It's Awards Night - Part 1

Can you all believe it? We've been given a blog award*! Well, it wasn't "we" who received the award, it was my amazing trio! :-)

The rules for this award are simple - just give 7 fun facts about the nominee for the awesome son award.


First up is Shawn. Here are 7 fun facts about our little Shawn Bon:

1. Shawn is one tough little dude. He's so tough, that it takes a lot to actually hurt him. Just ask Jason. When Jason tries to hit his brother when he is mad, it never has the effect he wants. Instead, I'll hear Shawn tell Jason to do it again...and again...and again all while he is laughing. It totally annoys Jason when he does it, too.
2. Shawn loves coloring. He has the funniest routine when he first starts. He always picks two crayons (usually the orange and black, although occasionally he'll choose the blue and purple). Then he flips the pages of his coloring book, slams his crayons down on the paper making a single mark on the page, and then hollers to me that "I'm  just drawing, mom!" He does that for every page in the book! Only then will he choose a page to color.
3. Shawn sometimes drops the "s" at the beginning of words. Sneeze turns into "neeze." Snuggle turns into "nuggle." It is totally the cutest thing to hear.
4. Shawn is the early, and I do mean early, riser in the family. It doesn't matter when he goes to sleep; he gets up first and is cheerful! (What's up with that anyway?) He is so cheerful that he often wants the rest of us to join him in the greeting the new day. It is not uncommon for him to call, "Are you awake, mom?" or "What are you doing, dad?" as he comes into our room. But, and this is the best part, when we tell him we're sleeping, he's content to play quietly on his own until we are ready to get up.
5. Shawn likes to do the "I Love You" squeeze. This is something that I learned a hundred years ago at Girl Scout Camp. All you do is silently squeeze a person's hand three times--a squeeze for each word in the phrase "I love you." Shawn didn't think three squeezes was enough though. He takes it a step farther and squeezes each finger on your hand three times. He really wants us to know how much he cares!
6. Shawn is a big flirt. He loves to talk to the ladies--it doesn't even matter where he finds them. He likes them young, old, or any age in between. He has a way he says "Hiiiiiii" in this sing-songy way that always, always makes the recipient smile and engage him in a conversation. He'll even be talking to us, spy a good looking female passing by, and totally ditch our conversation so he can charm his prey...er, I mean new friend. :-) I suppose a boy's gotta have his priorities, right?
7. Shawn knows just about every single word in ANY children's song you can think of. Just hum a few bars or sing a few lines, and he will know what words will come next in the song. It is really amazing. He's even been known to correct you if he thinks you're singing the wrong words.

*Ok. I admit that I may (cough, cough) have been the originator of this award. It doesn't make it any less momentous though! What can I say? My kids are awesome!

Feel free to give your own son the awesome son award if you wish! :-)

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30 Day Challenge #11

Super Helper

30 Day Challenge #10 (1/3 of the way to my goal! Wooohooo!)
Jason is very big on being a "super helper" since Jack came home. (Shawn? Not so much.) He loves it when he can help throw things away, push the lever on the diaper genie, or get stuff for us. He'll do just about anything you'll let him do. It is really very sweet.
 
Last night he helped Isaac put his folded clothes away...
 

 
After several trips from our bedroom, he carefully put them in the dresser one by one, adjusting them until the shirts were in there just so.
 
So what if they are no longer folded?
 
So what if that isn't even Isaac's dresser? (It's Jack's.)
 
He still gets lots of kudos for a job well done! :-)

I Love...

...my kids, but I really love it when the planets align and everyone is asleep for

Nap time!

Jason

Shawn all covered in his blankets

Jack

It was only for a little bit before Jack woke up for food, but it was heavenly all the same. :-)

30 Day Challenge #9

Everyone's a Comedian Around This Place

30 Day Challenge #8

I think Jackson might have inherited his father's sense of humor...

I found Jack on the couch with a wrench one day.

So, I asked him what he was doing with the wrench.

He told me that he had a bolt and a couple of nuts to adjust.

Ba-dum-dum. (They can't all be gems!)

Glad That's Over With

Shawn had his strabismus surgery today, and boy has it been a long day. Shawn had to check in at 6:30 am for his 7:30 surgery. Unfortunately, we had to wait for quite some time before they finally took him back just before 9:00.





Here he is in his hospital gown. Up until he put that thing on, he was in good spirits. Once he was in his gown, he knew something was up.

