diapering and changing station. Ruthie got to put a diaper on her baby and help her get dressed. Our last station was her very favorite... baby toys!! She loved it!! The next part of our class with a tour of the Birthing Center. Ruthie was very excited to see where mommy was going to stay when she had her baby. She also got to see a newborn baby who I believe she thinks is her baby. Since seeing the baby, she says "baby be home soon"!! It's very cute!! So, that was our class. Because Jon was taking a test that morning, I wanted to pack as much fun into the morning with my little girl as I could. So, after we left the hospital, we went shopping! Our goal, to find a present for the baby. I wanted her to be able to pick out whatever she wanted for her new little brother or sister. Although we didn't find anything that day, we did end up finding a special gift for her baby. Next, we went to McDonalds!! We shared a meal together and just talked and smiled at each other. It was truly wonderful. I had so much fun with Ruthie and I know that she had a special morning. We got home and she took a great nap!

More Hematologist News
Dr. Allerton called me to let me know my B-12 count was low and we started taking weekly B-12 injections. He decided he wanted to do a few more tests. When I met with him this week, he went over all my results. My iron is also very very low but he decided he wanted to wait until after I have the baby to start taking Iron injections. He'll start my first dose in the hospital. This Monday will be my last B-12 weekly injection and then I'll move to monthly injections. Besides my iron and B-12 being low, all my Von Willebrands scores came back high and great for pregnancy. He is hopeful that we don't have to have any iv's during the delivery of this baby. I am too! I am so pleased with my new hematologist and am so thankful to have him be a part of my team!

So- today is just a relaxing day. I'm trying hard not to overdo anything today since Jon is interviewing and I don't want to induce labor today.... but no promises for any other day... or after he gets home for that matter. :) I've been doing a lot more walking, squatting, shoveling... anything that may bring this little one into the world! 38 weeks and I still feel fabulous. I am sore, I am ready, but I cannot complain. Can't wait to meet you little one!

36 Weeks

Good News!!!

Today I had my 36 appointment that was to consist of checking my cervix for any progress, my Strep B culture, and the fun stuff, the babies heartbeat!! I was meeting with Dr. Patel and was also getting a second opinion on her stance of a c-section verse a V-Bac. 

We got started. She asked if I had any questions or concerns and right away I mentioned how the previous week I was being lead towards having a c-section. She asked how I felt about that and I mentioned that I was bummed and that my goal was to try and have a natural childbirth. She quickly said to me "Erin, each doctor has different opinions and each one of us have our own experiences" "if you want a V-Bac, we've been over your options, you know the risks, we will work with you to and do whatever we can to make it a reality!" THANKS DR. PATEL!!! 

She's an awesome doctor and really listens to her patients.

She did the Strep B culture and then headed out and that was it- the end of the appointment. She totally forgot to check my cervix and that made we walk out a very happy woman! Let me explain a tad, the week before, I had asked Dr. Doucette if I HAD to have my cervix checked for the remainder of my appointments and he answered with a very stern "yes!" When I was pregnant with Ruthie I went through midwives and had such a different experience. They didn't check my cervix unless I asked them too. Which I did once after my due date came and went and I was still pregnant. As they explained it, they could check and I could be 2 cm for 4 weeks before labor got started or I could have no progress and go home and two hours later go into labor... so to me, I kind of felt what was the point?!?! Which is why when Dr. Patel walked out of the room- I was thankful for one less invasive appointment.

So- for now- I'm still pregnant and even though I have 4 weeks left, I'd so love to be closer to the end. The babies head is down and in position and so- I'm ready!!

Nursery- I cannot wait to show you pictures of our babies nursery... but it is just about complete! I am soooo excited!! I feel so much better knowing that things are coming together and soon it will be completely complete when I have my little one home with me! :)

Hematologist

Hematologist

A few weeks ago I had a hematologist follow-up appointment with Dr. Ford. At the beginning of my pregnancy, I met with Dr. Lowry (who left the practice shortly after my appointment) and he basically said that my blood disorder is irrelevant during pregnancy but just to make sure, he'd want to have a follow up appointment near the end of my pregnancy just to check my levels to see where we were at. This appointment was scheduled with Dr. Ford. When I went in, I basically spent 3 hours in his office talking to him for maybe 5 minutes. Grrrr... I was frustrated to put it nicely. More on that, Dr. Ford is a Oncologist and so he didn't really have a good understanding of my condition and so really the only thing that was accomplished in a 3 hour appointment was that 1) he didn't really know if I had Von Willebrands and 2) he wanted to send me to Hershey for blood work.

WHAT????

So yes- I walked out of the office so confused and frustrating. 

What the heck

So now what?

I waited and waited over Christmas and New Years for a phone call from Hershey with plans to get blood work done for what? I had no idea.. but wait I did.

Nothing- I finally called my OBGYN and let my nurse know that I hadn't heard anything from Dr. Ford or Hershey.

