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.

Busy Day

We started off the day at Faust Park with a photo shoot for a birth DVD we are having done for us. Carlie was a real ham, and I know Dorinda was able to get some good shots of her. Then, we stuck around and let Carlie play on the new playground.
After that we went to the Homecoming game for Parkway North. We left after the 3rd quarter, but I think North probably pulled it off because they were winning against Rockwood Summit 34-7 when we left. So, they should still be undefeated. Carlie really enjoyed herself. It took her till about the end of the 1st quarter to stop yelling "Go Cards!" "Go Albert" and "Go Scotty Rolen".

Trivia Go Go (A week late)

Well we enjoyed the latest trivia night with the crew. It was Music Theme and had it not been for Whitney, we probably would have won the booby prize. We ended up coming in fifth or sixth, but it was actually all her (and Mike getting a few from some chick flick movies he was "forced" to watch- I'm rolling my eyes- because we all know he really does enjoy them). So now we have to look forward to the next one and will hopefully do better.

Any Day Now?

Well, that is what the doctor thinks. He said he would be very surprised if I didn't have the baby earlier than the due date. The dilation is at 3cm, and he said the baby is very low. We'll see. I'm still not having a ton of contractions or anything, but I guess that could change quickly. I have other stuff to post but can't get the photos uploaded for some reason. Maybe I will try again tomorrow.

Will they make it back in time??

That is the big question as to whether Grammy and Papa will make it back from Down Under in time for the birth. At the appt. today the baby has completely dropped into place and I am 2cm dilated. The doctor said I could really go into labor at any time. This was the same situation with Carlie this far out and nothing ever happened though so it is probably no big deal. But, I do have a lot I want to get done beforehand. All the baby clothes have been washed and the nursery is ready to go...

Another Sports Commentary

I couldn't go very long without giving a big "Whoo-Hoo" to the Illini for beating Michigan State in Lansing over the weekend! It is no secret how much I despise MSU after working with a bunch of Sparties when I worked for the Pistons, but I digress. I about fell out of my chair when I saw the final score. I figured it best not to subject myself to watching the game since I have such little faith in them right now. We have a big week ahead, finishing the bathroom, Mike's birthday, and another Trivia Night on Friday!! More exciting postings to come (along with doctor visit updates.)

Thank you, Atlanta

Hats off to the Braves for beating the Astros and allowing the Cardinals to make the playoffs again this year. They definitely would have lost it, otherwise (and me too-lost it that is). Maybe with such low expectations this year, the Cards might actually win the series. Well, we shall see, but at least it makes for at least one more week of good television viewing.