Future Olympic Sport: Tunnel Crawling

We had a fun time setting up the TeePee Maze Craze the kids got for Christmas. It does take up half the basement, but at least it is something fun to do on a rainy day. To get a little exercise we decided to have races through the tunnels. Carlie won the gold medal by getting thru the tunnel in 14 seconds. Mommy [aka Rachel, R1, Sports Goddess Extraordinaire (I just made that up)] won the silver by getting thru the tunnel in 1 minute 48 seconds. I had to do the army commando crawl, and it is quite difficult. Daddy (aka Mike, P-Daddy) failed to qualify as he got stuck in the tunnel. We nearly had to call the fire department to rescue him. Needless to say there is no Olympic future for him.

Little Big Man

Noah had his two month appointment a few days ago. He weighed in at 12lbs. 4 oz. and was 23.5 inches long. That puts him in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. By comparison, Carlie was 9lbs. 14 oz. and 21.5 inches. He is sleeping pretty much thru the night now (from about 10pm - 5:30am.) He really likes to play Patty Cake, and he just smiles so big when we play. Other than that, he is very stoic.

Christmas Part 2

We got a few more gifts from the Dobbins clan as Heather and Sean stopped in for a quick visit on their way back to California. Carlie loved her Lumpy stuffed animal and purse she got from Aunt Casey. I hope Kitty doesn't get jealous.





Don't know what he got, but I think he likes it.

Christmas Day

Everyone has left now except Grammy and Pawpaw Rodgers. Good thing they are staying an extra night so Mike and I can get things cleaned up a bit, and they can visit with the kids. We are looking forward to Aunt Heather's and Uncle Sean's visit later this week so Carlie will have people to play with again. Carlie got several fun things like a microwave, Pooh's Heffalump Movie, books, puzzles, dinero, Dora toys (I could go on and on.) Noah got some clothes, rattles, books, dinero, a toy truck (that Carlie is having fun playing with), and other fun stuff. No worries, I got Season 3 of Charlie's Angels so even when there is nothing on regular television, we can always watch the Angels. It was a very fun Christmas, and now I get to find a place for everything. Speaking of, I think I am going to find a place for that leftover ham-- in my stomach!! Yum!

Christmas Eve

It was so nice to have the entire family here for Christmas. Who knows when we will all be together again since several of the grandchildren aren't children anymore and will be off on their own before too long. We were able to get some family photos done. Haven't gotten them back yet, but will try to post some once I do. Carlie had a fun time playing with her cousins, and Noah actually smiles and laughs now so that is cool. I messed up when I uploaded these so they are somewhat scattered.






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Zoo Lights

Here are the highlights from the Zoo Lights extravaganza we went to on Friday evening with Grammy and Pawpaw Rodgers. It was strange to go into the Penguin exhibit to warm up! Oh, and if you look closely, you may actually see a picture of me in these.

Who Says...??

Who says you can't get cool stuff from a White Elephant Exchange? Carlie certainly thinks you do. Daddy brought home this huge polar bear that he got from the exchange at work. Good thing it doesn't talk or make noise or the reaction would have been much different that is for sure. I think we are going to put an addition onto the house just to hold all of this stuff.

Pictures with Santa

On Wednesday we went to Plaza Frontenac to get photos with Santa. The kids did a great job, especially since the majority of kids would start screaming when they were plopped on Santa's lap. I think Noah just stared at the ceiling the whole time, (or he was looking up at the Pottery Barn on the second level trying to decide what Mommy would want from in there for Christmas.)

Movie Suggestions

Just thought I would offer a few movie rental suggestions in case you are with family or friends and have nothing else to do. First, Glory Road. I thought this was a very good movie, especially for anyone who likes basketball. It is a true story and has a bit of humor sprinkled here and there. Also, Perfect Man. This stars Heather Locklear and Hilary Duff. It is somewhat of a Chick Flick, but much better than I expected. If you like thrillers, Mind Hunters, starring Val Kilmer and Christian Slater is good also. I won't go into detail as to what these are about, don't want to ruin them. What not to rent-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, possibly one of dumbest movies ever made. We are watching Superman Returns tonight or tomorrow so I will let you know if that is worth the rental.

In Search of the Perfect Card Photo

Well, I attempted to take some really cute photos of the kids in their Santa hats, (you know, the precious little angel types that you see on all the photo card samples)but that is easier said than done. Since Carlie didn't want to wear her Santa outfit, and Noah's was in the wash, they just wore their regular clothes. They are still cute, and quite hilarious in my opinion. You'll have to wait till you get your Christmas card to see the one I chose. It isn't posted. Hee hee.

Putting up the tree

We got the tree put up, and Carlie liked helping put the ornaments on (and taking them off). She even made sure Noah helped out as well by giving him ornaments. He didn't really know what to think. I forgot to take a photo of the finished tree though. Ooops. And, it wouldn't be a tree-trimming party without playing a little Celine Dion Christmas. Daddy didn't really enjoy that too much, but oh well. Now, I just have to find a place to hang 19 stockings in preparation for family arrivals. (I think I need to take some pictures of Daddy and I or people might think we don't really exist.)

Recap

Didn't realize it had been over a month since I posted anything. Here is a recap of the goings on in our household since the last posting. We had a nice visit with the Dobbins clan for Thanksgiving. Too bad Heather and Sean couldn't make it here. Carlie had a great time having tea parties with Grandpa Dobbins (too bad no one got pictures of that) and running Aunt Casey ragged. Casey taught her toe taps for playing soccer so she practices all the time. Noah just hung out and slept a lot. Thanks to Casey I was able to get some time away to participate in a taste test market research study. Don't really know if that was a good thing. I had enough tater tots to last me the rest of my life.

