Shepherd: 5 months

Besides rolling and making all sorts of cute baby noises, I think Shepherd has also started the teething process. He puts everything in his mouth. But not just in a "let me see what this tastes like" kind of way--more in an "attack and chomp" kind of way. Late afternoons tend to be when his gums bother him the most. His little cheeks get rosy, he's irritable, and he really gnaws on his frozen washcloth or teething toy. I know it can take a while for that first tooth to pop through, but I hope for his sake it isn't a long drawn out process!

Shepherd's schedule is getting more predictable each day:

7am- wake and feed
8am- put the big kids on the bus :)
8:30- morning catnap (about 30 minutes or so)
9:30 or 10- feed and then play
11am- rock and read (usually a Dr. Seuss book) before nap time in his crib
*He has been sleeping for about an hour and a half most days, which means I can get some things done! :)
12:30 or 1pm- feed and play
~2:30- short catnap
3:15- head outside to wait for the big kids! We sing as many verses to "Wheels on the Bus" as we can while we wait.
4pm- feed and play
~5pm- short catnap
6:45ish- start bath
7pm- put on clean pj's followed by milk, books, and bed! Usually he's in his crib by 7:30-7:45. Most nights I don't hear a peep out of him now, but there's still the occasional wake-up where he just needs to be cuddled for a few minutes before putting him back in his crib. 😇

Morning catnaps usually take place on the couch next to me. :)

This month's "photo shoot" was the first time Shepherd noticed the Care Bear sitting in the chair with him. It was adorable to watch him interact with it! It really made me realize how observant he is now of his surroundings. He kept tipping over as he tried to hug the bear, so I readjusted him and the sticker multiple times to get the following pictures!

Oh hi there! What's your name?

Look, Mama! I have a new friend!

Mmmuuaaa! 

I'm pretty sure he's now trying to eat his Care Bear friend.

No more pictures, Mama. I'm looking for a book to read.

sweet and happy little boy

This weekend we decided to introduce Shepherd to some real food! I was going to start with rice cereal, but I had a heck of a time grinding the rice to the right consistency; when I cooked it there were still some pieces that were crunchy. I got frustrated, threw it in the trash, and cooked the oatmeal instead! At the last second I stirred in a little mashed banana to sweeten it. The whole family gathered around the table on Friday afternoon to watch Shepherd's first food experience! Andrew had the camera, and Harper and Ryder sat quietly because I told them we didn't want to overwhelm poor little Shep. They did a great job, and Shepherd really isn't sure of this whole food thing! His first instinct is to push the food back out with his little tongue, so we are just going to give him a few bites each day until he gets used to the whole concept. He kept making a "kkkkk" sound in the back of this throat after swallowing, probably because he's so used to a liquid-only diet. 😂

I'm not so sure what is about to happen here.

Ok, here comes Mama!

What....is.....this??

Hmmm...it actually has pretty good flavor. 

Chomp!

Back to school and on a roll!

Well, the big kids are in week 3 of the new school year, and it sure is nice to be back in a familiar routine. 🤪 I’m glad we had two months together at home, but we were definitely all ready for a little separation. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? They have the same bus driver and pickup/drop-off times as last year, so we fell right back into the groove with that. The only difference is that Shepherd is older and more aware, so it’s fun to watch his face when he sees the bus arrive. In the morning he studies it like he can’t figure out why it’s taking his big sister and brother away, but in the afternoon he smiles when they get off the bus and start walking towards him. I know he misses them when they’re gone all day!

How is this possible??

This feels like yesterday...their first day of preschool in 2014!

waiting for the bus!

This is Shep's "wait-for-the-bus attire" when it's chilly in the morning.

Harper started soccer and is loving it! She has practice one night a week at her school, and her games are on Sunday afternoons at the high school. It's a great introduction to the game, and the coaches are pretty much just trying to get the kids to spread out as they run up and down the field. Ha! I've enjoyed taking her to practice and getting to know some of the other parents; it really helps me feel more connected, and there are tons of families up here. (I never would have guessed that in the middle of winter when everyone was in hibernation!)

Ready for soccer practice!

Once the kids started school, I think Shepherd decided the lazy days of summer were over and he needed to get to work too. Within that first week of September, he could hold his head up so much better and started rolling from his back to his tummy!

He likes to sit up in the walker and play when I need two hands in the kitchen. 

Pops' overalls are back! Now Pops, Andrew, Ryder & Shepherd have worn them. 😍

Shepherd: 4 months

My sweet little Shepherd continues to change so much! He has truly grown out of the newborn stage and transitioned into a little person.  Over the past few weeks he definitely went through a sleep regression. He started waking up again at least twice to be fed, and then sometimes he just woke up and didn't know how to fall back to sleep. One night I saw him at midnight, and then again at 3, 4, 5, and 6. Whew! Let's just say I enjoyed some extra coffee the next day! Each night has been different, so I've been trying to go to bed on time because I don't know what time he might need me. Thankfully it has been slowly getting better, and last night the little angel slept from 8pm until 7:30am. He did have his 4 month checkup yesterday and got 3 vaccinations, so that might have contributed to his sleepiness. We both enjoyed a full night's sleep!!

Shepherd likes...

