All four Shahbaz babies (or Shababies as we’re now calling them) are finally home. Sorry it took so long to get this latest update out, but getting to the computer is a lot harder now. Here’s a quick breakdown on what’s been happening.
Jeremiah was the first to come home. He came home on Friday, June 1st. Jordan followed just a couple days later on Monday, June 4th. Jonah was third to come home almost 2 weeks later on Tuesday, June 19th. Cedar was last… coming home just a short time ago on Wednesday, July 4th.
In addition, we also moved from our house in Monrovia to a house that’s a little more functional for raising quads. Our new address is now 1105 W Danton Dr., Glendora CA 91741.
In short, life has been crazy. Amy and I basically trade shifts taking care of the kids alongside family, friends, and dozens of volunteers. When one of us is not taking care of the kids, we are emptying boxes while we still try and finish the move to the new house. The Little Ones are absolutely amazing and bring us so much joy. But when they are all crying at the same time at 4:00am on a Wednesday morning, it makes life a little bit tough. We are figuring things out one day at a time… and so are the little ones. But they’re not so little any more. Here’s a small break down of what’s been going on with each Shababy…
Jeremiah…
He wants to be held all the time. His adjusted age is only just over a month, but he already has a fake cry he does when he’s not getting the attention he wants. His big blue eyes are beautiful and he knows how to flirt with them.
He is such a character and he entertains us quite a bit. Yesterday he crawled over his pillow and ended up with his rear-end sticking straight up. The best part was that while his rear-end was sticking straight up, he let out a big fart! He had all of us in stitches. He now weighs 8 pounds, 3 ounces.
Jonah…
Jonah’s nick-name is now Double-Double, because all he wants to do is eat. Jonah now weighs just above 9 pounds! He puts down 130 cc’s each time he feeds, while the others are on about 70 cc’s a feed.
Whether he’s asleep or awake, his tongue is hanging out of his mouth. If it’s moving, you know you better warm him a bottle. He has real dark eyes and olive/brown skin. At least one came out looking like dad!
Jordan…
This kid is just too cute. He sometimes opens his eyes real wide and just watches everything that’s going on in the room. He makes incredible eye contact and tracks your eye-line very well.
He’s got this pathetic little cry that is a clear sign that he may one day be a mama’s boy. Pray for Jordan’s tummy. He gets a great deal of gas pains, and often times can become very colicky when he feeds. He is gaining weight, but not as fast as the others. He now weighs 7 pounds, 14 ounces.
Cedar…
Wow, we still can’t believe she’s home. For a while, we had no clue as to how long she might stay in the NICU. Cedar took a long time to learn to bottle-feed. She had trouble coordinating how to suck the milk, swallow the milk, and breathe at the same time.
In a matter of a week, she went from only being able to take a few cc’s from a bottle to taking 8 bottles of 50 cc’s or more. We still have to watch her closely as she feeds to make sure she doesn’t aspirate. But all in all she is very healthy, very spunky, and we are happy that she’s home. Cedar now weighs 7 pounds, 10 ounces.
Please continue to pray for the little-ones and for mom and dad as we learn how to coordinate their care. The volunteers are great but we could sure use more. The 12:00am to 8:00am shift is the hardest to fill. So are Friday and Saturday nights. If you have the time to volunteer or could spend a few nights with the little-ones, please email me at philipshahbaz@verizon.net.
Here's a few more pics of the Shababies until next time...
Blessings,
Phil and Amy
