Published: June 20, 2009 10:49 pm      

‘God birthed a band’

Triplets inspire dad to get his whole family in tune

HUNTINGTON — Shortly before the midnight that ushered in Father’s Day 2005, Demetrius Apostolon became a daddy for the first time.

However, the 48-year-old Hinton native hit the jackpot — he welcomed two sons and a daughter, born within a couple of minutes.

“Triplets, wow! We knew we were having three babies, but when it actually happens, wow! They’re 4 years old now, and sometimes, I still can’t believe it.”

Only after their birth did his wife, Sherri, realize she had prayed for this miracle.

“It was one of those prayers you say out loud when you’re driving in the car. I was getting close to the end of my 30s, and I didn’t have any children. I prayed, ‘Lord, I want three children, two boys and a girl. I don’t know how You could arrange that this late in my life, but You can do anything.’ I had forgotten all about it until the day I had the ultrasound and found out we were having three babies at one time,” she recalled.

Dad’s prayers may have contributed to the timing of the birth, Demetrius said.

“Multiple births are usually early, and Sherri was getting pretty miserable. I had prayed, ‘Lord, it would be really cool to have them before Father’s Day.’ They came 6 weeks early, but they had no problems at all,” he said. “We had doctors and nurses from other hospitals tell us they had never seen preemies so healthy. God was good.”

Life became hectic for Demetrius, a salesman for a food company, and for Sherri, full-time stay-at-home mom.

“We’re still working on taking turns talking, but most of the time they are all talking at the same time. There is not a lot of silence going on here, but they are so precious, and we are so thankful for them,” Sherri said.

Most parents don’t find themselves at odds with their kids’ music until the teen years, but the baby rhymes and children’s music started to wear on Demetrius, a musician who sings, plays nine different instruments and has his own studio.

“If I had to listen to all those kids’ songs all the time, I would go nuts. I went in my studio and started doing some different music for them. I like more contemporary music. I mixed a little jazzy, rock and roll stuff. My kids loved it. I gave some copies to my friends who are parents of young children, and they said they loved it. Of course, your friends will see you after a car wreck and tell you you’re looking great,” Demetrius said.

He found a different target market among people who didn’t know him as well. The CDs caught on and there seems to be a good market for them.

“The kids have all been singing since they first figured out how, and now they change pitches and keys, and they learned how to do harmony when they were 2 years old,” he said.

A family band is in the making with Dad’s creativity already at work in naming a CD, “God Birthed A Band.”

“We all enjoy music and we sing a lot together. I think it will keep us all close over the years,” he said.

Sherri said what began as entertainment has led to something other families can now enjoy.

“We started all this to entertain our own kids and to help them learn. I hope they’ll be creative like their dad,” Sherri said. “It’s just caught on, and we’re happy other people can enjoy it as much as we do.”

Also a musician, she finds singing and playing together is the best stress reliever she’s found.

“It’s a great outlet for us as a family, and it’s a great outlet for Demetrius. He is such a dedicated father. I am very blessed to have a man who take such an interest in his kids.

For more information, visit his Web site — www. rockinmybaby.com.

— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com