Happy Birthday Jesus!!

Well one of my favorite days of the entire year came....

the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus.....

CHRISTmas!!

This year I felt like I wasn't ready at all, b/c I really

didn't get to shop for presents like I usually do. But

I finally just told myself to remember the true reason
behind this season and everything was going to be ok!

Here are a few pictures from Christmas time......

Baby and I are still resting as much as possible. I continue

to have contractions several times a day! This week I didn't get

checked by doc b/c he wasn't there and I saw the other on-call

doc. I did do my first NST of the week.....it was LONG! We

couldn't get a good steady heartbeat on the monitor so the nurse

had to just hold it on my belly....and press so that we could get

a reading. We concluded she must be really low and far away

from the surface of my belly =) Little sinker!

Last week on Christmas Eve, I did my NST at the hospital.

It was like I was admitted, b/c I had to answer tons of questions.

Gave me a dose of what it's going to be like again when she's on

her way!

Anyway....all is looking good. Bags are packed and we're just

waiting on our Angel to be healthy and ready to meet us!

Went Private

Sorry for going private with no warning!

I've had some women getting into my business

that really should have no business. I have been

betrayed and taken advantage of, and it's sad that

it's happened right before I give birth. I won't get

into too much detail, but I figured I am only going to

let those who I trust ready my personal info now. And

if I didn't have their email to invite them, then they

would know how to reach me =)

“Do not go about spreading slander among your people.

Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.

I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:16

Getting closer....

At my dr. appt Monday, doc checked me and I am now

3cm dilated and 70% effaced! I started to lose my mucus plug

already (gross I know). So seems as though my body is

getting ready for her! It's just a matter of time now =)

With Hunter I went into labor the day after I lost my

mucus plug. I don't remember losing it with Alli Jo plus I was

induced with her. It has been 9 years since I went into labor

on my own, so it's hard to remember all the details.

Doc said he will not induce me until 39 weeks. I will be 36

tomorrow. He doesn't think I will make it to the 39 weeks though.

I just hopeand pray that Stella's lungs and body are ready

when she decides to make her entrance into this world!

Besides the many contractions I have throughout the day, I feel

a ton of pressure low...like she has dropped. Which makes it really

tough to walk or waddle for that matter =) lol

246 Days pregnant

Today I am 247 days pregnant...wow I've got pretty far!
(35 weeks 2 days).
The final count down has begun! Most likely b/c of my
gestational diabetes they will induce me early....so in
less than 4 weeks we will meet our new princess!!! WOW
I am so anxious to meet her!

I have checked off the final thing off our list, a car seat!

Gosh I can't believe I waited this long to get one! But now

she is ready to come home =)

I have started my maternity leave a little early, do to some

complications. I am to take it easy and rest now so that

Stella makes a safe entrance into this world. It is very

hard for me to "rest". Especially at this time of year when

I feel I "need" to get things done for Christmas. But I

am blessed with a very loving family who have helped

me with cleaning and shopping! I could not ask for a

better mom & husband..as well as kiddos =)

Alli Jo is getting very excited to meet her baby sister!

She has helped me fold Stella's clothes and blankets,

organized her bedroom, and got the diaper bag ready =)

Hunter has pretty much kept to herself and she gets excited

to feel the baby kick...but she pretty much knows what to

expect and isn't the happiest to know mommy is going to have

to share her love with yet another child =( So we are trying

to cope with that as much as we can.

All in all we are ready to meet our princess....just waiting for

her to be ready to meet us =)

Hunter's Christmas Program

Last week Hunter had her Christmas program. This was

for grades K-3rd. K-2nd did mostly singing, and the 3rd

grade had singing and speaking parts. It was really cute!

Hunter had 3 speaking parts...I was so proud of her!! She

did great! Silly mommy had just got a new point-n-shoot

and could not figure out the video --go figure! lol

So I didn't capture any video =( But here are a few pics!

Isn't she adorable!!

For my birthday/Christmas present...Joe let me

get a new point-n-shoot. It's the Canon PowerShot SX20.

