Laughing!!

Olivia has started belly laughing and it is too funny! It takes A LOT of work on our part to get one, and this is the first we caught on video.

New Year's in Austin

We spent Olivia's first New Year's in Austin with our good friends, Mike and Courtney Rhodes and their little guy Chase. We had a fabulous time...too much wine and food though! We walked down to Austin's New Year's "parade". It was so typical Austin (very eccentic). Besides that, we spent most of the time hanging out at their new house that over looks downtown. They heated the pool and Olivia's took her first dip in a pool!

Dad's babysitting while recovering from New Year's

Chase letting Olivia borrow his old jumperoo

Both napping at a restaurant

Olivia's First Christmas

What a spectacular time we all had at Olivia's first Christmas! This year, we spent Christmas Eve at the Ray's. We had a fantastic dinner over there that included lots of pork :). Christmas morning, everyone (The Stobaugh's and the Ray's) all came over to our house to watch Olivia open all of her presents. Ducky arrived as Santa! Olivia loved it, but loved the bows from her gifts the best!














Apparently, our ceilings are too high for a doorway jumper! I don't think she is meant to just hang there!







After breakfast and opening the grown-up presents, we went over to the Peden's for a fabulous meal.

5 Months Old on Christmas Eve!

It is hard to believe how quickly it goes. It has truly been such a joy so far. Olivia keeps getting bigger and bigger! At her last pediatrician's appointment, Olivia was in the 78th percentile for weight and 88th for height!

I updated her pictures from the month at snapfish.com:

Olivia's 5th Month Pictures

Have Yourself a Merry Little Cocktail

Ducky and Pong Pong hosted a fun cocktail party the night Mike arrived. Good times!!

With Cousin Jolyn

Cousin David and Rebecca

Rosina

Michael a little jet lagged

Picking Up Daddy

Eileen, Olivia and I went to pick up Michael at the airport on December 23rd. We actually went in as his plane was delayed and it was a good excuse to try out Olivia's Christmas present (a new stroller). It was fun seeing families being reunited for the holidays, as well as hearing Christmas carol Karaoke while we waited!! It was too funny!

Yet another ridiculous bow!

Olivia bored while waiting

He's finally here!

O's First Christmas Tree

It is amazing the deal you can get on a Christmas tree just a few days before Christmas! Ducky and Pong Pong went with Olivia and I to pick out her first tree, as Daddy hadn't arrived in Houston yet. When I was changing O's diaper in the car, I heard Pong Pong say, "We'll take it!". I hadn't even seen it yet! He was excited about the discount and that they would let us borrow the stand...that meant one less job for him to do! The Rays all came over to help decorate and get into the Christmas spirit. Olivia loved looking at the tree with Auntie Carrie!

Flying with an infant

What a trooper Miss O was! She was an excellent travel partner. She did really well on both flights and during our layover in Amsterdam. She slept about 80% of the trip and was a happy baby all the times she was awake. Walking around the airports, I strapped her into the Baby Bjorn and had a backpack with all of our baby gear, so I was hands free. We had the whole row to ourselves on both flights and were able to secure a bassinet seat. After takeoff, the flight attendant brings a bassinet over that clips to the wall of the bulkhead. It was fantastic! I have a feeling traveling with her may never be as easy.

Poor Tilly

Tilly managed to injure one of her toes months ago. It had a major infection that just wouldn't go away. The vet we had been seeing wanted to remove the entire toe!! I wanted to get a second opinion to confirm such a drastic option. We finally found another vet in town who has been wonderful! Tilly is an incessant licker, even with an Elizabethan collar. The only solution was to wrap her foot. So, Olivia and I have had to go to the vet every other day for a month to have her toe bandaged. It has been quite the ordeal! While we were in the Dubai, the vet even came to our villa to change her bandage for free! We have finally turned a corner and it is almost healed! Olivia and I have spent so much time at the vet, we feel we made some new friends! :)

Country, not the bird

Thanksgiving is not a holiday over here, so as in previous years, we celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday. So Thursday night we went to one of our favorite restaurants here, Turkey Central. That is the country, not the bird!

Friday night we went over to our friend's for the third annual Thanksgiving potluck. We had a fantastic time. This year was slightly different than in years past...lots of babies.

Olivia discovering the boys already!

Athena is nervously watching as Aimee and Jade are racing.

Dubai

While I was at home this summer, my resident permit expired. So, last weekend we had to do a quick "visa run" trip and decided on Dubai. We both have been there, but not together. Olivia and I have been in Qatar on tourists visas which only last one month, which can then be extended for an additional month. So, our two months were up and we need to leave the country to re-enter on new visas. We took the quick 45 minute flight across the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf to the rest of the world). Luckily, we have tons of miles because the "5 Star Airline", Qatar Airways, also has 5 star prices, even for the quick flights.

On our first morning there, we asked the hotel concierge for some ideas about what there was to do in Dubai. His three suggestions were 1. Dubai Mall, 2. IBN Mall or even 3. Mall of the Emirates. Wow, sounds just like Houston, Texas. We did go to two of the three malls he suggested over the course of the weekend. One had a giant aquarium and the other has the indoor ski slope!

It is often nice to get away from Doha, even if it is to another Muslim country. Dubai, however, is much more progressive than Doha...we got pork at brunch!!!

I posted the photos from our trip on our Snapfish site:
www.raybabies.snapfish.com/snapfish

4 Months already

It is hard to believe she is already 4 months old (and still no hair)!!

I have uploaded pictures from the past month in O's room on snapfish: www.raybabies.snapfish.com/snapfish

A Smile!

Last weekend we went to Starbucks on Friday morning (the only thing really open then because it is the holy day). It is finally cooling off to be pleasant enough to sit outside. We had a good time and at last got a picture of Olivia smiling (it is a small one, but a smile nonetheless)! She LOVES to stare at the camera and when it is out, she often stops doing whatever it was she was doing when she sees it! So, finally a smile!

Here is another cute one!

A Baby in Doha

It has taken some time to get used to being out and about with a baby in Doha. EVERYONE comes up and touches or kisses Olivia!!! I might be okay with it if they didn't kiss her hands which soon after go directly into her mouth. I now keep a wet wipe out to wipe off her hands after anyone touches or kisses them.

The other interesting thing that has happend several times is waiters and waitresses have asked to hold her and then tell us they are going to "take her on a walk". A few weeks ago at Chili's the manager asked to hold her and then took her all over the restaurant, including into the kitchen. She was gone for about five minutes most of which, we couldn't see them. Slightly unnerving to say the least! Olivia demonstrated her true Stobaugh genes by eyeing Mike's french fries the entire time! :)

Blogging World

So we have also decided to enter the world of blogging! I had resisted starting one for fear of not being able to keep up and life is just not all that exciting in Doha! I so enjoy reading all of my friend's and family's blogs and hope you will enjoy this one.