Norah Slideshow

Wanted to get another slideshow with some COLOR pictures up... I got a few requests after the initial black and white slideshow that people want to see some color pictures of Norah, so here you go. We certainly have enough pictures to keep posting...

P.S.: OOPS!
Well it was bound to happen, I think I finally lost some information on my CF card. I may have actually re-formated the card thinking that everything was on the computer when it wasn't. Isn't it something what sleep deprivation will do... I can't seem to find the pictures I shot while my (Norah's Great) Grandma, (Norah's Great) Aunts, and (Norah's Great) Uncles where over to meet her for the first time. I'll keep looking though.

Click HERE

Two Great Blessings this Easter Season.

I don't even know where to start with this blog post. As you know Lauri and I welcomed our daughter into the world on Wednesday at 11:00 am. Earlier that day, I received a phone call that I never expected to get.

As Lauri and I had just gotten into a room at St. John's Hospital in Detroit, I got a message from my parents to call them as soon as I could. It was then that my Mom let me know that her dad, my grandpa, had passed away at 1:02 am that same morning. He was at a Henry Ford Hospital/St Joseph's Macomb on the other side of town.

He had been in the hospital after having a back surgery that we'd all hoped would take some of his pain away. But he would never recover from that surgery. His heart finally stopped working, and he went home to heaven...

So this entire experience of having our first child (Some of our parents first grandchild, and some of our grandparents first great grandchild) has come with a great deal of mixed emotions. I think God gave us Norah the same day we lost my Grandpa so that we would realize all of his great blessings. From the birth of a little miracle, to the eternal life he's given us.

Today we buried my grandpa. We heard a number of people speak to his memory. They spoke about how he was a great servant - from being a highly ranking member of the Detroit Police Reserves (Adjutant Commander, the highest rank a Detroit Police Reservist can reach), to a Boy Scout pack leader, to an active member of his church and community. He lived to serve others. I know he lived to see his children and grandchildren acheive all the blessings this life has to offer. I'll never forget the look on his face when I'd give him great news. When Lauri and I got engaged. When we told him that we were expecting his first great-grandchild. He was always there to give me good advice when I needed it too.

Sorry if I've been rambling here, but I really need to get this off my chest and say how much I'm going to miss him.

Thanks.

Rest in Peace

Claude Hubert Decker

It's a....

Meet Norah Grace Shields. She's perfect, Mom and Dad are tired but extremely happy!

Click here for a slideshow

10 months and counting

So here we are, 10 months later and we're still waiting. Today is Baby Shields' due date and there's nothing new to report. Lauri has a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, where I think they'll begin to talk about inducing her. But I don't think they'll start that process until next Saturday (1 week after the due date). So for now, we sit here knowing that this is all in God's plan, but also very anxious to meet our little one.

That's it for now.
John

Grandma Gertie turns 90!

About a week and a half ago now, Lauri's Grandma Gertie turned 90 years old! To celebrate the family went out for a nice dinner. We all met up at Lily's Seafood (and Brewery :) ) where my brother Jim is the executive chef. Needless to say the food and the company was first rate. Here's a few shots that I'd grabbed while Grandma Gertie was opening her gift. Not sure why I had the ISO set so high, but most of my shots turned out a tad grainy. I may not have had enough batteries for my SB-800 at the time... - Sidenote, I'd better make sure I'm stocked on batteries for when the baby comes!


Anyways, Happy Birthday Grandma Gertie!!!

Nothing Yet...

Just thought I'd post a baby update, we got a couple of phonecalls and a number of comments this weekend from people who thought Lauri was in labor because we didn't answer a phonecall. Nothing has happened yet, however Lauri is very anxious.

Update:
03.03.08 - Sorry folks, We're still in a holding pattern. Lauri went back to work today, so maybe that'll help things along. No promises though. I can say that we've been going for lots of walks lately, we're getting to know the two local malls quite well. We also - almost - got lost on a walk through the new neighborhood last week (that was fun). They don't make neighborhoods like they used to (long straight streets).

Baby Shower, part 2

I can't believe I forgot to mention this, but we also had a baby shower this past weekend. This one was hosted by my Mom, Grandma, Sister, and Aunts. It was at a local restaurant called Michelles, which also has a Sweethearts Bakery inside of it. You can only imagine how difficult it was to walk through that bakery without spending the savings account.

Needless to say everything was great, the food, the service, the Cake! Lauri and I would like to thank everybody for helping out, we would be nothing without our family. Of course my Dad was there taking pictures, it's been hard for me to take pictures at our showers being busy thanking everyone and helping Lauri however I can. Thankfully my Dad has been there to document both events for us. We also have video of both events from Grandpa Z, so if you were there and did something embarassing, don't worry, we probably caught it.

Thanks again, and check out my Dad's Blog for a slideshow of the event.