Happy New Year

From our family to yours, we wish everyone a Happy and Blessed New Year! Abigail goes on Monday for her two month check-up. I will post her weight and other measurements when we get back. Enjoy the video I took of her earlier today (please excuse the background noise, it's her humidifier). Thank you for praying for us. Please continue! Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Abigail is 2 months old

It's hard to believe that Abigail is 2 months old today. Time has certainly flown by since the delivery. We are truly blessed with a wonderful and healthy baby girl. Thank you God! Thank you to everyone who continues to pray for us. Please continue to do so. I start back to work in 3 weeks. My heart's desire is to stay home and take care of our precious little Abigail but unfortunately that is not going to happen. We visited the daycare last week and are very pleased with it. It's not official yet but I'm pretty sure that we will be taking Abigail there. Please keep us in your prayers. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Abigail's First Christmas

We had a great Christmas holiday visiting our families. We headed to Virginia Beach once Mark got home from work Christmas Eve. It's a two hour drive down there but thankfully traffic wasn't bad at all. We went straight to Mark's cousin's house for the Hadley Christmas Eve party. The food was good and it was nice to see his relatives. They did a gift exchange and we unexpectingly got several gifts for Abigail. Thank you to all that gave! We then headed to Mark's mom's house and stayed the night. Abigail slept from 11pm to 6:30am. That was a great Christmas present to me! She was a little fussy before she went to bed so I think she wore herself out. On Christmas morning I fixed cheesy scalloped potatos to take to my aunt's house for Christmas lunch. While it was baking, Mark, Belle, Billy and I exchanged gifts. Abigail got even more stuff! She is one blessed baby. Thank you Grandma Belle! After the gift exchange, we all packed up and drove an hour to Elizabeth City, NC to spend time with my mom's side of the family. It was so good to see my parents again. Mom (aka Nonni) didn't even say hello when I walked in. She asked, "Where's the baby?" I was told by my aunt that I'm second choice now. :0) I got a great picture of Abigail smiling at Nonni. Thanks Mom for feeding her and loving on her! Christmas lunch was delicious as always. I ate too much but I just couldn't resist all that good food! We exchanged gifts in the afternoon. Abigail got more and more stuff! Thanks Nonni and Grandpa! Belle and Billy left for Virginia Beach soon after the gift exchange but Mark, Abigail and I stayed until after we had leftovers for dinner. It was hard saying bye to family. We wished we lived closer to family. It's hard being in Richmond without our families. Don't get us wrong, the church family is wonderful but there's nothing like your real family! Thank you to all of our family for loving and supporting us so much. We are truly blessed! Until next time...God is good! All the time!

A quick visit to Harrisonburg

We went to Harrisonburg on Tuesday for a surprise visit for Mark's dad's 70th birthday. Mark's brother, Bobby, drove down from Winchester and met us there too. Mark's dad was completely surprised. It was good to see Bill, Donna and Bobby and to chat for a little while. I only got a picture of Abigail with Donna and Bobby though. Sorry about that! We didn't stay long because of Mark's work schedule with UPS. He has to be at work at 1am so he needs to be in bed by 6pm in order to get enough sleep to function. He has put in alot of hours this month. It definitely helps with the medical bills that keep coming in for Abigail's birth. She is completely worth it though...you can't put a price on our happiness! Speaking of Abigail...she turned 7 weeks old on Tuesday. I had to call the pediatrician because Abigail seems to stay constipated. They suggested to add 1 teaspoon of dark Karo syrup twice a day. Boy, that stuff works great! She has been so much better! We are truly blessed with a great baby. I took a video of her today. I just love how happy she is and how much she coos. She was up most of the day so hopefully (cross my fingers), she will sleep most of the night tonight. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Abigail is 6 weeks old

I can't believe our little Abigail is 6 weeks old already. She is growing up so fast! She's really starting to fill out the 0-3 month outfits. She is still such a good baby. I'm very thankful for that. She goes for her two month checkup on January 5th. That's the week before I go back to work. We are definitely not looking forward to me going back but we have no choice. We are going to visit the daycare next week. Please pray that we make the right decisions. Thank you for your prayers. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Our week in NC

It has been a good week in North Carolina. Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was great to see my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. The food was absolutely delicious as always. I look forward to the same at Christmas. Abigail was a big hit. She is such a good baby. The only thing that she has trouble with is occassional tummy aches. It seems to always hit her at night. I give her gas drops after every meal but it sometimes doesn't help and she cries off and on for 30 minutes to an hour at night. I feel so bad for her and there's nothing more I can do than hold and rock her. She has lost some of her hair. She still has some on the sides and in the back but most of it on top is gone. I can't wait to see what color it will be when it comes back in. Abigail is starting to smile and coo for us. I added a slideshow of pictures from the past week. God has been so good to us this week. My parents have been a major blessing. I have been able to get some rest during my visit. Mom has been so helpful with Abigail. Thank you! We visited my brother and his family last Saturday. It is always nice to see them. My 17 month old neice, Jacqueline, became very protective of Abigail. Abigail was her baby. It was so cute to watch her interact with Abigail. We also got to see my dad's mom on for a few minutes on Wednesday. This week has been great but I am definitely looking forward to getting home. I truly know the meaning of "absence makes the heart grow fonder". I've missed Mark tremendously. He has put in alot of hours this week with both jobs. I've got a great husband! Please enjoy the pictures. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

This week

Candy and Abigail are in NC this week. Meanwhile, I am here hanging out with the cats for a week. Candy and Abigail are visiting Thomas and Rachel today and will be visiting Candy's grandmother tomorrow. From talking to her, it sounds like they are really having a lot of fun and getting much-needed sleep. I pray that they are safe at her parents' house during their stay.

While they are in NC, I am staying busy. I just finished Day 2 of nine straight days of working (due to my dept manager going on vacation this coming week). In addition, I have to be at work by 1a on Monday. It'll be worth it by paycheck time but I know I'll be drained by Friday!

