good things

The Shepherd fam has had a big of a tough year, and so we have been somewhat shocked this week that several things have gone our way. God has answered several prayers at once, and we are just kind of amazed.

First, the biggest news is that Justin got a new job this week. He'll still be working steps from Spencer's, just off the square downtown. It's somewhat of a dream position, especially with the situation we are in now--with Justin working at the coffee shop a chunk of the time. It's definitely the perfect solution for the moment. For more on this check out Justin's blog.

We also got a new pediatrician this week! We have been trying to switch to a doctor who knows a bit more about autism, and had heard that one in particular has a heart for special needs children. Unfortunately, when I called originally he was not taking new patients. We had a friend put in a good word for us, and apparently this doctor recognized Lewis' name from going into Spencer's during April. It was Autism Awareness Month, and we had a special drink available called 'The Lewis Latte' with a bit of marshmallow syrup (because Lewis loves marshmallows!). There was a little description of Lewis and the drink with a picture of our boy, and apparently this doctor had been in and noticed it. All of this to say, I started calling and this week we got the good news that he's taking both boys as patients. He works with our DAN! doctor (in Franklin, TN) on a number of patients already so it should be a good situation. This development is a huge relief for me!! Having a doctor who is knowledgeable about autism and special needs' situations makes such a difference.

The last, but not least, news is that Owen is "crawling." Okay, he's not up on his knees, but he's dragging himself around our home, and I can say that he is all over the place. I was doing dishes the other night and he made a path all the way around our dining table! This is another big relief, because crawling is connected to speech and develops the muscles necessary for walking and all the physical things that come later. Even if Owen sticks with the army crawl, he would still be working out the muscles that he needs to continue developing normally. It is something that has been a constant prayer request and I'm thrilled to see him taking this 'step.' Here's a video from last night...we're so excited!