A Very Full Friday

Since Andrew went on Ryder's field trip with him, it was my turn to go on a field trip with Harper. Of course Shepherd came along for the ride...and the milk. :) Harper's class rode on the bus to a children's museum about an hour and a half away, and Shepherd and I met them there. Shepherd slept most of the time but woke up when we headed to the pavilion outside for lunch. It was probably a mix of the outdoor breeze and a handful of Harper's friends who kept coming over to the stroller to say hello. He was definitely stimulated by all of the activity!

Harper with a couple of her friends after lunch

overlooking the Hudson River

That's the bridge we drove over to get to the waterfront museum.

fun with the light pegs

Harper the firefighter!

As if the field trip wasn't enough excitement for one day, on Friday evening we headed to Bethel Woods for a Zac Brown Band concert. Andrew had been to this venue, the original site of Woodstock, but it was the first time for the kids and me. It had rained in the morning (and most of last week!), but thankfully the sun came out and there was a nice breeze all afternoon and evening. It was actually a little chilly once the sun went down, but it felt great! The concert drew a huge crowd, which didn't surprise me, but I was surprised with how young everyone looked. It was pretty much a party scene of 20-somethings, and Andrew and I decided we were officially "old" because we came to a concert with 3 kids, a diaper bag, and a stroller. Ha! We like to think we're the "cool parents". Because of the massive amount of people, we didn't even attempt to enter the outdoor amphitheater with the stroller. Instead we found a nice grassy area where Ryder and Harper could run around and climb trees while still listening to live music. They had a blast, and Shepherd just dozed in his stroller. It was a late night, and we were so happy with how well all three kiddos did. They didn't get to bed until 11, and even Shepherd slept all night! He didn't wake me up until 6am; he must have known how exhausted Momma was from our busy day. Such a sweet boy!

snuggled into his stroller

a Saturday snooze after a full Friday
(Thanks Lynn and Great-grandma for the Baby Bear outfit--it fits!)

Shepherd LOVES bath time now. Harper always helps me and sometimes Ryder does too. Shepherd just lounges like he's being pampered at the spa. :)

Shepherd: 2 months

Yesterday Shepherd and I headed to the pediatrician's office for his 2 month check-up on his 2 month birthday. I knew this visit would include some immunizations, so as I got him out of the car I told him to be brave and that it would be over in a flash. I remember giving the same pep talk to Ryder and Harper when they were that age; I guess somehow it makes me feel better!

We got called back right away, and Shepherd did great when I had to get him naked to get on the scale--no crying and no peeing. :) As we waited in the exam room for the doctor, he was content to just look around the room. Dr. Sara came in and checked him head to toe, commenting again on how great he looks. She even asked how he could possibly be two months old already because she felt like I just had him. I told her I have no idea where April and May went and that I completely agree!

The last step was the nurse coming in to administer the shots. 😔 She started with the oral vaccine, and Shepherd sucked it down like it was the best treat ever! I told the nurse I was surprised he liked it so much because when we give him a gas drop, he kind of puckers up and then pushes it back out with his little tongue. She said the vaccine is vanilla flavored and that most babies love it; she even joked that she should try it sometime just to see what it tastes like. Ha! After that tasty treat, he had to get three shots in his legs. He cried, of course, but not very hard. The nurse was super quick, and as soon as she put the band-aids on I scooped him up to comfort him. He wasn't even fussing as I got him redressed and buckled back into his car seat. Such a trooper!

Shepherd's 2 month stats:
height: 23 inches (50th percentile)
weight: 13 pounds (70th percentile)
*I'm not sure about the percentiles this time. It seems weird to me that his height dropped from the 85th to 50th and his weight percentile stayed the same. I recorded them anyway, and we will see what happens at his 4 month visit.
Next appointment: August 19th

When we got home I laid him down on his play mat to stretch out and play. Within two minutes, he was sound asleep!

Shepherd fell asleep on my lap after a feeding. Harper and I were playing with her veterinarian set, and I put these pink glasses on him. He was so sound asleep he didn't even flinch!

After a diaper change Shepherd was awake, so Andrew and I put him in his chair for his 2 month picture. We tried to get a smile out of him, but he was tired and just leaned against Sunshine Bear and gazed around.