Yesterday was my 29th birthday. Trust me, this birthday was the most lack-luster birthday I've had thus far. I worked from 10a-3p, came home to watch college football, watched a movie, then more college football, ate a sub, and talked to my cousin on the phone. The highlight was that, for the first time, I bought Abigail an outfit. I felt kinda weird but I wanted to do it.

Today is my mom's birthday. Unfortunately, she was intending to visit me this weekend for our birthdays but she got sick last week and we thought it would be best if she stayed away so she wouldn't spread whatever she had. She is feeling better and I think that Billy (her boyfriend) is going to do something with her (along with a few other friends).

So that's what's going on here! When Candy returns, she'll post pictures of her trip. Hope all is well with everyone!

Until next time......

4 weeks

Abigail is 4 weeks old today. Nothing much new to report. Abigail is still waking up every couple hours during the night to eat and I'm still lacking in my sleep but we are making it. Thankfully Mark helps out when he gets home from work and I'm able to catch up on some house work or a nap. I was under the weather this past weekend with a sore throat, headache and stomach issues. My throat is the only thing that is still bothering me now (mainly at night) but it's not that bad. Pray that I feel better quickly and completely before we leave for Thanksgiving. We are very excited about spending the holiday with family. We are heading out on Thursday morning to North Carolina. Mark's mom is feeling under the weather and unfortunately won't be joining us. She will be missed. Our prayers are with her. Please pray for us too. The medical bills for Abigail's birth are starting to come in and it's a little overwhelming. We know God is in control and that we will get them paid off....someday. Abigail was definitely worth it, you can't put a price tag on that! Enjoy the recent pictures. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

3 weeks

Abigail turned 3 weeks old on Tuesday this week. It's amazing how much she has grown just in these 3 weeks. She can follow things with her eyes that are a couple feet away. She is such a good baby. Like any baby at this age, she is waking up every few hours during the night to eat which means less sleep for mommy. I'm trying to take the advice of every one and sleep when she sleeps but it doesn't always happen that way. I talked with the lactation consultant on Thursday and we've concluded that I will not have enough milk to nourish Abigail. We will have to go the formula route for good. I will stop the every 2 hour pumping but I will still continue to nurse her a couple times a day. It's disappointing that I can't be Abigail's only source of nourishment but I know God is in control and that Abigail is healthy. Thank you God. Mark's mom was here for a few days this week. It was nice to have her here. I know that she enjoyed her time with Abigail. I've included a slideshow of pictures that I've taken the last week or so. Some were taken with my cell phone so the quality may not be as good. Enjoy! Please keep us in your prayers. We are heading to my uncle's house in Elizabeth City, North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family. Mark's mom and her boyfriend will be joining us also. We are looking forward to a day with the family. Abigail and I will go back with my parents to Kernersville, North Carolina until the following Saturday. This will give me another opportunity to get a helping hand and more rest. Plus, we will be able to visit my brother's family and my nana. Thank you Mark for agreeing to let us go. We will miss you dearly for those 9 days. You are the greatest husband! Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Abigail's 2 week checkup

We went to the pediatrician on Monday for Abigail's 2 week checkup. She's now weighing 8 lbs 3 oz and is 20 1/2 inches long. Everything is fine. She is growing at a good rate. We go back for another checkup when she is 2 months old. I'm still trying to get my milk supply to increase. It's slowly increasing and I've been told that it may take 2-3 weeks for us to know for sure if nursing will be an option. It's been alot of work with pumping and feeding Abigail formula. She's worth it thought. I want her healthy no matter what. Please pray that my supply continues to increase and that we all get the rest we need to go from day to day. Thank you for your prayers. Until next time....God is good! All the time!

Thank You

I wanted to take a few moments to say thank you to my mom and dad for all the help they provided the few days before and week and half after Abigail was born. Dad couldn't stay the entire time but I know his heart was here with us. Mom was the hugest help during my frightening hours in the hospital, recovering in the hospital and recovering at home. She did so much for us in the 2 weeks she was here. From arranging Abigail's things to scrubbing the kitchen floor, my mom did alot for us that we are very grateful for. Abigail misses her Nonni and Papa! I truly wish that we lived closer together....maybe someday we will. Thanks for all your help! May God bless you for it. We love you and miss you dearly!

