Well, it has been a very exciting 40 days and 40 nights!!! Is parenthood the most amazing experience or WHAT?
Okay, let me catch everyone up... Hmmm - okay, the birth! As I previously posted, we started the Pitocin drip around 4:30 a.m. on 11/20/2008. Unfortunately, Emily's cervix was EXTREMELY uncooperative and by 4:45 p.m., she had not dilated even 1cm. The doc gave us two options...
1) we could stop the Pitocin and let Emily get some food in her belly (she hadn't eaten since 8:00 the night before) and then get a good night's rest and start the entire process over again around 4:30 the next morning.
2) we could just opt for a C-section and not put Emily through the potential of another full day of contractions without results.
Well, after MUCH discussion and debate (approximately 7 seconds' worth), we went with Option 2 and less than an hour later, we had a BABY!!! :-) We spent three days in the hospital and got to know the most perfect and beautiful of God's creations to date and the ride has been amazing ever since!
Right now, I am battling the remnants of an upper respiratory infection that I passed on to Emily and Savannah, regardless of my apparently feeble attempts at preventing just exactly that. Savannah has her one-month checkup scheduled for tomorrow, so we'll ask the doc to take a listen to her breathing as well while we're there. Please pray for quick healing for Savannah especially, but also for Emily as she is absolutely miserable right now and the docs don't want her to take anything that could be harmful to Savannah as it passes through from mother to child.
I plan to post some pictures and videos in the VERY near future, so go ahead and make a habit of checking in frequently - Savannah was the primary purpose for setting this thing up and now that she's here, things are going to get FUN from now on!!!! :-)
I hope that all of you had a very merry CHRISTmas and will have a happy New Year as well. Drop us a line if you have a minute and let us know how you're doing!
Love,
The Lobensteins :-)
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Labor
Well, we've begun... The nurse started the Pitosin drip around 4:15 this morning and they have steadily increased the drip every half-hour. Around ___, the doctor came by to say hello and check things out. He confirmed suspicions that we may be in for a long day of it today and said he'd come back around lunchtime. At 9:__, Emily started to experience some of the discomforts associated with the contractions and we requested something to help with that. Only AFTER administering the Stadol did the nurse tell us that it wouldn't relieve the pain, but would help Emily to relax (which is fine) - the part that got us was that she then told us this would slow down labor progress... :( Ummm, tell us that SOONER next time please?!?!? Em wasn't hurting BAD; we just didn't see any reason to suffer through if she didn't have to. Oh well, now we know for next time!
Anyhow, here we are at 10 a.m. - taking things slow and steady. More updates to follow!!! :)
Anyhow, here we are at 10 a.m. - taking things slow and steady. More updates to follow!!! :)
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Birth
Well, tomorrow starts the "Big Day"... We go into the hospital tomorrow (Wednesday - 11/19) evening @ 5:00 and will get settled in and (hopefully) comfortable. Emily will be receiving medicine overnight to thin her cervix in preparation for the birthing process on Thursday. Thursday morning sometime, the doctor will start the Pitocin drip to induce labor and we intend to meet Savannah by sometime Thursday afternoon!!!! :-)
We found out Monday that Emily is a prime candidate for C-section delivery, so (if that does become necessary) please pray for a steady and skillful hand for the doctor, as well as good and proper care from all of the other staff involved. We pray for a healthy momma and a healthy baby - put those two together and we'll have a happy daddy!
Depending on what method of childbirth we have, and assuming everything else goes well and good, we hope to be home by sometime Saturday or Sunday! We are so excited and so thankful for all the blessings we have received, and for the joy of sharing this event with all of our family and friends. Thank you all so much for your continued love and support!!!
We found out Monday that Emily is a prime candidate for C-section delivery, so (if that does become necessary) please pray for a steady and skillful hand for the doctor, as well as good and proper care from all of the other staff involved. We pray for a healthy momma and a healthy baby - put those two together and we'll have a happy daddy!