10 Minutes later (did I mention I love my nurses at Centre Medical & Surgical!) I had a phone call from a new office HERE in State College inviting me to meet the new Hematologist!  Penns State Hershey Medical Center opened a new clinic and they quickly got me in the following day to meet Dr. Allerton. HE IS AWESOME!!!

My appointment was so great. He answered many questions that Dr. Ford had raised. 1) He said I definitely had Von Willebrands (which I hadn't doubted since I was diagnosed back in 2002) and 2) said that all the blood work that I needed could be done here locally at the hospital. He did an exam and the only thing I struggled with was when Dr. Allerton asked me if my neck was normally that fat! 

What?

 :) :) :)

All joking aside, he was a great doctor. He wrote me up some lab work to check on my levels and sent me on my way. We made a follow-up appointment for two weeks to go over my levels but he basically assured me that he'd be there at the hospital when I go into labor to make sure everything goes okay. 

A Few Days Later...

I received a phone call from the Hematologist office. Some of my blood work revealed that I had a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency.  They wanted to do a further blood work but also wanted to get me started on weekly injections of B-12 until I gave birth and then from there- once a month. 

So- I started my weekly injections of B-12 (ouch!) and I look forward to meeting with Dr. Allerton to go over the results further but I know I'm in good hands!! 

35 Weeks

Bad News?

I had my 35 weeks appointment with Dr Doucette. Earlier in my pregnancy I met with him and he left a bad taste in my mouth. The earlier appointment, he was very quick with me and didn't let me ask a lot of questions, let alone take time with Ruthie to listen to the baby's heartbeat. 

This time around, he had a lot to say, but this time, I didn't really want to hear what he had to say. Basically, in a nut shell, he did not believe I was a strong candidate for a V-Bac which has been my goal this entire pregnancy and something I've worked hard with the rest of the doctors to understand my willingness to do whatever I can to make this a possibility. He gave me a lot of #'s and said that there are two types of candidates: 

30% & 80%

30%- These woman have a 30% chance of having a V-Bac because baby is too big to pass through birth canal, or labor is too slow or stops. So, the fact that Ruthie was 9 lbs and my midwife had mentioned that she didn't feel the baby was going to be able to fit was a red flag. Dr. Doucette was telling me most likely, I would have another 9 lbs baby and that would mean again, that the baby just won't fit.  He continued with if I were his wife I would strongly urge the c-section. That there was just no reason to even try.

80%- These woman have a 80% chance of having a V-Bac because their previous c-section was because: baby was breach, babies heart rate dropped, babies umbilical cord is around the neck.

So, basically, I left the appointment feeling defeated. That all my hopes and dreams of trying to have a natural childbirth were gone. I shed some tears and then went on with my day because, well, I'm busy with my sweet Ruthie. :) I talked with Jon when he got home from work and he encouraged me to get a second opinion before we decided anything.

My next appointment is with my favorite doctor thus far, Dr. Patel. To be continued...

Saying Goodbye 2010 and Hello 2011

Goodbye 2010

Hello 2011

Welcome New Year!

We are very excited to see what the year 2011 brings including our baby! 

We can't wait to meet our little nugget and can't believe we are only weeks away!

2010 was a fabulous year. We really enjoyed this past year. When we started 2010 Jon was basically just beginning his Master's Degree. Now, as we welcome 2011 we are almost finished! January 28th Jon will be interviewing for his Doctorate Degree at PSU. We are very excited to see what God has in store for the Stubes. 

Ruthie made this year so memorable and unforgettable. She was absolutely so much fun. I absolutely love my sweet girl. She learned so much in a year. When we began 2010 she was just learning to walk and talk. A baby. As we end 2010 Ruthie can talk very well, reason with us, and exercises her independence. It's fabulous.

My year as been anything short of exciting!!! When we started the year I was a mum of one. Halfway through the year, we found out we were expecting! I was pretty scared at the beginning of my pregnancy. I had no idea what to expect- well... the only expectation I had was what I remembered of Ruthie's pregnancy. I knew that I had gotten through a terrible pregnancy once and I could do it again, but I wanted a better experience! To our surprise really, we were blessed with a pretty great pregnancy. Yes, I was sick.

Yes, I was miserable at times

But Yes, A much better pregnancy!

I think the best part was after the 1st trimester, the hard part ended and since then, it's been pretty good. 

Bringing in 2011

We made plans around Thanksgiving to head down to Philly- are absolute LAST road trip until Baby Stube joins the family. The Stubes would celebrate our Christmas together and bring in the New Year. Dad Stube is turning 60 this January... and so we also decided to surprise him with a birthday party with all his kids, their wives, and his two amazing grandchildren!! 

As I said before, I have been sick these last few weeks with a horrible cough, sore throat, and sometimes feeling quite nauseous. Our plans were to leave Tuesday morning to head down to Philly... but Monday after my doctors appointment I finally got some great medicine and slept for the first time in a week (atleast) that Jon and I decided to see how I felt on Tuesday and go from there. Tuesday came and I was still feeling very lousy. We decided to wait until Wednesday to leave. Wednesday morning, Jon got up with Ruthie. He went down to Marmee's and GP's to do some laundry and let me rest. Our plan, to leave around 2 ish so that Ruthie would nap on our trip down. Well- after some talking everything through, we decided it would be best to stay one more day and let me sleep on more night in my bed. 

