Love Shoot

At 30 weeks and a few days, Ryan and I met Alyson Dant downtown at one of our favorite places in Indy. The Canal Walk has special meaning to us because it is where our reception took place on the night of our wedding. Since then, it continues to be a special local destination for the Robinson family. Ryan's office is right on the canal, so in the summer I often bring Lola and we will go for a walk on his lunch break and then set up for a picnic. It is also the location of Tri-Indy where Ryan competed this past August in a Sprint Triathlon and where I will be next year. It is truly one of our favorite places in our city. So this is why we chose to have our maternity shoot here. Alyson did an amazing job. I would recommend her to anyone! She really captured the love between us and for our little one. I can't wait to show these pictures to him someday.

You did an amazing job in capturing these moments. It is truly a gift. Thank you, Ally. XOXO

Indomitable Glee

33 weeks and 6 days Check-In:

I am sitting here at the office trying to be as proactive as possible before I take time off to have this little guy. Business is starting to pick up and a baby is on the way. In my current state, any woman who is trying to carry on with her pre-pregnancy daily grind is in all honesty, a superwoman. My mind and my drive are the same but my body puts up an epic battle every time I try to go back to my old Tasmanian Devil-like tornado ways. 

My Current Symptoms:

• Fatigue...all the time. However, I have a hard time sleeping. This makes so much sense.
• Brain Cloud- I've never been the sharpest tool in the shed but seriously, thanks to those wonderful pregnancy hormones, my brain is in a constant fog. I think I will shock the office when I come back to work without being pregnant. They will realize how much of a non-airhead I truly am.
• Hip Pain-It get's worst by the day too. Sometimes at night I think I truly cannot take another step because my joints are so loose and painful that my hips are going to break like I'm a 95-year-old woman.
• Leg Cramps-At least once a week, I wake up crying from the most painful Charlie Horse...poor Ryan probably thinks I'm having labor pains.
• Indomitable Glee- You could wrap all of these negative side-effects into one and multiply it and I would still have a wonderful day. It's something more than just being happy. It's pure joy. Even if I am not talking about the baby, he is on my mind. My heart is in a constant state of a beaming smile. I see the world so much more optimistically. Every time the baby kicks me in the rib, it may be uncomfortable (he is VERY strong at this point), but I just look at it as God telling me he loves me. Ha. So cheesy, I know but isn't that what motherhood is all about? I feel as though I am truly a soldier of the Lord carrying on part of His higher purpose. It is the most magical feeling in the world. Carrying your child is truly a gift from the Lord. 

To wrap it up, I was watching the Preacher's Wife the other night. This is one of my all-time favorite movies with one of my all-time favorite women, my Whitney. (Whitney Houston- who I named my childhood puppy after.) I am a hormonal mess as it is, but it got me thinking of this song which took me over the edge. If I could put a message in a bottle for my little one to read right now it would say this: 

Shower by Missy

The hostess with the mostest did an incredible job! Thank you!!

Missy was sweet enough to host our second shower on November 20. Childhood, college and teaching friends showed up and showered us with love. It was so great getting to see all my friends that I haven't been able to be with much lately. Thank you all for coming and blessing us on this wonderful day!

My Sis was a huge help in both showers! She's the best aunt!

Betsy and I introducing the 2030 prom dates to each other!

Celebrating with the newly ENGAGED couple!

Jaeger gave baby boy way too much credit when guessing how big he was.

Grandma and Grandpa Vargas showing some love to their Grandbaby

Daddy and Grandma Robinson discussing the new little guy

Some of my wonderful friends from school

This little guy is going to be welcomed into the world with so much love!

Three Quarters

At 30 weeks (on November 16-I'm a little behind in my posts) we are three quarters of the way to meeting our little boy. We have been busy preparing the nursery, updating the house and assembling baby swings, bouncers, strollers, etc. Can you say, "nesting"?

The week I made it to 30, Missy hosted our second shower for us which I will post next. It was a wonderful shower with friends from college, school and growing up.

As far as updates on the baby, we are going to see the OBGYN every two weeks now until we hit 36 weeks. The baby is usually measuring right on schedule...sometimes a few days bigger. I love my bimonthly visits because I love being able to hear his heart rate and get the reassurance that he is growing on schedule.