Abigail Elizabeth Robinson

We are proud to announce the birth of our daughter, Abigail Elizabeth Robinson. She was born at 11:33am on Tuesday, October 28th. She weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and 20 inches long. What an experience it was to bring her into this world! Thank you God for bringing us through that difficult time. Monday evening we went in for part 1 of induction where they gave me something to help soften and dilate. It took them 3 tries to get an iv started. I have many a bruise to prove it. My poor veins didn't show up. I started feeling some contractions during the night. It was not comfortable at all but I guess that's what labor is all about. They started part 2 of induction (pitocin) Tuesday morning at 8 am. I still wasn't dilated so my OB said we can wait and see what the pitocin does or go ahead and do a c-section. Mark, my mom and I decided that waiting would be a better option. My contractions got stronger and faster and they kept asking me if I wanted my epideral yet but I declined until about 10:45 am. The epideral was at about 40% and they were having trouble getting Abigail's heartbeat reading. My OB came in and said that I was 2 cm dilated but Abigail's head was still high. I was put on oxygen and since they were having trouble getting Abigail's heartbeat from my belly, they decided to go a different route and insert a heart monitor attachment which would attach to Abigail's head. That meant they had to break my water. As soon as they broke my water and got Abigail's heartbeat reading they said her heartbeat was down to 40 and we had to do an emergency c-section. The aweful thing about this was that Mark and his mom were down in the cafeteria. My mom was with me and she tried to call Mark but he didn't answer. I was freaking out. I've never seen so many nurses in all my life. I felt like I was on ER or some other show like that. They rushed me out so quick. I remember saying over and over again on the quick trip to the operating room, "Oh God, please protect Abigail, Oh God, please protect Abigail." Now remember, my epideral was only at 40% so when we got in the operating room, they tried to up it as fast as they could. Unfortunately, they didn't do it fast enough and I felt them cut me open. OUCH!!!! I screamed like I've never screamed before. The anesthesiologist quickly put me to sleep. Next thing I remember I am slowly waking up in the recovery room. They took my glasses off which kinda made the waking up experience even harder. The first words I heard from a nurse was that Abigail was fine and that we did well. What a relief and an answer to prayer! Thank you God! My OB came in and said that when they pulled Abigail out, her cord was wrapped around her neck and belly. I was wheeled up to my room and I finally got to hold my little Abigail at about 3:30 pm. She is absolutely beautiful! It is amazing what God can do! Thank you to all who prayed for us during the pregnancy and delivery. I had a rough time Wednesday night into Thursday morning. I couldn't nurse Abigail because I was so sick. I finally started to feel better Thursday evening and should have gone home on Friday. My first solid meal was Friday morning so the doctor wanted me to stay another day to make sure I was completely better. We got released at about 12:15 Saturday with a clean bill of health for me and Abigail. I go back next week to get my lovely c-section staples removed so pray that I heal quickly and completely. Also pray for me to be able to nurse well. With the hours recovering from surgery and the almost day of not being able to nurse because I was so sick, it has caused some issues with my supply. We've had to supplement with formula the last 24 hours. With Mark back to work, my mom has been such a tremendous help through all of this. I couldn't do it without both of them helping out. We have an appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow morning at 8:40am. Please pray that the appointment goes well.

40 week ultrasound and appointment

Today's appointment went well. Being so far along in the pregnancy, the ultrasound pictures weren't so clear but it was still a great experience to see Abigail on the screen. She's measuring at 8 lbs 3 oz right now. We were told that the weight measurement is an estimate so she could be a little under 8 lbs or a little over 8 lbs when she's born next week. My blood pressure is still doing good and I'm still not dilated. Today was the last appointment before we go back for the inducement. I will go on Friday afternoon to pre-register and then check in Monday afternoon at 4pm. They'll give me something to help start the dilation Monday evening and then induction will begin Tuesday morning. It's hard to believe that Abigail will be with us next week! Please pray that the delivery will go without complication and in a timely manner. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Friday's appointment

Friday's appointment went well. My blood pressure was normal, my blood test results came back good and Abigail's heart beat sounded good. My OB did ask me to take easy which I am gladly able to do since Friday was my last day of work until January. We go back on Tuesday for an ultrasound and checkup. Please keep us in your prayers. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

39 week appointment

We went to our 39 week appointment yesterday. Abigail's heart beat sounded good but my blood pressure was up (130/90) and I still haven't dilated. They took my blood pressure about 20 minutes later and it was better (120/78). My OB wanted to make sure I didn't have preeclampsia (also called toxemia) so he sent me for blood work. I really don't have many symptoms for it but he wants to be sure. I go back on Friday to check my blood pressure again. We did go ahead and confirm my induction date of October 28th at Henrico Doctor's Hospital. I will go in Monday evening and begin preparation for the Tuesday morning induction. This could all change if Abigail decides to come on her own but with no dilation and her still being "high", it looks like Abigail will join us on Tuesday, October 28th. Please pray that my blood pressure stays at a good level, that Abigail and I stay healthy and strong and that the delivery is quick and without complications. Also pray for me to make it through the week at work. They are being very demanding of me right now and I am trying not to stress out. Thank you all for praying for us. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

This week's appointment

We went for our 38 week checkup on Tuesday. Everything is the same as last week: good blood pressure, Abigail's heart beat sounded good and no dilation yet. We go back on Tuesday at 2:50. My OB did say the latest he would let me go would be 41 weeks. We'll know more at our next appointment and go ahead and set a date for induction. Please pray for us. I am becoming more and more uncomfortable. It gets harder and harder to get out of bed, get in and out of the car and just plain walk. We pretty much have everything ready for Abigail's arrival. Nervousness and excitement are constant feelings for Mark and I. My last day of work will be Friday the 17th. I'm definitely looking forward to my 3 months of maternity leave. Oh and we found a better daycare than what we were orginally planning to do. It will be $40 a week cheaper and it's at a church not far from my work. Pray they will continue to have an opening for Abigail in January. Paying the registration fee only reserves a spot for 30 days so we will have to wait until December to register. Thank you all for your prayers, please continue to pray for us. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

3 weeks and counting...

We went on Tuesday for our 37 week appointment. We heard Abigail's heart beat again through Fetal Doppler. I love hearing her heart beat! Everything is going well. My blood pressure is still good too. As of Tuesday, I've only gained 9 pounds since February. I'm still not dilated any, so we will still take it one week at time. My next appointment is Tuesday at 2:55. Abigail will be here in 19 days if she comes on the due date. We are growing more and more excited about her arrival. I'm becoming more and more tired and uncomfortable but it's worth it. Thank you for all your prayers. Please keep praying. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time....God is good! All the time!

Daughter's name

We wanted to let everyone know that we have decided to name our daughter, Abigail Elizabeth Robinson. Candy has always wanted a daughter named Abigail. The name sounded great to me. However, we spent quite some time deciding on her middle name. We had prefered a short middle name, due to her first name (Abigail) and our last name (Robinson). One name I felt was good was Elizabeth. When I presented the name to Candy, she really liked it! We know she'll have a long name but it's more of an old-fashioned name, which we both prefer. Therefore, we agreed upon the name Abigail Elizabeth Robinson!

