:::IT'S TIME:::

4:05 P.M. — Justin forgot his camera cables, but…

WE HAVE A BABY!

Owen Andrew Shepherd, born 3:41 p.m., weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces, 21.5 inches long… and a great booming voice!

Pictures up later tonight, along with more details on the birth and such. Needless to say Shelley’s a warrior, and this little guy looks a lot like his brother.

2:52 P.M. — Contractions about two-three minutes apart, and much more intense. Shelley’s ready to get this over with! The nurse is going to call the doctor, as she says the time is nearing.

Meanwhile, back at the homestead, Mandy got Lewis to take his nap! We’re thoroughly shocked.

Baby’s heartbeat is hovering at 160. Reds lead 6-0 in bottom of the ninth. Justin is about 4 degrees too cold. Shelley is in the zone!

1:40 P.M. — Contractions are still about four minutes apart… Shelley’s trying to relax by watching the Reds vs. the Yankees. Shelley’s OB, Dr. Gass, came by and told us he thinks she’s doing fine, that he’ll be back in a few hours, unless things unfold sooner than that.

All the nurses so far seem shocked that Shelley’s going to go au naturale, despite the fact that she did it last time and did great. “Oh, you’ll change your tune” they say… but they don’t know what a tough cookie the ol’ Shelster is.

Anyway, so far, no baby (and no score in the ballgame, either).

12:02 P.M. — We woke up at 8:30 today, thinking it was yet another normal day… who knew?

About an hour later, Shelley said she thought she was seeing some signs of early labor. So she hopped in the bathtub, I took Lewis out for a little playtime, and when we came back in at about 9:50 a.m. Shelley had called the doctor, who told her to head on over to the hospital!

Our friend Mandy came over and is watching Lewis right now… the grandparents Shepherd are heading down from Shepherdsville (no, not a joke) and will be hanging out with Lewis while Shelley and I are here at the hospital.

Her contractions are four minutes apart right now… she’s in good spirits and we’re hoping she’ll get all the antibiotics she needs BEFORE the little guy is born. Last time the speed of the labor left little Lewis with Group B Strep, which necessitated a ten-day trip to Nashville’s NICU — NOT the way you want your firstborn baby experience to go.

Anyway, childbirth has changed a lot, I guess… now I’m able to liveblog from here in the delivery room! So I plan on updating this, briefly, as things progress. Stay tuned…