08.31.11 - Look this way!

Tommy! Tommy, look over here! Tommy! Ah, forget it.

08.30.11 - Daddy!

Tommy enjoys a special cuddle from his daddy before bedtime.

08.29.11 - Going to sleep

Tommy fought going to sleep tonight. I guess he just wanted to be in a new position.

08.28.11 - Sleepin' in

Everyone woke up super early today. And why not? Their moms and dads only sat up until midnight shooting the breeze. The good thing about being a baby, though, is that you can go back to sleep whenever you want.

08.27.11 - Carter

Carter gives Tommy the nickel tour of his living room upon our arrival in Manhattan. Trouble is, Tommy can't crawl yet!

08.26.11 - Hangin' on for dear life

Around these two, probably!

08.25.11 - Red weiner dog shirt

Tommy's rockin' his new red weiner dog t-shirt today. A nine-month red weiner dog shirt, mind you.

08.24.11 - Finger food

Right now, fingers and toes are so much more exciting than new toys.

08.23.11 - Tasty toes

Tommy figured out how to get his toes in his mouth today, or so Grandma Shepherd says. She was here to see it while we were at work. This was the most he would do for us without any encouragement.

08.22.11 - Big & Tall

Title of this post pretty much sums it up.

08.21.11 - First date

Tommy took his girly-friend out to celebrate his five-month birthday. You'll never guess where we went. :)

08.20.11 - Mama called the doctor ...

... and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

08.19.11 - Good morning, Tommy!

Tommy woke up in a good mood today. And on his tummy, too!

08.18.11 - Cool dude

Tommy's new shades make him look like one cool dude!

08.17.11 - Out like a light

Except, I had to turn the light on to make this photo.

08.16.11 - Book club

Tommy sits surrounded by paper hot air balloons at the library, each representing a child who met their goal in the summer reading program. We found Maddie and Nate's balloons right where they'd left them, taped to the window near the entrance to the kids' section. Hopefully next summer Tommy's name will be up there, too.

08.15.11 - Rub a dub dub ...

... three kids in the tub.

08.14.11 - Overwhelmed by laundry

Forget the laundry, dad. Let's just take a nap instead!

That's just what we did. With Maddie and Nate sleeping, Angie and Harley snuck off to take a nap but not without snapping this photo of me sacked out on the living room floor with Tommy. I'm not sure if I hurt worse because I slept on the hard floor or if it's because I spent the weekend painting the house. Either way, baby laundry was no match for me today. I got it on hangers but that's as far as I made it.

08.13.11 - Too big for a bath

Another sign that Tommy is growing, he's already nearly outgrown his bathtub. Maddie and Nate were able to sit up on there own before graduating from baths in the kitchen sink. Since Tommy isn't quite their yet, we might just have to hose him off outside!

08.12.11 - On a roll

Tommy rolled over for the first time today! Clearly, we're more excited about it than he is.

08.11.11 - Power nap

Tommy isn't one to really take naps during the day although he occasionally will crash out for a few minutes here and there.

08.10.11 - Inside the doctor's office

Want to know what it looks like taking three kids to the doctor at the same time? Well, here ya go! That's Nate eating spilled Goldfish crackers off the floor and Maddie tossing her Snuggly Bunny in the air while Dr. Green examines Tommy. We're lucky that Dr. Green allows us to combine as many appointments as possible to cut down on the number of trips we make to his Andover office. Still, this photo makes my head spin and I have no idea how he manages three patients - two of them toddlers - at the same time. Maybe he's just that good!

At his four-month checkup, Tommy weighed 18 pounds and measured 27 inches, both about the 90th percentile. His head circumference measured 16 inches, which is in the sixth percentile. Yup, a fat guy with a tiny head!

08.09.11 - Chubby cheeks

One good thing about a baby is you can make him make all the silly faces you want - and there's nothing he can do about it!

08.08.11 - Bigger than Maddie

Tommy is hardly Maddie's little brother. He's bigger than she is!

08.07.11 - McDonald's

Maddie and Nate received coupons for free strawberry lemonades from McDonald's for participating in the library's summer reading program. Normally we wouldn't opt for McDonald's, much less actually going inside, but the chance to have a free treat to break up an otherwise long weekend day was too much to pass up. And, we called Nan and Pop to join us and they did! Of course, Nan, the Chicken McNugget pusher, couldn't leave without buying a six-piece and some french fries for the kids to share. Don't worry, Tommy, you'll get some soon enough.

08.06.11 - Maybe they're brothers, too

No doubt, we'll be talking about the summer of 2011 for quite some time. To say it's been hot lately would be an understatement. But the heat finally broke just enough today to allow us an hour or so at the zoo. Maddie wanted to go to the American Farm first, where we met these guys. Who knows, maybe they're brothers, too?!!

08.05.11 - Giraffe bum

I suppose there's something clever to say about having a giraffe on your bum, but I don't know what it is.

08.04.11 - Stretching

And still thinking about sticking those toes in my mouth!

08.03.11 - Stayin' inside

Tommy made an appearance at the medical school today but it was too danged hot to hang out in the courtyard where there was a watermelon feed underway. So instead he watched with his momma from just inside the doors where it was nice and cool.

08.02.11 - He doesn't know his own strength

Or maybe he does!

08.01.11 - What's for dinner?

Susan and Roy had the Shepherds over for dinner tonight and made Shepherd's pie. It was a big hit, and so was Tommy!