Shepherd: 8 months

Another month has flown by, and Shepherd continues to grow and change right before our eyes. This boy rolls and rolls and rolls all over the room, babbles noises that sound like "da-da-da", grabs his spoon and tries to feed himself, and even figured out how to use a giant Lego ice cream cone as a whistle.

When the temperatures are bitter cold, I bundle him in his snowsuit to go outside and wait for the school bus. He's content in it once I pick him up, but while lying on the floor he looks so sad because he can't move. 😂

I can't move my arms...someone please help me up!

I've started feeding Shepherd purees three times a day: usually fruit for breakfast, a fruit and veggie for lunch, and then veggies for dinner. We are still avoiding bananas, but he loves mangos, peaches, apples, pears, and now blueberries! His favorite vegetable is still sweet potatoes, but he will eat carrots, peas, squash, and white potatoes if the temperature and consistency are just right. He really doesn't like foods with texture (such as oatmeal!), so I have to make sure his purees are nice and smooth. We made a big pot of my mom's homemade vegetable soup last week, and Shepherd was so envious as he watched us eat that we let him try some broth. Boy did he love it! We gave him a spoonful, and by the time we put the spoon back in the bowl to get some more, his little mouth was hanging open like a baby bird. It was adorable! Soup broth is by far the most seasoned, flavorful thing he has tried. We will have some again next week on Christmas Eve, and I can't wait to share some more with him!

Shepherd's sleep patterns have been a little wonky lately. He's finally getting more predictable with his daytime naps, but now nighttime sleep has changed. I've only been giving him a bath every other night because the winter air dries his skin out so much. By evening his poor little nose and cheeks look so red and chapped. I lather him up with lotion, and in the morning he looks better again. On a bath night he is in the tub at 6:30, and on the other nights we start changing him into his pajamas around 6:45. I still nurse him and read him a few stories before laying him down in his crib for the night. He goes to bed around 7:15, but recently he's been waking up between 11-12 to nurse and then sometimes again between 3-4. As much as I don't enjoy getting out of my warm bed, I know this stage won't last forever so I'm enjoying the middle of the night snuggles with my sweet boy. I figure between teething and growing so much developmentally, his sleep is going to be affected. Shepherd is officially a tummy sleeper now, so most mornings he wakes up soggy because he has wet through his diaper, pj's, and sleep sack. I guess sleeping on his tummy only leaves one way for all of that pee to go!

Just as Big Sister is losing her two front top teeth (one came out tonight!!), Shepherd has cut his two bottom teeth! I still haven't gotten a good look at them because he sticks his little tongue out whenever I try, but I can definitely feel them! He is still drooling and chewing on everything like crazy, so I have a feeling he is working on others.

I can do it myself, Mama.

Mmmm..blueberries :)

I'm not getting into Ryder's stuff, I promise.

rolling everywhere and disappearing under tables

I managed to capture two of Shepherd's tricks on video yesterday...enjoy!

A while back Harper gave Shep some of her Legos to play with, and we always set them out on his blanket when he is on the floor. They are the duplo size ones that make an ice cream cone, and one day Shepherd discovered he can blow into the cone end and make a whistling sound. The first time he did it I was across the room and didn't know where the sound was coming from--I kept watching him, and the next time I heard the sound I could see his little cheeks puff in and out. Hilarious! Now he will reach for the cone on purpose and start inhaling and exhaling when we ask him to play his whistle. Smart little boy!

busy playing and jabbering :)

Holiday Fair...Christmas is in the air!

Bethel Woods was having their annual holiday fair this weekend, so we decided to go check it out yesterday. Local vendors were set up inside three of the buildings, and a handful of food trucks were parked outside. It was a clear, crisp day, so we all bundled up since we didn't know how much walking would be involved. We strolled through each of the buildings, stopping at a few of the booths to sample sangria (for me) and bourbon (for Andrew). It was cool to see the different crafts and merchandise the vendors had on display, but we really didn't go with the intent to buy anything. We definitely did some eating though! We had a late lunch and then bought some fresh kettle corn. One bag survived the trip home, but Ryder and Harper shared (and devoured!) a small bag during the ride. We really weren't gone very long, but it was a nice change of scenery and a way to check out some of the unique events that take place in our area. 

