Hives are for the Bees!

Here is my story:
I am a bear. Mom and Dad call me little bear. Bears like honey. Honey is made by bees. Bees live in hives. Hives live in trees. HIVES SHOULD STAY IN TREES PEOPLE!

Okay, so this hasn't been the greatest 7 days. Last week I got an ear infection and I had to take antibiotics. Then, on Sunday I got the stomach flu...don't worry, no swine flu. Then, on Tuesday I woke up with crazy red spots all over my face, arms and legs. Chicken pox, monkey pox...no, I got the hives. Apparently, it was a reaction to the antibiotics that I was on for my ear infection. Mom and Dad think it might be from the virus that I had over the weekend. We aren't really sure. Needless to say, I was not able to "bee" myself. It really looks worse than it is. I am handling it very well and no one has played connect the dots yet! Most of the really big blotches went away by the end of the day today. I am on the road to recovery!!

Last night, I fell asleep at 7pm on the couch. Duncan came and cuddled with me. He is quite cozy!

We will be sure to get some better pictures up soon!

Hope all is well!

Smiles,

Jake

Yahoo for 7 months!

Hi Friends - It's been 7 months since my arrival... boy, how big I am getting.

It's been a busy few weeks for us as a family.

• We had mom's birthday, I sent her to the spa (dad put it on my tab).
• We had an awesome Easter looking for eggs with my cousins, Ethan, Ari and Ciara and the Biebel family.
• Ear infection count - #3 = Not cool.
• Dad and mom went out to dinner and a movie. Although I was sad I couldn't go, Lisa, Joe and Max watched me. Mr. Joe tickles my toes, I laugh and we all win. Ms. Lisa and I cuddle, she rocks me right to sleep. Max... well, he licks my face just like Duncan. BTW - happy birthday Max! Fun party and treats.
• Grandma Karen came to visit this weekend. We had a ton of fun and she got to see all of my tricks, including rolling over, playing my guitar and soiling myself. We went over by the Wilson family for a garage sale party and hung out with Andrew. Favorite part of the weekend... Buffalo Wild Wings with dad and grandma. Who doesn't love some wings? We also went to a cool dessert place called the Cupcake Cafe for yummy cupcakes! Soooo good.

Last time, I mentioned swimming lessons. I'm calling them out on the pool temperature. 82 degrees my eye! More like 62 - I shivered, but hung in there. At least I didn't have blue lips like some of my friends. My teacher Gus asks me to blow bubbles, kick and move my arms - I'd rather play with the sweet toys he's got. Dad helps me work on technique and makes sure I feel safe in the water. I'm a rock star, I was dunked totally under on day one and didn't even skip a beat. I did it three times, good stuff. After, I changed out of my 50 pound swim diaper.

Enjoy the pictures!

Much love - Jacob

Three Little Bears

Happy Easter Y'all!

This is usually the forum for Jacob to give you the ins and outs of his week, but as you see - he's sleepy.

So I thought I'd let you know about something cool we did as a family recently.

Some of you might remember the story of our engagement and how I proposed to Melissa. It had a little bit to do with the Build a Bear workshop and a bear we made together on one of our first dates (Kennedy). Well, in 04' when I proposed - I created a new bear (cleverly named JT) that was decked out in a groom outfit to accompany Kennedy.

It became a little symbolic of our family. Since our family has grown, we figured we'd add to it. We took Jacob to the Build a Bear factory where he enjoyed watching the back of his eyelids. That didn't stop us from picking out the best bear of the bunch. Melissa and I deliberated briefly, but we were both drawn to one bear. His name was "Champ".

Champ is a nickname I call Jacob and also something my dad called me from time to time. It was perfect. He is now a part of our bear family (see picture below in the middle).

For those of you crying foul that Duncan isn't represented - relax... First, he doesn't have thumbs, so he couldn't make a bear. Second, he's a dog... probably not getting into the Mall of America unless he looks more like Snoopy. Third, he's eaten several stuffed animals. Chances are he wouldn't pick one, he'd just pick them apart - I'm not paying for any more destroyed ones. Those of you who know Duncan, know he'll have his own special place in our family as our first baby.

Much love, Happy Easter!

- Adam, Melissa, Jacob and Duncan