Bookworms!

The triplets are thriving at preschool. They are at the top of their class. They already know most of their colors, shapes, alphabet, counting to 15 (and higher), and so much more. We are thrilled with the abilities they are demonstrating at such an early age. Like I've mentioned before, we work with them a lot to develop their minds!

The triplets love books. Noah is literally sitting down with "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?" and reading on his own. He has the book committed to memory. It's so cute! Sydney says her favorite book is Dr. Seuss' "Foot Book." Like Noah, she can recite most of the book simply by looking at the pages. Emily, she loves to sing "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and "The Wheels on the Bus" while looking at their respective books.

All 3 are so bright. They are reciting words represented by various letters. For example, M is for Mommy. They now can recite their first & middle names (and each others). I'm now working on their last name. Oh, did I mention they know their parents given name. When I say, "what's Mommy's name" they exclaim "Amy" and "John."

Sydney is mostly potty trained now. She has been in panties for 1 week now (except nap & bedtime). She is doing an incredible job with very few accidents. I'm going to give it another week or so, and Emily will be wearing panties also. She does a fairly good job at preschool using the potty. I think putting her in panties will encourage more consistency. Noah, he really doesn't show any interest in potty training yet. He'll sit on the potty, but very briefly. That's ok, I'm not tripping over potty training like so many parents do. Yes, it will be cheaper when not purchasing diapers for 3, but it will come in time.

Anyway, I know I'm bragging, but isn't that what parents are supposed to do. I'm so thankful they are so bright and capable. There is always concern about development of babies born as multiples and prematurely. We lucked out, ours are great physically and developmentally.

Life has been difficult these last 4 weeks since losing my Mom. I do miss her tremendously. I've shed so many tears, with no signs of them drying up anytime soon. I am so grateful for the 2-1/2 years she had with her youngest grandchildren.

Amy

Sad Day

Ok, this day was more than sad. It ranks as the worst day of my life. Today, my mother Barbara Cheesman, was laid to rest. Her death was unexpected and the cause hasn't been determined. My parents were supposed to spend the weekend with us but my mom started experiencing some flu like symptoms late Thursday evening. She died at home around 7a on September 13, 2009, just 2 days after her 68th birthday.

In spite of today's events, John & I had to get back to Indianapolis to pick the triplets up from preschool and follow our normal routine. Just hours after saying my final goodbye to mom, I was bathing my beautiful children. Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of shutting down to mourn our loss. We have the rest of the week off work, so we plan to rest and work toward moving forward as my mom would want.

Today has been a mixture of emotions. My morning really started on a bright note when Noah exclaimed "I'm so happy". I really tried to hold it together around my children, but I wasn't completely successful. Each time I teared up, Emily & Sydney would ask "what's wrong Mommy" followed by some soothing techniques. Soon they would follow up with "it's ok Mommy". We have truly been blessed by compassionate and bright children.

I'm so happy for the time my mom spent with her youngest grandchildren. She showered them with love, and enjoyed the affection given to her. My mom was super! I always let her know how appreciated she was, but I really don't think I told her how much I loved her. My mom was the most generous and giving person I've ever known. She always put others above herself. Her friends, family and church had great respect for her.

I'll post an update on the triplets soon. For now, I really want to honor my mom, the greatest woman in my life.

I LOVE YOU MOM!

Amy

Ear Tubes

Noah got his ear tubes this morning and all went well. He was cranky for about 30 minutes after waking up and slept for a couple hours upon arriving home. When he awoke this afternoon, he was his usual happy and jumpy boy. He ate 3 bowls of applesauce & a slice of toast. By dinner, he was an eating machine.

The girls missed him at preschool today. They walked around saying "Noah" throughout the day. When I brought the girls home, Sydney walked up to Noah and hugged him. It was so cute.

The last couple of nights have been rough here. The babies just aren't sleeping well. All 3 have stuffy noses. I'm praying for a restful night as I've only had about 6 hours of sleep in 2 days. John's not feeling well so he need more sleep too.

