Holiday Wrap-up, Part Two

(I have been "writing" this one for a solid week and a half. It's finally going up!)


After 8 straight days of little man feeling poorly, not even wanting a bath, barely eating goldfish and turning down ICE CREAM...he finally took a turn toward healthy. As parents, we were struggling mightily when our normally chatty toddler was just pointing and crying. We had tried every food that he loves--Bojangle's mac n cheese, Chick-fil-A nuggets, yogurt, bananas, applesauce, popsicles, ice cream, etc. I think he was finally ready to eat by Thursday though, and Jerod went to the Chinese place we frequent to pick up some "Chinese noodles" (aka Mai Fun noodles) for lunch. Kiddo scarfed them down. Mommy and Daddy jumped for joy. No sooner had he eaten a plate-ful than Gigi, Pops, Aunt Suzee and Uncle Harry arrived. Yippeeeee!

Gigi and Pops were able to score a great deal on a TRUCK for Shepard. Here is Uncle Harry, Gigi and Daddy figuring it out the night before...on the kitchen counter:

Pops is cheering them on from the sidelines.

Here he is seeing and trying it for the first time:




He wasn't 100% sure about the sound and thrust of the thing. He has sat in it a few more times. We're just going to let him warm up to it. I'm sure once he gets the hang of it, we won't be able to keep him indoors!

Holiday Wrap-up, Part One

We were blessed with a glorious two weeks off. Based on several doctor's opinions, we also chose to get Shepard's tonsils out. Ugh.

He wanted to nap in the den on the floor...sweet little thing.

 

Bless his little heart, he most likely caught some kind of "bug" at the same time as the surgery. Without going through a play-by-play, we had a full eight days of Christmas that involved forced medicine (every trick known to man or beast), begging him to eat/drink, a late-night/early-morning trip to the children's ER in Charlotte, begging him to eat or drink some more, fevers, worry, prayer...and Christmas gifts.

That about sums up our vacation.

Nap close-up

We were able to get down to Greenville for the Jones family Christmas, and seeing Grandma, the cousins and the gang did seem to cheer him up.

I think I have some pretty sweet videos of the kiddos opening gifts, but my video camera is currently MIA.

Grandma cuddles

He got some amazing gifts and seems to still like all of them. He hasn't quite taken to the Mr. Potato Head like I thought he would, but perhaps he just needs more eye and funny mouth options.

We were at Grandma's for Christmas morning, so his mommy-and-daddy gifts were ready. By this point, he had "gotten" the idea of ripping open the paper, and was ready to unwrap everything he saw.

He ate a cake pop! We were just excited he ate something.

"My own computer!"

Christmas morning cartoons

"My school bus!"

"Let's have a picnic!" (I was hoping that the plastic food would awaken his hunger...)

Chutes and Ladders!

All this present-opening has made me sleepy.

Just like a rock star

It was nearly bath time. I had gotten as far as getting clothes off and was tending the bath. I came in Shepard's room to find him performing, so naturally I flew to get the video camera. Thank God I caught some of it for you. Rock on, little man.


I have more videos to upload from July, but it's been a little nuts here lately. More to come!

My 'cycle

Shepard is growing up every day. He shocks me at least once a day with something he knows that I didn't know he knew. This week he picked up an "I" and a "0" in the bathtub (foam toys), put them together and announced, "TEN!" Whoa there, partner.
He has also been talking non-stop about a bicycle, which he still mostly calls a 'cycle. He spots them everywhere. So, in the decision about what to get him for his birthday...that was pretty much it. We're hoping he'll get LOTS of wear out of this. We went with a balance bike. It doesn't have pedals or a chain, but teaches the kid to balance and steer, and they power it with their feet and coast. Here's a video of another kid (different bike, but same concept) on his balance bike.

You should have seen how excited Shepard got when we were just trying on the helmet. It's like he knew what it was for! Here's some footage of our first ride. Apparently, for the first week or so, they just walk. Then they get more confident and sit on the seat and walk, then start to run a bit, and then start coasting. We'll see how he progresses. He must have said "My 'cycle" about 28 times this afternoon...