Ryan and I have also begun a 7-week Lamaze Class at the hospital we are delivering at (IU North). It is so helpful preparing us both for what labor, birth and having a newborn is all about. Honestly, I was pretty open-minded to going "natural" without any meds during labor, however, after watching the first video the first night of class, I swayed directions. Ryan said I was cringing watching the women go through labor. It's not that I don't think I can handle it, but I would like the labor process to be something that is somewhat enjoyable and an experience I can remember. Ryan too feels like he is getting a lot out of the class. It makes me so proud when he asks questions before any of the other dads do. He said if it weren't for this class, he would feel like a deer in headlights when we actually go to deliver this baby. The class has made Monday nights something to look forward to. It is our half-way point between Avon (where I work) and Muncie (where Ryan works-hopefully he gets to come back to Indy soon) and its a time where just get to be together without any distractions- a time to enjoy each other and prepare for our little one.

Here are some belly shots of 30 weeks. At this point, I'm almost 32!

Family Shower

My beautiful family hosted a shower for us on November 5 at my parent's house. Aunt Mary Lou (also known as Martha Stuart- as you will see in some of the following pictures) Katie, Sarah, Kara, and Mom all did a wonderful job with the whole thing. Unfortunately, Ryan was not able to share in all the fun until after the shower was over. However, Katie still made sure he was greeted with plenty of love.

The Masterson Women (We missed you Amy)

The INCREDIBLE spread and presentation of food:

So blessed that my adorable abuelita was able to attend.

Abuelita and Aunt Virgie

Thank you to all our family and friends who showered us with love!

I love our reflection in the mirror on this one.

Ryan gets some love...
So it has kind of been a running joke in our family that I am Ryan's wife and Katie is his girlfriend. He actually introduces us as that too. Anyways, Katie was pretty bummed that Ryan wasn't able to attend the shower because he was gone for Army. He was able to make it home about an hour after the shower ended and Katie made sure he came home to open arms!

Yes, she is planting a big smooch on his cheek here...it's fine.

The shower was wonderful thanks to the hard work of my Masterson women and all the family and friends that came. Thank you so much to all! It feels so wonderful to know that our little boy is coming into a world where he will be surrounded by so much love.

Halloween Goodness

Halloween...I can either love it or hate it. If you know me, you know that in no way shape or form, can I do anything scary. Thanks to the psychological genetics I get from my father, Halloween can be a source of anxiety with all the Paranormal and H2O movies out there. So instead, we "G-Rate" our Halloweens...sadly even without the baby around yet. And I am 110% fine with this...which has helped me to embrace and even love this fun holiday-Vargas/Robinson style.

So for our pumpkins, no scary goblins or ghosts...just Disney. Ryan crafted Simba and I carved Mickey. We were very proud of our work and got lots of compliments from Trick-or-Treaters...even the older ones. As most of us know, you really never are too old for Disney.

Simba and Mickey...BFFs this Halloween.

A few nights before Halloween, we were trying to decide what other costume Lola could wear besides the one she wears every year (her pumpkin costume). We didn't really want to buy anything new so we turned to the baby's closet...Please don't judge these next few pictures, even though I probably would be judging myself. We really are not bad parents to our dog. She actually loves the attention and we could not stop laughing at how ridiculously cute she looked. We will be washing this stuff before the baby actually wears it so no worries there too. Look at these next few pictures of Lola and try NOT to smile. I bet you won't be able to do it. 

She wanted some of the attention the baby had been getting lately

Lola's Halloween Costume..Lola the Bear

Her second costume- The Little Pumpkin to match mom and brother

The baby and I decided to just be a pumpkin for Halloween. It didn't take much.

We had more trick-or-treaters than we have ever had in the three Halloweens at our house. I thought I had bought plenty of candy, however, due to the fact that Ryan let's the kids choose their candy, we ran out a lot quicker. Because the kids didn't choose two like he asked...they grabbed handfuls! Even the older kids took advantage of my husband's sweetness. Which in my opinion, you shouldn't be trick-or-treating anymore once you have to shave some part of your body. So in the end, we ran out of candy, and had to start passing out other treats...like gum, hershey kisses and Ryan's favorite fruit snacks. The fruit snacks were actually a huge hit and might become a Robinson tradition from here on out. 

