To Blog or not to Blog

So it's been well over a year since I have posted here! Well at least 19 months. FB does that to you...Samuel Richard has been with us for those 19 months and I have yet to post a picture of our funny, adorable, independent, feisty, 2nd. So here goes...Our family is complete and the stinkers couldn't love each other more!!! Oldest sticks up for youngest when I discipline him and yells at him for even breathing near his favorite Lightening McQueen Car...So I am back thanks to some inspiration from my Eva who is in the Netherlands blogging about life in "Evaland"...It's in Dutch and google translate is not much help but it gets me that much closer to someone who helped make a difficult time( my 20's) a great adventure even for a short time. That being said I'mmmm backkkkk to get some stuff out of my head, share sweet moments, and the goings on here in Robinsonland.

OH BABY!!

I had a Great Ultrasound appointment today!!! Samuel is weighing in at 7lbs 11oz which is still doable VBAC wise and made me cry in the US room with a very funny tech who I made extremely nervous due to my tears of joy! I can finally admit ( since he is now a thriving 3 yr old!!) that I had some serious guilt and depression about what happened to Alex and I while I carried him. While I still have my moments I was determined to not let it happen again. So I got a bit sappy and snotty at the fact that this baby is "HUGE" :) healthy, and in the "here I come" position!! I bought a pack of diapers today and have put away the preemie clothes :) ... You have 12 days Baby Samuel, 12.

Big Changes

SO we are now living with Dave's mom and Dog Kayla. While I feel very blessed to have a roof over our heads, to be saving money for "new house stuff", and for a bigger audience for Alex. It has been a major adjustment. Alex is in a "Big Boy Bed" now still has a tough time with getting out himself in the morning, complete with tears and screaming. He no longer asks every hour if he can go home to "Alex's house" and we signed him up for a few preschooler classes in the area( music etc.) so he has a routine again. He is still pretty excited about the baby coming and Dave took him to pick out a gift for Samuel and he got a Basketball hoop for the backyard which he LOVES! Alex is struggling with his fear of bugs lately. It's sad, frustrating and funny at times. After an early Spring incident with 2 carpenter bees( HUGE BLACK SCARY) fighting or perhaps mating over his head he has lost his mind over anything that flies. The screaming however has quieted a bit and he now sings " Shoo Fly don't bother me..." ( Thanks Nan) and shoos away gnats and flies while running( see, a little funny). However our outdoor adventures are cut short or need redirection due to this new fear. a few weekends ago we went Strawberry picking and the poor boy lasted 20 mins before he realized all the singing and shooing in the world wasn't going to help on an overcast humid day in the Strawberry fields against those pesky gnats. He did though enjoy eating, 5 mins of picking and of course the Hayride to and from the fields! David relived his boyhood strawberry picking adventures with his Dad and brothers and enjoyed himself too, I put up a brave front and did the pregnant waddle all around the farm proudly watching my guys enjoy themselves!

 

Until Next Year Gnats!!

David is in the middle of his busy season which means he leaves at 6:30 and is home by 8 exhausted! Again I am Thankful for having Dave's mom around to help out with Alex, and the nutty lady LOVES to do LAUNDRY and COOK!! We love her!!.

Today marked off the 3rd Doran b-day!( Jan on 5/22, Amber on 5/26) Richard turned 58 today!! We were able to join in the b-day singing and candle blowing via SKYPE...while it was nice it just wasn't the same :( Amber is now back in New Hampshire having left VA and the world of Professional Childcare behind. We(I) try not to get upset about it but it's tough knowing she's not 30 mins away. We were very blessed to have her here. Thank you Verizon for unlimited calling texting plans...She threw me a Surprise baby shower/brunch at one of my favorite restaurants Eggspectations! A WEEK before she moved!! It was great! I got a chance to see friends I hadn't seen in forever and was reminded why I consider the ones I see "every week" such great friends. We had a nice relaxing time and the french toast was fantastic...My sister is the best!