Finally!! Thursday we took off around 11:30 to head down to Philly. We were excited to get on the road but I think both Jon and I were exhausted! (Ruthie too!!) We got down to Philly around 2:30-3:00 and walked in right when Miles was waking up! We spent the afternoon with Opa, Gaga, and sweet Miles. We had a great time! Heather and Nat got home around 5ish and we prepared for the extended family to come over. We had a wonderful time! Jon's cousin Gillian and her fiance Matt were there and we got to hear some fun details of their upcoming wedding (Oct 1st 2011). They've asked Ruthie to be their flower girl at the wedding! We are all delighted and can't wait!! 

Friday (New Years Eve) we went to Longwood Gardens. It was an absolutely wonderful time. Opa, Gaga, Heather, Nat, Miles, Andrew, Kristen, and Jon, Ruthie, and I went to enjoy the beautiful gardens and beautiful lights. Miles and Ruthie had such a great time. They loved all the water in the Childrens Garden and loved the pretty Christmas lights that surrounded us.

We also had our Stube family Christmas! It was so fun to watch Miles and Ruthie open presents and squeal over all their new things!

34 Weeks

34 Weeks

6 more weeks! I can't believe I am so close to meeting our little peanut! I am so excited but feel like I have so much to do to prepare! As I've mentioned, we just moved over Christmas and although we've made lots of progress, we still have so much to do. I'm ready for our next project which is to get our baby's room together! With Ruthie, we could have been ready for her within the beginning of the second trimester. The nursery was mostly put together right after I started feeling better... this time however, well, we're not ready!! I feel less anxious this time around (I guess I know that we have plenty of time) but I still would feel so much better if the crib was up and the nursery was put together. We know we won't have any time AFTER the baby is here.

We had our 34 week appointment on Monday. I was pretty sick over Christmas and still wasn't feeling well at my appointment. Thankfully, the doctor wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic and that afternoon after my appointment, I finally got to sleep!! 

One of my favorite moments I think I've experienced during this pregnancy: 

After the doctor finished checking the baby's heartbeat and measuring me... I pulled down my shirt and hopped off the bed. Ruthie on cue, hopped right up onto the bed and pulled up her shirt. Jon and I pretended to listen to her baby's heartbeat and measure her. :) It was so sweet. She had the biggest, brightest smile!

Waiting for you little one!

Daddy, Mommy, & Ruthie and I can't wait to meet you!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas

Love, The Stubes

 

We had a very wonderful Christmas! My entire family was in town and we got to celebrate Christmas with all my brothers and their wives! Unfortunately, I am still recovering from a bad virus and was sick the entire week of Christmas, but I think I was a champ and kept up with the best of them! Ruthie had a wonderful Christmas. We found out two days before Christmas that Ruthie had an ear infection, but she honestly didn't show many signs of beings sick! She is one tough cookie! 

This was a very interesting Christmas. We moved a week before Christmas this year into a beautiful town house. We are so happy to be moved in and starting to settle in as well. Jon has been a great help since I've been sick since the day after we moved in! We had to wait on getting our Christmas tree this year which was very hard for me, but I'm glad we waited until we had the living room unpacked! We had a great time going to Tait's Farm to find our perfect Christmas tree. It was definitely a lot of fun to go out as a family and cut down our tree... even if we did pick the coldest day to do it!

Oh Christmas Tree

I think each mom would agree that with each month- life continues to get better and so much more fun! Ruthie's 3rd Christmas was sooooo much fun to be apart of. She absolutely loved opening the presents under the tree and playing with each one! She was quick to say thank you for each gift and show her appreciation for each and every present. Ruthie also made a special present for each one of her Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents! She was so excited to give out each gift. As I said before, we enrolled her in a fun art class that meets once a week at a coffee shop. I wasn't able to go the one week because I was sick, but one of the  projects Ruthie worked on was two Christmas ornaments.  When Ruthie and her daddy brought them home I was so impressed and after hearing how easy it was, Jon and I decided that that would be a perfect gift for everyone that she'd enjoy putting together.  We were right!! She absolutely loved working on this special project! She made each gift and picked who got each one! It was so much fun to work on this project with Ruthie and I look forward to doing something special with her each year. 

It was definitely a great time had by all. We opened presents at Uncle Eric and Aunt Pinky's house. After opening presents, we had a great big brunch were Aunt Pinky rocked a bunch of yummy breakfast casseroles! We spent the afternoon resting at each of our homes and then everyone joined us at our place for dinner. 

We also had a Murder Mystery Party at our place over Christmas break! It was so much fun to have us all together and eat and hang out with one another. I have the game ready for two years and we finally had the opportunity to play together. We ate some yummy Steak Chinoise and Christmas cookies and just enjoyed each others company! Here are so fun pictures!

Hope everyone had a fun and Merry Christmas! We had a wonderful time!!