Depending on what method of childbirth we have, and assuming everything else goes well and good, we hope to be home by sometime Saturday or Sunday! We are so excited and so thankful for all the blessings we have received, and for the joy of sharing this event with all of our family and friends. Thank you all so much for your continued love and support!!!
Friday, November 14, 2008
How did we get to 39 weeks already!?
Hello everyone!
I know it has been way too long since we have posted a blog, I do apologize. Life sure does get busy quick and over the past several months we have been working on the nursery, going to our regularly scheduled doctor's visits, working on the nursery, going to church, working on the nursery and working on the nursery. Can you tell what we have been doing a lot of?? Well, the good news is the nursery is done! :) I will be the first to admit I stressed over this nursery for a long time. We kept running into problems and for every two steps forward we would take 4 steps back! We have been so blessed with wonderful friends and family that have come over many times to help us prepare. THANK YOU EVERYONE who has helped on the nursery, you know who you are, but also MANY THANKS to those that have supported up emotionally.
Now for the fun part. Every doctor's visit we have had so far has gone very well. My blood pressure is always good, usually stays around 120/60, kidney function is good, weight gain is good and the baby's growth is good. We have been so blessed to have such a healthy pregnancy. A couple of weeks ago we started seeing the doctor every week and that point in time he began to check me to see how my cervix is looking and for any dilation. This morning we had an appointment and I thought for sure I would be dilated. I have been having very uncomfortable pains (contractions, not so much. Baby getting into position causing mommy's pelvis a lot of pressure, BINGO!) and not to mention my due date is November 18, that is in 4 days! After the doctor checked me the news was the ususal, NOTHING. No dilation, no thinning of the cervix. There is some good news however, we have 2 tentative dates set up for induction. November the 20th or November the 24th will be B-DAY. There is some light at the end of the tunnel. We go back to the doctor on Monday for another check just to see how I'm looking and at that point we will let him know what date we want. It will be all down hill from there! :)
I look forward to giving the updated information on Monday so all of you can update your calendar's accordingly in hopes of meeting Savannah Claire Lobenstein! :)
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as this next week coming up is going to change our lives forever! :)
I know it has been way too long since we have posted a blog, I do apologize. Life sure does get busy quick and over the past several months we have been working on the nursery, going to our regularly scheduled doctor's visits, working on the nursery, going to church, working on the nursery and working on the nursery. Can you tell what we have been doing a lot of?? Well, the good news is the nursery is done! :) I will be the first to admit I stressed over this nursery for a long time. We kept running into problems and for every two steps forward we would take 4 steps back! We have been so blessed with wonderful friends and family that have come over many times to help us prepare. THANK YOU EVERYONE who has helped on the nursery, you know who you are, but also MANY THANKS to those that have supported up emotionally.
Now for the fun part. Every doctor's visit we have had so far has gone very well. My blood pressure is always good, usually stays around 120/60, kidney function is good, weight gain is good and the baby's growth is good. We have been so blessed to have such a healthy pregnancy. A couple of weeks ago we started seeing the doctor every week and that point in time he began to check me to see how my cervix is looking and for any dilation. This morning we had an appointment and I thought for sure I would be dilated. I have been having very uncomfortable pains (contractions, not so much. Baby getting into position causing mommy's pelvis a lot of pressure, BINGO!) and not to mention my due date is November 18, that is in 4 days! After the doctor checked me the news was the ususal, NOTHING. No dilation, no thinning of the cervix. There is some good news however, we have 2 tentative dates set up for induction. November the 20th or November the 24th will be B-DAY. There is some light at the end of the tunnel. We go back to the doctor on Monday for another check just to see how I'm looking and at that point we will let him know what date we want. It will be all down hill from there! :)
I look forward to giving the updated information on Monday so all of you can update your calendar's accordingly in hopes of meeting Savannah Claire Lobenstein! :)
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as this next week coming up is going to change our lives forever! :)
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Starting to come together...
