Welcome June!

This past week has been busy and fun with my family. We went to 2 cookouts, including one on Memorial Day at my sisters. The babies had lots to experience at Aunt Jenny's. Grandpa Cheesman pulled them in a red wagon and they slid down a slide for the first time. Emily really travels around Aunt Jenny's home. She was even spotted by Grandma Cheesman running down the hall!

We had our first family outing to the Children's Museum on Thursday. Sydney & Noah rode on the carousel but Emily was frightened by the loud music. She'll get another chance when we visit the zoo. While the babies napped in the strollers, John & I had the opportunity to explore the museums newest exhibits honoring Ruby Bridges, Ryan White, and Anne Frank. All were part of a series highlighting those who were victims of racism and prejudice. It's quite emotional but educational. We ended our day in Playscape, a play area for children 5 and under. They enjoyed playing and climbing on the foam mats.

Anyway, all 3 really crack me up. The girls keep chanting "me, me, me" and while playing with Noah yesterday, he laughed like we've never heard before. Kisses (licks) are plenty and they all love being cuddled. Emily is the first to climb furniture. She successfully climbed on top of a storage cube twice, shortly followed but a tumble into the toy box. Oh, she turned the lock on the door to the garage. She's unstoppable! Sydney has great recognition. Just name a specific toy/stuffed animal, and she'll find it. Sydney really is sensitive and enjoys being in our arms. I hope she always displays love and affection like she does now. Noah loves to play rough house with daddy. Specifically, he loves to dive onto & over John. This is what we call "daddy on the floor" time. He's really displaying a bashful side. It's so adorable! This look will always be etched in my mind.

Well, I must sign out for now, but rest assured, I am committed to adding update frequently.

Love,

Amy

Oh, how time flies!

Let me start by saying---WOW (for those of you who don't know, Emily went through a stage of using this expression a lot).

We celebrated the triplets 1st Birthday on April 6th with a Baby Einstein theme. Sydney wore her cake while Emily & Noah were more conservative with theirs. Be sure to check out our photo album for the party pictures.

The Ayres household is buzzing with activity. Emily, Noah & Sydney are all walking and doing a fine job. They love to play a game we call "Where's _____." The babies play by walking behind a big man's recliner in the corner. We'll then ask, "Where's Emily, Noah or Sydney" and they walk out from behind the chair. It's very entertaining.

We graduated to Vitamin D milk and table food exclusively with their 1st birthday. They have great appetites and do a really good job eating with their fingers! Some of their favorites include bananas, yogurt and lima beans. Noah would eat forever if you let him. He tends to cry in protest to having his hands & face cleaned off. This signals the end of meal/snack time and he doesn't like it.

As most of you know, John is a full time stay-at-home dad. His new job started April 7, 2008. He is doing a fabulous job keeping them on a sleeping/eating/playing schedule. They are learning so much from him and Baby Einstein. Right now, we are working on recognizing body parts (eyes, ears, mouth, nose and toes). Oh, and John is teaching them to hi-five. It's so cute!

They are all growing mischievous. The girls recently discovered the top drawer of their chest and emptied out the socks. Daddy has now added safety latches so we don't have to clean up after each nap. Noah's working on his biceps by doing pull ups at the pack-n-play, safety gate and kitchen table. He's so strong!

At last check, Emily weighed 19 lbs, Noah 18 lbs 8 oz and Sydney 18 lbs 4 oz. All three are hitting their milestones and thriving as expected. We are so thankful to have healthy, happy and loving children. They are very affectionate and love one-on-one time with us.

Next week, we plan to visit the Indianapolis Zoo and the Indianapolis Children's Museum. We'll post pictures soon so please check back.

Love to All,

Amy

Growing, growing, growing!

