Vocabulary

It doesn't seem like the time is passing so quickly, and yet it is...

The big news (and the reason for the title) is that The Beans are developing vocabularies. some time ago, I posted that when Noah and Sydney did something for the first time, they'd find a sign posted saying "Emily was here... first" Well, not this time.

They've all been making syllables, the occasional Ma-ma-ma or Ba-ba-ba or Da-da-da. Two weeks ago we got what I considered to be the first "words". Words that expressed something, words that carried meaning for the first time. I needed to run an errand during the day, so I had to get them ready to go and we were going to leave after lunch. They love to get out of the house, either for a car ride or a walk around the neighborhood. They knew that we were going somewhere. They saw the shoes, they saw the diaper bag, they knew. As they were finishing up, I got the washcloth to clean them up. I started with Noah, and when I said "Are you ready to go bye-bye?", he lurched forward, stuck his arms out and said very clearly "Bye-bye!" As I was marvelling at his achievement, Emily was not to be outdone. She put her arms out, too and said "Bye-bye" Sydney was excited to go, too, but didn't say anything at the time.

Way to go, Noah.

They have more tricks in their vocabulary bag than just spoken words, too. We've been working on sign language, with Noah's therapist, some DVDs and practice around the house. First and quickest to pick it up has been Sydney. Their sign language vocabulary is growing very quickly now, too. We started with "more" and "eat". Sydney got those quick and started really paying attention to the DVDs. She knows "hat", "shoes" and more it seems every day. Although Emily and Noah are catching up, Sydney is tops when it comes to sign language.

Way to go, Sydney.

...and then there's Emily. Emily has changed so much in the last few weeks. She has absolutely mastered getting up on furniture. She has mastered stepping down forward without hanging on to anything. She started doing it on the step in the family room and when Amy and I clap and cheer for her, she gets a huge smile and runs back to do it over again. Her hair has been slow to come in, and very fine but in the last few weeks, her hair has begun to fill in and really get some length. It's curling up in the back and it looks so adorable. It's lighter than Sydney's, so Emily is starting out as a blue-eyed blonde. I'm in so much trouble when the boys begin to circle my daughters...

Way to go, Emily.

And hey, Daddy got to add a new word to his vocabulary, too. The word last week was... Gout.
My right foot was sore, then seemed to get better, then within a day got drastically worse. Intense, searing pain centered on the joint just below my big toe. (that knob on the side of your foot) By the time Amy got home from work, I had to go to a medical clinic because the pain was becoming unbearable. I was worried that as it got worse, I would lose the ability to put weight on it and be unable to carry a baby up or downstairs. The diagnosis was gout, and the doctor gave me a prescription for a mega anti-inflammatory and said I should be better in "24-48 hours". Amy took the next day off to take care of things while I was off my feet. I was nervous about that big of a time window, but fortunately relief came on schedule. It also helped greatly that Grandma and Grandpa Cheesman were coming for a visit this past week. They helped me get through the rest of the week caring for the babies. I was also able to get in to my regular doctor's office and got a blood test to confirm the gout diagnosis. That confirmation came in today, and now I'm starting a prescription to reduce the chemical in my blood that causes the gout and hopefully prevent another attack. As bad as the pain was, the silver lining in that very dark cloud was the help and comfort I got from my wife and her parents. It's what family is all about.

Way to go, family.

-John