Well, things are starting to line up for us in the world of marriage and parenthood planning. :)
We are really starting to roll on getting the master bedroom redone so we can get into a permanent living situation there (we've been living in the Guest Bedroom since the wedding). Once we get that done, we'll be one step closer to getting to start working on the nursery! YEA!!! We went ahead and bought the stuff we're going to use to decorate in there. I think Emily wanted every single butterfly and flower decoration on the face of the planet! :)
Additionally, Emily is still growing a little bit every day, which is our goal these days - KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BABE! :) Work has been going well for both of us lately, which is really nice - we have enough going on to not have too much stress from the office adding to our plate.
We've also FINALLY gotten around to visiting some Sunday School classes at church and we're really looking forward to seeing which one God calls us to plug in to. We've been talking about going for a long time and it feels really nice to finally be responding to that call.
We hate that we haven't been as present in the lives of all our loved ones as of late, but we think about you all often! We're defnitely looking forward to getting everything taken care of around the house so we have more time for social activities and catching up on what's been going on in YOUR lives. Feel free to give us a call any time though - WE MISS YOU GUYS!
We are really starting to roll on getting the master bedroom redone so we can get into a permanent living situation there (we've been living in the Guest Bedroom since the wedding). Once we get that done, we'll be one step closer to getting to start working on the nursery! YEA!!! We went ahead and bought the stuff we're going to use to decorate in there. I think Emily wanted every single butterfly and flower decoration on the face of the planet! :)
Additionally, Emily is still growing a little bit every day, which is our goal these days - KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BABE! :) Work has been going well for both of us lately, which is really nice - we have enough going on to not have too much stress from the office adding to our plate.
We've also FINALLY gotten around to visiting some Sunday School classes at church and we're really looking forward to seeing which one God calls us to plug in to. We've been talking about going for a long time and it feels really nice to finally be responding to that call.
We hate that we haven't been as present in the lives of all our loved ones as of late, but we think about you all often! We're defnitely looking forward to getting everything taken care of around the house so we have more time for social activities and catching up on what's been going on in YOUR lives. Feel free to give us a call any time though - WE MISS YOU GUYS!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Our 6 month check up and the baby class
We went to the doctor on Friday August 1st and it was uneventful and lasted the usual 5 minutes and see you in 4 weeks. After the appointment I realized that I can't believe we already in the 6th month! Only 3 more to go! Everything still looks to be on track for a November 18 due date.
We also had our Preparing for Childbirth class at Jackson this past weekend. I wanted to have the classes broken up over 4 weeks and go one night a week (which was one of the choices) but they didn't have enough people to sign up for that so we had to do an ALL DAY class. I found it informative in the beginning but the second half of the class really overwhelmed me. It was a lot to take in one day! I have a wonderful husband and coach, just so everyone knows, Aric is going to make this process so wonderful, I am so thankful for him.
Oh! We finally registered this past weekend. Target, for all of you who want to know. I know my parents are happy ;) We will be registering at Babies R US as well, so stay tuned and I will post once we have completed that registry.
That's all for now. Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Love,
Emily
We also had our Preparing for Childbirth class at Jackson this past weekend. I wanted to have the classes broken up over 4 weeks and go one night a week (which was one of the choices) but they didn't have enough people to sign up for that so we had to do an ALL DAY class. I found it informative in the beginning but the second half of the class really overwhelmed me. It was a lot to take in one day! I have a wonderful husband and coach, just so everyone knows, Aric is going to make this process so wonderful, I am so thankful for him.
Oh! We finally registered this past weekend. Target, for all of you who want to know. I know my parents are happy ;) We will be registering at Babies R US as well, so stay tuned and I will post once we have completed that registry.
That's all for now. Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Love,
Emily
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Hello All
This is Emily here, finally deciding to put my two cents worth on this blog.
First, I would like to say that this was a wonderful idea that my husband had to do this blog. I hope that family and friends enjoy it as much as we do and stay updated on things going on in our lives. It is so hard now a days, to stay in touch with people on a regular basis. Life seems to get in the way sometimes, doesn't it?