Our Halloween of Goodness was made perfect with a little visit from Uncle Phipps and getting to watch the non-Halloween kids movie, "How to Train Your Dragon." This was Ryan's suggestion and I am actually quite obsessed with it now....you have to see it!

In more baby news, we are very excited because we are 28 weeks today! This is officially the beginning of the third trimester and the home stretch! I have my glucose test today, so praying both baby and I have a good check-up! We will keep you posted!

Sunrise in FLA

We had an incredible time with family and friends in Siesta Key over fall break. (But we missed Kara and Matthews!) Weather was beautiful and not too humid for ole preggo. Here are some of our favorite pics from the trip:

Holding Baby on the Beach

heavenly

26 weeks...nearing the end of second trimester!

pumpkin belly 

Baby and Bubble Toes

Mommy and Daddy-to-be!

Our family of three at sunset...I can't believe we will be holding him in a few more months!

One of our favorite memories from the trip is when Jake and Drew discovered "angry birds" on my Dad's iPad. Check out the intensity! I believe Phipps is getting in on the action too.

The whole trip, I kept thinking how this is my "last" (fill in the blank) without my baby here. The idea of him right now is like the minutes in the morning just before dawn...where it is still dark but the pinks and oranges of the sunshine are beginning to hint highlights on the earth. He is my sunshine...and I feel like dawn is about to break. It's as if God is creating something as beautiful and bright as His sunrise.

Active Robinsons

Tomorrow we hit 25 weeks! I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is moving along. Baby Robinson will be here before we know it! I know its going to fly because so much is going on for the Robinson family between now and then.

We have all been pretty busy. Work has picked up for me...I am absolutely loving Real Estate. It has given me the opportunity to explore a new career path that I am learning more about every day. It is a bonus that I get to work with such incredible people too...including my dad.

Ryan has been busy with Army and work annnd driving.... He served his two weeks a year in September where he went down to Camp Atterbury every day. As soon as his two weeks were through, his regular job moved him to a site up in Muncie. I only cried 27 times when I found out he was going to be an hour and half away from me every day. Luckily, the project will only last until December. However, he is racking up the mileage. Hopefully he is back in Indy before the Little One gets here.

I have also been very busy "preparing" our home. It may be "nesting" but it also may be my overexposure to homes and decor on an every day basis. Or perhaps a combination of both. If you haven't seen our house in the last couple months, you wouldn't recognize it. It feels so much like home. I love it! (and my seasonal decorations don't hurt the cause). As soon as the final stages are through, I'll post some pictures.

Speaking of pictures, here are some of the latest at 24 weeks and 3 days:

I feel like the baby has grown so much in only a few weeks! It's such a great feeling and sometimes startling to the point where I jump and scare others when he starts kicking me. He is a very active little boy. At my 24 week appointment, the doctor told me he was measuring great. Then we tried to listen to his heart beat with the doppler. I would hear it for a few seconds and then I would hear static. She told me that was him moving around. He was crazy while we were trying to listen to his heart. She did say that so much activity was a sign of a healthy baby.

I know the little guy is going to be getting all the attention here in a few months, so to finish off the post, I thought I would share the love and show off my other Robinson loves. The first is of Ryan in action on the basketball court (imagine a Robinson playing basketball?)...he was successful in his dunk, but not without hurting himself...typical. The second video is of our little Lola who has also been preparing for the baby by getting as much sleep as possible...I literally have to coerce her out of bed in the morning so I can go to work.  I know most of you usually see her as a wild child but I wanted to show proof that she can be a sweet and calm little thing sometimes too.

So tomorrow we are officially 25 weeks pregnant. On Tuesday we leave for our last big trip before we are a family of three. We are headed to home away from in Siesta Key, Florida. It will be the Vargas, Robinson (and our son Phipps) and the Davis families. We will be sure to come back with lots of pictures and stories!