All This Growing Up

Housekeeping

2012-01-23T10:08:00.003-05:00

Based on the title of this post, I bet you thought I had suddenly become an expert on keeping house. Sorry to disappoint, but this is actually BLOG housekeeping. Not nearly as exciting as a clean house, but it must be done.

I have tried my best to figure out how to keep the email replies from this blog from going to all of you...but I can't do it! All I know to tell you is that if you want to stop receiving them, I think you can scroll down to the bottom of one of those emails and click on a link that will let you unsubscribe. That way you can come read the blog whenever you want to without being bombarded with stuff you don't want. Will someone let me know if this works? Thanks so much, and Happy Rainy Monday! :)

Ahem. But I'll never forget!

2012-01-21T21:50:00.003-05:00

I'm not going to write a long story about why I...ahem...haven't posted in approximately two years. I'm moving on :)

Today is the one year anniversary of the day that the (now) 17-year old Mary Kathryn got her driver's license. So today she can legally, officially drive around with up to three non-relatives in her car. She did so tonight...on the wet, slick roads, in the dark. It made me feel sick to my stomach, and it made me pray like crazy. Then, because she's really sweet and thoughtful and probably knew I was a wreck, she texted me as soon as they got back from picking up their Chinese take-out. Whew. Why do I wonder where all these gray hairs are coming from?? In time, she won't remember that she drove to Cathy Ho's Chinese Restaurant with two of her friends on this night, but I will never forget. :)

Early this morning, there was a storm, complete with loud thunder and light-up-the-almost-morning-sky lightning. I found Claire, just barely 13, and sweet even in her sleep, in bed with Noah, wondering if he was afraid of the storm, so she climbed into bed with him just in case. This made him angry for some reason! He stomped out of his room, and when he didn't come back right away, Claire asked if we should check on him. He was sitting at my Grandmama's old telephone table in the hallway outside his room, arms folded across his chest, face scrunched up, tense, so upset that his sister had gotten in his bed. One day he will recognize all the ways he is loved! When I told this story tonight to the two of them, Claire didn't even remember it had happened, so sleepy she had been! But I'll never forget. :)

And Noah. My baby is 4 1/2 this month, and I don't know how that's possible! Before a dear friend's wedding last weekend, he promised me that he would never grow up and get married and leave me. I am fully aware of what he's not, that he WILL grow up and get married and leave me. And he won't remember making that promise to his mommy, whose heart almost couldn't take it. But I will never forget that on the day of Lauren's wedding, he didn't want to ever leave me. :)

When each of my children was really little and would say and do cute or funny or sweet things, people always asked me, "Are you writing this down somewhere?". I was never very good at doing that! Here's hoping that now that I'm on my third (and most probably last - there, I said it!) child, I'll never forget to "write" all of these memories down on this blog, because I truly don't want to forget a minute of all this growing up that's going on around here!

Long time, no post!

2009-12-10T14:35:00.004-05:00

Hello! Wow, 10 months really fly by when nothing very exciting is going on : ) We've had no surgeries, hospital appointments, or new children added to our family in quite a while, and it's been hard to find time to write about, well, nothing! Of course, it's not really nothing, it's just normal life. And normal life is incredible busy!

I'm thinking about changing this blog: the name, the layout, everything. We're beyond thrilled that God allowed us to adopt Noah, but at this stage in the game, still focusing on his adoption (as in the blog title "Adopted in Love") is kind of like still focusing on how long Mary Kathryn's fingers were when she was born, or the fact that Claire had NO eyelashes at birth, but within a few weeks, she had eyelashes that we were all envious of (and still are, by the way!). The point is that he's our little boy...no different than the girls are our (big?) girls, and having a blog that focuses on his adoption is no longer where we are. Adoption is simply the method by which God placed Noah in our family, in the same way that pregnancy is how we got the girls : )

I'd like to do a blog that chronicles our family as our children grow up (this may have something to do with my failure as a baby-book-/scrapbook person...I can get really sad if I think of all I haven't done!) so we can look back and never forget! So, don't hold your breath (seriously, PLEASE don't - you might not survive), but you can possibly look for some changes - and hopefully more frequent posts! - to this blog soon.

A Day in Athens

2009-02-08T17:10:00.005-05:00

Last Monday, Noah had his post-op appointment in Athens (it was closer than going all the way to Augusta!), so we decided to make a day of it. We saw the doctor who assisted with his appendectomy and Noah was once again released from their care...hopefully for the last time! He is doing great, as busy as ever, and other than a little case of the sniffles, very healthy. We couldn't be more thankful to God for preserving his life - for the second time in 18 months! - and bringing him through this ordeal stronger than ever. We believe that God must have some amazing things planned for our little guy and can't wait to see how his life unfolds! Noah is now saying several words in addition to using several signs spontaneously..."juice" and "shoes" (two of his favorite words) sound suspiciously alike, as do "football" and "foul ball" (two of his other favorite words). Other much-used words are "Mama", "Dada/Daddy", "Sissy" (sounds like "Diddy", very cute), "Claire" (sounds like "Deh?", always like a question), "yum yum", "no no", "bye-bye", "uh oh" (this one is used often everyday...when you're as busy as he is, there are plenty of opportunities for "uh ohs"!), "moo", "moon", "Bible", "bowl", "meow", "woof", "puppy", "peas" and "please" (both pronounced exactly the same way), and he signs "more", "please", "all done/all gone", and "thank you" (sometimes - we're working on this one). He's a great little dancer and loves music...and the Wii! Two of his favorite pasttimes! Looking at his sweet face, you'd never believe he would ever be anything but gentle and kind, but don't be fooled! After he hits someone or throws something at someone or in some other way hurts someone (when I say "someone", I mean "usually Claire", whom he ADORES!! It makes NO sense!), he immediately lays his head on that person's shoulder and "apologizes"...it's very endearing and causes you to quickly forget whatever he did to prompt such sweet repentance : )

