Baby is Here!

 At 2:21am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012, Baby Girl Dobbins #3 arrived. Her name is Ashtyn Belle Dobbins. Her middle name is after Scott's grandma, Flora Belle. She was 8 lbs 13 oz and 18 inches long. She looks just like her sisters did at birth. We think she's perfect. :0)

She was scheduled to arrive via C-section on Saurday, March 31st. As with all my kids, she had her own plan. I went to bed Tuesday night with no contractions or anything, and I woke up around midnight as my water was breaking. I called the doctor and Scott and I scrambled to get packed and ready. I was completely unprepared. By the time we got to the hospital, I was having major contractions and not enjoying it one bit. Luckily, it was pretty quick. I had a different doctor than planned, but he did a great job. Everything went as well as possible. By 6 am, we were in our room with our new baby girl.

Ashtyn is so sweet. She's snuggly and content most of the time. She's a very good little eater, just like her mama. :0) We didn't sleep much on Wednesday or Thursday night because she was a bit switched around. We came home Friday and we're already in a better routine. We got a good night's sleep last night and feel  much better today.

Ryann and Avery were very excited to meet their sister on Wednesday afternoon. They were both gentle and loving. Friday, the jealousy settled in a bit for Avery. She's been a bit naughty and rough. It's an adjustment. She's trying to be a happy big sister. I think she's just a little bent out of shape right now.

Overall, things are going very well. We're incredibly blessed and grateful.

It's Been A While

I can't believe it's been so long since I've written anything! The time goes so fast when you're busy!

After Thanksgiving, I got busy with the holidays, then had a tremendously busy third quarter at school. Since I will be out most of fourth quarter on maternity leave, I had a lot of work to get done ahead of time for my mentor job. I had to make sure I completed all the necessary evaluations for the year. At the end of the quarter, Avery, Ryann, and I all took turns with a stomach bug. That was fun. Now I can say my car seats are clean. They are no fun to tear apart and wash. Let me tell you.

 Finally, I'm on Spring Break. I've been trying desperately to catch up on everything I've neglected at home as well as prepare for a long-term substitute for fourth quarter. The next quarter begins March 26th. Our little bundle is due to arrive on March 31st. Before she arrives, I need to get her room ready. This entails getting Avery out of it. :0) Avi and I have chosen furniture and bedding for her new room. Now I'm vacating my craft room, getting ready to convert it to Avi's room. Then, I'll convert the now toddler room back to a nursery.

Thanks to my friends at work, I do have a few diapers and outfits for the new baby. Scott and I are still struggling with a name for her. I hope it just hits us when we see her. In the meantime, I'll be scrambling to get ready for her and to be out of work. This pregnancy has certainly been more challenging than the other two. I'm too old for this. :0)

Thanksgiving at Disneyland

 We decided it was finally time to take our girls to Disneyland. I had the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off from work this year and Washington State was in a basketball tournament in the Disneyland area. It was destiny.


We drove to Anaheim on Wednesday during the day. We got settled in the hotel and hung out for the night. Thursday was Thanksgiving. We got up, had breakfast, and headed to Disneyland. We hadn't told the girls where we were going at all. They had been happy thinking we were just taking a family trip and staying in a hotel. Ryann figured it out from conversations on the shuttle bus. She just got a big grin.

Once we were there, we headed for Fantasy Land. We rode the carousel, the Dumbo ride, and It's a Small World. Scott was a real trooper. He stood in line for the girls to meet the princesses for quite a while. I took the girls to see a princess show while he waited. They got to meet Tiana and Ariel. Later, we stood in another line and met Rapunzel.

In the afternoon, we went back to the hotel to have sandwiches and naps. It may not have been a fancy Thanksgiving meal, but it worked. After recharging, we headed back to the park for the evening festivities. There was a Christmas parade with all the characters, music, and lights. It was very exciting for the girls. After that, they changed the castle lights to it's Christmas theme. They played Christmas music on Main Street and made it snow. The girls thought that was awesome. I'd have to agree. Scott and I thought it was the highlight of the trip.

Once the excitement ended, Scott headed to a basketball game and we met up with some friends. We went on the Winnie the Pooh ride and Jungle Cruise then called it a day. The girls were giggly when we first got back to the hotel, but once I got them in bed, it was silent.

