31 week Sneak Peek!

We had our last ultrasound today! Baby boy is healthy and is measuring 4 lbs 8 oz! He is measuring a bit big, he should be 3.5 lbs per my reading in the baby books, and the doc said today that my due date could probably be moved up 10 days because of his size. Thank goodness for a c-section!!--I think he's going to be a big baby since he'll probably gain 3-4 more lbs before Feb 21st! And, of course I had to ask the doctors if he was still a boy...and he definitely is. :) My fibroid has grown to 8 cm in diameter--but praise God it hasn't caused any complications.

Week 30 = Wes' project

Wes has worked SO hard on the baby's room!! I came home from work one Tuesday to find Wes and, our friend, Tommy had painted the room and installed the ceiling fan & light. A few days later Chris came down to help Wes install the chair rail. We are so blessed with fantastic friends that are so helpful!







Nesting has started...Yesterday I sorted, organized, and hung up baby clothes. (They are organized by size, thanks to dividers from Katie!, in the closet and in the dresser.) This little guy has already been so loved by generous friends and family...he's gonna be s-p-o-i-l-e-d! :)



30 weeks
(7 1/2 months)

Sharing the news

Telling our family and friends we were pregnant was the most fun! Planning, talking about how to tell them, and then their reaction of sheer joy. It was amazing.

To tell our parents the news, we sent them a card in the mail that arrived 4th of July weekend.

COVER:

INSIDE:

Cost of the stamp, .44 cents

Cost of the card, $2.48

Cost of being a grandparent, priceless!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy-to-be

BACK:

Date of arrival: February 2011

To tell our friends, we sent them this after the 1st trimester was over:

A bun in the oven, a pea in the pod,


a new addition to our family,

& a baby on board

= the amazing blessing of


Baby Stumbaugh!!

Due Feb.21st, 2011.

Our lives are about to change forever...

And we couldn't be more thrilled!

I spent the first 3 weeks of June in Spokane for Kelsey & Peter's wedding, Tanner's high school graduation, and Dusty's college graduation. I flew back to Henderson on a Tuesday night, June 22nd. That night I took a pregnancy test and it was immediately positive! I was surprised and excited and totally shocked all at the same time. We were ready to start a family and God had blessed us with an answered prayer. We didn't tell anyone right away; we just kept the exciting news to ourselves for a little bit longer.

Sneak Peek at week 25

We had an ultrasound today to see if the fibroid (the largest one of 5 total) has grown...and Praise God it hasn't! It's still 7 cm, but it's wonderful news to hear that it hasn't grown in 6 weeks. Since the doctor is monitoring the fibroid we get to peek at the boy every 6 weeks. What a joy that is! He is healthy, active, and measuring 2 pounds. We asked the doc to double check it's still a boy. And there's no denying it! :)



Sneak Peek: Profile
Baby Boy was so photogenic today! We have many pictures of his handsome profile.



Sneak Peek: Foot!
So this is the sweet little foot that I have been feeling kick me!


Outside view of the boy. ;)
25 weeks preggo (6 months & 1 week)

A time to mourn...

My Dearest Baby Boy,

Loosing someone you love is one of the hardest parts of life. My heart is so saddened that you will never have the opportunity to meet your great-grandma Eleanor. She was the sweetest, kindest woman you could ever know. She had a sweet tooth (just like me!), loved to play card games, was an excellent artist, and always had time to sit down and talk. We will all miss her very much and our family gatherings will always have a missing piece from now on.
However, you, my son, are the bright light that will help fill the void. She was thrilled when I told her I was pregnant with you. Even more so to know that you will be the first great-grand baby in our family. She was so excited to be your great-grandma because she knew that you will be an amazing little boy who will bring wonderful new adventures to our family.

I love you, Grandma.

Eleanor Marcus

Passed away at the age
of 84 on October 29th, 2010. Eleanor was born in Dickinson, North Dakota on January 31st, 1926, moving to Spokane when she was nine years old. She attended Sheridan Elementary, Libby Junior High and Lewis and Clark High School. She attended Kinman Business College and worked at Pacific Northwest Bell for ten years. She started dating Irv Marcus in 1946 and married him on October 9th, 1948. They just celebrated 62 years of marriage and were extremely devoted to one another. Our mother was always involved in our lives. She was a Room Volunteer at McDonald Elementary School, Girl Scout Leader, Lady Lion Member, Avon Lady and a gifted water color artist and past president of the Spokane Watercolor Society. She attended St. Mary's Catholic Church for many years. Eleanor was known for her wonderful sense of humor and laugh, which was contagious. She was extremely close to her two daughters, Mindy Whitcher and Julie Steffan and loved her sons-in-law, Rock Whitcher and Mark Steffan. Eleanor loved her grandchildren-Drew (Briana) Whitcher, Ariane (Wes) Stumbaugh, Dusty Steffan, Tanner Steffan and Sydney Steffan. She played a very important part in their lives and attended baseball games, cross country track meets, concerts, ballet recitals, high school graduations and the wedding of her first grandson Drew to Briana. Our mother was devoted to her family and friends and fought a brave and courageous fight against Parkinson's disease for many years. We are blessed to have had her in our lives and know that she is now at peace. Our lives were enriched by her love and our hearts are full of wonderful memories. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a charity of your choice. A Celebration of Life will be held Thursday, November 4th, 2010 at 11:00 AM in the Chapel at Evergreen Fountains, 1201 N. Evergreen Road, Spokane, WA 99216.

Baby Bump in Baby's Room

21 weeks Baby Bump
(5 months, 1 week)

18 weeks Baby Bump
(4 months, 2 weeks)

Ultrasound 19 weeks...it's a BOY!

We went to a perinatal doctor at week 19 (4 months & 3 weeks for non-math people!) to get clearer pictures of baby since during the week 18 ultrasound baby was stubborn and didn't want to put on a show. Needless to say, we were bummed at week 18 to not find out the sex of the baby until a week later...but seeing and really realizing that we were having a boy was worth the wait!

It's a BOY!!!

A few hours after the ultrasound we arrived at Bible Study at Kristi & Steve's house.
This banner greeted us as we pulled up and there were balloons on the door.
We love our church family!!

Sporting BLUE to show the people at work that it's a boy!!

Ultrasound 12 weeks

Baby waving "Hi Mom & Dad!"
12 week (3 months) view of our peanut