After the procedure, they called me back to recovery where poor Mr. Shawn was a mess. He was screaming and flailing around. His eyes were bleeding pretty badly, too. (totally normal after this surgery but definitely an alarming sight to say the least) He kept saying his eyes hurt and screamed. Poor baby. Ugh.




We got home just before noon-- a lot later than i had anticipated. :-(

Shawn's had a rough afternoon, but I think he is finally starting to feel better now. He has been attached to my side all day and has just recently let me move away from him a bit. He was able to eat a little something (the anesthesia made him sick earlier so he didn't want anything for quite a while) and is no longer complaining constantly that his eyes hurt. All good signs.

Right now he is snuggled in mommy and daddy's bed trying to finally get some much deserved rest.

I hereby declare that this needs to be Team Lopez's LAST surgery.

Sigh.

I am typing this on my phone, so ignore the typos. ;-) I am not feeling up to proofreading right now!


Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Shawn's Turn

30 Day Challenge #6

Tomorrow, poor Mr. Shawn will have his turn at strabismus surgery. And, in Team Lopez style, Shawn will also have the surgery in both eyes like his brother did 13 months ago. My boys like to do things the same; and, we like to go all out for things.

It looks like Isaac and I will split up on this one - I'll take Shawn to the hospital and Isaac will stay home with Jason and Jack.

I don't anticipate any problems, and the entire procedure should take only about 30 minutes. With the pre-op, surgery, and recovery, we will likely spend around 3.5 hours at the hospital. Still, no one wants to see her baby have surgery. Sigh.



Check back tomorrow afternoon for an update on how things went.

Jack - 8 Weeks Old!

30 Day Challenge #5

Jack is 8 weeks old today. I seriously don't know how that can be. I swear time is passing in warp speed! I did these little checklists for the big boys at each of their first few month birthdays, so I decided to do them for Jack, too. (Anything I can do to fend off the "second child syndrome"** is a plus in my book.)

Weight: 13 pounds, 10 ounces (by my scale)

Length: 24 1/2 inches

Wearing: size 1-2 diapers and 6 month clothes.

Feedings: Jack is eating 3-4 ounces of formula a feeding for a total of approximately 28-30 ounces a day.

Favorites: Jack loves, loves, loves to stare at the black and white photos that are hung around the living room. He smiles at them and talks to them, too!

Least Favorites: Tummy time is not a favorite of his, but he'll at least do it without too much complaint. Being hungry is the worst, though.

Issues: We just switched Jack's formula after his 6 week pediatrician appointment. He was having some issues with painful gas and was pretty miserable for about 30 minutes before each meal as he tried to get rid of lots of gas. Once we switched his formula, he has been SO much happier (although he isn't in pain, he still has some killer gas!)

Personality: Jack is pretty easy going. He really only cries to eat! We are very fortunate.

Areas to work on: Jack has one long sleep period-from 9:30 pm to 3:00ish am. I would love to get him to change his schedule so he'll do his long stretch of sleep from midnight to 6:00 am.

New Things: Jack found his hand and thumb last week.

Randomness: Jack got his first set of vaccines at his 6 week appointment (he did get the Hep B shot before discharge from the hospital). Poor guy was not a happy camper, which led to his first few doses of Tylenol. Unlike his brothers, he was not that big of a fan.

Some things Jack does:

• Lifts head when lying on tummy
• Responds to sound
• Stares at faces
• Follows objects briefly with eyes
• Vocalizes: oohs and aahs
• Can see black-and-white patterns
• Smiles
• Holds head at 45-degree angle
• Found his hands and fingers
• Holds head up for short periods
• Starting to bear weight on legs
• Lifts head and shoulders when lying on tummy (mini-push up)

**"Second Child Syndrome" - we've all heard someone say that there are a hundred times more (insert pictures, mementos, whatever) for the first child when compared to what is done for the second (or in our case, third) child. I vow to try to make things at least comparable for the boys. As it is, I will admit to taking less pictures, but I AM taking them. That's got to mean something!

A Few of Our Favorite Things

30 Day Challenge #4

These are a few of our favorite things...

Favorite Food:
Shawn-avocados, tomatoes, chocolate cake, mac and cheese, cheesy potato burrito, french fries, goldfish, pizza, and chocolate milk (carnation instant breakfast)
Jason-french toast, oranges, ketchup, sour cream, cheesy potato burrito, fruit snacks, french fries, pizza, and orange juice
Jack- he's all about the milk, people!