~Mark~

36 week appointment

We went on Tuesday for our 36 week appointment and ultrasound. Everything is great. Thank you God! My blood pressure is still good. Abigail is measuring at 6 lbs 7 oz right now. The ultrasound technician said that she could see hair on Abigail's head. I couldn't tell from the angle I was looking at the screen so I'll just take her word for it. My OB said there is a 50/50 chance of delivering close to my due date. It's still a little early to tell. I'm not dilated any. I will go on weekly checkups until delivery so our next appointment is Tuesday at 12:25. We are so excited about little Abigail arriving. Thank you for all your prayers. Please keep praying. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time....God is good! All the time!

34 week checkup

We went for my 34 week checkup this morning. We heard Abigail's heart beat through the hand-held device (Fetal Doppler). I always love hearing her heart beat! The doctor said it sounded perfect. My blood pressure is still good too. Everything is going well. My weight has been fluctuating very little (which is good). As of today, I've only gained 5 pounds since February. Thank you God for a good report! We go back in 2 weeks for an ultrasound and checkup. Only 6 weeks to go, if I go until my due date! Please keep us in your prayers. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Baby shower

I want to thank all the ladies that came to the baby shower at church Saturday night. Your being there was a blessing in itself. Thank you Misty for organizing and leading it and thank you Mrs. Bennett for the touching devotion. Of course, we are extremely grateful for all the wonderful gifts. Thank you to everyone who has given a gift. It's been fun going through everything. I will update the Wal-Mart registry once I go through everything again since many items weren't taken off. There's a few more things we need but we know that God will provide. Thanks again for your kindness! May God bless you for it!

Prayer requests

I have several members of my family on my mom's side that need your prayers. Please pray from my grandfather (mom's dad), Willis Bray. He found out on Friday in a pre-op appointment for cataract surgery that he has a stomach aneurysm (a localized, balloon-like bulge of a blood vessel). Thankfully they caught it before the vessel burst. The vessel is 2 1/2 times the normal size. His cataract surgery has been postponed. He will be going in for major surgery to fix the vessel tomorrow morning and will be in Intensive Care for a few days and in the hospital for more than a week. Please pray for the surgery to go well and for him to heal quickly and completely. Please pray for my uncle (mom's youngest brother), Michael Bray. He lost a kidney and received a kidney transplant for the one kidney he had over 15 years ago. His current kidney function is at about 50%. Please pray for healing. Please pray from my aunt (mom's oldest brother's wife) Joann Bray. She has an enlarged liver and spleen. It's not a good prognosis. Please pray for healing.

Root Canal #2

As I mentioned in my post last week, I was experiencing some pain with the tooth beside the one that had a root canal last Wednesday. I called the dentist last Friday afternoon and they said it was normal to experience pain (fighting infection/bruising) after a root canal. I knew it wasn't normal when the pain continued for days. The pain was extremely bad Wednesday night which caused another sleepless night. I was running out of pain killers and they weren't helping much anyways. Thursday morning I called the dentist and they said they had a cancellation and they could see me at 8am. I saw a different dentist in the practice from last week. He said he couldn't see an issue with the tooth but with the symptoms I described he suggested a root canal. I said go for it, just make this pain go away! During the procedure, the dentist did confirm that the nerve was no longer "alive" and a root canal was in order. I don't think they used enough novocain this time though cause I felt some pain during the procedure and definitely felt major pain afterwards. They did prescribe more antibiotics and pain killers. It took several hours for the pain killer to kick in so needless to say, yesterday was a painful day, plus expensive! I go back for a post-op checkup Thursday to make sure I am healing properly. Please pray that everything heals quickly and completely. Also pray that Abigail continues to grow without any complications. We've had no complications so far with the pregnancy and we are thankful for that. I go on Tuesday for my 34 week checkup. We are extremely excited about the church baby shower tomorrow. My parents and Mark's mom will be up for the weekend. Mark's dad and stepmom are stopping by this evening before the storm hits. We are thrilled to have family coming for a visit! Please pray for everyone's safety on the road through this upcoming storm. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. Abigail will be here soon! We boldly ask God for one more day! Until next time...God is good! All the time!

What an eventful couple of weeks!

This is a long post but I just wanted to share the eventful couple of weeks we have had. First off, I want to congratulate Angie and Jeremy on the birth of their handsome baby boy Luke James Knutson on Monday, August 18th. Mark and I stayed in town to be there for the delivery. What a big boy! 9 lbs 15 oz and 21 inches long. Check out the pics of this cutie on Angie's blog (knutsonupdateonline.blogspot.com). We got to see him for a couple minutes after delivery and then headed to Sandbridge Beach.

Mark and I went to the condo for six day's worth of rest and relaxation. We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on Tuesday. Thank you God for putting us together! We did get to go down to the beach once and to the pool once during the week. We also were able to attend the Norfolk Tides baseball game in the skybox right behind home plate on Friday night. Well, let's just say the rest of the week wasn't so fun! I had a toothache our entire vacation which I thought was a sinus infection, plus Mark busted his toe open on Wednesday and we had to go to urgent care several times during the week. He even had to miss some days of work this week because of the injury. Please pray that it continues to heal and that he won't lose his toenail. As for me, what I thought was a sinus infection turned into the horrible toothache after eating icecream on Thursday night. Since I'm pregnant, all I could really take was Tylenol, apply orajel and do some home remedies. None of which helped. The earliest my dentist could see me was this Tuesday. I was in so much pain I went to urgent care on Monday after work and they gave me antibiotics and a pain killer. I didn't sleep a wink Monday night. The dentist told me on Tuesday that I would have to have a root canal on the second to the back tooth on the top left side but I had to have permission from my OB first. I told them that I was seeing my OB that day for my 32 week checkup and would have him call. The pain killer finally kicked in on the way to the OB but I unfortunately didn't take the last pill with food. I got sick in the car. Yuck! Thankfully Mark was driving. My OB ok'd the root canal and checked on Abigail and we are doing fine. Praise the Lord! I go back in two weeks. So my dentist scheduled my root canal for 11a Wednesday. That was not fun. They numbed me up and I had to lay there for 90 minutes. They couldn't put a crown on yet because I'm pregnant. They said that my root was very long and curved so it's good that we went the root canal route instead of extraction. $750 later, I have a smaller tooth with some "cement" on it until I can get the crown after Abigail is delivered. I can't eat anything on the left side of my mouth for 10 days and until I get the crown, I can't eat anything hard. I go back on December 1st for a cleaning and to schedule my crown. The crown will be a pretty penny too. I hate that dental work is so expensive! I'm experiencing some additional pain and had to call the dentist today. They said that it was common to feel some pain and that I need to continue to take my antibiotics, put ice on the area, keep my head elevated, take the pain medication as needed and stay hydrated. Easy for them to say! Right now it kills me to drink anything (even room temp)! Please pray that this pain goes away quickly and that I heal completely. I don't need any added stress on the body right now! I do want to thank God for the good report we got on Abigail this week. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