Well, as you all have read, we are so excited to be having a little girl. I really wanted a girl because I am such a girly girl at heart. Of course, part of me wanted a boy too, for Aric's sake mostly; the Lobenstein's name has to be carried on! (but not this time) ;)
That is all I have for right now. I hope to post more stuff as things progress or digress, either way we will keep everyone updated!
Take care and God bless!
First, I would like to say that this was a wonderful idea that my husband had to do this blog. I hope that family and friends enjoy it as much as we do and stay updated on things going on in our lives. It is so hard now a days, to stay in touch with people on a regular basis. Life seems to get in the way sometimes, doesn't it?
Well, as you all have read, we are so excited to be having a little girl. I really wanted a girl because I am such a girly girl at heart. Of course, part of me wanted a boy too, for Aric's sake mostly; the Lobenstein's name has to be carried on! (but not this time) ;)
That is all I have for right now. I hope to post more stuff as things progress or digress, either way we will keep everyone updated!
Take care and God bless!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Pretty Girl
Our "blob" during our ninth week.
IT'S A GIRL!!! 20-week ultrasound
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She's waving at you!!! :)
She is definitely a Lobenstein... You can't see it real well in the scan, but she is definitely "in her thoughtful spot - think, think, think" (Winnie the Pooh!)
Thursday, July 3, 2008
IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!
We went to see the doctor on Tuesday and confirmed our suspicions. The ultrasound was very clear - by the way, technology is amazing - and our baby is most definitely a girl. We were able to see pretty much everything - two arms, two legs, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, two beautiful little feet... The heart was maybe the most amazing. Four chambers all working in perfect unison! She was moving around all over the place - as if to say "I know you're watching me; look what I can do!". :)
We have decided on Savannah Claire for her name. We really struggled for a long time to come up with a girl's name that we both liked. Claire is Emily's middle name and as soon as Emily suggested Savannah, I fell in love with the combination.
So... Be on the lookout around Thanksgiving! That's when our new little girl will be joining our lives!!! :)
We have decided on Savannah Claire for her name. We really struggled for a long time to come up with a girl's name that we both liked. Claire is Emily's middle name and as soon as Emily suggested Savannah, I fell in love with the combination.
So... Be on the lookout around Thanksgiving! That's when our new little girl will be joining our lives!!! :)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Pictures
Feel free to check out the pictures that are available to view on our photographer's website!
http://heathstone.blogspot.com/
*For Wedding pics, just click on the June 2008 archive in the right-hand margin.
*For Emily's Bridal shoot, click the April 2008 archive.
*For our Engagement shoot, go back to the 2007 archive in December.
Once we get the photo DVD from him, we'll post some here on the blog. Heath and his wife Amy do such an awesome job!!!
http://heathstone.blogspot.com/
*For Wedding pics, just click on the June 2008 archive in the right-hand margin.
*For Emily's Bridal shoot, click the April 2008 archive.
*For our Engagement shoot, go back to the 2007 archive in December.
Once we get the photo DVD from him, we'll post some here on the blog. Heath and his wife Amy do such an awesome job!!!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
HITCHED!
Well, we did it! :)
The wedding came off without a single problem - well, unless you count me LOSING MY WEDDING RING the night before, or one of the bridesmaids NOT HAVING A DRESS, or the trolley that carried us from the church to the reception BREAKING DOWN!!! Oh the stories we will be able to tell our children!
Thank you so much to EVERYONE who made it to the wedding! I was overwhelmed with the number of people who were there!!! I hate that we didn't have more time to work the room and speak to everyone, but I hope to be able to contact you all very soon (once we look at the Guest Book and figure out exactly who made it).