Favorite Colors:
Shawn-black, orange, and blue
Jason-blue and yellow
Jack-black and white

Favorite Places to Go:
Shawn-Grandma's house
Jason-Target, the park, and Grandma's house
Jack-to the swing, to the play mat, and to bed.

Favorite Toys:
Shawn-letters, his radio, anything electronic (the more buttons the better)
Jason-cars (with eyes, aka Pixar cars)
Jack-his hand

Favorite Thing To Do:
Shawn-color, play with his letters, and play with mommy's phone
Jason-play with cars, play with playdoh, and play camp out with daddy
Jack-adore himself in the mirror, stare at the pictures on the wall, burp, and sleep

Favorite Television Show:
Shawn-"Yo Gabba, Gabba!" and "Blues Clues"
Jason-"Wow Wow Wubbzy" and "Little Bill"
Jack-eh, who cares about the television when I can stare at mommy all day? He prefers reality television!
**Everyone likes to watch Pixar's Cars

Favorite Songs:
Shawn-"Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "I Love You" (a lullaby I've been singing to the boys since they were in the NICU)
Jason-"Yellow Submarine" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" (the Jewel version)
Jack-"Stinky Butt" (a rousing little ditty created by mommy)

My Three Sons...

30 Day Challenge #3

Aren't they cute? :-)

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You may have noticed that I've been posting a lot lately. I have decided to try a 30 day challenge--posting every single day for 30 days in a row. Some days may only be pictures, but I will try my best to make sure that there is something new here during the challenge. Hopefully, this will get me back into the habit of posting more regularly. (Why am I already worried I may regret this?)

Wish me luck!

Kidbits: Our Life in a Series of Face Book Updates... Part 5

30 Day Challenge #2

Shawn has a bag of magnetic letters he likes to play with. Today he would pull each letter out and talk to it. The conversation went something like this:
S takes the letter out: "Hello R. What are you doing?"
The letter: "I'm going over here!" and he'd shove the letter to the ground.
Isaac and I were rolling watching him say it over and over. I tried to get it on video, but he wouldn't let me. :-(
May 22 at 11:00pm

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Tried to give of of the little people nutella instead of peanut butter on his sandwich. Was told it was "ex-cus-ting." i tried to tell him he'd like it, but no. He went on to say he thinks he "prefers" cheese. Yes he used those words. Sigh. Any guesses as to who it was?
May 22 at 3:00pm
 
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First family trip to Target as a family of 5. No one got lost. No one cried. I call it a success!

May 21 at 7:25pm

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How can he fit into 6 month sleepers?!? He is only 7 weeks old!
May 19 at 9:08pm
 
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Trying to explain Batman to the boys. I sense they are not impressed. In fact, Batman has been tossed to the side so they can pay with the villain gorilla instead.

May 19 at 5:17pm
 
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Jay came up to Isaac earlier and asked him what's the dealio? One of us may have listened to some Pink on the way home from the doctor's appointment today. Cough. Cough. I can't wait until Shawn springs that one on Isaac, too!
May 18 at 11:58pm
 
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We recently got the Beatles songs for kids CD, and they've been listening to it nonstop. Non. Stop. Sigh. Anyway, tonight while Isaac was getting Shawn ready for bed, "All you need is love" was on. Instead of singing the actual words Shawn kept saying "All you need is Mom...all you need is Mom." The boy's got it right, now doesn't he! Lol.

May 18 at 11:54pm ·
 
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Tank is 6 weeks old today! He had his first shots today, too. Boo.

23.5 inches long
13 pounds
May 11 at 3:21pm
 
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Made a sticker potty chart for the boys. Then I had to go back and make one for Isaac and myself because the boys insisted we get stickers, too. Right now, the big people are the only ones with stickers. Ahem. FYI-For any of you who come to my house, ignore the charts on the wall. It will give you way too much information about us. I'm just sayin'.

May 9 at 11:30pm ·
 
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Jason came into my room this morning saying, "It's a special delivery, mommy! Happy Valentine's Day!"

He was close... :-) (It was Mother's Day!)
May 8 at 1:14pm ·
 
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I had to kiss Jason's tongue after he bit it earlier today. Not sure how we got started on the kissing of the owies, but this latest one makes me want to stop it. Ew.