10 weeks to go

It's hard to believe that I am 30 weeks pregnant. Time has flown by! We are very thankful that Abigail and I have remained healthy and strong. Thank you to all who are praying for us. Please continue! Abigail has been very active the last week or so. It's exciting to see my belly move when she is moving around. Mark has been able to feel her move too which is always a great experience. We go for my 32 week checkup on the 26th. I'll probably have to go every 2 weeks until we get closer to the due date. Please pray that everything continues to go smoothly.



We had Vacation Bible School last week at church and boy was that a long week! Being the teacher for the 4-5 year old girls kept me busy. Mark was a helper for recreation time and spent every evening outside leading a game for each class. I'm glad that I didn't have to stay in the heat every night. The week ran smooth and we had a total of 14 children saved. Praise the Lord!
Next week we are taking a vacation to the condo in Sandbridge. This is the last year that we will be able to go to the condo since it's no longer offered to Getloaded employees. It's sad but we are thankful for the great times we've had there. We will also be celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary on Tuesday. Like I said before, time has flown by! Mark has been such a great husband. I thank God everyday for bringing us together.
Oh, and before I forget, the church is having my baby shower on Saturday, September 6th at 7pm. We are planning to register at Wal-Mart and Target. It's going to be fun registering for little Abigail! We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Good appointment

The 28 week checkup went well. My gestational diabetes test came back good and my blood pressure continues to be good. Because I'm O negative, I did have to get the RH negative shot today (in the bottom of all places!). The shot is an injection of RH immunoglobulin to prevent my body from developing antibodies that could attack Abigail's blood. It was a little painful and the injection spot may be sore for a couple of days. We heard the heartbeat through the hand-held device (Fetal Doppler) that the doctor had. Everything is going well. Thank you God for a good report! We go back in 3 weeks for another checkup. Please keep us in your prayers. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

28 week appointment & 3 years since our 1st date

I go for my 28 week appointment at 3:30 today. No ultrasound just a checkup. I should get the results of the gestational diabetes test that I took a couple weeks ago. I also may get the RH negative shot today. Please pray all goes well. I've been feeling good but getting more and more tired. I know it will just get worse so I'm trying to get as much rest as I can. Mark has been great through all of this. I certainly appreciate his kindness, concern and love.
We actually celebrated an "anniversary" last week. On Tuesday, July 22nd, it had been 3 years since we officially met and had our first date. Boy was that an exciting evening! We met online in May of '05 and talked on the computer and the phone up until the first meeting at mom and dad's on July 22nd. I was sooo nervous to meet him in person. I had a bad experience with a previous meeting with someone I met online so I was very anxious about meeting Mark. Mom and Dad were with me during the first part of the date. We were all talking and trying to get to know each other more. My parents and I worked out a plan prior to Mark coming over and we would give a sign (can't remember what it was exactly) that he was "ok". After too long, I gave them the hint that I was comfortable with Mark and they hinted that they were too. Mom and Dad went to bed and Mark and I watched Ladder 49. We were so corny at that time. We texted each other during the movie instead of talking to each other. I guess it was nerves but the night ended well. That was just the beginning of a beautiful thing. I'm so thankful that God allowed us to meet. Mark is an amazing man and I thank God for him every day!
I will post an update of our appointment later. Please keep us in your prayers. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Second class

Our second class at the hospital went well last Tuesday. The teacher discussed possible complications with pregnancies as well as various medications mothers can take to ease their pain. We watched another video too. Thankfully, the teacher for this class was more animated than the teacher for our first class. The first one reminded me of the Micro Machines guy; she talked very fast and with little hesitation between her sentences. Either it was past my bedtime (which it was) or I had a hard time understanding her. It was a relief to see someone new teaching us.

We don't know what type of class Candy will take next. She's inquired about a few but it would occur during bad days for us (vacation, etc).

Mark

Birthing Class: Part One

Last night, we attended our first (of two) birthing class. It was definitely interesting and intuitive. The class started at 7P and lasted until 9P. There were probably 10 moms/coaches. It was fun listening to everyone state what they were having and their respective due dates. One couple stated they didn't want to find out what they were having. The due dates ranged from August 23rd-early November. There was even a couple forcasted to have theirs on the October 21st, the same day as ours.

Like I stated, the information explained to us was very informative. We watched a video towards the end of class. We absorbed a lot of feedback from fellow couples as well as the instructor.

Leaving the class, we knew we had made a good choice in attending. Our second (and last) birthing class is Tuesday, July 22, at 7P. We're looking forward to it!

Mark

Happy 4th of July!

