This week Justin and Lewis went to the lake with Justin's family. Justin came back yesterday, and Lewis stayed for a couple more days. As a result, Owen and I have had some good bonding time. Here are some pictures before his 2nd bath.
The shocked pose:
The happy pose.......could this be a smile?
The "get on with it" pose.
In the bath.
We failed to report that Owen's cord fell off at 2 1/2 weeks and his first bath quickly followed. His belly button has healed nicely (see photo). We also weighed him at the health dept. on Monday and he was 10 lbs., 8 oz. He's really growing!
On Sunday I got to catch up with some friends when Jenny Rone had an open house at Spencer's. She had been on Stint in Sweden for the last year, and it was good to see her. L to R: Shelley, Jenny, Madelyn Boyer, Julie Boyer, Grace Boyer, Mandy Guss and in front, Heather Snyder holding baby Owen.
We have also failed to report that Lewis has learned some more signs the last few weeks. He now signs grapes, pretzels (Justin made this one up) and cracker. Here's a video of him signing grapes on the day he learned it.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
trains and tummy time
Owen has been spending some time on his belly. He likes it much more than Lewis ever did. He usually just lies there calmly and then tries to lift his head and move his little legs around. No screaming like his brother. Here's some cute pics.
Lewis got this Thomas the train set for his birthday from my sisters, but was not too keen on pushing the trains around the track. Then the speech therapist brought him a battery powered Thomas that is strong enough to push the wooden trains around the track. This makes Lewis very happy! We spend quite a lot of time watching the train go around every day. Here's a video.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
random
Here's a cute picture of Owen.
And one of Owen and Aunt Beth.
And Lewis in the laundry basket (Justin put him in there for some fun).
Our new shower curtain.......our old one fell apart and I know it's keeping people up nights wondering how we fixed it.
circus square park
We just got a new park in Bowling Green called Circus Square Park. They put in a fountain for kids to run through and Lewis got to go when my sisters were visiting and absolutely loved it! It's right downtown which is convenient for us, so we should be going often once we got a little more on track with Owen's schedule. Here are some pictures and a video.
Monday, July 14, 2008
an elmo kind of birthday
With Lewis' birthday a week after Owen's, we had a much lower key celebration this year. When my sisters were visiting, we went ahead and celebrated Ellen's birthday (which was yesterday) and Lewis' at the same time.
Lewis loves Elmo, so I made an Elmo cake. I have to give credit to Marquita Miller for teaching me enough about cake decorating to do something fairly simple like Elmo! It's really fun, but one or two cakes a year is all I can handle. Here he is:
Lewis tries to touch the cake.
We all wore Elmo party hats, which really confused Lewis!
Lewis again opted for ice cream instead of cake.
Dad holding Owen.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
lewis' 2-year stats
We got to see Dr. Fraser again this week for Lewis' 2-year check-up. He is doing well physically.
Weight: 28 lbs. Height: 36 inches or 3' tall
He's slightly above average for height, average for weight and his head is large, but they don't tell us that measurement unless we specifically ask for some reason......and we didn't ask!
We have a lot more pictures and video to post, but it's hard finding the time with a new baby. Keep checking in and we should have some stuff posted soon.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Owen's 2-week stats
We took Owen to see Dr. Fraser today. He is almost exactly the same size Lewis was at 2 weeks. Here's the breakdown:
Height: 21 1/4 inches Weight: 8 lbs. Head: 36.7 cm
We were really happy with Owen's weight gain. He seems to be eating well and enjoying his little life so far. He's a very content baby overall. Here's a picture of him snoozing with Aunt Ellen.
other highlights
Lewis has continued to enjoy receiving birthday gifts. Lewis got a lawnmower from his Aunt Monica, and despite the fact that it took him a while to figure out how to work it, he is now pushing it all over the place. He loves it!
Lewis has also been exploring his own fashion lately, and is trying to make a statement as some sort of athlete apparently. A couple of days, he's worn this headband for several hours......go figure!
My sisters came to visit this weekend, and we tried to get a picture of the boys in their 4th of July attire. This is me and Beth.....Lewis is not too excited about getting his picture taken.