I must say my favorite point-n-shoot thus far!

It has a 20x wide-angle zoom & 12.1-megapixels!

Plus you can shoot stunning HD movies (if I ever figure it out).

Thank you hunny =)

238 Days pregnant

Today I am 238 Days pregnant (34 weeks).

I am still seeing Doc once a week, and get a NST

twice a week. Everything went great at my appt

Monday. I asked doc the odds of me getting a c-

section and he said very slim. I've already had a

8lb 6oz child (Alli) so he's not too worried. Next

Monday we will do another ultrasound to estimate

the size of Stella. And we will make plans for the

birth from there! Everyone is predicting I won't

make it past New Years....we shall see =)

I don't at all feel ready. I mean I'm ready to meet

her, just not yet =) Give me a few more weeks and

I know I will be ready! I have a LONG list of necessities

I just discovered we needed....so I need to get to the

store soon! I am a planner and it's driving me nuts!

Nothing major has changed with my body, except the

fact I can hardly get up and down anymore LOL

It's pretty comical if you ask me or even Joe!

Getting out of bed is sometimes a "team" effort! haha

I usually just ROLL!!

I have been having A LOT of Braxton hicks again.

They are so painful, it's hard to tell if they're real

at first. At work I timed them 5 minutes apart,

but then they stopped. So it has been interesting!

Well that's about all the new info for now. I will try to

keep up with my blogging..it's been crazy lately!

My birthday and celebrating our Savior's Birthday

Well another birthday has come and past!

I am now 27 years young =) haha I had a

blast on my birthday just spending it with family!

I couldn't be happier having such a great husband

and two amazing daughters that light up my world!

They are seriously what keep me going!! I cannot

wait for Stella to meet her amazing family =)

It was too funny when I told Alli Jo that it was my

birthday...she kept asking "Can I come?" She thought

it would be a BIG party like all of her friends have had!

She cracks me up!

We have begun decorating for an upcoming birthday...

our Savior Jesus!!!

We are so excited and cannot wait to honor our

Father! Alli Jo gets a double dose this year of parties

for Him! She gets to have a party at preschool where

they will have a cake and goodies all for Him! I think

it's awesome to be able to still do this in school...granted

it's a Catholic school...but still =)

I hope to be able to keep the true meaning of Christmas

in our family so that my girls will carry it on to theirs!

A little update on my pregnancy:

I am 33 1/2 weeks pregnant. I now am seeing Doc once

a week, and go in twice a week for a Fetal Non-Stress

Test (NST). So far Stella has been great and last week

the test went wonderful! I am managing the gest. diabetes

as best I can. The endocrinologist did increase my insulin

again last week, and the numbers seem to be droping

even more!

I am really nervous about the possibilty of a c section.

I plan to talk this over with Doc today at my weekly appt.

He has not mentioned anything at all that it's in our "plan"

but I was asked by the diabetes doc if there were any plans

to do so. So I know it's common with my condition, I would

just rather not have to =)

Oh and please keep my good friend Shaya & her little one

in your prayers...her lil Miss is going to be here soon =)

Thanksgiving

A little behind on my posts, but better late than never, right? ha hA


Last Tuesday Alli Jo had her Thanksgiving program at
preschool. It was too darn cute! The girls were dressed as little
pilgrims and the boys were Indians =) They all sang Thanksgiving
songs, followed bytheir preschool prayer and then sat down
with family to have "Thanksgiving Dinner".
It was so much fun!! I had to hold back tears

b/c my baby isn't so much a baby anymore =(
She was so grown up singing all the words she knew!
We had a few bloopers as she was

picking her nose...ha ha! She was right in the front too LOL

But you can't blame her, her nose was so dry from her sinus

drainage. Needless to say she wasn't the only one =)

Thursday we had a great Thanksgiving! I did pretty good on my

eating...I was a little worried. But we planned ahead on foods that

I could eat so I just ate a lot of that =)

We went to my mom's to eat lunch and spent the afternoon playing

board games with my mom, step-dad, sister, BIL, and the kiddos.