24 week ultrasound

We went for the 24 week ultrasound yesterday. They were able to see what they missed on the last ultrasound. Everything is still going well. We only got a couple good pictures. One of her foot and a side view of her head, chest and hands. I go back in four weeks for a check-up. I have to take the gestational diabetes test before I go back. Please pray that we stay healthy and strong for the next 16 weeks. Abigail has been "thumping" me alot the last couple weeks. It still amazes me that there is a little life growing in me. I've not been sleeping well but I guess that's normal. Thank you all for your prayers. Please keep us there. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Happy Birthday

We have two birthdays to celebrate this week! Happy birthday to my neice, Jacqueline, who turned 1 on Sunday and Happy birthday to my brother, Thomas, who turned 33 today. Hope you had great birthdays! Wish you many more! We love you!

Special visit

Last night, my dad and stepmom called and asked if they could come and visit for a few hours today. We were very honored and accepted the invitation. They arrived here around 330p. Since we had to wait for Candy to get off work at 5, I spent time talking and visiting with one another. Once Candy arrived home, we decided to head to dinner at Ruby Tuesday. We had a wonderful time eating and spending quality family time together! Afterward dinner, Dad and Donna began their trip back to their house. Meanwhile, we arrived home shortly after. We thought, all the while, how wonderful of an afternoon we spent with them! We love them so much and had such a great time. Of course, we hope that another visit can be scheduled very soon!

22 week check up

We had a good check up at the OB doctor yesterday. My blood pressure is still doing good. It took awhile for the ultrasound technician to view what they needed to see. Abigail had her hands by her face and her legs were even up by her head too. She was doing some Pilates in my belly! I always enjoy it when we get to hear her heartbeat. I didn't tear up this time but I was smiling from ear to ear when I heard it. For a second we were able to see her face and we even saw Abigail open her mouth. What an amazing sight! The pictures we got still weren't very clear. The best shots we got were of one leg and one of her face. Her head was right under my belly button so there were alot of shadows on the pictures. The only thing the technician didn't get to see was her belly (the cord) because of how Abigail had her legs positioned. I have to go back in two weeks for another ultrasound so they can see the umbilical cord. Thank you God for a good check up! Thank you all for your prayers. Please keep us there. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Our mini-vacation

We had a good time at the Sandbridge Beach condo over the weekend. Angie, the kids and I arrived Thursday afternoon and Mark and Jeremy arrived Friday shortly after lunch. It was a nice and relaxing few days. The waves were rough and the Great Dismal Swamp fires kept us from going out on Saturday but we still had a good time. I can't wait to go back in 9 weeks! Enjoy the pictures. Please pray for my pastor. He was hit in the face with a softball Thursday night and has a broken jaw. He had surgery Friday evening and had 2 titanium plates put in his jaw/chin area. The doctor said that everything went well, but he wants Preacher to take a week off from preaching. The doctor said that he should be able to preach next Sunday and to play softball in 6 weeks. He will have to refrain from eating solid foods for 6 weeks also. Preacher goes back this week for a check-up and it is possible that his mouth will have to be wired shut. Preacher of course is in pain, but in good spirits. He is able to talk, but again it is somewhat painful. Please pray that his mouth will not be wired shut and that he will heal quickly and completely. Thank you for your prayers! I will put an update up tomorrow since I go for an ultrasound tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully Abigail will allow us to get good pictures this time. Keep us in your prayers. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time....God is good! All the time!

Mini-vacation

Mark and I are taking a mini-vacation to the Sandbridge condo this weekend. We invited Angie, Jeremy and the kids to come along. It's much needed time away! The condo is very nice and it's right at the ocean. Please pray that Angie gets a good report at her doctor's appointment tomorrow so they will still be able to come. We planned this trip a couple months ago and are really looking forward to it. I've attached some pictures of trips from the past. We had a blast! Until next time....We boldly ask God for one more day. God is good! All the time!

We're having a .........

Girl! We are definitely excited. The baby and I are doing fine. Thank you God! She was moving around but mainly showed us her back. The ultrasound pictures didn't turn out so good but we were still able to determine that we're having a girl. I'll have to go back in two weeks to have another ultrasound so they can get the measurements they want. We now need to determine what Abigail's middle name will be. Thank you all for your prayers. Please keep us there. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Counting down the days

We are truly excited about the doctor's appointment on Tuesday. It's been on our minds for awhile and we are counting down the days (now hours) until we have the 20 week ultrasound. It's been an amazing experience feeling the baby move. Thank you God. Please pray that the appointment goes well and that the baby cooperates so we can know whether this little miracle is a boy or girl. We still are not sure of the names yet but I know once we find out on Tuesday, it will help iron out our choices. Thank you all for your prayers and support during this exciting time. Please keep us in your prayers. We boldly ask God for one more day. Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, let us remember the more than one million men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom since the creation of our country. Let us take time to remember the millions of soldiers who have been wounded in the line of duty. And let us remember our soldiers currently fighting in the War on Terror, and applaud their service. God Bless America!

Happy Birthday Angie!

I just wanted to wish my best friend, Angie, a very happy birthday today! I hope you are having a great time up in Luray. You deserve the best, because you are the best! Love ya!

Anniversary

Today is a special anniversary for us. 3 years ago today, I received an email on match.com from mrobinson34 aka Mark. This email intiated conversation between us which lead to many emails, IMs and eventual phone calls. Our first date was on July 22, 2005. Then as all may know, we were married August 19, 2006. So today is actually a very special day for us! It's our 21 month wedding anniversary. I'm attaching the email that I got from Mark 3 years ago. It's quite funny how corny it was. What can I say, I love that corny guy! Thank you God for directing our paths together. We are blessed. Until next time....God is good! All the time!

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From: mrobinson34 (mrobinson34@talkmatch.com)
To: candygail (candygail@talkmatch.com)
Date received: May 19, 2005
Subject: Good morning!

Good morning! My name is Mark. I read your profile and thought that you and I would get along great! You sound very down-to-earth and my type of person.

