Overall this winter has been very mild, and I am definitely NOT complaining! Daytime highs hovered at or above 50 this past weekend, and it was great to get outside! The ground is still pretty wet, so I put two layers of pants and a waterproof jacket on Shepherd so he could experience crawling around outside for the first time. He loved watching Ryder and Harper run around, and I would love to know what he was thinking as he pulled at the grass and tried to keep from rolling down the gentle slope that is our backyard.
Shepherd's first hammock swing ride
This girl still loves to swing!
Ryder is more of a lounger. :)
On Sunday Shepherd and I went with Harper to a classmate's birthday party at Build-a-Bear. It was the first time I had ever been in one of those stores, and it was pretty cool! All of the kiddos got to choose a stuffed animal and one outfit, and since Harper has a weakness for stuffed animals, she was in heaven!
She named her bear Sunrise because the pink, yellow, and orange made her think of the morning sky.
Oh, how this little boy continues to change and grow right before our eyes! I'm in denial that he will be a year old soon, and Ryder and Harper think it's funny when I say "noooo!" in a sad voice when I see Shepherd doing something new for the first time. I just want to freeze him in this babyhood stage for a little while longer. He is starting to use his knees more to crawl, and in the past few days we've seen him trying to pull himself up by the couch and the door, so I know there will be a toddler in the house before we know it!
Shepherd loves bananas and toast for breakfast.
On Valentine's Day, Shepherd and I went over to the school to be with Harper's class for "Lemonade with Loved Ones". There were Valentine-themed activity sheets for us to work on, a bulletin board for photo ops, and of course some refreshing lemonade on our coldest day so far this winter! 😂
Last weekend I dug the Fisher Price drum set out of Harper's closet and brought it down to Shepherd's room for him to enjoy. I think it's one of the few baby toys we actually saved, and I'm glad we did. He loves to shake the maracas and tambourine, and he has only bopped himself in the head a few times. He is learning!
Look who has mastered the kazoo already!
After nap one morning I went in to get Shepherd out of his crib and found him just sitting there like this! That evening Andrew lowered the crib mattress all the way down because we know it's just a matter of time before this little guy figures out how to stand up. (noooooo!)
The big kids were home on Monday for Presidents' Day, so we headed to McDonald's for lunch to use gift cards from Pops and Grann. Shepherd enjoyed sitting in a highchair that had wheels on the bottom...he figured out how to use his little feet to slowly push himself away from the table. Fun trick!
always so serious
It was just Shepherd and me at home on Wednesday when it was time for his 10 month picture, so of course I only got one picture with the sticker showing before he snatched it off the chair. It kept him very busy!
Shepherd loves his "I Thought I Saw a Dinosaur" book so much that Andrew ordered him two more from the series. He now has the Lion and Bear books too.
reading to Sunshine Care Bear
Some things I want to remember about Shepherd at this age...
He is my little vampire! He now has 4 teeth: 2 on the bottom and 2 fangs on top. The fangs aren't all the way in yet, so we can't see them when he smiles. But boy is that going to be funny! Apparently none of my kiddos play by the rules when it comes to teething. They do it their own way!
He loves music! We play a lot of music through Pandora or Spotify on our TV, and when Shepherd hears something he likes, he bobs his head like he's dancing. When a song ends and something new starts playing, he will turn and look at the screen like he's checking to see the title and artist. We have all adopted this head-bobbing dance because it's so cute when he does it with us!
While Ryder went through a growling phase and Harper shrieked like a bird, Shepherd likes to roar. He will open his mouth and make a roaring sound in the back of his throat, and he will do it repeatedly until we do it back to him. 😂 Then it continues like a tennis match until he gets tired of doing it.
If Shepherd is on his tummy playing or just taking a break from crawling, he taps his left foot against the floor like he's keeping a beat. It's such a casual relaxed motion, and so far I have only seen him do it with his left leg.
He has figured out how to pull and push things so they will open and close. His favorites are his bedroom door and the door on Garcia's crate. But it can be painful to watch because his own body usually gets in the way as he tries to pull them open; a lot of pivoting and rolling out of the way are usually involved. He also loves to open and close books, and when I read to him I can say, "Shepherd, can you turn the page?" and he happily reaches out to help, even if it means turning all of the pages and closing the book.
