Christmas pics

We enjoyed Christmas this year, although Lewis and I were both fighting off infections which made things a little less fun than usual! Lewis did not get into opening gifts, but sure enjoyed the gifts once they were no longer hidden behind that boring paper.

He also learned to climb stairs at his grandparents' house and got lots of practice since we were visiting plenty of people with stairs over the last couple of weeks. He really loves climbing stairs.

Here's Lewis with his grandpa in Shepherdsville. He loves this ball!





















Here is Lewis at the Reitmeyers' celebration, sitting in a sea of unwrapped gifts.


















Aunt Ellen read Lewis his new book about Elmo.

















Along with the holiday cheer and our illnesses, Lewis also has developed some food issues. He would be happy on an all-liquid diet. Besides pretzels, there are few things he will eat consistently, and most of those foods have no real nutritional value. We keep putting a nice array of options before him, but most of it hits the floor (which is not so fun), and he is becoming more independent, not wanting to be fed like a baby, and yet not able to use a spoon himself. All of this adds to the fun of parenting these days. We're just grateful for Juicy Juice Harvest Surprise which helps him get fruit and vegetable servings each day. Fun times! :)

our latest project

You may have already heard that Justin and I have been working on a new project. Baby Shepherd #2 is set to arrive this summer (due date 7/4/08). We are pretty excited. I'm 12 weeks pregnant right now, and though the morning sickness I had with Lewis is back, it doesn't seem to be as bad this time around. The first hour is rough and then after a bagel, everything seems to settle down!

We have switched doctors to Joseph Gass, M.D. and have been very happy with our decision. He seems like he will be a great fit for my personality and the type of childbirth we are planning. The best part was the ultrasound they did at my first appointment. Here is our baby at 9 weeks gestation. He/she actually wiggled a little bit while we watched.
















The expanding Shepherd Fam wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic 2008!

ups and downs

We have had a crazy week with Lewis' first real illness. After weaning him about 6 weeks ago, it didn't take long for him to get a nasty cold that turned into an ear infection and the croup! Lewis is now on antibiotics and some other drugs to kick this thing from his system. My doctor put me on an antibiotic as well. It has been rather rough here at times.

On the flip side, Lewis is the happiest sick toddler we've ever seen. He's still running around in good form and enjoying himself most of the time. He's starting to get his appetite back some too. (Sidenote: He even ate his first brownie today once the drugs started kicking in. He loved it!) We had to cancel his therapy session today with Krista, his developmental interventionist, who works on his mobility issues. She has been wanting us to work on getting him to sit up from a laying position, but also just to sit on his own (which he does a lot, but often prefers standing all day long!). He has never laid down on his own, aside from falling, but tonight he put himself through quite a work out, diving on the floor and then spinning around until finally standing at the end. Maybe it's the drugs doing their thing, but I took a video because he did this over and over and it was rather humorous.



After all of this, we got out a book called "Elmo's Twelve Days of Christmas." Lewis loves Elmo and looks forward to watching the Elmo's World portion of Sesame Street most mornings. We have been trying to teach him to point, or at least touch, items he sees in books. Elmo was featured on each page of this book with other characters and Lewis was able to touch Elmo on almost every page! This felt like a huge breakthrough because sometimes he starts turning pages so quickly it seems like he doesn't even see what is there. This might be my best Christmas present this year.

The other blessing recently is that Lewis is loving brushing his teeth. It was kind of a fight for a while, but he really gets excited now and we have to coax him to give up his toothbrush so he can go to bed.





















It is horrible to see Lewis going through his first illness, but there's so much good stuff coming out too. We can't complain!

partying for the holidays

We've found ourselves at several parties recently and wanted to post a few pictures. Here's one from the Spencer'sCoffeehouse "family" gathering, which was over a week ago. Jenny seems to be having the most fun!
















