Merry Christmas 2011 and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We were very blessed that even as hard at things have been to have a wonderful Christmas in our home!  Here are a few pictures from Christmas.  

my Panda boy looking like such a big boy :)

Celeste opening a gift

can't believe I am showing this one...sigh but me and Jeremiah coming into living room with Bobby and Noah behind.  Noah got nervous and kind hid behind bobby.  Not sure why.

not sure what he is lookin at and I know its blurry but was too cute :) 

He LOVES is Spiderman computer that a friends son gave to Santa to give to Noah :)  He thinks he is so big! He doesn't really know how to do much on it but will pick it up and rush of sayin got my computer! LOL

This was too funny to me.  I helped santa find this months ago at goodwill.  its a musical sit and spin.  kept trying to get Noah to sit on it and he would not.  He stood on it and kept trying to get him to undestand and the whole time he is acting like he is at the dr.  He is afraid of it.  Finally yesterday I got him to sit on in but he still can't figure out how to use it. 

Jeremiah with a toy he got.  He was quite withdrawn most of the day which worried this mama.

Frogie boy with his mickey mouse.  later in the day I got a little reaction to him

goin through Jeremiah stocking.  Noah was all into everthing miah got!  He kept tryin to show him what to do with everything and ringing bell of him that was in there adn showing him shiny things :)

miah with his shiny things

Noa cookin us zert (dessert) :)  

\

Noah loves his cars boots :) Thank you to the elf that sent those :)

hand over had turning mickey mouse on

a little smile

one of his microphones.  I would talk in it and eventually he did coo

my sweet mama!  Our family was featured in an adoption calendar for 2012 that some friends put together :)  She was quite excited when she got to Ocoboer and saw us in there :)  If you need a calendar for this coming year I can't think of a better one than this one and just think you can see us :)  lol  Go HERE to see calendars and get you one and help bring 9 year old Eli home!

love this face :)

a little cars computer game he was given :)  haven't figured it out either

My favorite picture of the day I think!  Noah hand of hand helping Jeremiah open a present :) 

Happy New year to all who have followed along and been a part of our lives this year! 

Happy New Year!! Here’s the scoop on the Sisemore Family and what we’ve been up to 'round here.

 

It has been a hard year for us but many blessings along the way by so many people.  I met one of my dearest friends face to face this year FINALLY!  And I got to sit in a room with a BUNCH of Taiwan Treasure's playing together as we parents shared and visited and just had an amazing time!!  I have to say Taiwan R.O.C.ks FIRST reunion had to be the highlight of 2011 for me!!!  I am sad Bobby did not get to experience that with me and that Celeste as well had to stay home and work but it was the biggest thing  to happen!  I can't even express what that was like and I can't wait for Chicago this year!  It was awesome to see some of the little ones that were in the same orphanage as my boys all together again!  A few were not there and I hope next year they will be.  And I look forward to the year we can have those little ones at a reunion at the same time and I can have my entire family there as well! :) 

 

Here is a bit about what all has been going on with us.

 

Bobby has retired from a 20 year career of police dispatch and has after a 6 month wait began a new career with a call center that though the pay is low now, seems to have much opportunity for overtime and promotion and he has almost completed training!  We look forward to what God will do with our family and Bobby with this job!  :) 

 

Tami is loving being home with our sweet boys and is kept quite busy with Dr. visits, therapy sessions, play dates, field trips and teaching Noah his preschool skills.  .

 

Celeste is working at the hospital as a Phlebotomist, and enjoys time with her boyfriend, Dallas, friends, and Church family as well as being an awesome big sister to her baby brothers! She also just started college towards her Bachelor's Degree in Youth Ministry!  We are so excited for her and can't wait to see what God has planned for her future :)

 

Noah is 4 and growing and maturing at an alarming rate!  He is talking more and more and is becoming more and more clear. He is very imaginative and  a joy to watch play. This fall we began preschool but it seemed to be more than he was ready for so I backed off for a bit and went back to more of a play school type learning.  Come January we plan to try again 3 days a week and prayerfully he will do well.  Tami is gathering things and taking a different approach to meet his specific needs.  The joy and beauty of a home education! He is doing quite well in private Occupational Therapy as well as with Speech, APE and Special Instruction he receives in our home from the school district/  Noah is into ~

Cars, trucks, trains, Mr. Potato Head, his menagerie of stuffed animals, cooking for all of us with play food :) , Barney, Mickey Mouse, Wiggles, Cailou, Elmo and the Duggars on tv! He is very musical too! 

