Well, despite all of my protesting Day-did is still around and don't tell him this, but I'm kind of fond of the little guy. I mean he has a lot to learn before he is as charming as his big brother, but he has his moments. Whenever I hear him crying I try to find a bottle lying around and give it to him. Sometimes I'll even lean in and give him a kiss on the head if I am in a good mood. Mama has to stop me when I grab his shirt and try to pull him out of the bouncy chair. I guess that's not allowed (yet...you just wait Day-did). This morning I was sound asleep and then Day-did started crying and mama could hear me over the monitor calling out "Day-did. Day-did. Day-did."

I am excited because Becky and Trevor are coming in one week. I can't wait to play with Trevor. He will have to tell me all about being a big brother.

Dada just bought his first Mac. It's a macbook pro or something like that. I like it because the buttons are extra tempting. I find it big of dada to sacrifice his time playing with different kinds of computers so that he can be educated about what kind of computer he should buy for me down the road. Mama is a slacker when it comes to my future electronics.

That's it for now,

Adam

Well, it looks like the tall guy is gone for a few days. I tried to convince him to take that brother of mine with him but he said both of us boys need our Mama. Mama did a good job getting both of us ready this morning. Adam played in the bathroom while Mama fed me. I hung out in the play pen while Mama changed, dressed and fed Adam. Mama puts both of us in her lap and scoots down the stairs on her bottom to get us both down the stairs at the same time. It looks silly but I suppose it's the safest way to go about it.

Well I'm hungry now. Time to scream for Mama.

David

I am now 15 months old and I've decided to try a new tactic to win over my parent's affection. I figured it was time for me to start giving hugs and kisses. At first I would only give Mama kisses. Of course this melted her and so I could get away with a lot more if I follow it with a kiss. This was my strategy all along. Next, I started giving baby David kisses. Now I also kiss my stuffed animals especially Bananas and Mickey Mouse. Poor dada. He's been trying to get a kiss but I snub him every time. I know my kisses won't manipulate Dada they way they manipulate Mama so I'm saving them for a time I'll really need to use my charm against Dada. Plus, it's not very manly. So, Dada and I will stick with wrestling and fort building. I'm getting used to this big brother stuff. If I see a bottle lying around I will grab it and stick it in David's mouth. Mama likes this sometimes and doesn't like it at other times. I think she doesn't get a kick out of it if the bottle is a day old or something. I say what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger...

Well, Dada left for Texas this morning. Mama's rule was that he doesn't come back sleep deprived because there is enough of that going on in our house these days. I don't know what she is referring to. I sleep great every night.

Speaking of...it's time for my afternoon nap. Nigh. Nigh.

Adam

I am almost two weeks old today and I have gotten used to the idea of living with these people for the next 18 years. Of course, dad keeps reminding me that he is changing the locks in 17 years and 50 weeks, so I guess the countdown has begun. My last doctor's appointment I weighed in at 8 lbs 10 oz.

Sunday was a big day for me. I was baptized! I had a lot of people show up to witness the event and we had sandwiches and cake back at my house to celebrate. I was sad to see everyone go at the end of the night but glad everyone could make it out. I gave Dad a rough time that night because I had slept so well during the day I wasn't very tired that night. Fortunately, mom had convinced dad to take the next day off so he could sleep in and catch up on his sleep.

Other big news is that I have rolled over a total of 6 times now. My parents know that this is just a fluke because babies can't really roll over until they are 3 or 4 months old, but I am making them start to wonder since I keep doing it over and over again.

Grandma Karius is leaving tomorrow. I am very sad to see her go, but I am excited that I get to see her again in a month when we make a trip to MN.

Well, that's all I have for now. I am enjoying the peace and quiet while my brother naps. He gets so whiny in the afternoons before his nap. I told him to man up.

Love you all,

David

Well, I survived my first week at home. I lost the rest of my umbilical cord last night. I am pooping regularly and often. And I am a very hungry boy most of the time. Mama can't get over how calm I am. I guess my brother Adam was very shifty and moved around all of the time and had to be swaddled to go to sleep. I lay very calmly and stretch occassionally. I like to be swaddled but it's not necessary for me to be able to fall asleep. I don't spit up much, but I make a lot of dirty diapers. Aunt Suzy has been a trooper changing me all of the time. Right now I go to sleep around 10 p.m., wake up around 1:30 a.m., go back to sleep around 3 a.m. and wake up again around 7:30 a.m. Mama is enjoying this schedule right now because she is getting a decent amount of sleep. She does make Dada get up occassionally to top me off with a bottle if she's really tired. Dada doesn't mind..that is once he actually wakes up to realize where he is and what mama just asked him to do. These parents are kind of slow in the middle of the night.

Okay, well I'm getting hungry. Time to harrass mama.