A little bit about me maybe not described in my profile: I am EXTREMELY honest and EXTREMELY faithful person. I feel that you have the honesty base covered with me. :) There are many friends of mine who say that I am the most honest person they know. I have worked for Nextel (brownie points, I'm sure lol) for four years and love my job. But, lol, there are some days that I don't look forward to going into work. :) I am from Virginia Beach but moved up here after I transferred with Nextel. My family is a really big part of my life. Since it's so small, events such as Thanksgiving and Christmas I really anticipated because I get to see everyone. It's hard to get everyone together because one person lives in CA and another person lives in PA. I love long walks, day or night. One of my favorite things to do is to walk hand-in-hand with the person I care about. My favorite music is contemporary music. I don't think I'd have a problem making you laugh because I love to smile and be sarcastic at times. I love to go bowling and watch movies too! My favorite movie is Forrest Gump. I have really come to miss the days and times of spending quality and memorable time together with the person who is nearest to my heart (sounded sappy, I know lol). I love candlelight dinners and showing "her" that I care by giving her gifts as well as celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, and even times that I am thinking about her. I love to cook as well.

I truly hope that you and I can begin talking. I think you are a beautiful woman who has a lot of intelligence and a lot to offer someone. I hope that someone is me. :)

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Have a great day and take care,

Mark :)

Baby update

For the first time, I am pretty sure I felt the baby move last night and this morning. It's truly an amazing feeling. Thank you God! We find out in 2 and a half weeks what we are having (that's if the baby cooperates). We can't wait! Please keep us in your prayers. We boldly ask God for one more day.

Prayer request

My granddaddy, Willis Bray, had a heart attack last Thursday. He had a stint put in on Friday and seems to be doing well. I believe he went home from the hospital yesterday. He actually was taking care of my grandmother who just had cataract and glaucoma surgery on her eye last week when this happened. Please pray for a quick and complete recovery for them both.

Where have we been?

Boy! Has it been a busy couple weeks for us! With our work schedules and visiting family, we have had a very busy couple weeks. Mark's mom came down for a short visit last Wednesday evening through Friday morning. She was able to meet with the realtor here and see some condos around the area. Pray for the right decisions to be made and for her house to sell quickly in Virginia Beach. Mark and I were finally able to visit my parents in Kernersville, NC this weekend. It was a wonderful trip but definitely not long enough. The weather was beautiful and we a had a great time with the family. Mom and Dad drove us to see my brother, sister-in-law and two neices on Saturday. They live about an hour from my parents. Caroline sure has grown up! She will be 4 in October. I was very impressed with her vocabulary! She's one smart cookie! Jacqueline looks just like her daddy. She'll be one the end of June. Mark helped Thomas put together a grill while Mom, Dad and I hung out on the deck with the girls. We didn't stay long at Thomas' but definitely enjoyed the visit. Thomas and Rachel gave us a swing, wagon and exersaucer. Mom had a cradle for us too (and a bunch of clothes for me). Thank you! Oh, Mom also gave me a sewing machine on the condition that I learn to use it. I am excited about trying it out. I took a class in college but hated it. Now that I have a little one on the way, it'll give me more desire to master the sewing machine! Speaking of the little one on the way, we had our 16 week checkup on Tuesday. We were able to hear the heartbeat for a little bit. I always enjoy that. The doctor says everything looks good. Thank you God! We go back on June 3rd at 2:30 to find out what we are having. Mark and I are very excited. We have agreed on a girl first name-Abigail and boy middle name-either Mark or William. The girl middle name and boy first name is rather hard to agree on. Any suggestions? Until next time.....God is good! All the time! We boldly ask God for one more day!

Another fun night at the Blackwell's

It was another fun night at Kate and Jason's house lastnight. We had a cookout with cheeseburgers, hotdogs, chips, pasta salad and some yummy desserts. Mark and JW handled the grill. Poor Mark got a little to close to those flames and singed some hair on his arm. Thankfully, it didn't hurt! Game time was the best part of the night. We played Scene It? Deluxe Movie 2nd Edition. That was a quick game because the girls just blew the guys away! We then played the group favorite, Catch Phrase. The girls won that too! I haven't laughed that much in awhile. Jennifer summed it up well with some of the night's best moments: JW and Jesse's rendition of Thriller, Jason's nickname from work (that he doesn't know), tan lines described vividly, my sheep dog noises, JW's milking the cow, Kate's under hand, and our all time favorite crab grass came up! We can't wait until May 22nd for the next get together. It's going to be great as always!

Good news

I just got a call from the doctor's office and the results for the down syndrome testing/ultrasound came back. Everything is normal! Praise God! Thank you for your prayers. Please keep us there! We boldly ask God for one more day! Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Rain, Rain, Rain

After having such beautiful weather on Friday and Saturday, it has been raining non-stop since yesterday morning. I am glad the rain is washing the pollen away but my goodness, it's been pouring! Please pray that the rain stops and we have good weather this weekend for the church's 1st annual car and motorcycle show. It's going to be a great event!
I had a good time at the ladies meeting in Durham. It was nice to hear some ladies from college speak. The driving and sitting on the pew for hours at a time was a little rough and wore me out but I am glad that we all were able to make it there and back safely. I want to thank Julie for taking one for the team and sleeping on the floor since my blow up bed had a hole in it. May God bless you for your kindness and sacrifice! I am also thankful that I was able to spend some quality time with Angie. We don't get enough of that but I definitely enjoyed the time we had.
I will be 14 weeks pregnant tomorrow. I haven't been sick since last Monday so I am very thankful for that. The weekend trip exhausted me but I am doing ok. We go in two weeks for a checkup. Please continue to pray for us. We boldly ask God for one more day! Until next time....God is good! All the time!

Events during the past week

Well, there's really nothing of note going on for us lately.

Candy is pulling four 10-hour days this week so she can have Friday off to go to Durham, NC, for a church-related ladies' meeting. She leaves during the day on Friday and will return sometime Saturday evening. She's extremely blessed to have someone pay for her way on the Durham trip; she wasn't expecting the gift! She's still having quite a bit of morning/daytime sickness that is really making her feel yucky.

