It's been almost five months since our last update. The Shababies have kept us very busy. They have been busy too. Their growth and development continues to progress every single day thanks to the help of many folks. Here's what the week looks like...
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Amy's parents help us take care of the kids from 8:00am to 8:00pm. On Tuesday, Amy's Grammy Chessum joins us for most of the day along with a Stimulation Coordinator who's job is play with the kids and make sure their development continues to progress. On Thursday, Amy's Aunt Ines helps us while an Occupational Therapist takes the kids through exercises that keep their motor-skills on course.
On Saturday, a former APU student helps in the morning, and on Sunday, my buddy Tim joins us for most of the day to give us a hand. AND on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night, two former students do the night shift for us so that we can get some sleep. After spending the first three months helping us raise the kids, my mom has now gone back to Turlock. But she also comes down for extended weekends, and has left us with a freezer full of food. Amy's aunt Irene has also done the night shift for us on Tuesday's for the last six months. Outside a few other AMAZING volunteers that have helped us since the beginning, Amy and I are on our own with the kids. Honestly, it's mostly Amy! She's at the house taking care of the kids almost constantly without a break. In fact, she has only left the house a hand-full of times since July.
When the kids sleep and feed well, things can generally be easy. But if they are having a tough night, things can get very hectic. Every morning Amy makes the bottles for the day, and every night, she makes the bottles for the night shift. After she goes to bed, I clean the bottles and get them ready for the morning. What Amy does with just the bottles is amazing on it's own. She prepares over 20 bottles at a time that require three different formulas, three different kids of nipples, and two different kinds of bottles. She is supermom!
The following is a small update on each of the kids...
Jeremiah...
He is now just over 16 pounds. He is a big ham! He loves to laugh and giggle, but he can also scream VERY loud if he doesn't get the attention that he wants. If you put him on the floor, five minutes later he will have rolled himself to the other side of the room. He's teething right now, so hasn't been feeding very well. But when he's in a good mood, he is such a fun little baby.
Jonah...
When mom enters the room, Jonah instantly lights up. He LOVES his mom! He is now 18 pounds and is as round and chubby as they get. He is such a positive little guy. He's always smiling, and is very expressive. He generally only cries when he is hungry and not getting his meal as quickly as he'd like. But when he does cry, It's like an alarm. He can be VERY loud. He has recently discovered people's hair. So if you're holding him, watch out, because he's going to pull it!
Jordan...
This little guy is so precious. He is now 17 pounds. He use to have a tough time feeding but now he is gobbling down his bottle. He is such a good boy. He likes time to himself and generally falls asleep very easily and peacefully. When he giggles and laughs it just breaks your heart because he is so cute. He has such an innocent and laid-back disposition. He still has gas at night and can become a little irritable. But for the most part Jordan has progressed immensely since our last update.
Cedar...
Don't be fooled by her! She is adorable, but she's tricky. She has just recently learned how to have a "temper-tantrum" if she doesn't get the attention that she wants. And when she starts screaming, Amy is the only one that can calm her down. Even though she has become a little challenging, she is gorgeous. She smiles, laughs, and still wiggles like crazy. She is constantly being dressed by her mom and grandparents for photo-sessions. She now weighs the same as Jeremiah, 16 pounds. She is eating well and she very mobile. But in the evenings she can be very difficult to put to sleep. Once she does go to sleep, no other kid sleeps more peacefully.
Although we are very thankful for the kids progress, please keep them in your prayers. It's easy to forget that they are still preemies, and will be preemies for quite some time. They still have digestive issues, acid-reflux issues, and motor-skill issues that we will be dealing with for quite some time. It still remains a daunting task for Amy and I. As a result, we are so thankful to our family and friends... All the meals that came for the first six months, My mom giving up her life for three months, Amy's parents who give up three days a week, The APU dipar-drive, the Washington folks who's generous and humbling donations have covered everything from wet-wipes to onezees for months to come, and much more.
If you would like pictures of the Shababies, our good friend and professional photographer, Tira Young, has recently taken the kids 6 month photos.
You can view the photos here...
http://www.pictage.com/407430
There is also a free $5 certificate that you could use towards purchasing the photos if you'd like. Just follow the instructions bellow...
1. Click the link and register online.
2. Once your event is available for viewing, your pre-registered guests will be notified via email and receive the gift certificate credit amount in their Pictage account
3. At some point, the website will ask you for an Event Key. The Event Key is simply our last name... Shahbaz
Thank you for your love and prayers. Please keep them coming.
Until next time,
Amy, Phil, and the Shababies