David

Well, this David character has been around for a week now and it doesn't look like he's going anywhere. If anything more and more of his stuff keeps popping up places so it looks like he is sticking around for awhile. Last night I decided I really need to kick into big brother mode. After my nap I went over to my books and read it to myself. I had aunt Suzy cracking up because I would read to myself and then laugh before I turned the next page. Then Grandma put me in my highchair to eat dinner. She just put the plate in front of me and gave me a fork. I just started scooping the food right in my mouth with the fork. I'm a hungry boy. I don't need to wait around for these adults to feed me.

David is getting baptized on Sunday. I have a fancy new suit to wear. I'll try not to drool too much all over it. Dada and I have a game. Dada says, "Slime. Slime." Then I dip my hands into my drooly mouth and go and touch something. It's great. Dada and I also play "The Claw" game. He grabs me by my legs and dips me into my toy bin and I grab out a toy. Then he dips me back in and I grab another one. I love all of my games with Dada. Someday I'll have to teach them to Day-did.

Take care,

Adam

Well, life around the Dobbs house is awfully interesting these days. I spend a lot of time contemplating how I feel about this David character. He has been home for four nights now. Mommy looks a little more tired these days but she seems happy. Daddy is always on his computer so nothing has changed there. My eye teeth are finally breaking through so I have more chompers in case I want to bite anyone (umm..I mean anything).

Mama will ask me "Where is David?" and I will point to my brother and say "Day." I like the fact that David comes with so many toys. They are fun to try to sit in and collapse.

Okay..it's getting close to nap time for me.

Adam

Well, I've survived the last 3 days in this crazy house with my Mom, Dad and brother Adam. Grandma Karius, Aunty Suzy and Nanny Lois have been around helping out my slacker parents. Last night I only got up once for mommy to feed me. She was so happy because she finally got a total of 6 hours of sleep. She can't complain though because daddy has been helping watch me at night and others help watch me during the day so mommy can sneak in a nap or two. I like to be swaddled. I don't like these pacifier thing they try to sneak in my mouth. It doesn't have any milk in it. My brother Adam has been really nice to me and he tries to show me how to use my toys. He likes to climb into my bouncy chair and play the music. He also likes to collapse my floor gym while I am laying under it.

Nana and Grandpa Dobbs and Great Grandma Shum came over last night with food for everybody. I enjoyed being held all night. Well it's time for me to sleep some more now.

*Yawn*

David

The day has come. I am surrounded by my Dobbs boys! I would have never believed it but I had a baby one week before the due date without being induced. I was so certain that I would not have the baby before the 20th that I hadn't even thought about anything happening earlier. But, little did I know when I woke up at 5 a.m. and was feeling like my stomach hurt that I'd be having a baby 19 hours later.

I was having very mild contractions that morning. They were about 8 minutes apart and lasted for 20-30 seconds. We called the doctor and found out that my doctor actually wasn't even on duty that day so if I went into labor it would be someone that I never even met that would deliver me. My doctor's philosophy was that I have big babies so she is happy to break water and/or give pitocin to speed things along if things are progressing well. The doctor on duty doesn't even like to break water and likes to keep things as natural as possible. So, the doctor on duty told us to stay at home until the contractions are 4-5 minutes apart and one minute long. Mike and I then went to work.

By around 11 I decided I wasn't getting much done and the contractions were still light but still happening. So, I decided to take a nap. (Smart move). I worked for another hour and at 2:00 I decided the contractions were getting stronger so I should just sit upstairs and focus on timing them. At 4:00 I was trying to call Mike because they were getting stronger and longer and I knew it would take Mike a little while to come home. Of course after 20 minutes of trying to get a hold of Mike I finally had to press zero and have his secretaries hunt him down. He got home around 5 at the same time Grandpa came over to pick Adam up and have him sleep over at the grandparents house. At this point I was coming to terms with the fact I was about to have a baby. The contractions were getting really strong especially if I stood up. It was time to go!

When we got to the hospital at 5:30 p.m. I told Mike to park in the garage and not the ER because they were going to make me walk anyway so I might as well walk to Labor and Delivery. Well I could barely take two steps and then I was in a lot of pain. A woman saw the look on my face and she got me a wheelchair and wheeled me to Labor & Delivery. Poor Mike looked like the guy making his wife walk, but it was really my idea. When we got there I was 3 cm dialated but the contractions weren't catching on the monitor so they were talkig about sending me home even though they were about 4 minutes apart and I was in a lot of pain at this point. So, they told me to walk the halls for an hour until 7:15 p.m.