OH!!! only 3 more weeks ( Hopefully Sooner!) before the family gets a bit more "Blue"!! Samuel Richard is estimated to arrive around June 28th according to my last ultrasound or July 2nd according to my Dr.( etc.). We have a scheduled C-section date of July 6th but God willing we won't need it since I'm trying for a VBAC. My BP has been great but I am on 3 meds so it has no choice but to be " great". I also think not sitting behind a desk and having a 3 yr old to keep up with has been helpful as well!! So 3 weeks ago Samuel was 5lbs 3 oz at 34+ weeks already bigger than Alex was at birth. I tell him while I want him healthy he can feel free to come when he hits 7 no more than 8 lbs... we'll see :)

Spring 2010!!

Just to catch up on the last,um, few months...

Robinson/Parc Family Reunion 2009( close to 300 attended in Charleston SC!)

Me, A, & G'ma at banquet

Fountain fun at family cookout
my nieces(taken by their dad/BIL Larado)

• The rest of summer 2009 was spent traveling to see family and trying to hang on to the last few days of summer. Then my favorite season and time of year rushed in and out as quickly as the leaves changed colors. Next we knew we were back in Myrtle Beach for Thanksgiving and up to NH for Christmas.

Columbus day weekend/ anniversary trip to The White Mountains, NH

• Sometime in October we found out there would be another "Doran-Robinson" due to arrive in July but kept it a secret until our 1st trimester was over...it killed me!( well our parents and Amber knew...I can't keep a secret unless someone else knows...huh).

We spent our "last"traveling Christmas in NH ( but had such a wonderful time so who knows). We did miss G'ma who decided to stay here and not travel due to her recent knee replacement surgery.New Years was a quiet one, with dinner with the Sartori's at Ruth Chris( sooo Good...and I'm not a fan of red meat) in Bethesda and the boy with G'ma for the night.

I'm always the last up but the 1st to get "The night before Christmas shot"

Trains, Elephant and New boots...he was content with just that, then we put the Piano from Auntie together!

Christmas eve Breakfast with the Great Friends!

"Weeee!!! Look out Mommy!!!"

Blessed to spend Christmas with Meca and Papa too!

• The end of January and beginning of Feb. brought a bit of snow to VA... ok I can't even joke about it... we go 3 feet of snow!! While I felt the VDOT and state of VA were a bunch of pansies when the storm was 1st predicted I had to bite my tongue after we couldn't get out of our street for a week!! Even NH would have had a tough time with the clean up... but hold on a sec( hmm no one sent pictures of NH's winter...hehe...

)

I really thought the deck was going to collapse( this was a lull during the storm)

This wasn't the major storm but enough just the same.

Trying to keep the kid entertained without the help of the TV.

These guys(there were 2) helped me keep my sanity while staring out the window unable to GET OUT!

• On a brighter note... David got the itch to sell this house, again... He "ran the numbers" and went to 2 new home sites while searching online nearly every night. What he came up with was fixer uppers( David has NO time and I have NO patience) or cookie cutter homes in our price range. Then we got a flier in the mail from Brookfield Homes in Gainesville VA -20 mins west of us. I had been hesitant to look at anything because I didn't want to get my hopes up but I was online and pulled up their website and was impressed that it was quite unique and some of the models were in our price range!!!! But the kicker is after forcing David to check out the website he really liked it too!!! Fast forward to now...We checked it out...a month later we signed a contract! Last week our house went on the market and was under contract in 5 days!! God is Good!!

http://www.brookfieldwashington.com/Saranac.aspx?mode=overview I could not copy & paste a pic from their website.

That really brings us to March and the end of this long post/"journal entry"...