We wanted to make some stops around Athens that we don't usually have time for on game days, so after Noah's appointment, we stopped by the Theta house and I gave the girls a tour. Not much has changed in 19 years!! The dining room still looked and smelled the same (yummy - it was nearly lunchtime!), and when we walked up to the 3rd floor (where we found all four of my composite pictures), it was like flashback city for me!! The sound of the shower running, girls heading out to class in kind of bummy clothes, the window at the end of the hallway where I would watch for Matthew to drive up for a visit, all of the memories came flooding back, and it was really fun and special. Matthew and Noah hung out in the chapter room and Noah entertained various girls walking through...I bet they thought their boyfriends were the cutest boys to wait in the chapter room til they saw Noah (and Matthew!!). : )

Lunch at The Grill...we all loved our burgers and fries and Noah made it through (almost) the whole meal without having a little fit. Matthew and I discovered and LOVED the feta cheese dip for the fries...heavenly! We almost ordered a milkshake and then decided our $4 + would be better spent at Hodgson's Pharmacy. So after visiting the Old Athens Cemetary (that sounds so morbid, but it was listed in our Georgia History curriculum as a field trip and I used to walk through it as a child with my family before/after games, so it was another nostalgic stop for me!), we bought everyone a cheap (and very delicious!) ice cream cone at Hodgson's. For those of you who remember the 25 cent cones from the '80's, you'll be disappointed to know that they're now $1...but we didn't mind and Noah LOVED all of the pictures of Hairy Dog and the cheerleaders and ran around pointing and saying "FOOTBALL!!!" The picture on this blogpost is kind of far away, but you can click on it and be able to see it a little better.

Soon we'll post some pictures of the Daddy-Daughter Dance from this past Thursday night, but for now we wanted to let you know that Noah is all well and that we GREATLY appreciate your prayers. We firmly believe that his progress and health are due to God's graciousness and love in answering all of your prayers. We are also aware that He could have chosen to demonstrate his love in vastly different ways (ways that I shudder, in my humanness, to think of. However, as hard as it is to say, we would love and serve Him, although brokenly and much more desperately, had things turned out not how we wanted). We are forever thankful that His mercy toward Noah (and us) has allowed Noah to live abundantly and well.

Have a wonderul week - we love you all and pray for you to blessed by the love of Jesus!

Shortest hospital stay in his life!

2009-01-24T12:06:00.002-05:00

We're out!!! Noah had a great night, was able to eat regular food this morning, and seems to be in absolutely NO pain! We are home (at my parents' house) where Noah is playing with his sisters and cousins and getting ready to take a nap. At 28 hours, this is the shortest hospital stay he's ever had! We'll be heading to our house tomorrow and appreciate your continued prayers for Noah's complete recovery. God's goodness to us is overwhelming!
Love to all,
Ashley

Surgery Success!!

2009-01-23T11:43:00.004-05:00

Noah has made it successfully through his surgery! The doctors finished performing his appendectemy about 10:00 am this morning. Noah is now in his room (the same room he was in for 10 days in December) sitting in mommy's lap watching the "strange" Wiggles. Thanks again for all of your prayers for Noah, we our so thankful the we have so many friends and family trusting God with us for him. Dr. Howell told us that Noah will be in the hospital for a couple of days and then we get to go home on Sunday! Please continue to pray that Noah will recover quickly from his surgery and that he will not want to get to active until we leave. Thanks again and to God be the glory!

P.S. - As you can probably tell from my inferior writing skills, this is Matthew signing off!

Surgery tomorrow!

2009-01-22T11:54:00.002-05:00

Dr. Howell called last night and wants to do Noah's surgery tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 23rd) at 8:00 am. We have to be at the hospital at 7:00, and the surgery should take about 1 1/2 hours, so hopefully we'll be back in Noah's room ~ appendix free! ~ by around 10am if everything goes according to schedule! Thanks to everyone who is praying and who has offerred to help with the girls and pets, etc. We treasure each of you and are so blessed by the love you've shown us! I'll post just as soon as I can after surgery to keep you all up-to-speed on how he's doing. Now, off to pack...

Nothing yet

2009-01-21T17:46:00.001-05:00

Just letting you know that we're still waiting to hear about when Noah's surgery will be. We've been told to call the clinic tomorrow and maybe we'll get an answer then! We'll keep you posted...

Trying to be flexible...

2009-01-18T21:08:00.002-05:00

Well, folks, we were just kidding about Tuesday! We got a call today that Noah's doctor's father-in-law passed away yesterday (Saturday), and his funeral is scheduled for the same time as Noah's surgery. Please keep his family in your prayers...as we all know, it's hard losing a loved one. Surgery should be rescheduled for sometime this week, but we'll know more when the surgeon's assistant calls us Tuesday. And we'll let you know, too!
Shifting gears...I never learned to in a car (I STILL can't drive a stick shift!!), but I'm slowly learning how to in life : )

Surgery this Tuesday!