 

Jeremiah is 3 and overall doing well.  He was eating 3 meals a day and just had his tube feeding to help make sure he got enough but then he got ill and has lost his desire to eat.  Please keep him in prayer for all his medical needs.  He has some tests coming up after the beginning of the year and is dealing with many medical issues.  On the advise of our Pediatrician Jeremiah is only going to private therapy one day a week and the school comes in one day a week.  He receives Speech/feeding, Occupational and Physical therapy as well as APE and special instruction.  We are very blessed with amazing therapists for both boys and Jeremih and Noah are both flourishing under the loving care they give.  Jeremiah is into~ Bells,music, giggling toys, laughing people, rocking, dancing, einsy weinsy spider and other hand games we do together and snuggling!

 

Tami's mom, Carol, is with us and doing quite well!  She along with Tami and the babies made a trip to her hometown in Mississippi to attend her 50 year high school reunion!  She was quite excited and blessed by the experience!  Her sister was able to come home with us to spend a week here with us all and the two sisters were like kids at times! :)  Her health is doing wonderfully and you can not really even tell she had a hip replacement and was on a walker at one time!  She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and laughing at their antics.

 

We covet your prayers  as  we move forward into what God has for our family as we roll into 2012.

 

Happy New Year,

Bobby, Tami, Celeste, Noah and Jeremiah

life

So I am not sure if I have any folks still reading the blog but thought just in case I would come to yall.  I am wondering what yall think give quality to life?  what does that mean?  what is value in a person?  what things make someone have value? what to you constitues suffering?  I may be opening myself up for who knows what by asking these questions but I just want to hear what yall have to say.  Please if folks do start responding dont argue with each other but just share your thougts and feelings.  Also please be in prayer for our family in so many areas.  and for me personally and for Jeremiah specifically as well.  For those praying, Bobby did get a job and is one week into training.  The pay is very very low but its a job.  He does seem to like it so far and is doing his very best at it.  I am blessed by him.  Anyway, please share your thoughts about life.

Giving Thanks in All things...

Happy Thanksgiving 2011 to all who read this!!  I pray this finds you all quite well.  The Lord tells us in His Word to give thanks in all things and I am learning so much this year that even when things are scary, even when you have no clue how the bills will be paid or anything else, there is always something to be thankful for!  Bobby still had not secured a job and the temporary job he had after his retirement ended mid october so we are concerned but trying so hard to have faith that God has an amazing job ahead for Bobby.  He is putting in applications left and right nad we are so prayerfl that not jsut a job but a 2nd career will come along for him, that will allow him to use the talents God has placed in him to bless others as well as to provide for our family.  We are spending alot of time trying to be thankful for what we do have and NOT looking at what we don't have or know.  We appreciate your prayers as we go forward trying to find what God has for our family and our future.  Here are some pictures I have put together for you! :)  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do :)  And please if you are reading leave me a note! :)  Its nice to hear from others :)
God's blessings to you all this Thanksgiving!

Noah was blessed to be invited to a friends birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.  He loved it! :)

More from our trip to Chuck E Cheese

May God Richly Bless you this Thanksgiving!!! 

PLEASE PLEASE READ and spread the word, HE NEEDS YOU!

UDATE!  Looks like this little guy may have a family!  PLEASE keep them in prayer!!!!!!

With tears in my eyes I share with you a child that has touched me to my core.  This little boy has stolen my heart and if we were not unemployed we would soo want him. PLEASE PLEASE help spread the word for him to find a family. NO CHILD should stay labeled a child no one wants, NO CHILD should live in a crib with no love, stimulation, care or even time taken to sit them up. My heart breaks that my hands are tied to help him, to be his mommy, BUT I can be his voice along with so many others who are trying to help him too. See blog below PLEASE!

Because one little boys life matters

FOUR YEARS AGO! WOW!

I will ALWAYS REMEMBER gazing into the eyes of my son on a computer screen for the first time!

