My life was turned upside down today when it was announced my employment with AT&T will terminate effective March 16, 2009, 5 months shy of my 19th year service anniversary. An estimated 12,000 AT&T employees will lose their jobs by the end of 2009.
As most of you know, John quit his job this past March to become a stay-at-home dad. We were unsuccessful finding childcare, not to mention affordable childcare. I never dreamed I would be facing unemployment. I planned to retire from AT&T in another 20 years or so. I don't know what our future holds. I'm scared, but I know God will provide for my family.
John & I celebrated our 3 year anniversary yesterday, I was notified of employment termination today, and the triplets will be 20 months old tomorrow. Please pray for our family.
Amy
Friday, December 5, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Post-Surgery
Noah's surgery was a success. He had his hernia repaired at 7a yesterday. He slept most of the day and finally ate some applesauce in the afternoon. He sipped on Pedialyte and ate tons of peas last evening. Although a little fussy, he was a terrific patient. We never heard a peep from him all night and he is his same happy self this morning. He's already bouncing up and down and running from point A to point B.
One of the most amazing parts of his recovery yesterday was the behavior of his sisters. They awoke yesterday morning to his empty crib. When we arrived home from the hospital, they were quiet and concerned acting. His crying resulted in their crying. They knew something was wrong with Noah and were sensitive to him. Sydney kept bestowing kisses on Noah and Emily circled like a mother protecting her child. Multiples definitely have a special connection!
Thanks for everyones prayers!
Love,
Amy
One of the most amazing parts of his recovery yesterday was the behavior of his sisters. They awoke yesterday morning to his empty crib. When we arrived home from the hospital, they were quiet and concerned acting. His crying resulted in their crying. They knew something was wrong with Noah and were sensitive to him. Sydney kept bestowing kisses on Noah and Emily circled like a mother protecting her child. Multiples definitely have a special connection!
Thanks for everyones prayers!
Love,
Amy
Monday, October 6, 2008
18 Months Today
It's so hard to believe how quickly the last 18 months have gone. Our three amazing children started as 4lb preemies born at 35 weeks and have grown to 20+ lbs and full of life! They are jabbering, dancing, jumping and so much more. You'd have to see them to appreciate how much fun they really have together.
Life is exhausting, yet rewarding. May all of you experience the same joy we do each day!
Love,
Amy
P.S. Watch for Halloween pictures later this month.
Life is exhausting, yet rewarding. May all of you experience the same joy we do each day!
Love,
Amy
P.S. Watch for Halloween pictures later this month.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Kissing, kissing, kissing!
The triplets have started kissing each other. It's so cute! We haven't captured any of their tender moments on camera or video yet, but we will.
Sydney said "fish" and "feet" today. She is really making fast strides in language. Even so, she will be working with a therapist weekly to help develop her speech.
Emily, like Sydney, is also working on new words and sounds. She's very enthusiastic with "bye, bye and she's mastering "bath". She'll also be working on speech skills with the same therapist.
The girls will be new participants in First Steps, for which Noah has been a client for 6 months. This program works to identify any delays in development and offers the appropriate therapy to ensure children don't fall behind in their first 3 years of life. Noah has excelled with his motor skills in the last 6 months and met all of his goals. He'll be receiving speech therapy going forward. All three barely qualify for speech therapy. We were beginning to worry because none of them were forming words. Now all of a sudden it's begun.
I'm getting really excited for the arrival of October. I love Halloween and the triplets costumes are ready. They're all dressing as bumble bee's. We're taking them to the Picture People to have professional shots taken in their costumes. In addition, they turn 18 months in Oct. so I've got new fall outfits ready for additional pictures. I'd really like to have a photographer take these pictures at a pumkin patch. Not sure about that yet.
Getting ready for Christmas already. I just got their outfits for our family photo. Not the traditional holiday clothes. I picked out clothes they'll get some use out of. Christmas will be lean this year. Living on a single income with a husband and 3 babies is a challenge. We're struggling financially and my overtime at work ended some time back. We just have to conserve where possible. I'm now taking the Indy Metro bus to work. I'm saving alot on gasoline!
