Firsts

Time is already moving so quickly since Noah arrived. There have been many "firsts" that I have wanted to take in and savor, so as not to miss the little moments that only happen once. I'll never forget the day we brought Noah home from the hospital. It had so many firsts! The first time in his car seat. The first time in the car. It seemed as if every car was too close to us! Or driving too fast!! I sat in the back seat while Frank drove so carefully and watched every movement he made. The first time home. Frank and I walked him around the house, showed him where everything was, and welcomed him home. The first night home. I don't think Frank and I will ever forget it! He cried and screamed all night long, and it seemed as if he had an insatiable hunger and just wanted to eat constantly! That was the most difficult first.

The funniest first was the first time Frank changed Noah's diaper. Noah did NOT let him off easy! I remember it was a FULL diaper, and it turned into a huge mess because he kept going AS Frank was changing him... way to break Daddy in Noah!

My favorite first so far is probably the first time Noah truly smiled. Noah has been a sensitive baby. We have had a lot of tummy problems, and especially sleeping problems. Some days he will only take as little as an hour nap. He's had stretches of being up for 7 hours straight. One day I worked really hard to watch for when his window of tiredness was to get him to sleep, and we finally had some great naps. That night Noah had good 3 hour back to back stretches of sleep. The next morning, Noah woke up for the first time without crying. When I walked into his nursery and leaned over the crib to say "good morning" to him, I was greeted with three big smiles. When you have a baby who seems to be upset or in pain often, that is a first you'll never forget.

Here are some other great firsts:

His first visit to Winston:
Noah's first time meeting Nanny:
His first Halloween and his first Thanksgiving:
His first "real" bath:

Play Time!

It amazes me how alert this little guy is when he is awake! I read somewhere that when a baby goes past their due date, they often skip the "honeymoon" period of constant sleep. That seems to be somewhat true for Noah. He definitely spends more time awake than I expected.

At the same time, his activeness is not all that surprising. This kiddo was so active during my pregnancy! It was not difficult to catch a foot or an elbow moving around on the surface of my belly. And there were even a few nights that his acrobatics kept me awake.

Here's a video of some play time with him. He loves his play yard that he got from Uncle Greg, Aunt Kathy, and cousin Matthew! Greg, I know he isn't technically smiling and laughing... I know, I know, it's gas - but I sure enjoy watching him and listening to his sweet voice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esBoSvH7NYo

...and Noah

We never have quite gotten the hang of blogging, but maybe now that our new little man is here we'll be better about keeping everyone updated. I certainly have noticed myself being a lot more reflective since his arrival. For now, though, here are the stats:

Noah Charles Shepherd arrived on Wednesday, October 20th at 8:02pm (that's 20:02 military time - Frank loves the symmetry), weighing 8 lbs 8 ounces and measuring 20 3/4 inches long. He definitely has his daddy's eyes, and his nose and mouth look a bit like my baby pictures. He was born with quite a bit of medium brown hair that has thinned and lightened a little in the last two weeks.

We are enjoying every second with him and are so grateful to God that we have been given the gift of raising this precious boy. What an amazing and humbling responsibility. Our prayer is that Noah would grow up knowing God's incredible love for him.

Welcome 2010

2009 was an amazing year, filled with more lessons about our limits and abilities than we could have ever imagined. We lost my father in April, moved across the country, found new jobs, and welcomed two new babies into our families. We got to drive from Denver to NC-- twice!-- and spend lots of time planning, working, and dreaming together.

I'm thankful for the hard work of 2009 and the opportunities for growth. I will continue to pray that this year is filled with opportunities for revealing our character as individuals and as a family.