THREE MONTHS OLD!
Lewis is three months old now! He is progressing nicely as a little guy. He is still sleeping through the night, and babbling more and more. Because of the fall weather he is starting to wear long sleeves (see photo!). He is getting ready for his first Halloween. Check back at the end of October to see him in his fantastic costume! Daddy picked it out for him. Speaking of daddy, Justin starts his job on October 7th, so we are enjoying the laid back lifestyle for a few more days.

A random note--As I was updating the blog here at Spencer's, I noticed a man who looked so familiar, but I couldn't figure out where I knew him from. After he left, it was driving me crazy until I realized it was Dr. Davis, the one who delivered Lewis!! I guess it makes sense that I didn't recognize him since that was the only time I ever saw him. We are glad he likes our coffee. :)

We will keep you posted!

--Shelley

FULL-TIME MOM
Last week brought a lot of changes to the Shepherd family! For the last two weeks, I have been training my replacement at Commonwealth Brands. Justin and I had made the decision for me to stay home with Lewis a couple months ago, but we were not sure how it would work out financially since Justin's income through our coffee shop has been inconsistent at best since we took it on last year. Still we believed this was the move God wanted us to make so we pushed forward with faith that Justin would find a full time job with benefits.

On Thursday, the pieces came together and Justin was offered a position on the copy desk at the Daily News doing essentially the same job that he had done there before. We are thrilled and in awe of God's faithfulness to us. My prayer throughout the last several weeks has been that God would receive glory by providing for us; that we would recognize that he kept his promise to us, but not only us--we wanted to be able to share this with everyone around us too. It is hard to act on our convictions sometimes, especially when we cannot see how everything is going to work out. This experience has proven to us what we knew already--that God is much better at handling our lives than we are ourselves. Nothing is impossible for him.

We will still have to cut corners and do without a lot of extras to make this work, but we know that this is a decision we will never regret.

Justin's new employment made it easier for me to say goodbye to Commonwealth Brands on Friday. I will certainly miss seeing everyone on a daily basis, especially Martha and Joe (my direct and indirect supervisors respectively!) who made working rather enjoyable and fun (see top photo) but I know that we will still see each other (as Bowling Green is not very big and i live only 1 mile from the office!). Lewis enjoyed stopping by on Friday. He smiled and laughed at several people including Buffy (see bottom photo). He was well rested after sleeping 9 hours straight the night before!! He has slept through the night (8 hrs or more) for three nights straight. We are happy with all the changes and look forward to watching Lewis develop even more in the coming months!

--Shelley

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Lewis celebrated his Grandpa's birthday today in Louisville! Grandpa Norm turned 65 on Tuesday (Sept. 12th). Lewis slept through most of the party, but we wanted to post a picture of them together in honor of the occasion.

FAREWELL DEREK!!

Our friend and Justin's bandmate, Derek Holt, skipped town this week to make his home in Austria, at least for the next year. We are sad to see him go, but excited for his opportunity there. You can stay updated on Derek's life at www.oceanorchestra.vox.com if he happens to be one of your pals.

Here a photo of Lewis bidding Derek farewell.

FUN AT PLAY



Baby update: Lewis is enjoying his toys more now. As you can see in the photo he is actively hitting the dangling items on his bouncy chair. He still stares at the patterns on them at times, but is getting more active all the time. He also noticed his aunt Beth's painting on the wall this week and gazed upon it at length, smiling all the while. He is also starting to sleep more now. He has slept over 6 hours most nights this past week. It is a welcome change. He is really filling out his 0-3 month clothes now, and will probably be ready for the next size up right on time. He is weighing right around 12 lbs. now. Check out the picture of Shelley and Lewis in their polos!

INDIE ROCK ENCOUNTERS



Lewis attended his first indie rock show last night. He got to see his dad rock it out with his band, Foxhole! He was not the only baby there. His friends Corrie and Taylor came out to support the music too (see photo!). Don't worry.....he spent most of his time outside or in the balcony with his ears covered for protection. Still, we hope that his musical palate has begun to develop!

We were proud to see Foxhole on the Capitol marquis in downtown Bowling Green (also pictured). The show went really well. It was Derek Holt's farewell show, as he will be moving to Austria to teach English for at least a year, and so the guys all dressed up for the occasion (wish we had a picture of that!). We will miss "uncle" Derek, but know he will love being a foreigner again in the heart of Europe.

Today has been a rough Saturday for Lewis. He has been congested since his vaccinations and it has made him fussy and tired! He has spent a lot of time sleeping today and has lost some of his appetite. Hopefully he will be back to normal soon! His breathing is less loud now which is a good sign. Earlier today his breathing was reminiscent of the trains that often go by our house. :)

More later!!

--Shelley

TWO MONTH CHECK-UP


Yesterday Lewis had his two month check-up. Dr. Fraser was very impressed with his progress. He now weighs 11 lbs. 5 oz. He is 23" long. He has grown quite well! He had to get some vaccinations which was not really fun. With the help of some Children's Tylenol he has recovered nicely from the pain and frustration. He is getting to be such a big boy! He now endures diaper changes without crying and he can go to sleep on his own when we put him to bed while he is still awake. He is still waking up (usually around 4 a.m.) to eat, but he eats and goes right back to sleep which is a nice change from the long interruption we used to have at night.

In other news, Foxhole is performing tonight in Bowling Green at the Capitol with some other fine acts, Timbre (a classically influenced indie harpist) and Heartwarmer. Saturday night Foxhole will be at the Exit/In in Nashville with Heartwarmer, Maps and Ascent of Everest. Come check them out if you are free!

Enjoy this photo of post-bath Lewis and papa Justin. Lewis really likes his hooded towels and Justin really likes Lewis!

--Shelley