Two months old? Really?!

Taking a morning snooze while Mommy works on her blog. :)

Ice Cream and Smiles

Last weekend while running some errands, we made a trip to Riverside Creamery on our way home so Andrew could try it too. Once again, it was delicious! Ryder and Harper had a PTA-sponsored ice cream party at school one day last week, and Ryder said the people serving the ice cream were wearing "Riverside Creamery" shirts. Yum!

Shepherd has still been sleeping like a champ, and during his awake time he's doing more and more smiling. He is growing and changing so much, and it is bittersweet to know he won't be my snuggly little baby forever. 

sporting his new camouflage sun hat from Daddy

My heart melted and I got tears in my eyes as I watched this sweet interaction between Shepherd and Harper. I don't know who was smiling more! These two sure love each other, and I'm so proud of what a wonderful big sister Harper is! 💖

On Saturday morning Shepherd was on his play mat, and I heard Andrew say, "He's smiling at himself in the mirror!" I ran into the room and witnessed a couple of those smiles, so I made sure when I put him on the mat again that afternoon I had my phone ready to take a video. :)

Bushkill Falls

Yesterday Ryder's class went on a field trip to Bushkill Falls, PA. The website advertises it as the "Niagara of Pennsylvania" because of all of the waterfalls, but there's also a maze, hiking trails, and a spot to mine for gems. Andrew took the day off work so he could go with Ryder, and they had a great time together! Andrew was responsible for Ryder and one of Ryder's classmates, and they did the longest hike (2 miles) to see all 8 of the waterfalls. Andrew said that not only was there a lot of walking, but there were multiple wooden staircases to climb along the trail and he was impressed that the boys hung in there and did it all. When Ryder came downstairs this morning, the first thing I heard him say was, "Boy, my legs are sure sore today!" They had beautiful weather, and Ryder thanked Andrew a handful of times for going with him. 😍

Ryder was proud to show me the map he brought home and that they did the red trail. 

Andrew said the breeze and mist from this waterfall felt great!

See the rainbow?

Check out the wildlife! 😉

-the maze-
I would totally get lost in there!

Smile!

I captured a smile! 😊😍😊 Isn’t that little face just delicious?? Oh, I can hardly stand it!

Sweet Shepherd

This is a "Shepherd-only" post with pictures of his sweet little face. 😍 Although he still loves to snuggle and sleep, he has been spending more and more time awake between feedings. And as his smile has been emerging, you can tell he recognizes us. He has given Ryder and Harper a few gigantic smiles when they lean in to talk to him, and I get some good ones too when he's on the changing table. Now I just have to remember to keep my phone with me at all times so that hopefully soon I'll capture one on camera! I feel like as happy of a baby as he is, he is serious too; he makes us work for those smiles!

Shepherd has started putting himself on more of a nighttime schedule, and I'm trying to follow his lead. By 8:30-9 most nights he is spent, so I nurse him, change his diaper, and put him into his pajamas and sleep sack. Andrew likes to rock him and then lay him in his crib, and I gladly let the two of them have this time together. Not only is it sweet, but it gives me a chance to get myself ready for bed so I can go to sleep when the baby does. He was usually waking up a couple of times to eat, usually at 12 or 1 and then again at 3 or 4. But then a few nights ago that changed. He made it until 2am before wanting to be fed, which meant I was able to get 4 hours of sleep in a row. Woohoo! And I hate to jinx myself by typing this, but last night we put him to bed around 9:45 and he didn't wake me until 4:04am! I bolted awake at about 3, feeling like I must have slept through his crying. But I looked at the monitor and he was sleeping peacefully. I tried to go back to sleep, but I was sure he would be waking up any second, so I sort of just snoozed for a few minutes at a time and then stared at the monitor to make sure he was moving. By 4:00 he was really squirming and starting to cry, and I took a screenshot of my phone so I'd remember the exact time. 😂 I know this schedule may not last, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can!

love those kissable cheeks!

He's really starting to enjoy diaper-changing time! Last week we switched to using the cloth diapers during the day after  figuring out exactly how to snap them for the best fit.

another tummy time nap

So much to think about...

drowsy with Daddy 

showing off his biceps 😜 

sucking on his thumb while giving the "peace" sign