Amy

Zoo Outing

We visited the Indianapolis Zoo today for the first time this season. This was the triplets 2nd trip to the zoo. Last year, they really couldn't see much from their vantage point. But today, they had a lot of close encounters. They saw a walrus, penguins, sharks, polar bear, giraffe and much more. The coolest part of the visit was watching an elephant bathing. We could have pet the elephant at the conclusion of the show, but the triplets were tired and we needed them in their stroller!

The girls did a lot of waving at other guests. I believe they are working on their pageant waves! All in all, the visit was fun and we are looking forward to returning soon.


Amy

P.S. Noah is getting ear tubes on Wed., June 10th. The procedure should only take 5 or so minutes, and they'll just put him to sleep with gas (no needles). We hope this will fend off future ear infections!

Learning everyday!

As parents, along with the grandparents, we have been very diligent reading and singing to our children. They have a great recognition of objects (some as simple as ball, others such as guitar). We've been working on the alphabet, but wow, they are nearly reciting their entire ABC's now! In addition, the girls can really sing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" along with the song.

Noah isn't as vocal as the girls are. Sometimes, I wonder if he has the same knowledge as the girls. I received proof that he knows more than he lets on. He was sitting on the floor with an alphabet puzzle. Not only was he able to place the pieces in their respective spots, he was naming each letter as he picked them up. He was so excited. Lots of "yeah" and clapping for himself. Of course, I cheered him right along.

In summary, I truly believe every word I read about the importance of reading and talking to infants/toddlers/children. We have done our best to encourage learning from birth. John & I decided early on to minimize exposure to adult television programming. We almost never watch any programming outside of Noggin (exposure to music, culture, etc) or videos such as "Signing Time" that has taught them a great amount of sign language. Sure, sometimes I turn on HGTV to check out a home makeover show, but it's very infrequent.

I pray our children will learn with ease and never struggle when they enter school. I also pray they'll always enjoy our time spent together. They generally have our full attention when they're awake! Can I say, exhausting!!!

Amy

Preschool & Illness

Oh boy, the last 2 weeks have been difficult. All 3 kids caught a cold in the first few days at preschool (2 developed ear infections). Noah has been to the Immediate Care Center and the pediatrician. The girls have fared pretty well but our son has truly suffered. His ears have been painful and this infection just doesn't want to leave his little body. We are on his 3rd antibiotic and just starting to see signs of improvement.

We've already missed 3 days out of 14. This new arrangement has been quite expensive when considering the tuition paid, dr co-pays and scripts. I hope this won't be a trend for the triplets.

The kids are starting to adjust to their new routine. What started with 1 child crying in the morning has resulted in all 3 crying now--yikes! They are settling pretty soon after John & I leave. That I am thankful for. Nap time is still touch and go. Their naps are fairly short when compared to naps in their cribs.

There are going to be great learning opportunities for the kids. The girls are starting to sing their ABC's! Noah's even chimed in. They enjoy particiating in circle time (stories, shapes, numbers, alphabet). Some days I'm not sure preschool is worth the trouble, other days I'm certain it's worth any sacrifice.

Please pray for Noah's full recovery and good health for all 3.

Amy

Preschool-Day 3

Noah did great again and the girls did good also. Sydney got off to a rough start. She was so worked up about John & I leaving that she puked a bit. Other than that, she remained clingy but managed to have some fun also. Unlike yesterday, Emily napped 2 hours! In fact, Sydney did also. I know the teachers had to be relieved!

All 3 woke this am with some cold symptoms. How can this happen by Day 3? Anyway, the evening seemed to be going well. We ate spaghetti for dinner, John bathed all 3 and we had them in bed at 7:45p. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. Sydney vomited 2 times in a 15 minute period which resulted in completely changing her bedding & pajamas 2 times. While trying to get her to sleep in the nursery, Noah woke up crying and wouldn't settle. John & I took turns with both babies to get them asleep. Noah just went back to bed around 10:20p.

This day is ending in pure frustration. I'm running on approximately 3 hrs sleep because the girls were both restless last night which resulted in my being awake much of the night.

Off to bed and I hope things remain quiet now. I've already called for a vacation day tomorrow since Sydney can't go to preschool with her symptoms.

Amy