Happy Birthday (early), sweet little man.

Ho Ho Ho! pics

Well, I couldn't get flickr to cooperate, so I made a slideshow with music. Probably more fun anyway.
So, a belated MERRY CHRISTMAS with photos from our celebrations. I was a delinquent photographer and did not capture everyone. We didn't even get a family picture that was in focus. Sigh. Now I know.
Enjoy the festive photos!

What a year! Goodbye, 2011.

Well, it may very well happen. A year-end post! I stinkin' love the holiday break. We got to visit with lots of family, spend some time just relaxing, and are already dreaming some dreams about the upcoming year.
{click on the pictures to view full-size}
I won't give a play-by-play, since you need only revisit old posts to get the actual year in review...so maybe just some highlights.

Grandmas know all the tickle spots.

It is amazing to imagine that one year ago, Shepard could not even sit up on his own; and now, he runs full-speed-ahead at everything. What a fantastic growth period between 6 months and 18 months! His understanding and vocabulary seem to grow every day. Having a little explorer is sometimes challenging, but I'm so thankful that he's interested in life and learning about everything.
There really isn't any news of interest to report for Mommy and Daddy. We are still at the same jobs--Shelley in the Winthrop University President's Office and Jerod teaching the 4th/5th graders at Woodlawn School. It works for now. Shepard enjoys his days with a handful of his buddies at a local Baptist church's daycare. He makes artwork every day, plays outside a LOT, and reads and sings and learns all kinds of things. I love that he has interaction with his peers and other adults. I also love that he greets me at the end of each day with a huge smile and arms extended and a command, "UP!" Gladly, sweet boy.

I got a train!

So far, Shepard is so very gently-natured. He smiles and giggles--especially when we tickle him, he presses microwave buttons (changes our microwave voice to Spanish!), and gets attention from dogs. He loves to play with anything that has some cause and effect, like his musical instruments. He also really loves some unorthodox "toys," like the retractable dog leash, swiffer mop, and laundry baskets. And he loves to run and play outside. He definitely has a typical toddler stubborn streak and is able to communicate what he does and does not want. His favorite foods right now are eggs with cheese, yogurt, blueberries, bananas, lasagna and cheerios.

2011 has been consumed with working, a few trips to the beach (here and here), and watching our baby turn into a boy.

Yup. It's our family addition. Her name is LaFawnda. (for real)

Jerod was able to fulfill a dream by purchasing a sweet "new" ride, his 1974 Gran Torino Elite (see pics). His dream is to get Shepard to reach all the small parts with his dextrous little fingers...eventually. The car needs a little TLC, and Jerod is well on his way to learning about engines and grease and stuff.

I may have to get a stocking for LaFawnda next year.

Leaf and LaFawnda

All in all, we are really getting in the groove of this family-of-three thing. Plus a dog and lots of fish...lots of fish. Who knows what 2012 will hold? Perhaps it will be a year of big changes...I wouldn't mind decorating a new mantle this time next year with our stockings. Just sayin'.  :) But, we'll see where the Lord leads.


There were so many great pictures of our holidays that I uploaded them all to a flickr photo set. Seriously, you don't want to miss these. Here's a sneak peek.   