November 5, 2007 was a day that changed my life forever!  My dream of a baby for Bobby and I had a face, we had a son! That day began our lifetime with our amazing Panda Boy!  NOTHING else seemed to matter but doing all we could to get to the point we could hold him in our arms and bring him home!  I can't even begin to express in words the feelings that welled in my heart when I glanced at his face for the first time!  My heart lept into my throat and tears into my eyes and I could barely say a word to Bobby!  We had gotten an email the night before from the director of an agency in California we had never heard of stating that she had been told by a client of the agency that we were a family that felt called to adopt special needs children.  She said she had a baby boy that was "hard to place" among other things.  Would we consider looking at his file.  I knew in my heart of hearts at that moment that we had found our son.  I just KNEW.  Before a file and before a picture.  I just knew.  I screamed for Bobby and told him what the email said and he agreed.  Its our baby!  I wrote her back and said we want to adopt the baby.  She wrote back and said please look at this information about him before you make a decision.  We downloaded the information and read it as she asked but we KNEW he was ours.  We sent back word YES we want him.  All of this happend and we had yet to see a picture.  We just knew inside that this was our Noah WesLee!  A child to go with the name God had given us for our first son!  Then I spoke with the director on the phone about what all needed to happen for us to move forward and she told us!  And I asked for pictures!  LOL  We had made this decision and not even looked at pictures.  She was too funny because she did not even realize she had not sent the entire file with his pictures and all.  Amazing enough to us his file and been turned down so many times that she really was kinda doubtful we would truly say yes!  I wonder so much now how and why he was not adopted sooner but I believe with all my heart God choose him to be our son and to bless us with him specifically!  Anyway so early am on November 5 sitting at our old computer that took FOREVER to open the picture we FINALLY gazed into his sweet face!  I cry thinking about that time!  Happy tears now as then for the gift of life God trusted me with! That sweet amazing baby boy is now a sweet amazing active loving, funny, snuggly, compassionate 4 year old boy!  Noah blesses my heart each and every day!  After seeing his picture November 5, 2007;  we were able to travel to pick him up September 8, 2008.  At the age of 16 and half months.  Noah did not talk at all and now my sweet guy though still delayed in speech talks up a storm!  Some is still Noahese but most we are begining to understand! I still cry when I think how long I waited to hear Mama for the first time!  How I use to cry becase Noah could not tell me what he wanted or needed, what hurt etc.  Now he can chat with me and share his funny personality and things he thinks are so silly as he covers his mouth and giggles! :)  He is constantly telling us he is hungry!  Folks that dont know us must think we NEVER feed him.  But he is a robust 40 lbs now and wears a 4T (with some 3T stuff still).  He was globally delayed when we brought him home and he still is but not near as far.  He attends Physical therapy once a week, Occupational therapy twice a week, and one day a week an iterneret teacher, and an adaptive PE coach from the school comes to the house and twice a week a Speech Therapist comes to the house and once every 3 weeks a school OT comes. He has come soo far and is such a loving and fun little guy!  So many people in our life talk about how much joy they get from being around Noah.  He does still have alot of sensory needs we battle and stil at times has some major temper issues but boy has he come so far across the board.  I am so honored that God chose me to be Noah's mommy and to be blessed to watch him blossom into the amazing kid he is! :)  He loves anything with wheels!   Trains, cars, tractors, fire trucks, ambulances, you name it.  He love Mr. Potatoe head and will play and play with him.  He has a menagerie of stuffed animals that he totes back and forth from bed to the living room each day :)  They are his friends and loves and cares for them amazingliy!  