We Are 7 Months Old!

Another month has flown by in the blink of an eye! 7 months already. It just doesn't seem possible.

This month has been filled with hospital visits, and we are glad that things have finally settled down for Shawn (knock on everything made of wood within your reach, please). Now that the two boys are finally together full time, they are starting to enjoy each other's company. It is really sweet to watch them together, while they are on their play mat.

The boys have their re-scheduled 6 month check-ups soon. They'll get their next round of shots (shhh...don't tell them) and we'll get more accurate updates on their heights and weights than what my home scale will give us. I am still hoping to start them on solids after we get the go ahead from the pediatrician.

The biggest development around here is that we are finally sleeping for approximately 7 hours at a stretch during the night. (insert contented sighs here) :-)

Jason - 7 Months Old!

Jason:

Weight: Somewhere between 17-18 lbs. He is wearing size 6 months clothes. Jason is in Size 3 diapers.

Length: 27 inches! That is in the 25-50th percentile for a 7 month old! He's a long little guy.

Feedings: Jason eats anywhere between 6 - 8 ounces of formula a feeding for a total of anywhere between 28 - 32 ounces a day. He is too funny to watch, because he really enjoys his food.

Favorites: Jason still loves jumping in his Jolly Jumper and sucking on his hands. He likes anything he can put into his mouth. He has started to enjoy bath time, too, which is a nice thing for his mommy. He also loves it when I hold him up in the air and let him fly.

Least Favorites: He doesn't like prune juice. We've had to give him prune juice a couple of times to keep him regular, and he absolutely hates it.

Issues: He is not a fan of tummy time. He'll just go to sleep rather than work on crawling or anything else.

Personality: He is still very sweet and loves to smile! He also seems to enjoy mornings and always wakes up with a grin on his face. (must have got that from Isaac. it sure didn't come from me!)

Areas to Work On: Tummy time.

New Things: Jason's tooth finally broke free this week! Yeah! He has a second one waiting for its chance to reach freedom, too.

Randomness: Jason grabs toys and puts them in his mouth to chew on now. Thank goodness. I was starting to worry about that!

He also loves to stand up while you hold his hands. And lastly, Jason loves to jump!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here are Jason's nostalgia pictures. The first is of the day he came home and the second is from today. He is growing like a weed! And in case you want to revisit last month's growth post, here it is: **Jason at 6 Months**

Shawn - 7 Months Old

Shawn:

Weight: Somewhere between 15-16 lbs (my scale is not the most accurate). He is gaining, and I am happy about that. When he was at his sickest earlier this month, he dropped to 13 lbs 3 oz. He is wearing size 6 months onesies, although they are still a little loose, with 3-6 month old pants. Shawn is still in Size 2 diapers, but only because I want to use up the ones we have left before moving him up to 3's.

Length: 25.5 inches! That is below the 5th percentile for a 7 month old, but we're still on the charts so we're not complaining! I completely expect him to catch up by next month.

Feedings: Shawn eats anywhere between 5 - 6 ounces of formula a feeding for a total of anywhere between 27 - 30 ounces a day.

Favorites: Shawn has started a new phase. He wants to be held--all the time. I think he is trying to make up for all the snuggling he missed out on while he was sick. Shawn also still loves to be next to Jason on the floor where Shawn will smile and "talk" to his brother. And he still loves the pacifier, much to my chagrin.

Least Favorites: Shawn hates bath time with a passion. I think it is just because we got out of practice while he was sick. (long story) Anyway, we are working on it.

Issues: Shawn seems to have been in pause mode while he was sick. He is trying to make up for lost time now that he feels better. His biggest problem now is that his two teeth are finally breaking through, and he is not enjoying the process much. (thank God for Tylenol)

Personality: Shawn is a changed man! He loves to smile at us. The best part is that his smile comes quickly and easily. I am so happy about that.

Areas to Work On: Shawn has to work on strengthening his neck muscles again. His head is just so heavy! (it is all of that intelligence in there, of course. he comes from us, you know) :-)

New Things: Shawn is back to the pacifier all the time. I so miss our blankie days! He also has started chuckling. He sounds a little like that dog cartoon character, Muttley, because his laugh is sort of breathy. It is hilarious.