Flickr LINK HERE.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

What a fun weekend! ~by Shepard

Every day I learn new things and have new adventures. This weekend, I went back to a far-away place called Georgia to see my Gammy and Pops. They live there in a pink house with big stairs and a dog named Jazzy. I like to say "DA!" for dog. And pet their ears. Dog have soft ears.
My Aunt Suzette and Uncle Harry came over from Alabama. I haven't seen them since before Thanksgiving, so I had lots of new tricks to show them this time. My Mommy is busy making some videos of the weekend so she said I could releviate alleverate help her.
I had to ride in the car for a long time. I do not like to ride in the car for a long time because my legs want to run and they can't. Mommy fed me goldfish and sang songs and made animal noises. She's silly, but I still wanted to walk around and explore.
Uncle Harry and Aunt Suzi brought me lots of stuff off my wish list for my birthday. Uncle Harry is a "bean doc" and had to work at the hospital on my real birthday. But it was really fun to have a birthday all over again! I love the books--especially the one about a pigeon driving a bus. And there are some DVD's that will help me be smart and an elephant that sounds like a trumpet when mommy makes the noise and my favorite thing was the bang bang table (Mommy says to type 'percussion table'). It has beaters and metal noisey things and a drum and I can make lots of noise on it. And then I liked to walk around and test the beaters on other things. The coasters make good noises too.
We went to see my great-grandpapa. He is the only great-grandpapa I have, so that was really nice to meet him. He is 91 years older than I am! He lives in an apartment at a retirement village. He sang for us because he had won the American Idol show for his village plus two more villages when they had a singing contest. I chewed on his trophy. It was shiny. He showed us all around his place. It was very nice and he was going to be in a fashion show later that day. He is a very busy man. We took some pictures since there were four generations. My great-grandpapa has 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. That's a lot of people I still need to meet. I hope they all wear nametags.

Opening Presents! Happy Birthday to MEEE!

Bang bang! I love this thing!

Mommy helps me with a farm animals puzzle

I really like presents

On Sunday, we ate Thai food. Well, everyone else ate Thai food but I still am not sure if I will like it, so I had sweet potatoes and chicken. That is always yummy. And then...I got a haircut! I have never had a haircut. It was lots of fun. Before my haircut I played with a train table. Then I got to sit in a Hummer while Miss Judy cut off my curls. Mommy said I had an infa-mullet, so it was time. I liked driving the Hummer and Miss Judy was very nice. I think Mommy will put up a picture of it. And probably a video. She is always using the video camera. Now when I wipe my banana-hands in my hair, there won't be so much to comb out. I even got a certificate and they put some of my hair in a little bag.

Crazy baby laugh

Shepard has a new laugh. I won't lie...it sounds a little maniacal! We haven't captured the full-on crazy version quite yet, but here's a teaser...



He pulled out the real thing while I was trying to change his diaper and wrestle him to stay still...let's just say there was poop, poop on his foot, poop on me, kicking, rolling...and the crazy laugh. There is no video of that exchange of course. It's like he was plotting the most insane diaper change ever and his evil plan was coming together just the way he thought it would. Of course, he was smiling and thoroughly enjoying watching Mama trying to keep his limbs and body from going over the edge.

Oh my. If this is a taste of what's to come...this really is going to be a crazy roller coaster ride!

More videos...catching up

Finally have the working computer and video camera in the same room. Uploading some from the past few weeks...


Baby Snuzzles with Daddy:


And new toy from Grandma J.:

Aunt Suzi and Uncle Harry are coming!

Last Friday, I was able to be off to get some housework done and might have enjoyed my time with my little man too. :) He found his FEET on this day and started grabbing them mightily. Just a few weeks after I finally found the PERFECT SOCKS that don't come off. Sigh. I will likely spend a lot of time figuring out ways around his new discoveries. Uncle Harry and Aunt Suzi were on their way. Pics of them to come.

JUMP!

It's the jumperoo! Like an exersaucer with bungees. Here's our first go at it...

Here's looking at you, kid!

Yes, most days I just want to hold him and squeeze him and call him my own. And stare at his perfect face. Especially when I've been working all week and it's FRIDAY! He still sleeps quite a lot, so getting some moments with him awake is a special treat during the week. The grandparents have been requesting a longer video so they can sit and look at him too. So here's a long-form video with not much more than just Shepard checking out the world, some Daddy, Sir Prance-a-lot and me narrating, if I may use the term loosely.
Shortly after this, Shepard went to bed for the night and I took an intense two-hour-plus death-nap on the sofa (accidentally--one minute I was watching "Project Runway," and I awoke at 10 pm wondering what day it was...). And that, my friends, is an awesome Friday night around here. Five-thirty am comes early. And we're just kinda pooped on the weekend. We're enjoying our Saturday with laundry and house-work. Enjoy the video!