2009-01-17T23:16:00.004-05:00

We wanted to show you these cute and fairly recent pictures of our children and ask you to please be praying for us, especially Noah, as we head to Augusta on Monday for his surgery on Tuesday. We have to be at the hospital at 11am, and his appendectomy will begin shortly thereafter. They expect him to only be in the hospital for one or two nights - we've never stayed such a short time in the hospital with Noah, so this seems like a real treat!! We have some specific prayer requests:

that Noah will be content to only eat and drink clear liquids on Tuesday morning and nothing at all after 9am...he LOVES his juice and we need for him to forget it during those few hours!
that the surgery will go smoothly, just as the doctors expect it to, and that God will guide their hands and instruments as they remove his appendix. They should be able to do the surgery laparoscopically, and that is what we're praying for - his recovery time should be much shorter this way.
here's a Mommy request: that he would not experience much pain or fear or any other thing that a little guy shouldn't have to experience! I'm thankful beyond measure that his IV will be started AFTER he's anesthetized - his veins didn't cooperate very well last time and starting IVs was the yuckiest part of his whole hospital stay in December!

Our family has requested prayer so much in the last 18-months! We truly appreciate your love and generosity in holding us up to the Lord. We are certain that we all are here, healthy and strong, due to God's great mercy in answering your prayers and the prayers of many others. Noah will have such a story to tell one day, won't he?

At Matthew's suggestion, we enjoyed a night out last night by going to Red Robin as a family (it was really yummy!) and then wandering around Barnes and Noble. Well, you only wandered if you happened to NOT be in charge of Noah at any given time...if you were in charge of him, you raced through the store, whispering apologies to the poor patrons that Noah whizzed past as he giggled and squealed. It was fun for us...but I'm sure that store will never be the same! Matthew wanted us to have a fun night out before being stuck in the hospital for a while, and it was a much needed break away from home for us.

I'll post again as soon as I can on Tuesday to try to keep everyone up to date with what's going on. Thanks again for praying!

Love,

Ashley, Matthew, Noah and the girls

P.S. By the way, if you want to reply to any of our blog posts, but you don't want everyone who receives these updates to receive your reply, remember to close this email, and send a message to our regular email address (apiquette@att.net).

2008-12-07T15:30:00.002-05:00

We're going home tomorrow - Praise God! This morning the doctor came by and said that Noah's white count has gone down to the normal range, so he's having his last I.V. medicines right now (it's 3:30pm) and will have his 1st oral meds tonight at bedtime. As long as all goes well tonight, we'll be home sometime tomorrow - yay! He has been so active ("wild" would be a better word to use there) the last few days, I secretly wonder if the nurses on this unit paid the doctors to falsify the test results so that we could leave the poor nurses alone : ) Actually, I believe that God has graciously answered our and your prayers over the last week, and that He will continue to do so. It's almost surreal to be able to think about leaving this hospital. I probably won't continue to update this blog every day like I have been while we've been here, but I'll try to at least once or twice before his next (and hopefully LAST!) surgery. And I'll try to put some pictures up, too.
Have a blessed Christmas season celebrating the birth of our Savior! And thank you again for your continued prayers for the health of our little boy!

2008-12-06T17:10:00.003-05:00

Noah has enjoyed his whole family being here to chase him around! Matthew, Mary Kathryn and Claire are leaving after the SEC Championship game ends, and it will be back to just Noah and me - and any visitors that drop by! My parents seem to be tireless when it comes to helping out their children, and have given me the breaks I need to make it through each day while I'm here alone...I can never thank them enough.
We have really had a good visit. Noah was thrilled when they arrived last night, running around and squealing, smiling, and even bumping his head on a table leg leading to a goose egg that freaked the nurse out, causing her to call the doctor on-call. Such fun on a Friday night, who can stand it?? : ) Noah was fine after a few seconds of crying. It was his first real bump-on-the-head, so kind of unsettling for his mommy and daddy, but he's totally fine! He slept pretty well, but when a nurse came in at 5:20 am, he woke up, saw his daddy lying in the bed near the window, and never went back to sleep til after 10 am! They had fun together this morning, and Matthew even got to help torture Noah while 3 nurses attempted (and finally succeeded) to place a new I.V. line. While all of that was going on, I went to my parents' house, washed clothes, got everything gathered up from their house, and loaded up the van for my little family to go home tonight.
They will get home late, then be up early for Claire to be at church for the children's Christmas program at both services. My mom (once again, with energy from Above - that's the only place it could come from!) altered the woman's size 12 (!!!!) angel costume to fit our tiny little angel, Claire, so she can do her part(s) in the program. I think this will be the first time I've ever missed something like this for one of my children...hmmmm, that makes me sad. If you're there, clap extra loud so it will sound like I'm there, too!
Our BIG prayer request for Noah tonight is that his white blood count will go back down to normal so that we can maybe get out of here very soon! We can't thank you enough for praying for us when we are out of energy to pray for ourselves. It means more than you can know! Great is Thy Faithfulness, Oh God My Father!
Love from the Piquettes,
Ashley

Daddy and Sisters are almost here!

2008-12-05T16:22:00.002-05:00

Matthew and the girls should arrive around 6-something...I keep asking Noah if he's ready to see them, and he just looks around and smiles and obviously thinks I'm crazy because he knows they're not here right now : ) Sleeping in his grandmama's arms (his new favorite place to be) as I sit at the computer, he's been very happy and active today! His diet is now normal, but lab work today shows that his white blood count is a little elevated. The dr. assured me this is fine, it's the expected course, but we do want to pray hard that it will go down...the sooner it's normal, the sooner we get to bust this joint!!
Did I mention that Uncle John, Aunt Michelle, and cousins John, Conner, and Hudson came to visit last night bearing gifts: a little ball (which he loves! My job is to keep him from throwing it into another patient's room!! This is no small task!) and a little Christmas tree complete with lights and ornaments. It's adorable and will be his forever. My mom wanted him to have a tree, and when Michelle heard about it, took off (as only she can - she's a super shopper!) and found just what we wanted.
In other news, Noah became an Honorary Submariner today when a retired navy submariner who volunteers here came by and gave him a ball cap, certificate, and detailed picture of a submarine. An unusual title to acquire while hospitalized, but another little something he can keep (as long as he promises me he'll never "join up" and go far, far away to protect our country : ) ) Unless he really wants to and God tells him he must.
When the rest of my family arrives, I may spend even less time updating this blog. But if there's something significant to say or prayer request to add, I will do so. Don't stop praying!
We know that Noah's progress is due to God's great mercy and grace in answering the prayers of you righteous loved ones!
Ashley

Free at Last!