We got back from the honeymoon in St. Lucia late Tuesday night and spent yesterday going around town handling banks and driver license and name change issues. Unfortunately, the plan of getting our hardwood floors refinished while we were gone did not work out so well, because they really didn't do a very great job. But, they are working to correct their errors today and tomorrow and will be putting down another new coat of polyurethane on Saturday. SO, hopefully come Sunday evening, we'll be able to start putting OUR house together and really starting our new life together!! :)
Thanks again to all of our friends and family - those who were at the wedding in body and those who were only able to make it in spirit - without you all, we never would have gotten this far in life, let alone pulling off the wedding itself. WE LOVE YOU!!!!
The wedding came off without a single problem - well, unless you count me LOSING MY WEDDING RING the night before, or one of the bridesmaids NOT HAVING A DRESS, or the trolley that carried us from the church to the reception BREAKING DOWN!!! Oh the stories we will be able to tell our children!
Thank you so much to EVERYONE who made it to the wedding! I was overwhelmed with the number of people who were there!!! I hate that we didn't have more time to work the room and speak to everyone, but I hope to be able to contact you all very soon (once we look at the Guest Book and figure out exactly who made it).
We got back from the honeymoon in St. Lucia late Tuesday night and spent yesterday going around town handling banks and driver license and name change issues. Unfortunately, the plan of getting our hardwood floors refinished while we were gone did not work out so well, because they really didn't do a very great job. But, they are working to correct their errors today and tomorrow and will be putting down another new coat of polyurethane on Saturday. SO, hopefully come Sunday evening, we'll be able to start putting OUR house together and really starting our new life together!! :)
Thanks again to all of our friends and family - those who were at the wedding in body and those who were only able to make it in spirit - without you all, we never would have gotten this far in life, let alone pulling off the wedding itself. WE LOVE YOU!!!!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Scare
Well, Friday was a "fun" day. Emily was experiencing some abdominal pains on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday, they got even worse - "cramping so bad I can't move!" So, just to get a dose of reassurance that the pains were "normal", I called the doctor's office - just to let them know what was going on and for them to say it was no big deal - right? WRONG! The nurse that answered the phone freaked out and started saying things like "doctor on call" and "emergency room" and "why didn't you call sooner???" So, naturally, this "no big deal" issue actually became something tragic and terrifying.
Of course, as soon as the doctor came in, Emily told of this "slightly annoying little pain in my abdomen" (notice - no mention of cramps nor dehabilitating pain). Anyway, after a little discussion and evaluation, it turned out to just be some circular tendon strain, which is totally normal, and everything is okay.
We go to the doctor again today for a regular check up and maybe some blood tests... Will write again to update afterward.
Of course, as soon as the doctor came in, Emily told of this "slightly annoying little pain in my abdomen" (notice - no mention of cramps nor dehabilitating pain). Anyway, after a little discussion and evaluation, it turned out to just be some circular tendon strain, which is totally normal, and everything is okay.
We go to the doctor again today for a regular check up and maybe some blood tests... Will write again to update afterward.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
2nd Doctor's Visit
Well, everything went swimmingly yesterday at Dr. Kouri's office. We found that everything is clicking along like clockwork... Weight gain - normal. Baby's heartrate - normal. Emily's bloodwork - normal. This sounds like one of those cases where no news is good news! :)
However, there was one issue that was a little concerning. Though it is nothing that might affect the baby or the pregnancy, I would ask that you please keep Emily in your prayers for after the pregnancy. They found some oddly-shaped cells, so they're going to have to go back later (after the baby comes) and really study those more closely.
Right now though, everything is trucking right along. We're in the process of trying to remodel the master bathroom (something we started before the pregnancy) so we can then move to converting the Guest Bedroom over to the Nursery. We're both really excited about the possibilities there! We've got lots of ideas in our heads - we just need to wait until we discover whether it's a little boy or a little girl that we're going to be decorating for! :)
More updates to come soon - our next doctor's visit is scheduled for June 2. (We'll find out four weeks after THAT what the baby's sex is!!!)
However, there was one issue that was a little concerning. Though it is nothing that might affect the baby or the pregnancy, I would ask that you please keep Emily in your prayers for after the pregnancy. They found some oddly-shaped cells, so they're going to have to go back later (after the baby comes) and really study those more closely.