I think Shepherd might like to eat more at this age than the other two kiddos combined! He has loved every new food we've given him lately (tofu included!) and makes a long "mmmm" sound when he likes something. Dinner time is especially stressful right now because I can't put food on his tray fast enough. He wants whatever we are having and he wants it now. He leans forward in his high chair, whining and reaching for things until he has eaten just enough to take the edge off. Then he will usually sit back and enjoy the meal. And of course this is happening while the rest of us are trying to dish up our food and the big kids are talking and music is playing in the background...I told Andrew I feel like we are on candid camera on what life is like with three kids. 😜
I took Shepherd to the pediatrician on January 30th, but then "the crud" hit our house and I haven't had a chance to update the blog. Andrew got super sick on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon and was laid up in bed for 2 days with what we think was the flu. He never did get his flu shot this year...I didn't say "I told you so", but he did say I might have to drive him to the pharmacy next year to make sure he gets one! He was miserable and stayed quarantined in our bedroom so we could keep him away from the kiddos. I washed all of the towels and linens and walked around disinfecting door handles, light switches, and the TV remote controls. Harper and Ryder took turns getting a cough and some congestion; Harper missed two days of school and Ryder missed one, but thankfully it was nothing like what Andrew had. So last week was strange for Shepherd and me. We had someone home with us every day, throwing us off of our usual routine. Thankfully this weekend everyone had plenty of time to rest, and I put BOTH of the big kids on the bus to school today. We're getting back to normal around here! As I type this, Shepherd and I are still healthy. I pray it stays that way!
Shepherd's doctor visit went well, especially since he didn't need any shots this time. :) It was a late afternoon appointment, so Harper rode with me while Andrew and Ryder stayed home to get dinner started. The waiting room at the doctor's office was filled with sick kiddos, so I kept Shepherd tight in my lap and told Harper not to touch a thing. Hmmm...maybe she picked up something there and not from Andrew?
Our growing boy didn't really gain much weight since his last visit, which surprised me considering how much he loves to eat. But he grew 2 inches in length and is constantly moving and crawling, so he's burning lots of calories.
height: 30 inches (95th percentile)
weight: 19 lbs 4 oz (90th percentile)
His next appointment is the day after his 1st birthday. Where is the time going???
trying spaghetti for the first time
packing it in! This boy sure loves to eat. :)
The day after Shepherd's appointment, the big kids had honor assemblies at their school since it was the end of Quarter 2. They were both recognized, so Shepherd and I attended Ryder's assembly and then hung out in the front lobby until it was time for Harper's to start. Ryder made Principal's List again (all A's) and was also given the MVP award from his P.E. teacher and the "Recorder Master" from his music teacher. Harper's teacher gave her the "Handwriting Hero" award, and the music teacher gave her the "Rockin' Rhythm" award. I was so proud of both of them! 😍
Harper and her friend Ella
And more Shepherd pictures since he is changing so much these days!
black beans!
For some reason Harper was coloring in the hallway one evening, so Shepherd crawled over to check out what she was doing.
kisses for Little Brother!
These two spend a lot of time together. 💕
Andrew and I watched Shepherd crawl into Garcia's crate one morning, so we had to take a picture! Usually Shepherd just likes to bang on it because it's metal and makes a fun sound. And it never fails...Garcia hears it and comes trotting in because he thinks it's time to get into it. I laugh every time because Garcia thinks Shepherd already has the power to tell him what to do. 😂
On the morning of Shepherd's scheduled doctor's appointment, he started sitting up all by himself! He has been such a fan of playing while on his tummy or on his side that he hadn't quite mastered sitting independently. Well, that morning I was sitting beside him on the floor while he played, and when I looked over he was just sitting there looking at me. Ha! I had no idea how he did it until a little while later when I witnessed him lounging on his side and then casually roll up into a sitting position. Now he does it all the time and has such good posture!
love that silly face!
reading his favorite dinosaur book
I gave him a mixing bowl and spatula to play with one morning, and he had so much fun with it!
One night after dinner, Harper entertained Shepherd with a paper airplane. Who knew it would be so funny?