That evening we went to Joe's g-mas house and visited with his

family. Good times!

Friday morning, I sent Joe out to get what I wanted from the

Wal-mart ad. He did pretty good...he couldn't find one item

and they ended up not having anymore. Too bad I'm not preggo

every year =) I ended up going out with him later to do more

shopping and I think we're done! Woo hoo!! There are just a

couple more things I want to get. Friday evening we went and

picked out our Christmas tree!! We had fun...but of course we

couldn't all agree and guess who won.......me! lol But it's

beautiful and the girls love it now =)

218 days pregnant & dealing with Gestational Diabetes

Today I am 217 days pregnant ( 31 weeks and 1 day).

As I mentioned on previous posts, I had been diagnosed

with Gestation Diabetes. I think I left you on the last post

saying that I was going to visit with the doc and possibly have

to get insulin. Well, yep he said I need insulin. The diet

wasn't working, so I take 5 injections a day!! UGH

It hasn't been "as bad" as I thought. I take Humulin by syringe

in the morning and at night (2 doses) and then the

Humalog pen with breakfast, lunch, and dinner (3 doses). The

pen is very similar to what I used in my fertility treatments, so

I felt like a pro! ha I was really nervous to use the syringe, but

the needle wasn't big at all, infact it hurts less than the pen!!

Here is a little bit of info for those who aren't very familar

with gestational diabetes:

When you eat, your digestive system breaks most of your food

down into a type of sugar called glucose. The glucose enters your

bloodstream and then — with the help of insulin, a hormone

made by your pancreas — provides fuel for the cells of your

body. Like the type 1 and type 2 diabetes you can get when

you're not pregnant, gestational diabetes causes the glucose

to stay in your blood instead of moving into your cells and

getting converted to energy. Why does this sometimes happen

when you're pregnant? During pregnancy, your hormones make

it tougher for your body to use insulin, so your pancreas needs

to produce more of it. For most moms-to be, this isn't a

problem: As your need for insulin increases, your pancreas

dutifully secretes more of it. But when a woman's pancreas

can't keep up with the insulin demand and her blood glucose

levels get too high, the result is gestational diabetes.Most

women with gestational diabetes don't remain diabetic once

the baby is born. Once you've had it, though, you're at higher

risk for getting it again during a future pregnancy and for

becoming diabetic later in life.

My next OB appt is on the 30th. I believe they'll will be keeping

a close watch on Miss Stella so that she doesn't get too big!

For most women with gestational diabetes, the main worry is that

too much glucose will end up in the baby's blood. When that

happens, the baby's pancreas needs to produce more insulin

to process the extra glucose. All this excess blood sugar and

insulin can cause your baby to make more fat and put on extra

weight, particularly in the upper body.

T Minus 70 days

Today I am 30 weeks preggo =) Hard to believe I have only

10 weeks or less until I meet baby Robinson A.K.A. Stella.

After seeing her on the 3D ultrasound, I feel more than

ready to be her mommy. I cannot wait until the day I

can hold her and introduce her to her daddy and sisters

who are overjoyed to meet her as well!

This past weekend I finally got all of her clothes hung up.

I still haven't bought anything brand new for Miss S, all

of her clothes are either her sisters or from yard sales. But

they are the cutest clothes eva! lol I will however probably buy

her a new dress to wear home from the hospital =)

I need to get to wal-mart and just buy all of her necessities,

baby shampoo, lotions, diapers, wipes, etc. Other than

that I think we're set!!

So on my last post I posted about having gestational diabetes.

This week I've tested my blood sugar every day, 4x's a day.

My numbers have come down some with diet, but not to what

they "should" be. I meet with the doc Friday, we'll see what

he says. It really hasn't been hard cutting out the sugar/sweets

b/c I haven't craved them at all this pregnancy. It's the carbs

that is tough =( Anything for my little princess tho!

I meet with a dietician today to go over some meal plans, etc.

I finally got to feeling "myself" again after the pneumonia. I

got some of my energy back...and just in time! Hunter got the

flu last week and was pretty much "out of it" for a week =(

Thanks to my awesome mom, we quarantined her to one

bedroom and bathroom and nobody else got sick...thank God!

