LOTSA PHOTOS!
Here are some photos from the last week or so. The first shows Lewis with his first pair of blue jeans. The elastic is pretty tight in the waist so he doesn't get to wear them very often. The next is of Lewis bouncin' in his Tigger jumperoo thing. After 3 months of standing in it (about once a week) he finally caught on that he can jump! He is really liking it. His aunt Ellen came to see him which was a good time. And finally, we caught him catching some zzz's. He had a great diet of cauliflower and baby oatmeal this week which seemed to treat him well. I put him on the scale with me today and he weighed in around 19 lbs.! He's a big boy.

New abilities

Thanks to the generosity of some of my relatives over Christmastime, I'm now the proud owner of a 250Gb external hard drive, which enables me to do a lot more video editing. Here's a fun little thing I put together in my spare time today... it's called SWEET POTATOES.

--Jstn

LEWIS DOES PILATES
Lewis has continued to develop his palate this week while eating sweet potatoes, squash, oatmeal and some apples. He likes squash the least, but his digestive system likes it best! Otherwise he has had visits from both sets of grandparents and continues to work on his ab muscles. CLICK HERE to see Lewis scream and laugh while doing one of his favorite Pilates moves.

BATHTIME PART II
Lewis is still taking baths and enjoying them much more now than in the beginning! We took a VIDEO-(click here) today to document his bathing progress. Please note that his heavy breathing means that he is excited and happy. Otherwise he has embarked on the yellow/orange veggies. Last week he endured carrots. We may not be serving that one real often. He ate them, but did not like them for the most part (like his dad). This week he has moved on to sweet potatoes and is liking those a lot more. He likes rice cereal, but it is not treating him too well digestively so we are cutting back on that some! He is on the verge of rolling over from back to belly, but he is resisting taking the plunge on that one. We'll keep you posted!

On the social front, Lewis slept through his first encounter with Simon Basham. It was probably for the best! Simon is really sweet and seems very content. It was hard for us to remember how tiny these babies start out. We encouraged Cort and Laurie Basham to enjoy his light physique while it lasts. He'll be out of those newborn diapers before they know it.

VALENTINE MOROZOV
On Thursday we got to see our friends, the Morozovs. We were happy to find that little Val, currently 27 months (that would be 2 1/4 years) has developed a love for coffee, despite his youth. We shot a small video clip where he expresses his excitement for the typically caffeinated beverage, while reaching for his cup o' joe in a Veggie Tales mug. He seemed unaware that his particular cup had been fairly watered down by his papa (also named Val). At this point, he is learning of the fellowship that comes from partaking of the sweet nectar we know as coffee together with friends and family while the conversation flows to deep levels. Pictured here are little Val, Papa Val, and our own Lewis Christian. Click here to see the COFFEE VIDEO. In setting up that video we found an older one when little Val was baby Val. If you liked the coffee video, click here to see Val at 11 months old. He's grown up a lot since then! The second video features Val's mama, Heather, like the first, but also a rare cameo of our stint teammates, Jared and Lori Bridges.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!
It's Justin's birthday for a few more hours so Lewis and I wanted to give a shout out to the man in our lives! Hope this year is a good one, and we'll do all we can to help make it great. I am really blessed to have someone who is a faithful, caring and supportive husband. Lewis is grateful that his daddy loves him enough to change diapers, dance and act crazy, AND bounce him to sleep even though he (meaning Lewis!) is getting quite heavy. He does all of this while maintaining his sense of humor. We love you!

PACI VIDEO
Here's a video from last weekend of Lewis putting his own paci in his mouth. He doesn't always succeed at this, but he's getting better. Watch HERE.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It's 2007 already. We wish you a great year. Here's a photo from our last and final Christmas party with Justin's mom's side of the family. Lewis and his 3rd cousin, Olivia, flashed a smile for the camera after a big lunch. We are not sure, but we think Olivia might just like Lewis. :)

DOCTOR VISIT
Lewis saw Dr. Fraser today. At six months he is 17 lbs., 5 oz. and 26" long. Apparently he is average for weight and slightly below average for length, while his head is above average (most likely to house his massive brain!). He got some vaccinations and a flu shot. Everything seemed to be okay and we are glad that his next appointment will not involve shots. In other news, our friends Cort and Laurie Basham produced a baby boy this week. You can see his picture on their BLOG. Welcome to the world, Simon! You squeaked in at the end of '06!