They include but are not limited too, Buddy (his panda from build a bear right before we went to get Jeremiah), Elmo, George ( a stuffed gorilla that was Celeste's ), Raffi ( a stuffed Giraffe givin to him when Jeremiah was in PICU), and barney!  I need to try and get a really good picture of him with all of them lined up!  heehee  Those who remember the "table boy" pictures from when he first came home will enjoy that he still loves to climb under neath tables and things.  At Taiwan rocks he started a game of climbing under the table and tablecloth and eventually a bunch of the kids were doing it :)  In the store the other day a shelf in the shoe dept was empty, at least until we showed up , and he is up in the shelf!  I have to be so careful with him!  LOL  He will hide under blankets now too!  I have almost hurt the two us of twice recently.  Once I walked into the bedroom and a big comforter in on the floor and I am thinking WHAT is that doing here!  I almost stepped on it to rush and get what I needed and deal with picking it up later and my foot hits something hard!  YOU GUESSED IT, NOAH!  UNDER IT in the middle of the floor!  I freaked and explained how dangerous that was for someone not to know he is in there.  He just giggles.  sigh!  So the next day I come through the living room and his little fold out couch is upside down on the floor and I am thinking what is up with that.  All of a sudden it flies through the air and bops me and out pops Noah screaming PRIZE!!!! LOL (surprise was his meaning! )  He is also the most helpful child!  He will BEG to help me!  I love it :)  Some things he is ust not quite big enough to do and I have to get inventive so as not to hurt him by telling him he can/t.  Tonight he wanted to help with our supper.  We had a really junky meal but my mother was realy wanting me to make hot cheese dip so we got some taquitos to bake in the oven to eat with the cheese dip and chips.  Noah so wanted to help so we put the baking sheet on the island and set him up laying the taquitoes out on the baking pan to be ready to go in oven!  He was soo proud of himself! :)  He will bring me diapers and things when I am taking care of Jeremiah and is an amazing big brother!  I loves Jeremiah so and he cheers him on like you wouldnt believe!  He tries to help the therepist with him!  Its too cute! :)  He has gotten rather bossy at times and we are working on that.  He will fuss across a restraunt at someone tell them they forgot to pray before the meal!  sigh!  We are like SHHHH!  You are not the blessing police Noah!  We keep trying to explain that not everyoone does things the way we do, but he so thinks he has to tell them anyway.  sigh.  The nurse will get in my van and if she does not buckle immediately or forgets to and I put the van in gear he starts screaming WAIT ... BUCKLE BUCKLE BUCKLE!  When he first started doing it was the first day she rode with us and I did not realize she was not buckled and he kept saying dora (dont ask me why he called her dora cuz its not her name , LOL) anyway he kept saying dora buckle over and over and we were not understanding what he was saying and he was crying his eyes out before I finally figured it out.  He does at times try to yell at us with his little anger he gets going and we have to deal with that.  But that is so much better than it use to be and now I can usually get him to calm down and talk to me.  He is a very compassionate boy and when he has had a big fit or gotten in trouble after the fact he will come and hug you and say sorry all on his own.  It feels like way more than 4 years since that first glimpse of him , seems like he has always been a part of me.  I cannot imagine my life wihtout him!  It is so hard to explain to people how I could fall in love with hi from the second I laid eyes on his picture but I so did!  I dont' think it is something that people can understand if they have not lived it.  That bond was there immediatrly.  Well, I guess I have babbled on enough about my amazing Panda boy!  He is so cute, he will say Jeremiah frogie, me Panda!  LOL  He KNOWS that he is my panda boy! And he picks out panda stuff on tv, in stores, in toys r us catalog, on clothes, etc.  He loves them! :)  His little collection is growing! Thanks for reading this far if you did and now I leave you with some pictures :) 