Last weekend Noah played Baby Jesus in the St. Louis Concert Choir Christmas production. He did a fine job. But, it was tough driving back and forth for the performances. I know what it is like to be a soccer mom already and he is only 5 weeks old (well, six now). He is also Baby Jesus in the Christmas service invitations that our church sends out. It's pretty cool really. At his one month appt. he weighed in at 10 pounds flat. Sounds big, but apparently is only the 50th percentile.

Carlie is saying all kinds of things. It's pretty much like talking to an adult. We really have to watch what we say. Of course, Daddy thinks it is so funny so he comes up with stuff for her to say. I need to write some of them down. She is a great big sister, always doing things for her brother- sticking the pacifier in his mouth, burping him, giving him his bottle (yes we do assist her with these things).

Now, I am participating in another market research study for training pants. I can't say what brand or anything because you have to keep it confidential. They pretty much suck. I have had to wash Carlie's sheets nearly everyday because they don't hold all of her pee and the odor they release is gross! I know TMI!! I think that pretty much sums up the last month. I will try to keep up better now that we are getting into more of a routine.

Halloween Part Two

I finally was able to get the Halloween photos posted. I think they turned out cute. Hope you enjoy.

World Series Comments

Sorry it took a week for my World Series comments, but I have a good excuse. Anyway, special thanks go out to the Tigers for committing so many errors that they pretty much gave us the series. I almost feel sorry for them. I was quite surprised that Eckstein won the MVP over Inge (can't remember the first name). I think he single-handedly gave us about 5 or 6 runs. The search is now on for sightings in the area of a bright yellow Corvette. What is most shocking is that Mike (Mr. "I'd rather watch paint dry than watch baseball") actually predicted Eckstein would win MVP. I thought Yadier should win since he got more hits in the Series than he did all season, but what do I know?? I did try to get tickets to the rally but no luck. There were over 500,000 people downtown for the celebration so I was glad I didn't get tickets. I guess that is all I have to say till Spring Training. My focus will now turn to college basketball and cheering on the Illini.

Happy Halloween

Carlie was a lion this year for Halloween. We were finally able to get her into her costume. The last few weeks she has been afraid of it even though she was the one that picked it out. She liked getting all of the candy, but we aren't going to let her eat much of it. Good thing we like Tootsie Rolls because that was the bulk of the loot. As you can see, Noah pretty much slept thru the festivities. Okay, I have tried to upload the photos twice and it isn't working so I will try later.

Welcome Baby Noah

Noah Michael Dobbins finally arrived on October 24th during the 5th inning of Game 3 of the World Series. He was definitely a good luck charm for the Cardinals as they didn't lose a game since his birth. Carlie is really enjoying her baby brother and can't wait for him to get bigger so they can play soccer together.

Doing the Finger Tap

Well I have almost officially past my due date with no baby. Just sitting around waiting for the Cards to score some runs and hopefully have my water break. Or, have a contraction or something. I should know sometime tomorrow when the induction is scheduled for, in case he waits around till that time. Looks like Grammy and Papa will make it back as their flight gets in in less than an hour. I guess I should enjoy these last few moments of pregnancy as I won't be able to consume near as many chocolate chip cookies as I have been consuming these last few days (well weeks :) )

Learning ABC's

Carlie has been doing a great job the last several weeks when we play school and now she is able to recognize all of the letters in the alphabet. She really enjoys her Chicka Chicka Boom Boom magnet board book, and we play it every day for at least an hour. Then we color and practice drawing lines and circles. She keeps saying she is going to teach baby brother the ABC's.

39 Weeks

Only 5 more days... more or less. If I don't have the baby by the 22nd, they are going to go ahead and induce. My preference because I am tired of having the numbness just below the bra line and not getting any sleep due to discomfort. I realize I won't get any sleep after either, but (hold on, the game is tied- I must stand and cheer)............... so anyway, at least I will be able to move around without walking around like I am 85 years old. More updates as I know them.

Rainy Days and Mondays

It was quite an eventful day here on Monday. I was pretty impressed with all the things I was able to get done. I made chocolate chip cookies, got the birth announcements addressed, did a load of laundry, finished the ironing, and, oh yeah, had to call a plumber and vacuum up all the water when our sewer backed up in the basement!! Thank goodness for Shop Vac and an empty steam cleaner. I think in total we vacuumed up about 30 gallons of water. Don't really know what clogged the main line, but luckily the basement slopes and the water remained in about a 10 x 10 foot area. We think the carpet is salvagable because the t.p. and black goop stayed in the concrete area. Good thing. (One moment while I stand up and cheer b/c Albert just hit a homerun).................. I'm back. Anyway, we are going to get it professionally cleaned in another week or so so all should be back to normal. You would think all that excitement would send me into labor... no such luck.

In case you were wondering...

Still no baby. I think this little guy is getting a little too warm and cozy. Although I can't complain because I am able to get stuff done. Plus, the final DVD's for Lost Season 2 came today so we should be all caught up by the end of weekend (barring any overnight trips to MOBAP) :)

Bathroom Redo

With the exception of baseboards and moving the medicine cabinet, the bathroom is done. We are pretty pleased with the results considering we did most of it ourself. I learned quite a bit about plumbing since I installed the faucet. Those p-traps can be quite tricky. At some point we will redo our master bath as well, but it will probably be at least a year or so.