This was VERY painful. The contractions were right on top of each other and I'd go two steps and then spend 2 minutes pressed to the wall in pain. These contractions were much harder than with Adam. When they checked me again I was only 4 cm but thankfully they agreed they wouldn't send me home. By the time I got my epidural around 9 p.m. I was 7 cm dialated. My water bag was right there but not breaking. They told me to get some sleep. I relaxed for the next 3 hours enjoying the break from the contractions. Mike was snoring like a lumber jack on the couch. Finally at midnight she checked me and I was a 9 with the head very low but that water bag just wouldn't break. So, she said she called the doctor and get her to come to the hospital since I would be ready very soon.

The doctor broke my water at around 12:45 a.m. Then she said she was going to be right outside doing some paper work. I was like, "Oh no." I'm ready to push this kid out now. I pushed twice and the nurse told me to stop and she told the doctor the baby was going to be out in a couple more pushes. So then I had to spend a few minutes not pushing which is one of the hardest things in the whole world. Three more pushes later David Gary was born at 12:57 a.m. Mike and I's first comments were "He's so small." The doctor and nurses thought we were crazy because they thought he was big.

David screamed the whole time they cleaned him up and he weighed in at 8lbs 6 oz and was 20" long. Then they gave him to Mike and he stopped crying right away. It was nice to spend the next hour just the three of us. David nursed like a champ. I was in shock but so thankful to be so blessed. More than the relief of labor being over is just knowing that your little guy is healthy.

Well...David is stirring right now. I think he's ready for an afternoon snack. These boys are going to keep their Mama busy.

Mama

Grandma is at home watching me today. She keeps telling me that David is coming home with Mama and Dada today. I don't know who this David is, but I suppose we have spare room in Leonard's cage or possibly one of my toy bins. Dada stopped by the house today and picked up my old car seat. I don't know what he's thinking. I won't fit in that anymore. These crazy parents.

I went to the hospital yesterday to visit mommy. She was just lying around in bed. Is that all she's been doing these last couple of days? I was okay with it though because her bed had all of these fun buttons that I got to push. It was great. There was also this little thing in a blanket that would move occassionally. I poked at it a couple of times and then returned my attention to the buttons. Maybe Mama's bed's name was David. That would be cool if she brings those buttons home.

Love,

Adam

Well it looks like I am ready to go home today! Mama and I are doing very well and I am eating well so it looks like they'll be taking me home around 5. I"m going to give Mom and Dad a run for their money tonight because they've been shipping me off to the nursery in between feedings every night. This hospital business is okay but i'm ready to go home and see all of these "hand me downs" from my brother. I hope he didn't break everything before I get a chance to use it.

I'll keep everyone posted on how this family of mine is tending to my beck and calls.

Love,

David

Hello everyone my name is David Gary Dobbs. I was born Sept. 16, 2009 at 8 Pounds 6 oz and
20 inches long.

Mommy just had another doctor's appointment. She is not dialated, my head is still high and she is 50% effaced. I'm probably not coming until the 20th but Mom and Dad are okay with that. Adam says he's okay with waiting even longer.

See you all soon!

Bob

Well, it's official! The P's finally snooped and found out that I am OBVIOUSLY a boy! Mama told the doctor at her appointment on Friday that she hadn't felt me moving quite as much as usual. (Well, duh mama it's because I'm wedged into this uterus like a can of sardines). Anyway, the doctor's machine was broken so they wanted mama and dada to go to the hospital and get everything checked out. This included a monitor, which I was sleepy for that hour so i guess I didn't pass that test. So, then they wanted to follow it up with an ultrasound test. I passed this test with flying colors and Mama and Dada decided who cares about waiting and they found out I was a boy. Good thing. I was worried that Mama was going to take me home in a pink outfit or something. Pink is NOT for boys. I don't care what these metrosexual males are telling you these days.

My name will not be announced until my birthday which is planned for 9/20. Until then I shall continue to carry on the family name of Bob Rob Dobbs.

Love,

Bob

Aunt Suzy, Aunt Sarah and Chris (aka DC) left a few days ago. I was very sad to see them all go. It was so much fun having an entourage the last 2 weeks. There was always someone at my beck and call. And they took me fun places too. We went to the zoo and to the children's museum. I had SO much fun at both. I laughed a lot at the Tiger at the zoo. He was the best playing around in the water. The children's museum was a blast. There were all of these toys everywher and they let you play with them too. I got to play with a larger than life Lite-Brite and be inside of a bubble and go down a wind tunnel with goggles on. GREAT STUFF!

Anyway, as my aunts were trying to distract me with these outings they couldn't fool me that something is going on. Aunt Suzy was putting smelly stuff on my walls one day and Nanny Lois had to put me in a crib in a second bedroom. Hmmm..where did this crib come from? I didn't realize I had a backup. Then after the smelly stuff went away there was a lion and a leopard and a panda and birds looking into my crib. Where did they come from? I guess they were lonely and wanted to hang out in my room. I enjoy pointing at them and making the "Tsssss" noise (okay people..I can only make the snake animal sound). The next day I noticed that Aunt Suzy was putting smelly stuff on the second bedroom walls. These were much more boring than my exciting animals, but i went in there to check it out and there were all of these multicolored squares on the wall next to the spare crib. Hmmm....what is going on?