SIX MONTHS OLD!!
Lewis is six months old today. His little life is going by so fast! We go to the doctor tomorrow to see how he is doing and to get some more vaccinations. It should be a good time. Lewis has had rice cereal for 3 mornings in a row. Check out his second attempt on this VIDEO.

FIRST SUPPER
Lewis had his first solid food yesterday. Though it was still mostly liquid, his first attempt at eating rice cereal went extremely well. Lewis ate a whole serving (about 4 tablespoons of milk mixed with a tablespoon of rice cereal) and had relatively little running down his bib when it was all over. He was left wearing a nice cereal mustache/gotee afterward, but we can live with that! He adapted so quickly to eating from a spoon that he certainly did not miss a beat. We are so proud. :)

HOLIDAY FUN
Lewis survived his first Christmas, despite some issues with his tummy and teeth wearing him down a little bit. He received a lot of wonderful gifts from his grandparents and aunts. We were really lucky this year to host everyone here in Bowling Green. Justin's family came on Christmas Eve and my family came on Christmas day. We ate a lot of food and opened a lot of gifts. Lewis got a whole wardrobe of clothes for the next few months which he really needed! He also got several toys and books to keep his interest for quite a while.

The first pic is Lewis and his aunt Beth enjoying his new glo-worm. The second is Santa Lewis with his Grandma and Aunt Monica. She got him some stacking cups that he is sure to enjoy. Thanks to the fam for good times and thoughtful presents. Lewis is sure to enjoy things more next year which will be nice for us all! :)

HO HO HO!
Lewis says,

"It's my first Christmas and here's wishing you the best one yet!!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Just wanted to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! We have been enjoying the festivities this year as we look through the eyes of our sweet baby Lewis. It certainly makes it much more fun to try and figure out what he is thinking about all this holiday activity. Granted he has no idea what is going on, but he likes the tree and even the stocking I made him. Check it out in the photo. Being that I am not a crafty, creative type, it's a true miracle that it turned out so well! Next year it might get some use other than just hanging on the mantle.

We had a few unexpected guests the other day too. Derek Holt, in from Austria, was the first. He was followed by Mai Hoang, in from Washington state, and Zacchaeus Compson who is living in Arizona. Thanks for coming by! To those of those of you we will not get to see, have a wonderful (and safe) time with your families. We are so blessed to have a new member of our family this year. It is so amazing to imagine what the coming years will be like.

BABY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS
This weekend we began celebrating Christmas at a couple different parties. The main one being the annual Shepherd family gathering which happened to be at Justin's parents' house this year. Lewis got to meet a lot of relatives for the first time. He spent some quality time with his aunts and his Grandpa especially. Here are some pictures with his Aunt Jeanne outside, and his Aunt Monica, who seems to have the special touch of getting him to sleep even in the midst of celebratory chaos.

Lewis does the Elfin' dance!
CLICK HERE to see the smooth moves for yourself!

--Justin

SLEEP: A STUDY
We just thought you'd like to the see the contrast between Lewis sleeping this week (at 23 weeks), and Lewis sleeping at around 10 days old. Still the same basic position and look, though he is growing!! He can't wear that Pooh hat anymore. His head had to expand to fit his growing brain (or so we hope). Here's wishing you some good rest and sweet dreams this Christmas season. :)

A couple of pics of Grandma and Grandpa (Shepherd) the last time they were in town. Lewis' tooth is still working on coming in. It could be a long road. We are hoping it happens pretty soon because when Lewis gets upset about it, he gets really upset. He is mostly still happy which is great. He is getting much bigger and heavier. We have his six month check-up after Christmas when he will get his official weight.

Speaking of Christmas--Shelley and maybe Justin will be performing this Friday night during "A Very Redfoot Christmas" at Westminster Bible Church (824 Lehman Ave in Bowling Green). Redfoot is a local band and good friends of ours. The show is free and starts at 7 p.m. We will be the opening act and will be performing mostly traditional Christmas songs. Rumor has it that homemade ice cream might be served. Regardless, it will be a fun night. Feel free to join us if you are around!

Here's a video with Lewis and his Sesame Street Walker. He loves his Cookie Monster! Click HERE to watch.