I know its not even his entire face but he is just so beautiful :)

Noah holding a friends baby!  He is so loving and gentle and caring! 

my sweet playful boy!

lol, I looked up and there he was!  LOL

This was taken during Jeremiah's last PICU stay!  Aint he handsome! :)

Noah and Nanny (my mama)

hangin with the big boys in Mississippi!

Noah and his Aunt Liz!  She has won his heart! 

Singing and playing with Aunt Liz!

So excited to be going on an outing!

our family together at Kari Jobe Night of Worship waiting on it to start!  I ADORE his sweet smile in the picture! :)

Ready for Church last Sunday!  Jeremiah was smiling and Noah smiling and talking to him!

This is what I got when I asked him to PLEASE look at the camera and smile, since Jeremiah was actually smiling!  I so wanted one of both of them looking and smiling.  He was determined NOT to smile!  sigh Me and my big mouth!

Hallelujah Night!  My sweet frogie and Panda being Elmo and Cookie Monster for an evening :)

LOVE the smile :)

love this shot

Thanks to all our friends who have followed since we began our journey to Noah and to all those who have joined in along the journey of life with Noah! :)  Thanks for caring about our family!  We send you kisses in the wind!

Sharing....understanding??? and pictures

Understanding... I have come to realize that understanding is based on our own experience of things. I have been questioned and critiqued quite a bit as of late by quite a few people on decisions I have made for my children, especially Jeremiah. It has been said , "I DONT UNDERSTAND, why you do this or that or the other. I feel like it is hard to explain sometimes to people and I feel I guess that they can't understand because they are not in the same place we are in. I have been asked why do you not leave Jeremiah more, why do you feel like you have to be there all the time. I have been praying about a way to express some of what it is like. I am not really sure how to share it. I guess think about how special it is when your baby laughs for the first time, or takes the first step. They joy and elation you feel that first time is beyond amazing! But then your baby gets to the point they will laugh and laugh when you tickle them, and then those first tiny wobbly steps become walking all over the house and then running. You just dont have that same joy when you hear it or see it because it is now just something they do all the time. So imagine that your child did not laugh for an entire day, no matter how much you played with them, tickeled them, interacted with them, no matter if a room full of people are laughing at something funny, your child just is not going to laugh or interact at all with you that day, or imagine for a week, or sometimes longer they dont do that. Soo, then all of a sudden one day they bold face laugh at you, and interact, and make eye contact, but you were off doing something else and you missed it. That is a smal simbalance of kinda where I am. Jeremiah does not laugh every day, sometimes not even every week. He does not talk (except for a couple times when it sorta sounded like he said mama while crying), some days he does not seem to notice anyone else in the world exists. Soooo when he does laugh, smile, coo, interact at all it is all the more special and I would do anything on earth to not miss that rare special treat of connection with my son. I am sure this is not coming out correcly but I am trying to express just a bit of what I mean. So when I observe every second of my sons therapy session to learn as much as I can about him and be involved in all he is doing, or when I am not going out on a big shopping weekend trip, or joining in on the mom's gigglefest that is sans kids, please know that it is not that I am not wanting to spead that time with the sweet folks involved in those activities because I really would love to be included, but it is more about cherishing every second with my son, learning to be the BEST mom I can be for him. It is me dealing with the things the DR.s say to me in the hospital when they say they think the decline has begun, make your plans now, cherish each moment and have no regrets. As much as I want to believe they are wrong and it is not going to happen, the fleshly part of me at times feels the pain and fear, but then I pray, knock myself upside the head and determine to give him the best I can no matter if it is for a day, a month, a year, 10 years, or longer. I prayed for sooo long for both my boys, I begged God for help to bring them home, to trust me to be their mom, to allow me the one to receive the blessing and I wont to honor that trust God and the country of Taiwan had in me to give me such amazing gifts. So for those who dont understand the decisions I make I hope they will see that every decision we make is what we feel is in the best interest of our boys, that God gave to us to raise. Sometimes I am not ready to share the severity of things I am told by the doctors and it is hard to come out and ask for prayer because it hurts too much and because I dont want to speak all the negativity. I am not sure why I am writing or if this helps anyone to understand anything but there you have it. Now for a few pictures to share!! I will try to post a bit more often, I have been kinda overwhelmed with feelings and things lately.

my baby girl then!

my sweet baby girl!  :)  actin silly 

Noah in the van on our trip to Mississippi to take Nannie to her 50 year high school reunion! ;) and to see the family.

lovin the leg crossed like a big man! :)

My aunt came home with us for a visit! Her next in back of van.

Noah after an accident in van.  in his boots from his aunt liz!

tummy time

bearin weight no elbow after music time :)

noah playin while brother has his therapy turn

more playin

Noah helpin with Jeremiah's therapy

Noah and Aunt dorothy watchin movie :)

Jeremiah havin a blood draw at hospital with the BEST Phlebotomist on the planet!  His big sister!

a sweet treasure!  a SMILE :)  and a big one!

Noah playing!

love this :)

another happy face!  I sooo miss this during his times where he is not letting us in his world.

Adaptive PE teacher givin Jeremiah some weigh bearing time!  Look how big he is getting!

Noah watching MVP and in love with the monkey!  He watched the ENTIRE movie standing up! LOL  he loved it! Monkey is getting up there with Panda's and cars and trains! LOL

saying goodbye when time to take Aunt Dorothy to her ride home

Noah realy loves his Aunt Dorothy!

I took this from the passenger front seat while on our way to meet Aunt Dorothy's ride home.  I coul dnot see what was goin on back there but could hear her playing with them.  Picture came out great!  LOOK AT HIM, he is actually LOOKING at her!  Times like this really make me wonder how blind he is, he realy looks like he is looking at her!

my sweet Panda boy :)

workin on sitting!

all by himself for about 2 minutes! :)  He is getting better again!

Music time with Netta!

So thankful for our sweet Netta who helps us out now :)

Noah with his speech tearcher from school.  He looks unhappy but he really loves her.

Noah found an empty shelf in shoe department at a store!  He had to play with it! :)

Mamma and the Ethel High School graduating class of 1961!  My mamma is the one sorta in the middle with the blue floral jacket and white hair. 

Thanks for any who read all this and enjoyed the pictures!  thansk for prayers, frienship and caring.

I send you kisses in the wind!