Right now though, everything is trucking right along. We're in the process of trying to remodel the master bathroom (something we started before the pregnancy) so we can then move to converting the Guest Bedroom over to the Nursery. We're both really excited about the possibilities there! We've got lots of ideas in our heads - we just need to wait until we discover whether it's a little boy or a little girl that we're going to be decorating for! :)
More updates to come soon - our next doctor's visit is scheduled for June 2. (We'll find out four weeks after THAT what the baby's sex is!!!)
Monday, May 12, 2008
1st Entry
Hello All!
As I create this blog site, much has already transpired, so here's a little to get everyone caught up on what is going on so far...
Emily & I got engaged back in October 2007 and within three or four weeks, Emily pretty well had our entire August wedding planned and all the vendors and sites booked and ready to go. Then, in February, God blessed us with an unexpected, yet REMARKABLE gift - we're having a BABY!!! :)
Once the shock of the situation wore off, and we were able to start telling family, friends, and other loved ones, we immediately worked to get the wedding date moved up - as far as possible without putting too much hardship on ourselves (or hopefully on our loved ones). So... We are now getting married June 7, 2008 (6/7/8) - which is now less than a month away!!!!
We are now entering our second trimester, which is absolutely fantastic! Emily had a really hard time with the first three months. She never actually got sick to her stomach, but she constantly felt like she was going to. This led to very little appetite for food and lots of unhappy emotions. However, she did an awesome job of making sure she ate and took care of herself and the baby. For the past week or two, she has been back to her old self and it is WONDERFUL to have her back! :)
We have our second doctor's appointment this afternoon. During our first, we were able to see
the baby moving around and also hear the heartbeat (171 bpm). ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I don't really know what today's appointment will bring, other than some blood tests and some questions for the doc, but I suppose for the next little while now, no news will be good news. We should be able to find out the sex of the baby by the end of June sometime. (The marvels of modern-day science!)
Anyway, I hope that Emily and I will keep this blog site up-to-date regulary and help to keep everyone posted on the goings-on with our upcoming marriage and the development of the baby and his/her entry into our lives.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers as we have so much to do to get things ready - both for our new life together and for this new life that's coming! May God bless your lives as He has blessed ours!
As I create this blog site, much has already transpired, so here's a little to get everyone caught up on what is going on so far...
Emily & I got engaged back in October 2007 and within three or four weeks, Emily pretty well had our entire August wedding planned and all the vendors and sites booked and ready to go. Then, in February, God blessed us with an unexpected, yet REMARKABLE gift - we're having a BABY!!! :)
Once the shock of the situation wore off, and we were able to start telling family, friends, and other loved ones, we immediately worked to get the wedding date moved up - as far as possible without putting too much hardship on ourselves (or hopefully on our loved ones). So... We are now getting married June 7, 2008 (6/7/8) - which is now less than a month away!!!!
We are now entering our second trimester, which is absolutely fantastic! Emily had a really hard time with the first three months. She never actually got sick to her stomach, but she constantly felt like she was going to. This led to very little appetite for food and lots of unhappy emotions. However, she did an awesome job of making sure she ate and took care of herself and the baby. For the past week or two, she has been back to her old self and it is WONDERFUL to have her back! :)
We have our second doctor's appointment this afternoon. During our first, we were able to see
the baby moving around and also hear the heartbeat (171 bpm). ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I don't really know what today's appointment will bring, other than some blood tests and some questions for the doc, but I suppose for the next little while now, no news will be good news. We should be able to find out the sex of the baby by the end of June sometime. (The marvels of modern-day science!)
Anyway, I hope that Emily and I will keep this blog site up-to-date regulary and help to keep everyone posted on the goings-on with our upcoming marriage and the development of the baby and his/her entry into our lives.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers as we have so much to do to get things ready - both for our new life together and for this new life that's coming! May God bless your lives as He has blessed ours!
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