Alli Jo has been getting sinus infections again, and I was hoping it

wouldn't be so many since she had her tonsils out last spring.

She still snores quite a bit as well, so I'm hoping with time that

will all go away...poor girl!

There hasn't been many other body changes, except for this

ever growing belly! I cannot sleep at night and it is getting harder

and harder to turn in bed. I have very painful ligament pains, sort

of like "popping" when I turn in bed. I also have some cramping

which I know is just "growing pains" so to speak. And I dont' have

to even mention how many times I use the restroom in the middle of

the night LOL

Here's what's going on with Stella this week:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost

3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but

that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more

room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though

it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes

closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them,

she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision —

which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.

203 days pregnant

Thursday I was 203 days pregnant (29 weeks)!

Getting closer to meeting our angel every day =)

I found out this week I have gestational diabetes.

For those of you who don't know what that is;

gestational diabetes is high blood sugar (diabetes) that starts or

is first diagnosed durning pregnancy.

I had my glucose screening last week, and my number was

double what it should be...so I skipped the 4 hr test and

went straight to seeing an endocrine specialist.

We are seeing how my numbers look this week, and if

they don't lower I will need insulin.

I test my blood sugar 4x's/day. Took me a little bit to

get used to...but I'll do anything for my baby girl!

Here are a few pictures we captured in 3D of Miss Stella

Super Girl and Baterina

Thursday evening we took the girls trick-or-treating

at all of the g-parents houses. I'm glad we made this

a separate evening b/c it took up every bit of time we

had!

The girls had a blast this year picking out their costumes!

Alli Jo knew as soon as she saw hers...SUPER GIRL!!!

Hunter took a while to decide, but she finally went with

a "Baterina" lol

Take a look...aren't they the cutest =)

Third Trimester....are u serious???

WOW! Where has the time gone?

Today I am 196 days (28 weeks) pregnant =)

I am slowly getting over what they think was early stage

pneumonia....yuck! I have never felt so horrible!

With meds, rest...rest...and more rest as

well as tons of fluids I'm feeling better today =)

I did have to cancel my photo sessions for the rest of the

year =( Thank God I had some really understanding

clients...who I can't wait to shoot next spring!!

Besides being sick I've had various other not so fun things

going on. Braxton Hicks have become my new friend....not a friend

I can say I enjoy..ugh! Some others include...back pain, fatigue,

breathing difficulty (partly from being sick I would imagine),

slight swelling in my ankles, frequent urination, and difficulty

sleeping =(

I cannot figure out why on earth I have to urinate 6 times in the

middle of the night, when I don't even go 6 times during the day! lol

If anyone knows the answer please let me know =)

My poor husband...I do not know how he sleeps with me at night

b/c I'm CONSTANTLY rolling around! I cannot get comfortable

at all! Lying on my back interferes with blood circulation,

I could never do that even not preggo.....and lying on my

stomach isn't possible!! Not good for a "stomach sleeper".

Oh the joys of pregnancy! ha

There aren't just negative things about this pregnancy though.

I thank my Father every day for allowing me to carry His children!

It is the best feeling in the world to have this little miracle

growing inside me! All of the family has felt Miss Stella

kick =) Well Alli Jo...I'm just not sure about her, ha...she

will put her hand on my belly and say right away, "I felt it!" lol

Joe FINALLY got to feel her! She really kicked hard too! Think

she wanted to make sure daddy knew she loved him =)
Hunter feels her almost every time...it cracks me up!

I haven't gone shopping yet for just Stella. I have only got some

yard sale clothes for her...but they are great and so stinkin cute!

I am really going to have to become more frugal with 3 kiddos

and take advantage of yard sales!!

Here's what is going on with Stella this week:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds

and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels.

She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight

developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in

through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons

in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation

for life in the outside world.

Tomorrow is my glucose screening test. And I also get to do
the 3D ultrasound!