Next we went to a surprise party for Ryan Swigart. Lewis particularly enjoyed their pool table and pool balls. He's a blur in this picture with a ball in each hand. (photo courtesy of Derek Holt)
















He thought Rebecca was nice too, but he stole her party hat.
















He also had fun beating on daddy's face. (photo courtesy of Derek Holt)
















Finally we hosted our small group Christmas party. Here's Jo Ellen excited to get a decorative eggplant in the dirty Santa game. The Morgans seem rather envious.















Bryan Tillery opens the coveted reindeer tealight holder.
















Lewis enjoys Justin's prize gift, the Walmart/ USA themed gift pack.

babies, babies, babies!

Several of our friends have added a second child to their families in the last month. Congrats to Val and Morozov who had a girl on Nov. 15th. Also to Matthew and Sarah Wilson who had a boy on Dec. 1st, and Brice and Julie Boyer who had a girl on Dec. 7th. I almost forgot Cheyenne and Darla Olgesby who added a girl to their family on Dec. 4th. You are in our thoughts and prayers!!

new haircut, new zebra, new stunts

Lewis has had a busy week. Last weekend, his grandparents brought a pre-Christmas gift called the Bounce and Spin Zebra. Lewis is not exactly bouncing and spinning, but he is enjoying the lights and music it plays. Note in the below picture the new haircut he had to suffer through early in the week.





















Here is a before picture:





















It was getting a little out of control! Lewis has had several "firsts" in the last couple of weeks. He fed daddy for the first time the other night.
















He also is standing up from a laying position, which is amazing. He's working on sitting from laying and we have actually found him both sitting and standing in his crib this week which has never happened before. He is also clapping when we do pat-a-cake now too. He will clap sometimes at our suggestion but has not spontaneously clapped yet which we are looking forward to. No words yet, but we're happy with the progress he's making.

We took some pictures at Spencer's the other night. Our employees decorated for Christmas and we were pretty impressed with what they came up with. Here's a sample.

the return of derek holt

Our good friend Derek Holt returned to the U.S. recently from Austria where he'd been living for over a year. We gathered some friends together to welcome him back over a week ago. Justin, being the patriot that he is, insisted that we sing the Star Spangled Banner when he came through the door. So the alternate title for this video could be "The moment Derek would never want to re-live." But since we videotaped it, you can enjoy Derek's discomfort, and our own as the song goes on and on.....and on.



Photo highlights:

Ashley and Ryan Swigart playing with niece Taylor Wilson under the hanging decorations.





















Foxhole reunited

so far, so good

Well, we took the plunge and put up a Christmas tree. It is in the corner between two couches for maximim security. So far, Lewis has shown relatively little interest in it, though he has pulled off an ornament here or there, and tried to pull off a few more without success. The cat on the other hand is known to sit up in the tree (not too far up, mind you), re-living the days of her youth when she had claws and could climb trees outside at will.





















Otherwise, Lewis has been enjoying walking around outside a lot!! He loves being out there and cries whenever we come inside. He has also become an avid reader, looking at books on his own and bringing us books he wants us to read to him. He is loving building towers with his blocks, and can stack them pretty high all by himself. He is quite proud when he can get that next block on top of an already high tower. Of course, he loves knocking down the towers too.

He got us excited last week at a therapy session when he clapped on his own. Once he realized what he was doing he stopped immediately. He wouldn't want to let on that he can do some of this stuff! What a puzzle he is sometimes. But we love him!

thanksgiving in Bowling Green

We spent a very pleasant weekend in Bowling Green with my sisters, Beth and Ellen. Our parents were out of commission in Belarus, so we gathered at our house, which was really convenient. Though we were few, we had a lot of fun. Lewis had more books read to him, and towers of blocks built for him than he could have dreamed possible.

