All Aboard

First we must apologize for such a long time since we had an update. As you can imagine, we are staying pretty busy getting ready for Baby Banks. We had our weekly appointment and Bobbie is still not dilated very much. She is still on track for the 16th. Bobbie is still feeling good but we are getting anxious. I know Bobbie is ready for her clothes to fit and have the ability to roll over in bed.

Mommy & Daddy have said for years that when we had a child, we would have to get a train to put under the Christmas tree since Daddy was a toy train fan when he was a boy. Mommy came in and said, "I think we need to go to Pizza & Pasta Express to eat tonight." Daddy thought this was an unusual request for her. She thought it was time that we got the baby his train. Obviously there were no complaints from daddy! We got a classic... Lionel has been "the" name in toy trains since the fifties. We got a the Polar Express Train. It has a steam locomotive that really smokes and a whistle and all the cars. Daddy and Uncle Roger can't wait to play trains with the baby.

Baby Attends Fort Massac

Mommy and Daddy Banks took the baby out to Fort Massac yesterday. Normally, they are camping this weekend but, Mommy's comfort is paramount these days so we walked on. Scary moment happened when Bobbie got a face full of smoke which made her nauseous. She then had a Braxton-Hick contraction which alarmed us. Moved out of the smoky area and started feeling better. She gets tired easily these days so she came home and went right to bed.

Shower Power

Columbus Day weekend marked the biggest and final shower for Bobbie. The shower was thrown by Susan & Karen Cox and Grandma Linda Banks. Everyone had a great time and there was mounds of good food. As the picture shows, Bobbie is wearing out fast these days. She is having problems with her sinuses, plus her ankles are starting to swell, plus the boy is getting bigger and bigger. The due date is less than five weeks away. The shower further spoiled the baby. It would be too much to mention everything but some of the highlights were the high chair, baby tub, baby rocker, diaper changing accessories, and lots of clothes, diapers and toys. Thanks to everyone. We know he will love all of it.

Homemade Goodies for Baby

In recent weeks, Baby Banks has been collecting quite a bootie in the form of homemade baby gifts. The extra TLC has overwhelmed us, so we had to show you all of them. The first, our lovely assistant "Bananas" is modeling. Our friend Mary from our Ranger reenacting group made baby a 18th century outfit. Girls & boys were dressed almost the same at that time. In the picture on the right are some more of the gifts. The blue afghan was made by Daddy's Godmother Linda. The white terry bath organizer was made by Terry. The blue quilt was hand quilted by another ranger friend Cathy. The orange and black sweater and hat here knitted by Sue. The multicolored jumper was knitted by Julie and the quilt that everything is displayed on was made by Mary. And our friend Carla is almost finished with her afghan that she made on her trip to Alaska. We realize how much time these gifts took to make and are truly astounded by your generosity. We thank each and one of you for your friendship and generosity.

Practice for Parents

Bobbie is getting bigger.... We have both been practicing our parenting skills. Shawn went to Daddy Boot Camp this weekend for new dads. He learned a lot of tips and tricks to make "Daddying" easier. Bobbie practiced swaddling and dressing Bananas the monkey. She said that Bananas resembled her brother! Shame on her... We started packing the hospital labor bag this weekend. The next few weeks are going to be hectic so he had to get an early start. We go see Dr. Schneider again today for another check up. The come every two weeks now.

Stocking Up

Mommy & Daddy Banks bought their first package of diapers. They are trying to make final preparations in the nursery as well as starting to back the "labor bag."

Check Out My New Ride

Grandma Linda bought baby his stroller. It is a Baby Trend Laurel Oak Travel System. It has the Flex-Loc top-rated infant car seat and stroller. Mommy says, "Boy it's starting to get close if we have the stroller!" She is 29 weeks as of Sept 1st. Mommy also had to go through a four hour glucose test at the hospital on Saturday. She felt like a pin cushion.