Once we got to Bethel Woods, I bundled Shepherd into his snowsuit, snapped him in the stroller, and tucked him with a blanket. He stayed nice and toasty and just enjoyed the stroll.

I'm good, Mama. I can't move, but I'm good. :)

Leave it to Ryder to make it look like the Holiday Dove is pooping him out. This boy has quite a sense of humor!

I love this shot. What a backdrop!

climbing the "picture frame"

warming up with some hot soup, hot chocolate, and chili nachos

And a cute picture of Shepherd this morning, just because.

Winter weather is here!

We flipped the calendar to December 1st, and the snow arrived! It was a 2-day event, starting yesterday with freezing rain and sleet. It changed over to snow overnight, and then snowed all day today. School was closed and Andrew didn't have to work, so we enjoyed the feeling of being inside a snow globe...it really was beautiful! The big kids spent a lot of time outside, and after lunch Shepherd and I got bundled up and joined them for a little while. As of 4pm we had about 8 inches on the ground and it was still snowing. School is on a 3-hour delay for tomorrow, but I guess we will have to see what happens tonight. Ryder is convinced the delay will become a closing because "there is just so much snow on the ground." :) There is a ton of plowing that will have to get done tonight!

We woke up to several inches of snow, and Garcia had to check it out!

our snow-covered street 

Andrew held out some snow for Shepherd to sample. 

Brrr, that's cold!

But let me get one more taste.

watching Ryder and Harper play in the snow

perfect snowman-building snow!

After Shepherd and I headed inside to dry off and warm up, Andrew went for a walk with Ryder and Harper to the lake back behind our house. 

Harper turns 7!

My sweet (and sometimes spicy!) baby girl hasn't been a baby for a while, but something about her turning "7" really made me realize how much she has grown up. She is reading and writing like a champ, still loves to do anything art-related, and is the most loving big sister to Shepherd. She wears her heart on her sleeve, so you always know where you stand with Miss Harper; and her moods can still swing from one extreme to the other in about three seconds flat. I love her sense of humor and ability to just be silly, and although I get frustrated with her tendency to dilly-dally at the most inopportune times, I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world! She is smart, beautiful, kind, loving, playful, creative, and becoming more independent every day.

We kicked off Harper's birthday week with a playdate last Sunday with one of my best friends and her two kiddos. :) Katie and her family were in Connecticut to visit her husband's family for the week, and once we realized we were only a couple of hours apart, we made plans to meet halfway to see each other. We ended up choosing the same Children's Museum we've been to before, and it was the perfect activity on a cold rainy day. Katie and I have texted almost daily since we moved up here, so I couldn't wait to see her again in person! I took Harper and Shepherd with me because Harper is good buddies with Lilly, and Katie couldn't wait to meet Shepherd. Our two hour visit flew by, but we made the most of it and talked as much as we could.

Lilly and Harper

Shepherd makes strange to new people, so Katie talked softly to him from a safe distance so she wouldn't scare him. 😂

Lucas, Harper, and Lilly stayed busy!

Our group, minus Lucas. It was time to leave and he kept running from us because he didn't want to put on his coat. 

On Monday we celebrated Harper's birthday at school with Thanksgiving-themed cupcakes. Her class sang to her, enjoyed their cupcakes, and told Harper how cute her little brother is. :)

I should have snapped more than one picture...I captured her at the beginning of a blink!

Shep just sat off to the side of the classroom and watched the party. 

The kids' Thanksgiving break started on Wednesday, so Harper didn't have school on her birthday. We spent the day at home, mostly getting things ready for our Thanksgiving dinner the next day. Once Andrew got home from work we let Harper open her presents, and after dinner we had the apple cake she requested.

Thank you Steve, Ali, and Maisie!

Andrew and I got her some soccer earrings...

a hat-making kit...

and a balance beam! 

I totally forgot to check my candle supply ahead of time, so of course we didn't have a "7". We decided to create a math problem with the help of toothpicks.

Harper wanted to light her own candles this year!

her finished hat!

We also gave Harper a pair of earmuffs, and she has been wearing them constantly. I hope they're comfortable outside too!

We love you, Harper Lynn!!!