CONGRATULATIONS GRANDPA NORM!
Last week marked the end of an era. Metereologist (and grandpa to Lewis) Norm Reitmeyer retired after a long, happy career working for the National Weather Service. After weathering numerous storms and working a variety of shifts, he has moved on to the next stage of his life. We are proud of him and all of his accomplishments, and wish him a long and fun retirement!

Lewis got to meet some more friends last weekend. Yura (another Belarussian transplant) and Lauren Metelski are expecting their first baby any day now. We hope little Ella arrives soon and with relatively little pain and effort. They'll be great parents.

Currently Lewis is focusing on getting his first tooth. We are not sure if he is getting one or two, but he is drooling like crazy and in quite a bit of discomfort. By chewing on his hand, his pacifier and getting some baby Orajel here and there he is managing okay. We will be glad when he gets through this phase!

WELCOME WINTER
It got so cold today that we had to get Lewis all bundled up to run a few errands. When we got home he kept sleeping for quite a while and we had to take some pictures because he looked so cute!!

We also took a short video this morning. He has so many girls around that it seems like he is learning to project his voice in a deep, manly way. Click HERE to watch. He is watching daddy running around at the end.

BTW: To see Lewis' favorite new activity click HERE

FIVE MONTHS!
Lewis has been alive on his own for 5 whole months. He just had his first Thanksgiving with the Reitmeyers in Louisville. He had a good time. No turkey for him just yet, but it's sure to be a favorite in a couple more years. He did enjoy his aunts a lot. At one point they had him laughing hard for over half an hour straight (see photo). Needless to say he slept good after all that!

He seems to be cutting his first tooth. It's on his bottom front left side and barely peeping through. It is causing him some discomfort at this point, but he is still mostly in a good mood with the help of the baby Tylenol every once in a while.

GROWING UP
Lewis continues to progress, though he is not in a hurry to become mobile. He is loving his walker right now (even though his feet do not quite touch the floor), and especially enjoys beating up on Cookie Monster. You can see how exciting it is with the bright colors and funny characters to look at. He seems bored with all the toys he has been playing with up to now. He's growing up and becoming a "big boy"! Notice the picture of him sleeping while holding another new favorite toy, the ring of keys. Babies have these funny sleeper outfits called "sleep and plays" and now I know why. He can actually sort of do both things at once.

As for me, I am adjusting to Lewis' desire to try new things and his lessening need of naps during the day. He certainly still takes naps, but they are generally shorter which is forcing me to have less of my own personal freedom and give him more undivided attention. It has been somewhat trying, but is a good lesson for me to put someone else even more above myself. For those of you who know me well, especially my past roommates, you know my desire to be in control. Having a 4 1/2 month old baby certainly helps me to remember that I never had control of my life and certainly see that now more than ever. All of this helps me to pray more and trust that God's plan is better than my own anyway. I guess I'm growing up too! :)

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR!
First of all, we just want to send a shout out to Aunt Beth who celebrated her birthday yesterday (November 10th). Congrats Beth on surviving another year! We had our 3rd anniversary this week too (November 8th). We share our anniversary with Heather and Val Morozov who have been married for 5 years. Way to go, friends!

We noticed today that we had 40 or so comments from various people over the last several months that we were unaware of. We apologize for not responding to or posting those. We did not realize that we had to "moderate" them and so none of them have posted up to this point. We re-set some things, so hopefully comments will post if you try again. Please forgive our lack of technical blogging skills. We do appreciate all of the kind things you wrote!

Here's a pic of Lewis touching my nose. He has perfected his ability to grab it on command. We are so proud!

4-MONTH CHECK-UP


Lewis had his 4-month check-up today. He weighs 13 lbs. 15 oz. (right under 14 lbs.) and he is 25 1/2 inches long now. He's still right at average on everything, but a little above average on length. Everything else was good, but he got more vaccinations which he does not like--during or after. Enjoy a few more pix from Jackson's Orchard.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
It's Halloween, and Lewis celebrated in style by dressing up as a "classy guy." He wore a "tuxedo" to a baby costume party hosted by Matthew and Sarah Wilson (see photo with baby bee Taylor). Daddy Justin dressed like Lewis which made them quite the pair. Lewis was tired and thus pretty cranky for the first hour or so and then slept through a large chunk of the party (see photo). We are hoping next year he will be more social! The other babies all looked great. The last picture is of him enjoying his Halloween duck that his Aunt Jeanne gave him. He really likes the bright colors. It has made bathtime even more fun!