May 6 at 10:29pm ·
 
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‎4 weeks old today. How can something so little have so much gas? You'd be amazed... Lol

April 27 at 6:33pm
 
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In our house, jelly beans are worth a hundred times more than gold! I can get them to do almost anything with the promise of a jelly bean. Ahhh... Must send Isaac to the store to stock up on more before it's too late!
April 25 at 3:49pm
 
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about the Easter bunny-- Jason: "The rabbit had glasses just like me...but he's a... weird."

April 23 at 7:21pm
 
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Why is it that you boys always seem to want something NOW! at the exact same time? Couldn't we spread the wealth, boys? Shall we work on a schedule? No?
April 21 at 3:34pm
 
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Jack lost his umbilical cord this morning. Ugh. With all of the stuff I've witnessed, the cord wigs me out! Go figure! Happy Birthday to me!

April 18 at 12:25pm
 
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Boys, must we ALWAYS scream/holler/yell/shout about every single thing? You two just need to stop it already. My ears can't take it any more! Is this some sort of freakish 3 year old thing that no one told me about?
April 11 at 10:51pm
 
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Poor Jason face planted on the living room floor and has a big fat lip. Note to self: he doesn't appreciate it when mommy and daddy try to document his injuries in photos. Must remember that. The chaos that ensued after he saw the camera wasn't worth the effort! Bummer.

April 9 at 8:18pm

Cute Baby Saturday

30 Day Challenge #1



Practicing holding his head up with daddy. He's already getting to be so big!

There is something about this playmat. The boys love to come lie on it with Ja.ck. It is very sweet to see!

Mostly Wordless Wednesday - All We Need Is Love

"All you need is love..."

Shawn and Jason showing each other a little love. Kissy, kissy everyone!

Let's all just say, "Awwwwww..."

And here is Jackson, showing himself lots of love. He's looking in a mirror. He is his own biggest fan it seems! :-)



Because love is all you need...

Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day, everyone! Hope your day was as nice as mine! :-)

Cute Baby Saturday

Jason's showing Jack how his playmat works. "Just push here and you get to listen to 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!'"

Jack and mommy after a bath. "Why do you always do this to me, woman?"

Shawn lying in bed yesterday. Daddy was making him laugh.

Coloring Easter Eggs!

This Easter the boys got the chance to color Easter eggs. They absolutely loved it. They did a really good job with it, too!

Here us Jason dipping his first egg in the pink. I found the tip on a multiples board of putting the eggs inside a whisk to make it easier for the kids to hold. I have to say that it worked really well. There was no dropping the eggs this way.

See that excitement? No, really. He did have fun.

Daddy's showing Shawn what to do with his egg.

It didn't take long for Shawn to become a pro at the whole dying eggs thing.

Jason used all of the colors for his eggs, but his favorite was his first pink egg. He was so proud of that thing!

Our beautiful eggs!

And Shawn's beautiful hand!

They had such a good time that Jason keeps asking when he gets to dye eggs again!



Easter 2011

The Easter bunny dropped a few goodies off for the boys.

Jason got up first and had to check out his Easter surprises. He loved the cars. :-)

Shawn was a bit more interested in the candy in his basket. He is my boy after all.

"Cheese!"

"Hi, mommy!"

Mommy and Jack. Jack's in his "My first Easter" outfit.

We spent a quiet morning at our house and then headed over to grandma's house, where the boys had lots of fun playing with the Easter baskets grandma gave them.

 Again, Jason goes for the car...and Shawn goes for the candy!

After opening their Easter baskets, we ate a yummy dinner before the boys got the chance to color Easter eggs. They LOVED it! (I had enough pictures to make that a post all by itself!)

We even got the chance to take a family picture!

It isn't perfect (Shawn has the habit of saying "Cheese" either two seconds before or two seconds after you take a picture), but I'll take it. You would, too, if you saw the other options. Wait a minute...why don't I just let you see for yourself. :-)

Let me present outtakes from Easter 2011 family photo shoot...

Picture 1 - the adults are focused on the camera. Sadly no one else was.

Shawn's tiring of the photo shoot. Jason is busy watching television. I'm still trying to smile through the chaos. Lol.

Now Shawn is trying to get my attention. He'll just grab my face if I don't respond to him fast enough!

More tears for Shawn. Jason is finally looking at the camera! Yeah!

Daddy is trying to focus Jason on the camera. Shawn is calming down finally. Jack is trying to figure out what he did to wind up with this crazy family. Notice I am still smiling. Hey. That is what I do!

See? That first picture isn't so bad, now is it? :-)