Randomness: Shawn likes to march to the beat of his own drum in his little Jolly Jumper. He hasn't quite got the concept that he needs to work both legs together to jump, instead he sort of marches and puts one leg down and then the other. It is too cute.

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These last photos are a little bit of nostalgia. The first is of Shawn on the day he came home from the hospital. The second one is of him today. He has grown a little, huh?

And in case you want to revisit last month's growth post, here it is: **Shawn at 6 Months**

Here are the boys on Monday. Could they get any cuter? Jason is on the left and Shawn is on the right.

I just love those chubby cheeks!

This one isn't the greatest picture of their faces, but I wanted you to see their chubby little bodies.

More cuteness...



They are getting so big! I am working on their 7 Month posts now. I hope to get them up as soon as possible. There will be pictures and videos! Stay tuned...

Happy 7 Month Birthday, Boys! Where did the time go?

Cute pictures and a 7 month update soon...

Our first healthy photo session...

My men are so cute!

Jason was totally disinterested in the whole thing. Usually, Shawn is the one who doesn't like this type of thing. Now, I just have to figure out how to get them both on the same page!

Some More Cuteness

Shawn...

Jason...

All About Shawn

from tonight...




Shawn was full of smiles tonight. I think he even chuckled two times! Plus, he is talking up a storm. We are so excited. Finally, I think he is feeling better.

This last one is of him blowing slurberts back at me after I did it to him.

Now this is heaven.

He's home, he's home!

I can't seem to come up with something that tops that, so that's all you get!

Pictures tomorrow (I promise).

It's Mother's Day and I am having such a hard time wrapping my mind around that idea. Me. A mother. And I didn't even have a curse word attached to the end of it. How surreal.

We made it six days with negative cultures...

Hoping we make it one more...

Surgery is scheduled early Monday morning if the cultures stay negative...

Keeping everything crossed that we do...

We can't wait until he is home safe and sound.

Shawn is still in the hospital and continues to receive his antibiotics. We are continually amazed when we think about the strength of our boy. He is one tough little guy. (I am so happy we named him Shawn Riley! It is definitely fitting!)

He is starting to feel better and has begun to smile again. It makes our hearts sing to see his sweet little face light up in a grin. We are also encouraged that all further tests since the one that found the infection have come back clear. We must have seven days of clear tests (until Saturday) before they will even consider the surgery he needs, and he can't go home until he has the surgery. If all goes as planned, he will have surgery on Monday and go home the next day.

Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and words of support. We really do appreciate everything more than words can say.

Much love,
Team Lopez

This is just a quick update.

Shawn has developed a bacterial staph infection, most likely due to a procedure he had while at the hospital (ok, definitely due to a procedure he had there). He spiked a fever of 102.5 and started throwing up and was miserable. We took him to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

He will be on intravenous antibiotics for 7-10 days. With the luck that we have had lately, we are expecting the 10 day course. The Infectious Disease doctors will make the ultimate decision tomorrow.

He had one surgery yesterday, to help clear up the infection, and will have another one later this week.

We do believe that this is yet another unfortunate bump on the road to making him well, and don't expect this to cause any lasting effects for him. Now, for his mom and dad? I think we've lost a few years from this experience! Definitely not fun to watch your baby feel this bad.

Monday is a big day at the hospital (all of the "real" doctors were off for the weekend), so we hope to have a more detailed idea of the course of his treatment then.

There isn't internet reception for patients that I've been able to find yet, so I am not sure how frequently I will be able to get updates out. I will try, though. Also, please know that if you call us, we are not allowed to use a cell phone while we are in the room with him. Leave a message, and we will try to get back to you as soon as possible. We have been able to text message, so you can try that.

Keep Shawn (and Jason, too) in your thoughts. We all hope he makes a speedy recovery.

P.S. In case you're wondering, Jason is with my mom, getting some serious one-on-one time with her. I think they're both enjoying it. (I hope so at least!)