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.