2008-12-04T21:42:00.000-05:00

Today Noah's doctor agreed to let him be unhooked from his I.V. except for when he's getting his antibiotics - woo hoo! He was able to eat a lot today and run around free of his tubing. The nurses couldn't believe it was the same child : ) I'm short on time tonight - thank you for your prayers and help and love and emails and phone calls. May God bless each of you as He has blessed us through you.Love in Him,Ashley

2008-12-03T20:42:00.002-05:00

Today was pretty eventful, the main event consisting of an I.V. tubing that came unattached from Noah's I.V. and sent blood shooting onto the floor...the nurses were calm and no damage was done, thank goodness! Noah slept alot this afternoon and has been pretty irritable since he woke up, but he DID enjoy the milkshake and pudding he was allowed to eat this evening. He desperately wanted the home-baked banana bread my cousin brought to us (and of course he can't have it yet), so I left the room to eat the steak and baked potato my dad brought (He really did!! I'm going to eat my way to Noah's health!! If you are hungry in the next few days, come by and see me - I am very blessed and thankful to have food to share!!)
We ask that you would please pray for Noah to avoid any hospital-type infection as well as for his medications to continue to fight the infection and that he would recover quickly and easily. Please pray for my parents, too, as they could easily wear themselves out trying to help me while also working and helping to take care of my grandmother who is not in good health. Their love for Noah (and me) is compelling them to be here a lot with him - what a loved little boy! I also would appreciate your prayers for Matthew, Mary Kathryn and Claire as their lives are a little crazy this week. Several dear friends are making the girls be able to have a little fun while Matthew is at work - thank you all! They will be traveling here Friday afternoon and I want to pray for them to arrive safely : )
Noah enjoyed playing in the playroom with Uncle John and Aunt Michelle today, and throwing Grandaddy's hat on the floor repeatedly - ewwww! I hope it's washable, but I'm afraid it's not!
My email inbox is overflowing with love notes from all of you...I will print every one and save them for Noah to read when he's big enough to understand : ) We truly appreciate your kindness to us...and especially your prayers to our Great God for Noah's recovery!

2008-12-02T20:23:00.002-05:00

Dear friends and family,
Noah is ending his 1st day of major antibiotic therapy and is (hopefully!) getting ready to fall asleep while he watches Frosty the Snowman on Grandmama's lap : ) He has been o.k. today, but was very sad a little earlier tonight when he began squeezing his left wrist just below his I.V. The nurses removed it and started a new line in his other arm, and the difference in him was immediate and amazing! Now that his I.V. isn't hurting, he's wild and happy! We took him to the playroom where he "vroom-vroomed" every car they have and threw various toys around while babbling and dancing. He was allowed to eat a clear liquid diet today - he ate his yellow jello and lemon Italian ice as if they were the best steak he had ever eaten! God is answering all of our prayers, and we thank you for joining with us in praying for Noah!
Thanks also for all the emails, phone calls and visits. I'm afraid the only way to be certain to talk to me is if you can stop by...it's hard to get a turn on the computer, and sometimes answering the phone is almost impossible with all the activity going on in Noah's room. Just know that I hear every message, read every email, and appreciate your love and prayers more than you'll ever know. I'll update again tomorrow : )
Love, love, love,
Ashley for Baby Noah

Noah's adventure

2008-12-01T20:03:00.000-05:00

Hello friends,
We wanted to let you all know what's going on with us. We are in the hospital in Augusta (where we were spending Thanksgiving with my familiy) with Noah, who was admitted Saturday night with unexplained fever and abdominal pain. There are many details and cute stories (like when my sweet baby, who has had no food or drink since Saturday afternoon, signed "More!" to the nurse today when she gave him some Tylenol!!) but here's the bottom line: Noah's appendix has ruptured! This is apparently very rare in babies, but then, Noah doesn't like to do anything the normal way : ) We will be here for him to receive triple IV antibiotics for 7-10 days, then home with 2 oral antibiotics for several weeks. When the infection has cleared, 6 weeks later, we will return for him to have his appendix removed. This will be a pretty long process, and we covet your prayers.
If you know Noah, he's not real big on lying in a bed connected to tubes and wires! But since he doesn't feel very well, he's been handling it pretty well. Matthew and the girls are returning to Carrollton tonight and will come back to Augusta on Friday. Several sweet friends have volunteered to keep them busy and get them where they need to be while Matthew works. O.K., they didn't actually volunteer, but they graciously said they'd be glad to help : )
Thanks for caring about us and praying for our family, especially Noah during this time. The Lord has been so sweet to us in many ways, such as planning ahead for Noah's surgeon (from when he had his previous surgeries last year) to be the on-call doctor when we arrived Saturday night. There are many other examples... He is Good.
Love,
Ashley

Playtime

2008-08-12T22:57:00.003-04:00

We just had to share these adorable pictures of Noah playing in his new wagon, laughing at Daddy, and throwing the ball for Champ! He can throw a ball pretty far, but for some reason, when he throws Champ's ball, he just sort of drops it right next to him (maybe because it's slimy and slobbery!). The hilarious thing is that Champ fetches the ball as if Noah had thrown it all the way across the yard and then drops it right back in front of Noah for him to "throw" it again! I guess our dog is pretty easily entertained!