Here are the pediatrician updates I promised. Sydney weighs 17 lb 6 oz, Noah weighs 17 lb 6-1/2 oz, and Emily weighs 17 lb 10 oz. Over the last several months, Noah has really overcome the reflux he suffered from. Since he is doing so well, we have officially stopped all meds for his symptoms. No more Prilosec or Zantac. We are thrilled! I was afraid he would experience withdraws since he really like taking his medicine. If he misses them, we don't know it! Our pediatrician has given us the ok to stop offering formula once they turn 1 year of age. Instead, we'll switch to Vitamin D milk. What a huge savings that will be.

Emily is officially on the move. She started crawling in the last week and is now pulling herself up! When I called home today to check on the babies, my mom said "Emily thinks she's hot stuff" moving about. She is really keeping my parents on their toes! Oh, she's already bumped her head a couple of times today. Grandma & Grandpa Ayres have a lot to look forward to when they arrive on Sunday.

Sydney just started saying Ma, Ma yesterday. John called me at work so I could hear her chanting them over and over. Of course when I got home, she didn't have anything to say to me.

Like Emily, Sydney and Noah are getting on their knees. I don't think it'll be long before they become the engines, not the caboose!

Noah is a character. He smiles so much and giggles at some the silliest things. For example, I sing a bit from a rap song that really gets a big response. Noah is our most eager baby food eater. He generally has 2 jars daily compared to 1 for each of the girls. Noah feels the faster you shovel it in the better. He really does take after me!

All three are doing terrific (outside of some recent nighttime sleep issues). John and I are preparing for his new job...stay at home dad, which will officially start the end of March. The grandparents will continue to help out as long as they are needed, for which we are thankful!

Well, my lunch hour is ending so I must get back to work. Please keep checking back for updates.

Amy

9 Months Old

Yes, you read correctly. Emily, Noah & Sydney are 9 months old today. Although the first couple of months seemed to crawl, the recent months are flying by. I'm already starting to plan for their 1st birthday party. We already have their personalized bibs for the occassion.

The little stinkers personalities are in full force. Emily has decided to skip a nap or 2 each day. Instead of 3 naps daily, she sometimes only takes 1. As the Eddie Murphy song goes "my girl loves to party all the time, party all the time, party all the time!" She is rocking on her hands and knees so it shouldn't be long until she starts crawling. Noah started babbling on Christmas day like Emily. Lots of ba, ba's. He still has no teeth but still packs quite a bite! He loves to make noise and smile. He's especially amused by my yawns! Like Emily, Sydney is beginning to get on all fours. I don't think she'll be far behind her sister. Sydney is our most sensitive. Leaving her sight will result in a cry. She's so attached!

We took some snapshots yesterday in hopes of capturing a photo to submit in the Regis & Kelly Most Beautiful Baby Contest. Of course the pictures are cute, but we weren't successful getting smiles all around. You just can't imagine what a challenge that is. I'm hoping the Ayres triplets will be chosen. If they are not, I still think they are the most beautiful.

I will post updated weights/heights next week after their pediatrician appointment. Later this month, we'll visit St Francis Hospital for their Developmental Clinic where they are assessed by various therapist. This will be our 2nd assessment since the triplets were born 5 weeks premature. We passed with flying colors in July. I'm sure we'll have the same great results.

Time for bed. Got to be up @4:30a. Hoping no wild babies tonight. All 3 got up this am between 3a-5a. Not typical--thank God!

Amy

P.S. Emily says "Da, Da"

First Christmas past...

We survived!

What were we thinking?!? Christmas dinner in our house? Four grandparents, three newborns, a sister and an uncle? While not complete pandemonium, it was intensely busy. Mom helped me get a turkey prepped for the oven, Dad helped here and there getting things ready. The beans were so very cooperative, napping well and not reacting too negatively to the upheaval of their familiar surroundings. Furniture was rearranged, there were more people in the house than they'd ever seen and they took it all in stride. Noah even took the opportunity to show off the vocal abilities he's been concealing from us. he decided Christmas was the day to reveal that he could chatter as well as big sis. Sydney is still having attachment issues (don't walk away from her!), but she dealt pretty well all day being passed from parent to grandparent and back.