• when Ryder and Harper come tell him 'good morning' when he first wakes up in his crib 
• lying on the floor in Harper's room and watching the ceiling fan spin
• cuddling and being held
• putting EVERYTHING in his mouth (fingers, books, toys, burp rags)
• being talked and babbled to
• bath time and being naked. He is always so happy now in the bathtub and on his changing table. 
• sitting outside with us
• when we sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" to him. On the last line I sing, "head, shoulders, knees & toes, knees & Shepherd toes" and then kiss or pretend to eat his little toes. He gives me a huge smile!
• being held upright and sitting on our laps. There is so much to see!

Shepherd dislikes...

• having a wet or dirty diaper
• lying flat on the floor to play
• being in his car seat too long. Sometimes he will cry the whole time we are on our way back home from somewhere, especially if it is around a meal time. This leads to Harper crying too because she can't stand for Shepherd to be so upset. 😢

height: 28 inches, which means he grew 5 inches since his 2 month appointment. No wonder he wears 6 or even 9 month outfits. This boy is long!
weight: 15 lbs. 13 oz.

This is my serious face.

Ok, I'll smile for the camera.

Mama, the faces you are making are hilarious!

😍😍😍😍😍

Poor baby has a band-aid on each thigh from his shots.

They don't seem to bother him too much though!

Are you ready for some football?

Ryder and Harper both really wanted to play a fall sport, so after giving them plenty of time to deliberate their choices, we signed Ryder up for football and Harper for soccer. (Harper hasn't started yet--I should be hearing from her coach sometime in the next week). Ryder's practice started on August 1st, and this league is no joke! For the rest of the summer they practice Monday-Thursday evenings, and once school starts they will practice Monday-Wednesday evenings. Talk about commitment! Luckily Andrew was able to adjust his work day so that he can be home in time to take Ryder to practice; it's right over the dinner hour and into Shepherd's bath and bedtime routine. So for now, I cook dinner and eat at normal time. Usually Harper stays home with me to help out with Shepherd and have some "girl time" with me. Then when Andrew and Ryder get home, they just have to reheat dinner while I'm bathing Shepherd and putting him to bed. Whew! It has taken some time to get used to, mostly for me I think, but we're doing it! Ryder's team had their first scrimmage Saturday morning, and it was so much fun to watch him in action. He has learned a lot in the past two weeks. I'm not sure how many points we ended up with, but I do know the other team didn't score at all, which Ryder was excited about. His coaches are tough (in an age-appropriate way) and are really teaching the boys the rules of the game and the importance of teamwork. At practice if some of the boys aren't paying attention, they all do pushups or run a lap. That's the only way to get these silly 8 and 9-year-olds to pay attention!

It was a hazy, overcast morning. We were thankful it wasn't sunny or we would have been miserably hot!

Ryder (#85) got to help lead stretches before the scrimmage.

Ryder is an offensive linemen, just like Andrew used to be when he played.

head to head with #17

Two or three of our coaches were on the field at all times to help talk the boys through the game. 

Shepherd cheered from the sidelines. "Go Ryder!"

another snoozing Frankenstein baby, with Andrew wearing tie-dye of course

Remember these?

Andrew and Harper (2013)

Andrew and Ryder (2011)

These two are such good buddies!

Belly Laughs

Shepherd officially giggled on Tuesday night, and Harper gets the credit for being the first one to get a good laugh out of him. :) The best part is that she really wasn't even trying! She was helping me give him a bath, and as I was rinsing him she was talking to him and using a lot of hand gestures. (I honestly don't even know what she was talking about!) He was just watching her, and then he smiled and let out a big giggle. This of course prompted her to keep doing what she was doing, and he kept laughing until he developed a mean case of the hiccups! It was the most adorable sound in the world, and he had us laughing right along with him. He loves to kick and squirm around now, and boy has he gotten strong! So even though Harper is a wonderful helper, I didn't want to leave her alone with our slippery little guy for even a second to grab the camera. I was able to record a short video during bath time the following night, and although it's cute, it's not nearly as good as the night before. I'll keep trying! 😍

He is holding his head up so well now!

Preparing for winter...in August?!

The past two weekends have been ideal for spending time outdoors; comfortable temperatures and low humidity have made it super comfortable both inside the house and out. Andrew and I agreed that it is almost starting to feel fall-like already. I'm not trying to rush the summer, but I will be ready for the changing leaves and cooler temperatures. I can't even believe I'm saying that when I spent so many months bundled up and wishing for sunshine and warm weather! Ha!

Last weekend the main item on our to-do list was to get the new firewood stacked. We want to be prepared for winter this year, so Andrew had a load of wood delivered at the end of July so it will have plenty of time to dry out before we need it. Last year we didn't even get firewood until mid-December, so it was cold and frozen and we did NOT want to deal with that again. Thanks to our tractor, wagon, and two helpful big kids, Andrew was able to get all of the firewood stacked into his favorite circular formation in just two days. He also found a great deal on a new wood stove, and it should be delivered soon. Winter is not going to sneak up on us this year!

Harper took advantage of a cooler summer morning and grabbed a blanket and book and headed outside to read. 

hard at work!

Ryder and Harper took turns driving the tractor back and forth to load and unload the wagon with wood.

Andrew found this huge toad living in the bottom of the old wood pile. There were also lots of slugs, some huge spiders, and a black snake!

Finished! Last year's wood pile was the smaller circle behind the new one. We ordered the same amount of wood, but we feel like we have a lot more this year!