Noah's 1st Birthday!

2008-08-12T22:21:00.003-04:00

Our baby is one year old!! He LOVED his cake at home on his actual birthday and at his party a few days later. He was a little overwhelmed when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him at his party, but once he dug into his cake, he was fine! It was a really fun day, and has been a really fun year - with many more to come!

Feeling nostalgic today...

2008-05-27T15:20:00.005-04:00

One year ago today - the day after Memorial Day - I received a phone call from the gentleman who put us in touch with Noah's birth family!!! One year ago today, we had 12- and 8-year old daughters and our lives were settled, easy, and organized. Today, exactly one year later, our lives are "fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants" (on GOOD days!), slightly more complicated, and ANYTHING but organized. And we are happy, happier than we could have ever imagined, and these pictures of our sweet boy show you why!! For those of you who we don't see often, Noah will be 10 months old on Saturday, and he started walking a couple of weeks ago!! He's getting more confident, and falls less and less often now. Sometimes he claps his hands while he's walking because he's so proud of himself!!! He also gets more tired than he used to, and even fell asleep one night at the dinner table : ) Today, as my 13 1/2-year old is getting ready to go to her tennis lesson, my 9 1/2-year old is at camp in Mississippi, and my almost 10-month old is sleeping in his crib, I am unbelievably thankful to our God, who in His sovereignty and love, has given us all these good things!

Easter

2008-03-25T21:22:00.002-04:00

Noah's first Easter was another special day! Claire got baptized (here she's holding the certificate she received)! Noah actually slept through the entire church service, but at least he was quiet and I was able to sit in the sanctuary for a change!

Noah's dedication

2008-03-25T21:12:00.002-04:00

In mid-February, we formally dedicated Noah to the Lord in a service at our church. My parents and three Augusta nephews joined us and it was a very special day! (In this family photo you can see that I'm officially the 3rd tallest in our family now!) On the Saturday before St. Patrick's day, Claire performed with her Irish dancing class at a pub on the square - you can see by the look on Noah's face (blue bib) that she did a great job!

Daddy-Daughter Dances #2

2008-03-25T21:03:00.003-04:00

Here are the shots of Mary Kathryn and Matthew! If you've ever seen Matthew and I stand side-by-side, you may remember that I only come up to about his shoulder...yes, MK has surpassed me in the height department by about 2 or 3 inches! I knew this day would come, and I'm happy for her : )

Daddy-Daughter Dances

2008-03-25T20:50:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the empty blog I accidentally sent a little while ago...here are some recent pictures for your entertainment! Every February, Matthew takes the girls to the Daddy-Daughter Dance sponsored by the Carrollton rec department. It's a very special night for them all, with new dresses, dinner out, corsages, and lots of dancing and fun! Here are Claire and Matthew; you'll see Mary Kathryn in the next post!

Daddy-

2008-03-25T16:19:00.001-04:00

2008-01-20T22:16:00.000-05:00

We wanted to send you some recent pictures of Noah - these were taken just a few hours ago! He's 5 1/2 months old and growing faster than I want him to!! He's sitting up now, and can roll over and sleep all night, but doesn't seem to particulary enjoy either of those tricks : ) His smile will melt your heart, and when he laughs out loud, all 4 of us are delighted! Another big step is that he's eating solid food now - he's into cereal and veggies, but hasn't tried fruit yet (that will happen this week sometime). I'll try to post more pictures soon - we hope all of you are doing great!

Big News Again

2007-11-11T23:57:00.001-05:00

In the previous post, I forgot to tell you the big news. Here it is: Noah slept for 8 hours - did you catch that? E-I-G-H-T hours!!!- last night (Saturday)!!! That is the longest he's ever slept at one time, and let me tell you, I felt like a new woman all day today! Now, I'm well aware that it was probably a fluke, and it probably won't happen again for a while, but I was still VERY excited and wanted to share that with everyone : )

I also somehow deleted these pictures from the last post, so here they are. Mary Kathryn and Claire were able to be with us at the hospital for at least a little while every day, and here they are with Noah - their beloved little live baby doll! - a couple of days after his surgery. They are the best big sisters, I don't know what I (or Noah!) would do without them!

Finally, from the look on Noah's face, you can tell he was thrilled to meet his Piquette grandparents for the first time. We enjoyed their visit so much! Matthew's dad became a grandpa for the first time over 30 years ago, and he seemed just as thrilled with his 11th grandchild as I'm sure he was with his first : ) Grandma Ruthie enjoyed holding Noah and feeding him, and he loved her right back!

Love to you all! We'll be in touch soon!

Big News!

2007-11-11T21:52:00.000-05:00

One month is a really long time in the life of a 3-month old, isn't it? And no updates during that month is probably really irritating to blog-readers, isn't it? : ) To appease you, here are some pictures from the last month - Noah has really grown a lot! His recovery has gone amazingly well, and exactly two weeks after his surgery, his doctor released him from his care! This first picture shows his surgeon holding him after his final visit. We are so thankful for him and the excellent care he took with our baby.

The very next day, Noah's adoption became final!! Talk about wrapping everything up all at once! The second picture shows us outside the courthouse with our attorney. We were so thrilled that there were no complications whatsoever with the adoption process, another blessing we give thanks for daily. It's wonderful to have the newest little Piquette in our home! Halloween was a fun night, with our girls as a "French Girl" and "Girl Pirate", and Noah as a "Pea-in-a-Pod". He slept through most of the evening - this is our only picture of him with his eyes open while wearing his costume!