I haven't done too much lately. Between working at UPS and Kroger, I have logged many hours. Aside from working, not too much else has happened with me.

Tuesday, April 8th, we had the priviledge to go out to dinner with Uncle Roy and Mrs. Bennett. We ate at Outback Steakhouse. All of us thoroughly enjoyed each other's company, as well as the food! We even shared dessert, between the four of us.

This past Saturday night, our church had our once-a-month Band of Brothers (men only) meeting. Unfortunately, Preacher couldn't attend due to his recent trip to Austin, TX, to preach. Nonetheless, about 25 men turned out and we had a great time of fellowship! We had sloppy joe's, chips, drinks, and ice cream sandwiches for dinner. I had three sloppy joe's. Once the feast was finished, we gathered in big church and listened to Mr. Lacks preach a bit. I had a wonderful time, as always.

To update most people on Mom's quest to move up to the Chesterfield area, she's coming along quite well. This past weekend, Dad and Mike (family friend) came down from Harrisonburg to assist Mom with handywork around the house. The two of them replaced my playhouse porch and refinished one side of her shed. Mike also patched up the hole in the roof where it had been leaking rainwater onto the porch. Meanwhile, Mom has been rigorously trying to go through the thousands of books she's collected. All in all, she continues to hope to post the house for sale by the end of the month. She has her sights set on a condo in the Midlothian area near where Candy's parents lived. She's hoping that things will work out that she can place a contract on it soon!

May 2-4, we are planning to visit Candy's parents in Kernersville, NC. We haven't visited her parents in many months and haven't been to their house since early 2007. We are definitely looking forward to visiting for the weekend! We hope to see Candy's brother Thomas, his wife Rachel, and their two daughters Caroline and Jacqueline, during our visit. We'd love to be able to see the entire family.

Please pray for both of us so that our baby can make it one more day!

Until next time.....

12 week ultrasound

We had our 12 week ultrasound this morning. Everything looked good. We are right on track. The pictures this time aren't as defined but I posted the best one up above. It was amazing to see how much the baby had grown in the last 3 weeks. I had to laugh at the amount of squirming the baby was doing during the ultrasound. The ultrasound technician had to get some measurements and at one point the baby turned and the technician had a hard time trying to get the baby to move back. I'm kind of sore on my belly where the technician was pushing and moving the wand back and forth real fast so that the baby would move. It didn't help having a full bladder either! They did a test today to see the risk of down syndrome. We will find out those results in a week or so. I go back in on May 6th for my 16 week check up. Oh, by the way, our due date is actually October 21st. Mark and I both thought it was the 19th but all the paper work had the 21st. I guess it doesn't matter anyway since only 5% of women deliver their babies on their projected due date. Thank you all for praying for us. Please continue to do so. We boldly ask God for one more day! Until next time...God is good! All the time!

Various notations from the Robinsons

I have been feeling under the weather during the past few days. Just the usual sniffles. Candy is doing well but she's continuing to have nausea daily. It's been rainy during the last week. Hopefully the weather will change soon! Not much of note going on in the Robinson family recently. Candy's third ultrasound is at 8:30a this Tuesday. Tomorrow she will be 12 weeks!!!

Until next time.....

Thursday night at the Blackwell's

We spent last Thursday night over at Jason and Kate's house. It was a night for good food, fellowship and games. We had baked spaghetti, salad, rolls, apple pie and vanilla icecream. It was all so yummy! Later we played the board game, Trivial Pursuit 80's Edition, that Mark got at the College & Career class Christmas Party. The guys definitely did better than the girls. We all had fun though. Jennifer summed it up really well on her blog with some highlights: "flying seagulls," turning the lights off on Ms. Blackwell, lots of hints for the girls, wanting to see the donkey dance, "Fraggle Rock," and chesty Fabio. It was great to get out and have some fun with good friends. We can't wait until the next gathering! By the way, I am feeling more tired and the nausea is an every day thing but I'm doing ok. Thank you for all the prayers. Please keep us there! We boldly ask God for one more day! Until next time.....God is good! All the time!

Easter Day Fun

We had a wonderful Easter day! Around 9:30A, we left for Sunday School and followed up with regular church service. The Mixed Ensemble (which included Candy) sang a special and sounded very good! Once the preaching started, Preacher was on fire; he was so energetic! He also found out that his doctor referred a young couple to visit our church! He thought that was a true work of God. The couple got saved and both were baptized! Since I (Mark) have attended HBC, I haven't heard of such a referral.

Once church dismissed, Mom, Candy, and I spent the afternoon hours at the Knutson's home for lunch and fellowship. While Jeremy and I were tending to the grilling of the barbeque chicken, hot dogs, and keilbasa, the ladies and children were having fun inside awaiting all the good food that was going to be served! We had everyting: chicken, hot dogs, green bean casserole, corn, keilbasa, mashed potatoes, and even a pomello (spelling is uncertain). For dessert, we had a variety of cheesecakes, sugar cookies, chocolate cookies, cookie cake, and kiwi. Following the feast, we spent a few hours talking, playing with nerf toys, and having great fellowship. Everyone had a blast!

We concluded the day with evening church. We are so blessed to have countless friends through church that we can all visit. Usually, twice a week, we have something planned with someone! It's definitely a wonderful feeling to be loved like that! The events are always something to look forward to!

The Robinsons hope that everyone had a safe and fun Easter Day!

Until next time.......

Easter Weekend

We are definitely excited to have Mark's mom coming for a visit this weekend. She's always a joy to have around. We are going to have Easter lunch over at Angie and Jeremy's on Sunday afternoon so that will be a treat. Mark and I are truly blessed with great friends and family. We hope everyone has a safe Easter weekend. We boldy ask God for one more day! Until next time....God is good! All the time!