In a couple of weeks, Noah is having surgery to repair a groin hernia. Oct. 16th is the date and I'm extremely nervous about the procedure. I've been very emotional about this whole thing and wondering what I'd do if something ever happened to one of my children. I get so frustrated with them sometimes but I love them more than words can express. So much has changed in 18 months. I keep reminding myself how blessed my life is with John, Emily, Noah & Sydney.
Thank goodness for my parents who continue to come monthly and stay for several days. They give John & I the chance to get out alone while they concentrate on their grandchildren. My dad really cracks them up and they love taking walks with my mom (using their new triple stroller).
Well, I've got some laundry to fold (big shock). John's up in Fishers this evening for a night of "Rock Band" with the guys. This is the first time one of us is home alone (at night) with the babies. He didn't leave until some time after they went to bed. All is quiet and I hope it stays that way. Emily's having some sleep issues. I'm beginning to wonder is she's having sleep terrors or something like that. She just wakes very upset and scared sounding. Usually it just requires some patting on her back and standing next to her crib a few minutes to settle her. I'll be hitting the sheets soon myself. I'm tuckered out!
Amy
Sydney said "fish" and "feet" today. She is really making fast strides in language. Even so, she will be working with a therapist weekly to help develop her speech.
Emily, like Sydney, is also working on new words and sounds. She's very enthusiastic with "bye, bye and she's mastering "bath". She'll also be working on speech skills with the same therapist.
The girls will be new participants in First Steps, for which Noah has been a client for 6 months. This program works to identify any delays in development and offers the appropriate therapy to ensure children don't fall behind in their first 3 years of life. Noah has excelled with his motor skills in the last 6 months and met all of his goals. He'll be receiving speech therapy going forward. All three barely qualify for speech therapy. We were beginning to worry because none of them were forming words. Now all of a sudden it's begun.
I'm getting really excited for the arrival of October. I love Halloween and the triplets costumes are ready. They're all dressing as bumble bee's. We're taking them to the Picture People to have professional shots taken in their costumes. In addition, they turn 18 months in Oct. so I've got new fall outfits ready for additional pictures. I'd really like to have a photographer take these pictures at a pumkin patch. Not sure about that yet.
Getting ready for Christmas already. I just got their outfits for our family photo. Not the traditional holiday clothes. I picked out clothes they'll get some use out of. Christmas will be lean this year. Living on a single income with a husband and 3 babies is a challenge. We're struggling financially and my overtime at work ended some time back. We just have to conserve where possible. I'm now taking the Indy Metro bus to work. I'm saving alot on gasoline!
In a couple of weeks, Noah is having surgery to repair a groin hernia. Oct. 16th is the date and I'm extremely nervous about the procedure. I've been very emotional about this whole thing and wondering what I'd do if something ever happened to one of my children. I get so frustrated with them sometimes but I love them more than words can express. So much has changed in 18 months. I keep reminding myself how blessed my life is with John, Emily, Noah & Sydney.
Thank goodness for my parents who continue to come monthly and stay for several days. They give John & I the chance to get out alone while they concentrate on their grandchildren. My dad really cracks them up and they love taking walks with my mom (using their new triple stroller).
Well, I've got some laundry to fold (big shock). John's up in Fishers this evening for a night of "Rock Band" with the guys. This is the first time one of us is home alone (at night) with the babies. He didn't leave until some time after they went to bed. All is quiet and I hope it stays that way. Emily's having some sleep issues. I'm beginning to wonder is she's having sleep terrors or something like that. She just wakes very upset and scared sounding. Usually it just requires some patting on her back and standing next to her crib a few minutes to settle her. I'll be hitting the sheets soon myself. I'm tuckered out!
Amy
Monday, September 22, 2008
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
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
Friday, August 8, 2008
New pictures added!