I will try to post more often (and with more pictures), but I can't promise much! Things are pretty busy around here almost every day, and most days, it's rare for me to do anything on the computer other than write a speech report!

We're home!

2007-10-09T08:54:00.000-04:00

I can hardly believe it, but here I am at our home computer writing this post!! We got home last night around 9:30, tired but happy and relieved. Noah had a good night, but we're hoping he'll soon forget how they woke him up to eat every few hours around the clock when he was in the hospital : ) He seemed to remember that last night and was up a few times - oh well, we'll just have to nap later today! We're going to try to settle into a normal routine and enjoy this precious baby now that his surgery is finished!
Thank you all for your continued love and support - it really means so much to our family! Please keep us in your prayers as Noah continues to improve, and we'll pray for you and your families to be blessed and know the peace that only our loving God can give!
And we'll try to post some pictures soon - I know it's boring to read these messages with no pictures!

Post-op report #4

2007-10-08T09:19:00.000-04:00

We are so excited to be able to tell you that we're possibly leaving the hospital this afternoon or tonight!!! Yes, it's earlier than they originally told us, thanks to God helping Noah to heal quickly and progress as he needed to : ) It's not definite, but when his surgeon comes by late this afternoon, he said that if Noah continues to tolerate his formula, he'll probably let us go - YAY! Matthew commented earlier that not only is Noah tolerating his formula, he's inhaling it!! He never acted very hungry when he couldn't eat at all, but once we were able to give him a little, he acts like he's starving - and I'm sure he feels that he is! We greatly appreciate your continued prayers against infection and any other complication, and we'll let you know when we get home!

Post-op report #3

2007-10-06T13:56:00.000-04:00

Lots has happened since I posted a report on Thursday! Noah's nasogastric tube and heart monitor were removed yesterday, and he was able to drink a tiny bit of Pedialyte this morning - his first food by mouth since 3:30am on Wednesday!!! If he tolerates that well for 3 feedings (10am, 1pm, and 4pm), he can have a little formula for 3 feedings, then they'll up the amount til it reaches a normal amount. YAHOO!! But don't stop praying - his body must digest what he takes in and he needs to be able to have normal output before he's out of the woods. So far, so good - we've NEVER been so excited about changing dirty diapers : ) He's been amazingly happy and content in spite of all he's been through and we KNOW that's because God is so good to answer each of our prayers so mercifully. We'll keep you posted as he continues to improve.

Post-op report #2

2007-10-04T19:10:00.000-04:00

Whew, I think we're past the roughest part of this whole process...Noah seemed uncomfortable much of yesterday and last night, and was happiest when being held. Needless to say, the rocking chair in our room is just a tad short of being comfy, so while he slept in my arms, I wished desperately to be asleep!! However, when morning came, Noah began acting more like himself, and has spent most of today awake, happy, smiling, and cooing just like old times : )
He has every reason to be miserable, but he's really a trooper. He enjoyed his visitors today and has only needed Tylenol (nothing stronger, thank God) for whatever pain he may be feeling. We're so relieved that he doesn't seem to be having much pain - it would be really hard to see him suffer, he's so sweet and precious! If he's hungry, he's not complaining : )
Thanks to everyone - we love you all and appreciate your concern and prayers more than you'll ever know! Please don't stop praying for Noah to completely recover quickly. Please know that we would call each of you one by one if we could, but these updates will have to do for now!!

Post-op report #1

2007-10-03T13:34:00.000-04:00

It's 1:30 pm on Wednesday, we're back in our regular room, and Noah is doing well. Everything went as expected during his surgery, and now he is sleeping and recovering.

Our main prayer requests now are for:

1. NO infection or other complications.

2. the connection site (in his colon) to heal perfectly with no leaking or other problems.

3. peace for Noah (and his Mommy and Daddy!) over the next few hungry days of no eating at all (for Noah - don't worry, we'll keep eating!).

4. minimal pain as he continues to recover.

Thank you all so much for praying, and as I said last night, don't stop!!! God has held us close this far and we know He'll never let us go. For that - and so many other gifts - we are truly grateful!

Surgery Time!

2007-10-02T22:42:00.000-04:00

We've had a busy (but good) couple of days here at the Children's Medical Center, and we know that it is due to all of your prayers - thank you so much! Noah has won the hearts of all the nurses with his sweet smiles and "talking"!
His surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning (Wednesday) at 7:30 and should last for about 2 hours. We'll be able to be with him in the recovery room soon after his surgery ends, so we should be with him when he wakes up. Hopefully we'll be back in his regular room before lunchtime!
We're about to turn out the lights and sleep a little while before our hungry little baby wakes up to drink his Pedialyte - yuck! Thank you again for your prayers - we can feel God answering every one!! Keep on praying - we'll update you tomorrow after surgery!

Two Months Old!

2007-10-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

Noah is now 2 months old and growing like a weed!! He's very expressive and loves to talk, coo, and smile - especially when Mary Kathryn and Claire are around!

We got to Augusta this afternoon where my mom had prepared a yummy birthday dinner for Mary Kathryn, who turned 13 yesterday. It's hard to believe how time flies!! All of Noah's Augusta cousins (John, Conner, and Hudson), plus Aunt Michelle, Uncle John, Grandmama, Grandaddy, and GG (my sweet grandmother), enjoyed passing him around - the boys were so sweet and gentle with him.