They all got to try Christmas dinner thanks to a baby food grinder we got at the shower. Noah was not a fan of turkey, mashed potatoes and green beans... Sydney and Emily seemed to do OK with it.

I've uploaded some of the new pictures, but I'm really tired and I'm going to bed now. I'll finish up the red-eye reduction on the last group and get them added soon.

Oh, and Sydney *FINALLY* pushed out her second tooth!!! Maybe that's why she was fussy last night between 2:30 and 3:30... Anyway, like I said, really tired and I'm going to bed.

Goodnight all, thank you to those who sent things for the beans or for us. We have books to read to them, toys for them to play with (and us, too!), new clothes for them... Just so much stuff! We are not only blessed with our wonderful children but with kind and generous families who help and support us as we get through this.

-John

It all happens so fast...

I know my sibs, my friends, my extended family by blood or heart that have experienced new parenthood stand by and watch with what must be the quiet amusement of someone who knows how the story goes but they don't want to spoil it for me. I make what posts I can (or just upload another batch of pictures trying to keep up with what my wife posts...), marvelling at my amazing children, boasting of their accomplishments and all the while, you know this. You've been there. Our parents, without whose help I don't know how we could have made it this far, are still teaching us. Showing us how to do things, how to respond to them, maybe at some level we're seeing how *we* were cared for before we were old enough to remember it.

Amy did SO much work getting Christmas cards together, getting prints ready to tuck them into the envelopes... I had one simple little job, print up labels for the backs of the pictures... I apologize now to my youngest daughter for goofing up a batch and spelling her name incorrectly. Sorry Syn... oops! Sydney!

Sydney's been a little moody lately, we think she's about to push her second tooth out into the world. Poor girl... She's changed so much in the last few weeks, visibly putting on weight. Her cheeks are so round now when she throws her little pout.

Emily's proud pair of bottom choppers are all she has at the moment, but she loves to show them off whether it's a huge smile for whoever she's looking at or during her vocal practices. She's stringing more syllables together all the time. Her latest achievement, however, is so much fun to watch. She sits up unsupported on the floor and plays. Her wobbles are decreasing and she catches herself more often than not.

Sydney and Noah can sit up for brief stints, but they haven't quite got the balancing right and they'll tip over pretty easily.

Noah is an absolute eating machine. He knows the schedule, and he does NOT like to eat late. He still gets the Sensitive Formula and the daily doses of Zantac and Prilosec, but he hasn't had any major reflux problems for a while. His biggest problem with his baby food is if the person with the spoon is moving too slow.

They nap well (most days), they eat well (most days), they're no too fussy (most days... seeing a pattern?)... I say it a lot to most people who ask about them, but they are absolutely three individual little people. Noah and Sydney love to play together, Emily loves to be the center of attention (sometimes pushing one of her sibs away from the center, but we have time to work on that...).

I can't describe what it feels like to have a little face light up when it looks at you, let alone two or three little faces. They hug us, they kiss us (watch out for Noah, he'll slobber all over you), they respond to their names. They love to look at the Christmas tree when it's all lit up, they love the ornaments that have little bells.

This may be the best Christmas ever.

-John

First Photo With Santa

Santa was a hit with Emily, Noah & Sydney. He looked so authentic with his real beard and chubby cheeks. All 3 sat on his lap for individual photos and then we had a group shot taken with all three. They all smiled and Sydney even cuddled with Santa. I wish you all could have witnessed that moment. She snuggled against his beard and stared into his eyes. We decided to purchase CD's of the pictures so we can send copies to our families and friends.

I forgot to mention that Sydney now has 1 tooth and another one starting to come in. Noah is now rolling and is doing well sitting on his own. All three can sit up unassisted, but not for long. We just need some more practice

We have some new snapshots to share. I'll try to get John to add them to our album tomorrow.

Love to All,

Amy