LEWIS MEETS SANDRA
Lewis turned 4 months old on Saturday and in celebration got to meet one of his favorite musical artists. Sandra McCracken performed at Spencer's, and before the show agreed to take a picture with our boy. Lewis will have to wait to hear her live, however, because his bedtime is pretty early right now. Instead he got to spend some time with his aunt Ellen while his mom got to enjoy some excellent live music. Hopefully Sandra and the other performers, Matthew Perryman Jones and Katie Herzig, will make more stops in Bowling Green because the show went really well. Check out Sandra's music HERE by listening to "Head Over Heel," Lewis' current favorite song. Not only is it a great tune, but it helps him learn his anatomy. Check back tomorrow for some photos of Lewis in his Halloween costume!

OLD FRIENDS, NEW FRIENDS

This week we have gotten to spend some time with our friends. Through a program at our church called "Heart to Heart" I am getting to know a new friend, Anna Burt (see photo!). She is 6 years-old and the daughter of Kevin and Jeannette Burt who we have been getting to know over the past several months. They have three other daughters, the youngest of whom is 3 weeks younger than Lewis. Needless to say, Anna and I had a great time and we look forward to spending more time together in the months to come!!

Then yesterday, we got to visit Heather and Val Morozov. Heather and I have been friends for 10 years now!! Her husband, Val was working yesterday, unfortunately, and so we didn't get to see him. Their son, Val, who is 2 years-old got to play with Lewis for quite a while. They played a game which basically involved replacing Lewis' pacifier over and over when he spit it out. We hope little Val can come play this game for us during meal times for the next couple of months or so! (Just kidding, but it would be nice!). We hope to see more of the Morozovs since they live close by now.

Lewis and Daddy!

Lewis is enjoying his new fall wardrobe. The sweatshirts and sweaters keep him warm and make him look like a little model! He is doing pretty well. This week he rolled over twice. We thought he might master this skill, but it is not becoming a consistent activity by any means. He is able now to touch my nose after meals. Once he gets some food in him I can point to my nose and he will reach up and grab it. We are pretty proud of him for this new achievement!

He got to spend some good time with daddy today while I walked in the Bowling Green 5K and then got a hair cut! They have a lot of fun together when it's just the guys.

SANDRA MCCRACKEN COMING TO SPENCER'S
Sometimes it seems like life is kind of a series of mediocre events all strung together with a few bigger events in between (like giving birth or buying condos etc.). Being coffee shop owners can be fun at times, but kind of stressful other times. So when our faithful emp (short for employee) Russ called to see if he could book a Saturday show it was met with the usual, "Well maybe, who is it?" from Justin. Russ responded "Someone named Sandra McCracken?" He seemed somewhat unsure himself of who she is and you, our faithful readers, may be wondering the same thing. But to me, the magnet of all female, guitar-playing singer-songwriters, Sandra is my current favorite and has been for the last 5 years or so. She is the wife of Derek Webb who used to be part of Caedmon's Call and is quite a talented guy himself. So, if you are free and have some extra cash (we are not sure what the door charge is going to be yet) come down to Spencer's on October 28th for what is sure to be a great night of music with Sandra, and three other Nashville-based artists. It may be the most fun you'll have until Christmas!

FUN WITH CORRIE
Our friend Corrie got to come over yesterday when her parents had some ultra- important business to take care of. Lewis had fun playing with her. Earlier this week he finally seemed to become aware of her presence at church. Last night he looked at her and smiled! Corrie is a month older and has been aware of other babies for a while now. Anyway, we are encouraged that they are developing the friendship through leg kicking and smiles.

HOORAY FOR FALL!
Yet another week has gone by. It was blazing hot, like summer most of the week, then yesterday the cooler air blew back into town. It feels like fall once again and we are so happy about it! Lewis is back in long sleeves. Last Saturday we spent some time at the Bowling Green International Festival in our lovely downtown square (See photo). We heard a lot of interesting music before the rain came and we ran home. Other news regarding Lewis--He is sleeping in his own room in his "big boy" crib now! He is still sleeping through the night up to 10 hours sometimes. He made the adjustment from our room to his without complaint. He's not complaining about much these days. He enjoys diaper changes and getting dressed, and even baths as long as he is not hungry. Because he is getting most of his sleep at night now, he does get quite cranky before bedtime (and naptimes too). Otherwise he is a pretty pleasant little guy. We like him!