I cannot WAIT to see Miss Stella's face =)

Oh and I will leave you with a little preview of what is

to come with the Halloween costumes...hee hee!

Pregnancy - Day 189

Today I am 189 days pregnant (27 weeks)!

Only one more week and I'll be in my third trimester!

Woo hoo!!!

I can really start to tell how much she is growing!

My clothes are getting tighter :) I think I've gained

a total of 10lbs this pregnancy so far. Pretty good cuz

I really only need to gain 15-20 this time.

I am getting the braxton hicks contractions. They are

usually when I stand for long periods of time or when

I haven't had enough fluids.

The bed seems to be getting smaller and smaller. lol

Maybe it's because Alli Jo sneaks in during the night :)

My husband would say it's b/c of the mountain of pillows

I have to have strategically placed around me! ha ha

Next week I do the glucose screening test. I really don't mind

this test at all, I actually think the orange drink is good :)

I also get to do a 3D ultrasound the same day! I'm so

excited! I want to see Stella's beautiful face! I remember

getting to see Alli Jo's on the 3D, and she was such an

angel! I think this will be fun for the girls to see her and

make it more of a reality.

Here's what's going on with Stella's this week:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is about

14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and

waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and

perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue

developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her

lungs are still immature, they would be capable of

functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to

be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you

may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be

common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few

moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax

and enjoy the tickle.

Too cute for my camera: Leah Robinson Photography

Do I need to say anything at all...

this little girl was too cute for my camera...

I think she broke it with her irresistible dimples :)

Playing peek-a-boo

A Mother's Love: Leah Robinson Photography

When no words are needed for captions,

you know as a photographer you have done your job:)

Love this girl so much! She is such a great mommy!

Endearing: Leah Robinson Photography

I seriously couldn't even picture a better session then

this one....well maybe if it was just a tad warmer that day!

This little doll was the sweetest girl! She would do anything

I asked of her! It usually takes kids just a few minutes to

warm up to the camera, but not her....

she was my best friend w/in the first minute...love it!

I went to school with her mommy and let me tell ya...

this is her clone!!!

100 days......

to go!!!

Where has the time gone...wow!

In about 3 mos I'm going to be a mother of three!

This week I'm 26 weeks (182 days) preggo.

Here's what's going on with Stella this week:

Your baby has put on quite a bit of weight by

pregnancy week 26 and is now a whopping

1.7 pounds (almost). Your baby's total length

is about 14 inches during pregnancy 26 weeks!

Your baby is now starting to add a little fat to her

bones, though she won't start accumulating

too much fat until the last few weeks of pregnancy.

Your uterus should now be about 2 and a half

inches above your belly button. Your uterus will

continue growing at a rate of about 1 centimeter each

week as you continue your pregnancy week by week.

You have probably put on some weight at this point

in time, up to 23 pounds for some women. Your weight

may fluctuate from day to day due to water retention

so try not to weight yourself every day if you can avoid it,

as this could prove discouraging during your pregnancy.

The entire family is getting so excited to meet Miss Stella. This

past week, her big sister Hunter was the first to feel her kick!!!

3 times as a matter of fact :) It cracks me up....

Stella can be "sleeping"and she hears her big sisters and

starts kicking like crazy! I just love it!Alli Jo loves to hug and

lay on my belly (it is quite the pillow right now). She talks to her

baby sister and kisses her every day. She tells her about her day

and funny stories. She "says" she feels her kick too LOL

When daddy puts his hand on mommy's belly,

Stella stops kicking. I can pretty much rely on dad to stop those

hard kicks haha! Maybe it's b/c she's waiting to hear who it is :)

Too quiet to be her sisters! Or maybe daddy's touch puts

her to sleep (let's hope so). So we can't wait till January!!

Baby Stella we love you so much!!

Saturday Holiday Mini-Sessions: Leah Robinson Photography

So I survived my first weekend doing mini-sessions!!

Despite the frigid temps :)

Here is a little preview of my Saturday groups.....

I give A+'s to all the kiddos for doing so great in such

cold weather!!

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