Now I suddenly have this new toy in my crib. It has Agu in it and a fish and bubbles and blue dim lights and plays rainforest noises. I like to contemplate this toy at night and turn it on and off before bed. But, then I heard mommy tell daddy that she hoped I wouldn't be mad when they move my toy to the other baby's crib. What other baby? Hmmm...I am getting very suspicious.

I am continuing to get more teeth. I'm getting some pointy ones now. I'm going to have a full set of chompers ready for this "new baby" if it tries to take any of my toys.

When daddy came back from his bike ride tonight we started wrestling on the floor. I get so excited when daddy plays with me. I start running away from him and after a few tickles I scramble over to mommy and practically climb onto her head trying to escape daddy. That daddy is so fast he gets me every time. I'm also really enjoying walking these days. Mama and Dada are so proud of me that I don't give up so easily anymore. I'm still very cautious about the steps I take but I do prefer not to have to get on my hands and knees anymore. (Mama doesn't keep the floor clean enough for my liking).

Okay..back to bed.

Love,

Adam (the "best" baby in this house)

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Mommy and I went to the doctor today and everything looked good. I am 36.5 weeks now. The doctor told mommy that she would be okay with setting an induction date because she thiinks I will be a big baby. So, the date is 9/20. Mommy and daddy are very excited to have a set date that I will be here by. Adam is not quite as excited, but he'll learn to love me. So, get ready everyone. Just a few more weeks.

I have been feeling pretty crummy this past week. I just got another molar on top and there's another one breaking it's way through. But, i think I've made it through my rough patch and I am feeling better. I was nice to mama tonight and we played all night after she came home from work. I brought mama the bag of lucky charms and she pulled out a handful for me and I picked out all of the marshmallows and then let her have the rest. Yup, I'm only one but I'm already picky for just the marshmallows. I'm walking more and more now. I really don't take more than a couple of steps between furniture but I'll get there eventually.

My favorite show is Choo Choo Soul. I like to stand by the TV and dance when it comes on. We sing about veggies and beatboxing and animals. It's great.

Okay, it's past my bedtime. Nigh Nigh!

Adam

Yeah! I'm 34 weeks old now. I'm about 4.5 lbs and 18 inches long. My heart rate has consistently been in the 150s and mama is doing well also. I move around a lot although there isn't a lot of room to do so. Mama thinks I'm all curled up in a ball right in the middle of her belly.

Adam and I were busy tormenting mama last weekend when dada was away in St. Louis. I was laying on mama's spine in just a way that made it hard for her to walk. Adam was extremely cranky because he was sick and teething and wanted mama to carry him everywhere. Poor mama was trying to carry two babies at the same time and we were both beating her up. We were all very happy to see dada come home on Sunday.

Well, I'll keep you all posted on my progress. Mama will be having weekly doctor's appointments now. The time is a coming!!!

Baby #2

Mama is going to be SO OLD tomorrow. I find it funny that my only two uncles share birthdays with my mama and dada. I hope mama and dada don't get any ideas about my future siblings. June 28th is my day and I'm not sharing!

Anyway, I've been a pretty busy boy lately. I talk a lot. I don't really say anything that makes sense, but it works for me. I love to go around the house pushing my cars and saying "lalalala." I also love making the sound of a snake "Tssssss..." Mama was playing air drums in the car today and I just laughed and laughed and then I would make the noise too. Then we were listening to Old MacDonald and I would go "Mmmmmmm" every time the cow said "Moooo." These are great noises.

This morning Mama and I made Dada blueberry scones. We have all of these nummy blueberries from the grandparents and mama is trying to think of fun ways to eat them. She gave me some of the scones and I spit them back out. Yuck. I'll stick with blueberry pancakes. Mama gave me blueberry pancakes this morning and I started throwing them all on the floor. Then she wiped me up and put me on the floor so she could clean my highchair. While she was doing this I crawled over to my collection of blueberry pancakes on the floor and started eating them smooshing the blueberries all over my face. Mama caught me and said, "Oh Adam!" I guess I looked pretty guilty with blueberry all over my face. I'm a boy..blueberry pancakes taste much better after they've been on the floor for awhile. My motto..."What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Dada and I have a new game. We like to have tea parties. But, these aren't those girly tea parties. It's a "Freshly Brewed Iced Tea, No Lemon Party." Dada gives me a big tea glass and I take an imaginary sip and go "Ahhhh." Then I let dada take a sip and he says "Yummy." Then I continue to drink. These parties are delightful.

Okay, well more to come later. I have to get some sleep so I'm not cranky on Mama's birthday.

Love,

Adam