Tomorrow Noah will be admitted for his pre-op activities, and his surgery is scheduled for Wednesday. Please join us in praying for God's perfect peace, and especially for a safe and successful surgery for Noah and wisdom and guidance for his doctors. They told us to plan on him being in the hospital for 7-10 days following surgery, so we'll update you as often as possible. We're thankful for all God has done in the last few months and pray that our lives - and Noah's - will be a witness to His love, sovereignty, and goodness.

Awake at last!

2007-09-03T19:12:00.000-04:00

Noah enjoyed his first Georgia game in his swing (and mostly asleep)!! But he was well prepared with his UGA bib and matching burp cloth, gifts from one of my speech patients! He also enjoyed visits from both of his Daddy's sisters and their families this past weekend. We had a great time being together, and he should feel extremely loved after all the spoiling that went on with his aunts and uncles : )

We've gotten to see Noah awake a little more lately, which is really fun. He's usually happy when he's awake, and will coo and smile when you talk to him - it's adorable! Sometimes we just stand around him and laugh and squeal at the cute noises and faces he makes - he probably thinks we're all crazy! And we are - crazy about him!

Tomorrow Noah will be 5 weeks old - it's hard to believe how fast time passes and how fast babies grow. Wednesday we get to see how much weight he's gained when he goes to the doctor for a checkup, then he'll see his surgeon in Augusta on Thursday - hopefully they'll give us a tentative surgery date while we're there. As you can tell from his chubby cheeks, he seems to be gaining weight very well! Trying to keep him healthy before surgery is proving to be kind of tricky - please don't be offended if you don't see us very much til he's fully recovered - doctor's orders are to steer clear of crowds, so while we can visit Target and the grocery store or mall, but going places where lots of people want to get their hands on him is a big no-no! Don't worry, he'll become more sociable after his last surgery : )

We hope you've had a great Labor Day today. We are filled with gratitude for all we've been given, and pray that your lives are blessed beyond measure.

Growing Strong!

2007-08-20T22:32:00.000-04:00

I haven't written since we got home, but we've been pretty busy! As you can see, Noah is eating well, sleeping well, and doing really great!! He is a very sweet baby - he even smiles at us, and it's NOT just a "bubble"...he actually smiles when we talk to him! He really loves his sisters and watches their every move (when he's awake, that is!). We've all adjusted pretty well and enjoy every minute of our days (and nights) with Noah. It's been fun having friends and family come over to meet him and visit with us this past week. You can tell from the pictures that Noah John is living up to the meaning of his name: "Rest, comfort" and "God is gracious". A name never fit anyone so well! God bless you all, and please continue praying for us and for Noah. God's graciousness has been very real to us these past few weeks, and we know He has answered all of our and your prayers!

Finally Home!!

2007-08-12T23:11:00.001-04:00

We left the hospital Saturday morning, and after one final night in Augusta, we are all five - finally - at home in Carrollton! Noah slept through the entire leaving-the-hospital, arriving-at-Grandmama's-house thing, and enjoyed being passed around and loved by our entire Augusta family. It has been so wonderful to have him join our family! Yesterday one of the girls said, "I still can't believe this happened!" - I have to say I agree!! A few short months ago, we had no idea that our summer would end with the arrival of this precious baby boy. God has been faithful, once again, to bless us more than we ever thought possible! Keep checking in, we'll continue to post pictures and let you know how everything is going!

Update

2007-08-09T08:04:00.000-04:00

Sorry I don't have any new pictures to show you...don't worry, Noah hasn't changed a whole lot in two days : ) He's doing great, taking his formula well, and completely adorable! I'll try to take some pictures today and post them sometime today or tonight. Please continue to pray that he'll eat more and more and be able to come home soon! It's possible he'll be discharged this weekend - we sure hope so!

Pictures!

2007-08-07T00:19:00.000-04:00

Noah continues to improve each day, and he's even gaining weight! Tonight he weighed 8 lbs. just before his bath! Here are some family pictures we wanted to share with you all. He had his first bottle this afternoon, and we found out he really hates the taste of Pedialyte!! Hopefully he'll like formula better - he should be able to have some on Tuesday. Please pray that he'll tolerate his formula and continue to recover as well as he has so far.

Sweet sleeping baby

2007-08-04T23:50:00.000-04:00

Noah slept a good bit today, but he was put in a regular crib (instead of the warming bassinet he was in before) and we were able to put his own clothes on him for the first time! He looks adorable in his little onesie, hat and booties! Matthew and I both held him for a while tonight, and he was very content to be held and rocked. He likes his pacifier sometimes, but when he decides he doesn't want it, he clamps his gums closed and there's nothing you can do to get him to open up!! We love our sweet baby and can't wait til he's able to come home!

More good news

2007-08-03T17:09:00.001-04:00

Noah had a great day and is doing well! Here he is being held by his mommy for the first time since his surgery, and enjoying his paci! As you can see, they took him off of the ventilator. Keep praying - please don't stop! We're sure his progress is due to God answering all of our prayers! He is so good!

Thursday's news

2007-08-02T19:00:00.000-04:00

Today was a good one - all vital signs continue to be perfect. They plan on weaning him from the ventilator tonight or tomorrow morning (he had to be on the vent temporarily due to the muscle relaxer they gave him after surgery to keep him still). Mary Kathryn and Claire, as well as my parents and good friend, Gaby, were able to visit with him this afternoon. He's a hit with everyone who meets him : ) The main prayer request now is for his recovery to continue to go well and be really fast - we want him home as soon as possible!! In the next few days we'll post some new pictures to share with everyone.