Here's a close-up of Owen. My step-sister, Leah, gave him this little shirt since he was due on July 4th. Thank God he came sooner!
We made it okay for a few days when Justin went back to work last week, but have enjoyed the reinforcements and entertainment the aunts provide. I was really surprised that things went so well when it was just me and the boys. Lewis has been very agreeable despite the fact that he doesn't always get to do what he wants when he wants. His new toys are helping a lot too.
double stroller
Here a couple of pictures of our double stroller! We got the Schwinn double jogging stroller. We've taken it out several times already, and the boys enjoy riding in it. It is super heavy to carry, but once unfolded, it is so easy to push, and such a smooth ride. The only downside is that it won't fit through any of our doors, so we have to load it up outside. It's worth it, so far!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
happy birthday, Lewis!
Today Lewis turned 2! With all the events of the last week, we were not able to throw him a big party or even a small one. So like good American parents, we decided to spoil him instead with a McDonald's Happy Meal. He loves french fries of all kinds, and chicken nuggets, so we went with the McNuggets meal. He seemed to really enjoy it, and especially the chocolate milk he got to wash it down with. He also liked the strange monkey toy that came with it. And actually, come to think of it, because he ate so well at dinner, this was the first day in a long time that Lewis fed himself all of his meals. We didn't have to spoon feed anything. It was a nice, grown-up eating day for him!
Lewis will be getting his birthday presents in the coming weeks as people stop in to see the baby. Today, the only gift he opened was one from Justin's parents. They sent some money and we found something at Toys R Us that proved to be a big hit. It's call the "My First Story Reader." We got the Baby Einstein version. It comes with 3 books and the "reader" reads it as you turn the pages. It also has interactive features that asks questions etc. It's really neat AND you can apparently buy all kinds of books that will work with it.
The cool part was that Lewis actually opened this gift. Justin helped, but this is the first time Lewis ever participated in opening a present. Here's a video. Our friend Nathan McBroom is in the background holding Owen. He stopped in for a quick visit during the festivities.
Justin went back to work tonight. It was my first night with both boys all to myself. I was afraid that Lewis would be demanding to go outside, but his new book actually kept his attention most of the evening apart from dinner, which Justin comes home for anyway. I got both boys down by 9 o'clock which I thought was pretty good!
Other random notes about this week:
--Today I had my 3rd migraine this week....and I've only had 5 ever in my life. Hopefully this will not become a regular thing.
--We switched Lewis to 2% milk. He drank some yesterday, but today when he saw me pour it from the "blue" container, he refused to drink it. We gave him the same cup later and he drank it all. Random child!
--Lewis is now eating cereal bars and vienna sausages. We'll take what we can get! Beans and grapes remain his staples.
--Owen sleeps a lot, with the occasional meal and diaper change. He's not very fussy at all so far, and we are so glad. :)
Friday, June 27, 2008
more pics of the kiddos
We got home on Monday afternoon, just in time for Lewis' nap. He has not been too impressed with our new addition, but seems to be getting the picture that Owen is here to stay. At first it seemed like he was waiting for him to leave so things could get back to normal, but he's warming up to the idea now.
We're thinking Owen looks more like Justin. This photo is an example. Can you see the resemblance?
Owen getting aquainted with Aunt Monica.
Kelly Morgan (shown here) and her husband Nathan got to come by and meet Owen before their move to Michigan. We thought they'd be gone by now, but they get to stay in town a few more days after all! We're glad he came before they left.
Meanwhile, Lewis has been learning about phones. He likes to hold it up to his ear when we say, "Hello!"
Lewis starts to warm up to Owen. After ignoring him for a few days, he started to at least look at him and touch him by Thursday.
Then tonight after our first family outing (to Toys R Us), Lewis agreed to give Owen a kiss! What progress we are making! He gave him several kisses and even one without us asking.
Lewis was not drinking that coke by the way, just playing with daddy's can. Stay tuned for more updates.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Owen's first days: A photo essay
Dr. Gass holds the world's newest baby, Owen Andrew Shepherd
"Someone get this huge gob of goo out of my face!"
Mama's self portrait, w/ Owen
Grandma Shepherd bonds with her new grandbaby
Mommy and daddy happy — Owen, not so much (photo by Rebecca P.)