My apologies, I didn't realize how far behind I was in uploading pictures. The albums have a 500-picture limit, so for the new batch I had to start a new album.
Click in there and see how much they've changed!
-John
Click in there and see how much they've changed!
-John
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Big Day Yesterday!
In fact, it was such a big day yesterday that Amy and I were too tired to post this last night, so here it is today:
The triplets had a follow-up assessment yesterday and were "graduated", meaning they are on track or ahead developmentally and don't need any further follow-up assessments!
Noah is now the big dog of the bunch at 21.5 lbs, topping Emily by 9 ounces and Sydney by a full pound. He's a big eater, and I guess we know where it's all going.
Emily is still the tallest, but the others are tracking well for height (I don't have the measurements, but they're all around 2.5 ft tall).
Sydney put on a puzzle solving demonstration for the assessors, landing her at the 18-month level for her cognitive and problem-solving skills. She's officially the one to keep an eye on as far as figuring out how to get into things they're not supposed to...
They didn't rate as high on verbal skills, but Amy and I chalk that up to shyness. Our children tend to clam up around new people, at least at first. At home, I can tell you that Emily and Noah chatter to themselves and each other quite a bit, and Sydney is working out how to express herself as well.
Emily's new nickname is "Emily the Conqueror". She earned that by conquering the furniture in the family room. She can climb up on the couch and the ottoman without any help, and just this morning added the rocking recliner to her list. I looked into the family room while cleaning up the trays from breakfast to find her standing on the seat cushion, facing the chair back and rocking it while she smiled and giggled. Good job, Emily, but there goes the concept of furniture as containment...
Recently, their Grandma and Grandpa Cheesman came to visit for a few days, and the babies loved going out for walks with them! Noah even ended up with a tan line at his ankles where his socks were.
Later this month, Grandma and Grandpa Ayres will return for a visit, their first time seeing them since just after the first birthday. It puts it into perspective to think that when my parents last saw them, they weren't quite yet walking, or chattering as much. They've put on something in the neighborhood of 5 pounds, Emily's hair has filled in and started curling and Noah's had not one, but two haircuts. (He's due for another...)
Sixteen months old today!
-John
The triplets had a follow-up assessment yesterday and were "graduated", meaning they are on track or ahead developmentally and don't need any further follow-up assessments!
Noah is now the big dog of the bunch at 21.5 lbs, topping Emily by 9 ounces and Sydney by a full pound. He's a big eater, and I guess we know where it's all going.
Emily is still the tallest, but the others are tracking well for height (I don't have the measurements, but they're all around 2.5 ft tall).
Sydney put on a puzzle solving demonstration for the assessors, landing her at the 18-month level for her cognitive and problem-solving skills. She's officially the one to keep an eye on as far as figuring out how to get into things they're not supposed to...
They didn't rate as high on verbal skills, but Amy and I chalk that up to shyness. Our children tend to clam up around new people, at least at first. At home, I can tell you that Emily and Noah chatter to themselves and each other quite a bit, and Sydney is working out how to express herself as well.
Emily's new nickname is "Emily the Conqueror". She earned that by conquering the furniture in the family room. She can climb up on the couch and the ottoman without any help, and just this morning added the rocking recliner to her list. I looked into the family room while cleaning up the trays from breakfast to find her standing on the seat cushion, facing the chair back and rocking it while she smiled and giggled. Good job, Emily, but there goes the concept of furniture as containment...
Recently, their Grandma and Grandpa Cheesman came to visit for a few days, and the babies loved going out for walks with them! Noah even ended up with a tan line at his ankles where his socks were.
Later this month, Grandma and Grandpa Ayres will return for a visit, their first time seeing them since just after the first birthday. It puts it into perspective to think that when my parents last saw them, they weren't quite yet walking, or chattering as much. They've put on something in the neighborhood of 5 pounds, Emily's hair has filled in and started curling and Noah's had not one, but two haircuts. (He's due for another...)
Sixteen months old today!
-John
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