A busy day

2007-08-01T21:12:00.000-04:00

Well, here we are at the end of a very busy day! Noah underwent surgery this afternoon to correct a congenital intestinal malformation, and he is resting well in the NICU. He did great during the surgery, and is expected to make a full recovery - praise the Lord! We're not sure exactly how long he'll be in the hospital, but probably at least one to two weeks. We're pretty exhausted and plan to get some much needed sleep tonight : ) We so appreciate your calls and emails - it means so much to know how much everyone cares for us and our new baby boy. We're sorry we can't return all of your calls or talk to each one of you - I'm sure you understand how pulled-in-every-direction we are right now! Love to you all, and keep praying!

He's here!!

2007-07-31T20:13:00.001-04:00

Introducing . . . NOAH JOHN PIQUETTE, born at 3:03 pm, Tuesday, July 31, 2007

As you can see, Noah is a beautiful baby boy! He weighed 7' 12", and is 20 1/2 inches long. The entire delivery went smoothly, and he has been called "healthy" by the pediatrician who assessed him after birth! We were able to see and hold him about 45 minutes after he was born, and that was really special.
Noah was moved to the NICU around 6:30 this evening to be monitored and reassessed regarding the intestinal enlargement discovered on ultrasound a few weeks ago and confirmed by x-ray this afternoon. He will probably have a few more tests done tomorrow before they decide what the details are and how to correct the problem. We'll let you know as we find out more. Thank you for all your calls, prayers, and support.

Oops!

2007-07-26T15:02:00.000-04:00

False alarms are so annoying!! We just got word that the doctors want to wait and admit our birth mother on Monday evening at 6pm!!! We were just about to pull out of the driveway when they called, so at least we weren't on the road yet. So now we'll have one more weekend at home and leave Monday afternoon to hopefully meet our baby sometime late Monday night or Tuesday! Hang in there with us, we'll keep you posted...

Baby Shower!

2007-07-19T23:12:00.000-04:00

The picture of the hostesses are (L to R): Cindy, Elise, Deanna, Kelli, me, Pam, and Ivie - wonderful friends who know how to throw a party! : )

The girls enjoyed opening the gifts! And my mom seems as happy about the arrival of her 8th grandchild as she was about each of the others - what a blessing!

Well, it took me a while, but here are a few pictures from the baby shower our church gave a couple of Sundays ago! Our sweet friends quickly put together a wonderful shower with great food (always important for me!) and millions of much-needed and much-appreciated gifts. It was so nice to celebrate with all of these ladies who mean so much to our family.

The phone call from our birth mother after her doctor's appointment today brought some exciting news - she will be admitted to the hospital next Thursday after her appointment to have her labor induced!!! Please pray for a smooth, easy, safe labor and delivery for her and for the baby. We'll probably travel Thursday, even though it's pretty safe to guess the baby won't really arrive til sometime on Friday. Wow - we're down to the last few days, and I think we're just about ready. So the answer to "Can you prepare for a baby in less than 2 months?" is "YES!" We have diapers, wipes, clothes, towels, a bassinet, a crib (Matthew bought it and set it up just the other night - it looks beautiful!), and tons of other baby items. Watch your inbox, because it looks like we'll be sending an actual baby picture soon!!

Making Progress

2007-07-06T19:51:00.001-04:00

Well, the baby's room is now empty and blue, thanks to my mom arriving yesterday! I wish we had taken a "before" picture - surely they give awards for "most stuff cleaned out of one small room" on some TLC program!! The new paint looks great, now we just need to fill the room with baby things - YAY! Tomorrow is our garage sale (what else could we do with all that junk that used to be in the baby's room, but sell it!!), and we're hoping it will stay cool and cloudy - but not rainy - until the sale ends. Mama also inserted blue ribbon into the eyelet bassinet cover she made 13 years ago (!) when Mary Kathryn was born. It used to have green ribbon, but this situation really calls for blue : ) So she worked hard last night making it just right, and it is really beautiful. Things are coming together, and I think it's possible we'll be ready when the baby decides to arrive! Thanks for all of your prayers and support, it means so much to us. Who would have thought we'd be preparing a room for a baby the week before our 39th and 44th birthdays??? I'm thankful that God in His sovereignty knows what's best for us (and when), because we surely don't!

Blog start-up!

2007-07-03T07:59:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I'm muddling through how to get this going, so hopefully you'll all receive this and understand how it works. As I mentioned on the initial email we sent, if you notice that I've forgotten anyone, just send me their email address and I can add them to the list. There are not currently any pictures on our blog site, but hopefully we'll figure that part out soon.

Our newest addition is due in just under 4 weeks!!! We're busily emptying what Claire calls the "junk" out of the baby's room and beginning to fill it with baby stuff. Both Mary Kathryn and Claire have enjoyed finding old, forgotten toys, pictures and various other items (that had mysteriously disappeared!) as we clean out the room - it's called several names: "the junk room", "Claire's old room", and now "the baby's room". My mom is arriving Thursday (thank goodness!) to help paint, organize, and generally keep me sane! Matthew painted the closet Saturday - it amazes me how 10 years of being used for basically nothing but storage can make the walls in a closet become so marked up and dirty!!! So now it's ready to store baby items - yay!

We haven't fully decided on a name for our little baby boy, but we'll let you know when it's final.
I guess it's possible that will be when he's born - sorry for the delay! The baby's birthmother has an unltrasound and Dr. appointment scheduled for this Thursday (July 5th) and the next 3 Fridays after that (July 13th, 20th, and 27th). If there's anything interesting to let you know about those appointments, I'll send along the information : )

We love you all and appreciate your interest!
Love,
Ashley for M, MK, and C