The next day, we headed back to the park. We met Tinkerbell and rode the Nemo ride. We took a train ride around the park then decided to take an early lunch/nap break. We had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. We all rested up a bit before heading back for another evening round. We walked around, went on the carousel, and rode Winnie the Pooh again. Scott headed to another game while the girls and I had an ice cream then walked downtown Disney. By then, we were spent. We went back and watched a Christmas movie on TV.

We decided that 2 days was about right. I wouldn't want to do much more than that. The girls had a great time, and we saw a lot of what we wanted to for this trip. There's a lot more that we can do when they get bigger. Somehow, I ended up telling Ryann that we'd go back when she's 7. Knowing her, she'll hold us to it.

The First of Many

It finally happened. Avery took a spill bad enough for an emergency room visit. I knew it was just  a matter of time. She's our little maniac. She climbs like a monkey and isn't exactly graceful on her feet. She already has a tooth that's broken up at the root from one of her tumbles. This time, it was stitches.
We returned from our usual during-dinner trip to the potty. She began to climb up into Ryann's booster seat. She tipped backward and ended up under the table, bleeding from the mouth. She was crying and holding it. I picked her up, thinking it was the usual bloody lip. I took her to wipe her up and saw that there was quite a bit of blood. We wiped it up and I immediately knew it required a doctor visit. Avery calmed down and we took off to the urgent care office. When they saw it, they told me I needed to go to the ER. She needed stitches.
Of course the closest hospital didn't have a pediatric ER so I drove another 30 minutes. Avery was awesome. She was very calm and held a paper towel on her boo-boo the whole time. She even played in the ER waiting room. They were very nice and took good care of her. She was a very cooperative patient and they all commented on what a good girl she was. They wrapped her in a sheet to work on her, but she had no intention of moving. I didn't do as well as she did. They told me to sit down and gave me water. She ended up with 3 stitches and a teddy bear.
It was a late night. It was after 11:30 when we got home. She went right to sleep. It was a pretty scary thing for me. I didn't enjoy seeing my baby bleeding and getting stitched, but it could have been worse. I'm thankful that it went as well as it did. Knowing her, it's the first of many ER visits we'll make along the way. It hasn't slowed her down a bit!

It's a Girl!

That's right, another Dobbins girl is on the way. I had an ultrsound on November 9. Thankfully, everything looked great. The baby is growing well and everything is developed as it should be. I had tried to prepare myself to hear it was a girl, but held out hope for a boy. I guess it's just not meant to be. The good thing is, we're all set. We have lots of clothes for girls. :0) I'm looking forward to meeting our newest daughter. Now, we just need a name. It could take some time. Luckily, we have until the end of March to decide.

Act of Bravery

My brother and I took the girls to the Phoenix Zoo on Monday, Oct. 17. We rode the merry-go-round, looked at the animals, and played at the Fisher-Price Farm area as usual. The shocking twist was that Ryann wanted to ride a camel. We've tried several times before to get her to try it, but she refused. This time, she said she wanted to. We got the ticket and waited for her to freak out and change her mind. Nope. She went and liked it! She didn't whine or cry or even look scared. It was awesome. Afterward, she said, "I was very brave." I was pretty proud of her. She's not exactly adventurous. She'll only ride the giraffe on the merry-go-round because it's the only one that doesn't go up and down. This was a pleasant surprise.

Cougs Game 2011

Each year, Scott and I take a trip to see his beloved WSU Cougars play football. In the past few years, it's been a fun trip, but has had poor results. The Cougs lost each time and gave up at least 40 points. This year, however, things were different! On October 1st, we went to Boulder, CO to see the Cougs play the Colorado Buffaloes. As usual, it was a very nice trip. The girls stayed home with my mother. It's a nice campus, the weather was great, and things went fairly smoothly. As always, I enjoyed learning the mascot. They have a real live buffalo! The unusual part is...the Cougs won! It was awesome! They came back in the end and won 31-27. It was the first time I'd seen them win a football game. They're much more successful this year than in years past. That makes for a happier hubby. I like that. The only down side from the trip is that I lost my phone on the way back. I had to go over a week without one. I have a new one now, so all's well. :0)