Aunt Beth and Lewis:
















Aunt Ellen and Lewis
















Ellen and Justin ready for turkey

















On black Friday, we attempted to shop a little bit and only ended up getting Lewis a new hat and coat since the weather has turned cold. Here's a picture of Lewis all bundled up for one of our walks. (He's really into kicking off his shoes lately too).

lewis stands by himself!

Our habit with Lewis has been to get him playing with toys on the floor when we need to get something done around the house. My dream has been for him to come barreling through having discovered how to stand up without our help. Today it happened! Twice he was left playing and all the sudden he appeared.......my thought was that his stool (that he has learned to use as an aid in standing) was not far and maybe he scooted close enough to use it.

After dinner, Justin set up a scenario where we ignored him so he wouldn't feel like we were watching, but the stool was a few feet away and Lewis was sitting in the middle of the floor. Sure enough, he turned away from the stool and stood up all by himself! For the rest of the night, he was sitting down and standing up, practicing his new skill. He was cracking me up because he has never wanted to sit much because it meant he was trapped. Now he has really found new freedom. We are really proud of his progress!

He's not very fast, but he is consistent. Here's a video.

back from California

Justin and I returned from our vacation/anniversary trip yesterday. We were so happy to get home 3 hours early and to be reunited with Lewis at the Louisville airport! He spent time with both sets of grandparents over the five days we were gone and seemed in good spirits. He slept like a rock his first night home in his own bed. We all did, really!

We spent the first two nights of our trip in Mariposa, Ca. This tiny town did not have much going on. In fact, we may have been the only guests there for a while. We had dinner at the only open restaurant in town, called Pizza Factory. Thankfully, it was really good! We stayed in Mariposa because it is close to Yosemite National Park. We spent a full day hiking up to Vernal Falls, checking out the view at Glacier Point and finally seeing a few huge sequoias in the dark!

Our hotel in Mariposa (notice all the cars)
















In front of Vernal Falls





















View from the top of Vernal Falls





















Justin at the top





















In front of Yosemite Valley






















We're exhausted, and so glad we got away to celebrate our 4th anniversary (yesterday). We'll try to post more later.

the latest

After a few weeks of therapy, we are seeing some good results. Lewis is consistently pushing himself up with the use of his step stool, and without our assistance. He has even tried standing without it, but it is still a little too difficult at this point. He is becoming much more vocal too. No true words, but he is willing to watch us talk now, which should help him learn to put his mouth in the right position to say different words.

Here's a video of him standing up with his stool, and very quickly I might add! It often takes a little while to maneuver his little body, so this is his best attempt to date. He is on his way to independence!


Lewis is going to get to spend some time with his grandparents next week, and so here are a couple of photos of his grandpas from the last couple of weeks that we forgot to post earlier. Lewis LOVES his grandpas. He loves their female counterparts as well, but he has a special affection for these two gentlemen that is precious.

Grandpa Shepherd:
















Grandpa Reitmeyer

party pictures

Here are some highlight's from the costume party.

Lewis takes a break from breathing fire for half-smile.






















Some Taylor/daddy bonding time.





















Simon (a.k.a. Charlie Brown)figures out the magnetic farm with some help from Corrie.





















Corrie explores what it means to be a sheep.

















Lewis and Taylor posing for the group photo.
















The group in its entirety. This was the best we got!!

pre-party video

We had a costume party for little people yesterday, and it was a lot of fun. Before everyone arrived, Lewis was getting used to walking in his dragon outfit. While I'm still waiting to see Lewis pull up to standing himself (he's been unable to repeat the performance of earlier today, so far), his waving is a pretty consistent skill, and one he does in this video as well.

Small breakthroughs

Shelley will be jealous she missed it... but our boy finally got up from a sitting position on his own! He's got a little stepstool that our therapist Krista said we should help him push up on. Last night I helped him a couple times, but he struggled... yet just now, he was sitting and playing and started throwing his toys away—the sign he's ready to get up. So I just sat the stool down beside him, and he turned, pushed himself up, and up he went! It's funny to watch him do it... he's kind of like a decrepit old man, but in a cute way. Anyway the smile on his face once he was up was priceless! He's very proud of himself and some of the new abilities he's finding.

