11 Weeks!

How B-Rob growing:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. His hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under his gums, and some of his bones are beginning to harden. He's already busy kicking and stretching (as we were able to see during the last ultrasound!), and his tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that his diaphragm is forming.

How cute is that...our little one has hiccups!

Thanks, Wendy, for the idea to use babycenter.com. I like it much better than the other sites I've visited!

We have an appointment tomorrow morning as a follow-up for the ER visit on Saturday.

Apple Pie!

I made my first attempt at baking an apple pie from scratch (crust and all) and ended up in the ER (not related to the apple pie, of course!). So I tried again the next day! I didn't have enough crust the first time around, so I had to piece it together. It may not look pretty, but according to Bill and Chuck (Bill's best friend) it was 'tasty'! Every mom needs to know how to make an apple pie, right? Next up...home made bread!!

Thanksgiving '07

We spent Thanksgiving Day with Bill's parents, aunt and uncle, and cousins. We had a wonderful meal and I got to know his family a little better. Here are some pictures of our afternoon:

From the left: Bill's dad (Bill), Bill's mom (Diana), Donna (if you look close, you might see a bump!), Bill, cousin Chad, Uncle Ron, cousin Nicole (Chad's wife), and Andrew (5). Aunt Gail was taking the picture and Aiden was sleeping, but look below for a picture of the cutie little guy with Bill!

A Scare!

I had a scare this Thanksgiving weekend. I had been sick Friday, so I stayed home from Bill's game on Saturday. We didn't think it would be a good idea for me to sit in the cold for a couple hours! After Bill left (with the cell phone, thankfully), I was just getting ready to make my first apple pie when I started bleeding. I immediately called my doctor's office and was sent to an answering service, since it was Saturday. The on-call doctor called me back and asked a few questions. She determined that since I wasn't crapping or on any potentially harmful medication, that I should just lay down and rest, that it didn't sound like I was, or had, miscarried. She told me to call if the bleeding got worse. I was calmed by my mom and Bethany while resting on my bed. I called Bill and told him what was going on, but that I was going to stay home, per doctor's orders. Nicole (Bill's best friend Chuck's wife) called and was on her way over to hang out and bring some supplies. After laying down for awhile, I realized I was still bleeding pretty heavily. I called the doctor and she told me to go to the ER to have everything checked out.

Bill's game was on the other side of Denver from where we live, so he met us at the hospital later. Nicole took me to the hospital. I was taken back for an ultrasound, to find that everything was OK with the baby and me. We saw the heart beat and the doctor showed us that the placenta was just fine also.
Since I have A- blood, I had to get a shot of RhoGAM to avoid my blood mixing with the baby's. I was going to have to get the shot anyway, they just did it earlier because of bleeding.

So, all is well! The bleeding has stopped and I feel great today! Just a scare for us. Thank you for your continued prayers for the baby and me!

My Awesome Hubby!

Let me just brag for a moment about my husband: He promised me before we got married that he would always have fresh flowers for me. He began this tradition for my 30th birthday this past May. Bill was living in Colorado while I was finishing up the school year in Arizona. While I was eating lunch at work on my birthday, I was told I had a package at the front desk. When I turned the corner I discovered this:

30 red roses delivered to my school on my birthday!

Just to gain a little perspective, here I am trying to hold the gigantic and heavy vase of BEAUTIFUL flowers: Last week I started getting sick in the evenings. I've found that ginger ale helps a lot if I sip on it throughout the day and especially when I feel sick. We didn't have any at home because I had left it at school over the weekend. So on Saturday night, after hanging out with his parents for the evening, Bill headed out to get me some ginger ale. He came back with a few 2 liter bottles and immediately brought me a glass before helping me get settled into our recliner (the only place I feel less sick...sleeping upright). The next morning, I awoke to find these:

2 dozen dark pink roses graced our kitchen. And it's not just these two incidences! I've come home to pink roses, a mix of gerbera daisies, and mixed colors roses.

Now, it's not just the flowers. Bill takes perfect care of me and our home. He's always fixing things and helping to make our house a home. Especially since I've been pregnant with lack of energy, Bill has been going above and beyond. He comes home just as exhausted (after work and coaching) as I am , yet gets down to business helping with dinner (or offering to take us out!), helping with dishes and making sure I'm comfortable and resting when I need to.

I love my husband more now than I did the day we got married. He is giving, loving, kind, caring, and compassionate. I am blessed to live with and love my best friend. I am thrilled to enter into our next stage of starting a family with this amazing man!

Bill's Football Season

Bill began coaching football again for Bear Creek High School this summer. He coached them about 9 years ago and was called this summer to come back. He coached the defensive line and helped lead the Bears to a 10-3 season. They ended last week with a loss in the semi-finals for the state championship for division 5A. I (Donna) had a GREAT time going to the games with Bill and Diana (Bill's parents) as we cheered the boys on! Although they didn't make it to the final game, they had a great season. The picture below is after their win against Columbine (ranked #1 in Colorado and #17 in the nation) in the quarter finals when we all ran out on the field. It was a great game to watch and even more exciting for the coaches and players! Bill is in the middle with the green Bear Creek jacket.

B-Rob's first photo op!

Here's the ultra sound picture of our little one (if you click on it, you can view him/her up close)!


We had the most amazing time at the appointment! We got to hear the heart beat (150 beats/min...just perfect). For the sake of simplicity, we'll use the Biblical 'he' to tell all about our new adventure into parenthood! After the doctor was finished measuring our little one (just under an inch!), he started moving around! We think he was cold and trying to get away from the cold stick pushing on him! He started moving his arms and it looked like he was rubbing his eyes! He was kicking and rolled around. He turned to face us so we could see his little eyes (closed of course), nose and mouth. He kept turning all the way around so we could see his spine and little butt! Turning even more, he settled back into his original spot, kicked a bit more and went back to sleep!

Our little one is growing strong and healthy and is moving already. The doctor was a bit amazing and in awe for us to be able to see him/her move around!

We go back to the doctor in 4 weeks for another check-up. We'll be making an appointment for an early genetic screen in the next few weeks. We'll keep you posted!

Thank you so much for your prayers!

The Robbins' Nest

When we decided to start this blog, I thought "The Robbins' Nest" would be a great name to grow with us...you know, when we were blessed with getting pregnant and then adding some chick-lettes to the nest. Well...

2 pink lines and a blue plus (it went away before we could get a picture!) = a baby in 9 months! Little B-Rob (short for Baby Robbins...thanks Auntie Bethany for the name!) will be here the middle of June. I'm at the beginning of my tenth week and here's a brief description of the little one growing inside:

Your baby's growth is fast and furious now. B-Rob is nearly an inch and a half long and the size of a prune, but not nearly as shriveled (even with all the time it spends in water). In fact, your baby is really taking a human shape now. Bones and cartilage are forming, and small indentations on the legs are developing into knees and ankles. The arms (complete with elbows) can flex already, but don't run to the store for a baseball bat just yet. Though B-Rob's arms are taking shape and getting stronger, each one is only about the size of this number 1. The tooth bud fairy is making her appearance this week, heralding the arrival of your baby's little choppers, which are forming under the gums. (Those pearly whites won't break through the gums until your baby is close to six months old). Other systems are go, too. B-Rob's stomach is producing digestive juices, the kidneys are producing larger quantities of urine, and, if your baby's a boy, he's already producing testosterone (yikes!).

Check back frequently for updates on our changing lives!