• Baby # 2 is a Boy!!! I was once again hoping for a girl, (name picked out and all again) but after I calmed down and laughed about it...as if I had any control over it... I am thrilled!! My BP is doing great now if I could get rid of the sugar and carb cravings it would be an exceptionally healthy pregnancy...I do believe this pregnancy will be the last for this body in fact I think my boobs are talking to me in my dreams..." What the hell are you thinking?!"..." Last time b*tch!! Try it again and see what happens!!..."Better be savin' up for a lift and reduction!"...LOL OK I'm done... seriously with my BP and pregnancy it's like playing Russian Roulette...very risky with the just wait and see. I was very lucky with Alex. After this baby it's time to get serious get the weight off and try to take the least amount of meds I can so I can be around to see them be taller than their daddy( :P).
• Speaking of my Alex he turned 3 on the 2nd of March( not the 3rd)!!! I see so many changes in him already!! Some great some I could do without but he is 3 after all(or so everyone keeps reminding me...hush he's my baby). We had a low key and fun celebration this yr.! Pics are below and he loved every minute of it!! He is very aware and excited about the baby!! Some folks keep telling me that he will be jealous and bad once the baby comes but I don't think so especially if we keep him involved and pay him lots of Big Brother attention and how could we not?! Of course it's abig adjustment for everyone but no need to tell the pregnant mother this all the time, she has enough going on. Positive thinking and prayer ( deaf ear and an evil eye too. ) can't hurt!

Birthday swimming in March with Auntie, and Great Friends!

Enjoying gifts @ "Moe's" B-day Dinner!

small B-day Play date with friends(pictures came out awful!) and family Cousin's enjoying cake and ice cream

• So as of now... David and I are working hard( him managing 2 offices,( with no raise but he has a job!) and me taking care of our boys) and very excited and THANKFUL about all our blessings. Baby Boy Dos is doing fine (kicking the heck out of me) and so is my BP and Alex is enjoying being 3, his animals( including the insane kittens we acquired...that's a whole other post)and being outside in the beautiful weather!!

"22 bodies of water entertainment"

That's what the Compass Cove resort website states... we made it to 4. After all we came to the "Beach" so not a big deal. Today Alex had a blast playing in a quiet 1 foot pool with his dolphins and beach toys then it was over to the lazy river.

He thought it was funny that David was "chasing" us on his float behind us. Tomorrow we leave Myrtle Beach and head up to NC so Alex and I can spend Mother's day with Nan/Jan(my mother), Meca( my grandmother) and Aunt E( my aunt/godmother) and David is headed home to celebrate with G'ma( his mom).( Plus the bikers are headed here for Bike week and it's time for us to get out of their way!) We have enjoyed our 1st 2009 family vacation and look forward to the next one already.

Next stop E&A head home to NH( hmm, I wonder if Alex will like those beaches too??)

( pictures dark due to UV filter and my sitting under an umbrella)

Play hard sleep hard

Yesterday we had a great time again on the beach playing in the sand. Alex is no longer afraid of the big waves which freaks me out a bit but I was able to persuade him to sit and play in his very own tide pool. He played until he stood up and said " go upstairs, eat eat, go night night..."

Later that evening( after waking the sleepy boy) we met up for dinner at PF Chang's with a few of David's cousins, Jessica, Julia, Eric and Julia's little boy Kamren who is 18 months.( sadly I forgot our camera and don't have any pics of our dinner).

"Dunna Dunna Dunna..."

The windy, cloudy weather kept us out of the water yesterday, so we headed to "Ripley's Believe it or not's" aquarium. There was a lot to see, baby aquatic animals, horse shoe crabs to touch ( although no one was game) Stingray's to touch ( again, great to look at...), but the best part were the "Rainbow" tanks. There was a moving sidewalk that led us past a huge habitat for tons of fish, saw head sharks, tiger sharks, sting rays, tuna, larger than David's head. The sidewalk took us under the tank, and although we were separated by the tank it was a bit unnerving at first to have the Sharks swim toward or over us. Well it was unnerving for me, but not the boys they were amazed! The best part was right before our journey ended, a HUGE sea turtle came swimming right toward us! Alex is currently obsessed with Turtles, and Dolphins so he was a very excited little boy!!

The only thing that topped that moment was the "friend" he found in the gift shop!