He's also been waving—a lot—the past couple days. At 16 months old, he's pretty far behind some of his friends (little Simon at the party yesterday, he's only 10 months and can get up and down pretty easily). But he's catching up, slowly. And it makes me a happy daddy.

—Justin

therapy update and video

Last week, Lewis started meeting with his speech therapist. He will be seeing her once a week, and a developmental interventionist once a week until further notice. The speech therapy has mainly consisted of play generating sounds. We are trying to encourage Lewis to imitate sounds we are making that will hopefully lead to words eventually. We are also exaggerating gestures in hopes that he will mimic those as well. So far no major breakthroughs, but he is becoming more vocal and loves laughing at the sounds we are making all the time.

Here is a video of him vocalizing tonight after dinner. He was stomping around and almost singing. We were not sure what to make of it! Enjoy.

shots and other stuff

On Monday we took Lewis for his 15 month shots. He got four and was not happy about it! He recovered well, for the most part. They didn't weigh him, but according to our scale he is about 24 lbs. That's all we can offer until 18 months.

To get his mind off the pain, we took Lewis to the park later. We got some more good pictures.

He is a strong boy!





















He loves swingin'!





















just chillin'





















Up close
















fun with daddy

pumpkin in a pumpkin patch

We took our little pumpkin Lewis to Jackson's Orchard this weekend. Thanks to the lovely, cool temperatures, it was a very pleasant day.

























One of the best parts was the petting zoo. Lewis has only been to one zoo, and he slept through most of it. The petting zoo was just his speed. He seemed very interested in the animals, if not a little bit scared. Here he is getting aquainted with a sheep.

















While Lewis thinks things over, the sheep strikes a pose!
















After the petting zoo, Lewis took a ride in a wagon.
















Justin enjoys his apple slush while Lewis enjoys the scenery.


























To view the rest of the pictures click HERE.

dancing with disaster

Justin was trying to teach Lewis how to dance recently, but before he was able to really break it down, things took a turn for the worse. It's okay to laugh at this, by the way. :)

college reunion

Yesterday, several college buds met up in Glasgow, Ky. to see our friend Emily (Wilson) Pierce and her new baby, Lily. You may remember seeing Emily in a post last month, when she was still toting Lily in the womb. Lily is now 3 weeks old, and doing just fantastic. Below you can see Lily's aunt, Amy (Wilson) Betts, hanging out with Lewis.





































Amy was the one who gathered the rest of us together. She's getting ready to head back to Kansas where her husband, Jake, is getting reconnected with nature in a very rural area. Amy has a lot to look forward to in Kansas, including the prospect of aiding some cows in giving birth. We're glad we got to see her, even if the visit was slightly chaotic. Maybe in 10 years or so, we can have a more peaceful gathering, where we can really catch up. :)

Here's the rest of the group (L to R): Lewis, Shelley, Emily & Lily Pierce, Keegan Miller, Jennifer (Gray) Miller, (son Grayden seated), and Darla (Johnson) & Liam Oglesby. We're hanging out here in Lily's custom-designed nursery. Lily's parents put this room together especially for her. She's pretty lucky to have some talented parents like Gary and Emily!



















Here you can see mom introducing Lily to a fun toy, with Grayden's help.

An International Affair

This weekend was the big International Festival in downtown Bowling Green, and I had to work at the shop all morning, before going to the newspaper in the afternoon. The grandShepherds came down, though, and hung out with little Lewis... they even took him to the festival for some cultural enhancement!

It just so happens my coworker Dave (who didn't know my parents or my son) snapped a few pics of Lewis in his beloved wagon. They're kinda artsy and so you can't see the grandShepherds, but they're there! Lewis loves that wagon and loves hanging out with his grandma and grandpa.