A visit from Aunt Ellen (Grandma and Grandpa Reitmeyer present but unseen)
Daddy's self-portrait w/ Owen
Squishface One
Happy dreams
Squishface Two
Saturday, June 21, 2008
so far so good
This is mama Shepherd tuning in to let you all know that Owen's labs all turned out well, and it appears that we avoided the Group B mess this time! He is in the room with us now and just snoozing it up. He ate a little just after birth, but has been too tired to do anymore of that so far, but he seems super content.
Lewis stopped by to meet his brother and seemed rather freaked out by the whole experience. We're sure he'll warm up to the new addition soon enough. He was most upset that I couldn't walk around the hospital with him.
We're so relieved he is here and that we are all feeling so well. We're gonna try to get some rest now. Thanks for your prayers!
p.s. One correction: Owen is actually 20 1/2 inches long...not 21 1/2 like previously posted. When he gets bigger we don't want anyone to think he shrunk, though he'll probably be losing some weight if he doesn't wake up!!
The first breaths of life
:::IT'S TIME:::
4:05 P.M. — Justin forgot his camera cables, but…
WE HAVE A BABY!
Owen Andrew Shepherd, born 3:41 p.m., weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces, 21.5 inches long… and a great booming voice!
Pictures up later tonight, along with more details on the birth and such. Needless to say Shelley’s a warrior, and this little guy looks a lot like his brother.
2:52 P.M. — Contractions about two-three minutes apart, and much more intense. Shelley’s ready to get this over with! The nurse is going to call the doctor, as she says the time is nearing.
Meanwhile, back at the homestead, Mandy got Lewis to take his nap! We’re thoroughly shocked.
Baby’s heartbeat is hovering at 160. Reds lead 6-0 in bottom of the ninth. Justin is about 4 degrees too cold. Shelley is in the zone!
1:40 P.M. — Contractions are still about four minutes apart… Shelley’s trying to relax by watching the Reds vs. the Yankees. Shelley’s OB, Dr. Gass, came by and told us he thinks she’s doing fine, that he’ll be back in a few hours, unless things unfold sooner than that.
All the nurses so far seem shocked that Shelley’s going to go au naturale, despite the fact that she did it last time and did great. “Oh, you’ll change your tune” they say… but they don’t know what a tough cookie the ol’ Shelster is.
Anyway, so far, no baby (and no score in the ballgame, either).
12:02 P.M. — We woke up at 8:30 today, thinking it was yet another normal day… who knew?
About an hour later, Shelley said she thought she was seeing some signs of early labor. So she hopped in the bathtub, I took Lewis out for a little playtime, and when we came back in at about 9:50 a.m. Shelley had called the doctor, who told her to head on over to the hospital!
Our friend Mandy came over and is watching Lewis right now… the grandparents Shepherd are heading down from Shepherdsville (no, not a joke) and will be hanging out with Lewis while Shelley and I are here at the hospital.
Her contractions are four minutes apart right now… she’s in good spirits and we’re hoping she’ll get all the antibiotics she needs BEFORE the little guy is born. Last time the speed of the labor left little Lewis with Group B Strep, which necessitated a ten-day trip to Nashville’s NICU — NOT the way you want your firstborn baby experience to go.
Anyway, childbirth has changed a lot, I guess… now I’m able to liveblog from here in the delivery room! So I plan on updating this, briefly, as things progress. Stay tuned…
Thursday, June 19, 2008
38 weeks--almost!
Tomorrow I'll be 38 weeks pregnant. Today's appointment found me dilated 4 cm and 90% effaced. I'm measuring at 40 weeks, so the baby is certainly big enough and we're not wanting him to get much bigger. Hopefully labor will happen naturally and soon! We shall see. I've been having contractions on and off for days, but so far nothing consistent or painful even, just uncomfortable.
Here's me and Lewis, and baby brother.
We've managed to get the baby's room mostly together. It's still doubling as a music room for now and we haven't done anything with the stuff that was on the walls. Here are some pics.
A closer view of the dresser. We found it at the Goodwill and Justin sanded it and painted it himself. It looks completely different! We are really proud of his work on this.
