Cousins

Here are 13 of the 17 great-grandchildren. 3 were not there and 1 will be born on Jan.6. There were 5 great-grand-daughters born this past year and one will be born in 5 days.

 

 

Abigail(5), Rylan(8), Carlyn(5mo), Kaley(6), Kinsley(2mo), Tyson(9), Marley(9mo), Kelsey(6), Stevie(2mo), Sarah(3), Rachel(9mo), Brooklyn(3), Lauyrn(3)

Not pictured: Jimmy, Hunter, and Choloe and new baby


Brooklyn & Lauyrn were born 2 days apart.
Rachel & Marley were a week apart.
Kinsley & Stevue were a week apart.

My Gamecock Girls

 

 

 

 

G0 Gamecocks!!

 

This picture was taken on the Carolina/Clemson game day 2 years ago. This was the last Gamecock football game Daddy was ever able to attend. For those of you that knew him, knows that he was at almost EVERY Carolina game and EVERY Byrnes games. He loved football. Football season has been very hard on me. I cry every time I hear the fight song or see them play on TV, etc. He did not know he had cancer at the time this picture was taken. He had not been feeling well, and it was a few weeks later that he found out.

GO GAMECOCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We miss you Daddy! You are always in my heart and in my thoughts. Not a day goes by I do not think of you. Sometimes I laugh at the memories, sometimes I cry, and sometimes I get angry. I know you are no longer in pain, no longer sick, and no longer suffering. I know you are watching over us and that you are with us. WE LOVE YOU!!

H1N1 round 2

Kaley has the H1N1 flu. She managed not to get it when Kelsey had it a couple months ago, but now she has been hit with it. Please say a little prayer for her and that Kinsley doesn't get it. Looks like Kaley and I will be spending Thanksgiving with just the two of us while Mom, Kelsey, Kinsley, and my brothers family go to my Grandma's. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

1 month milestones

Where does time go? My sweet girl is a month old already.

* Baby Girl still sleeps at least 23 hours a day. I will be so glad when her thyroid levels get straighten out.

* She likes to take a bath.

* She HATES having her diaper and/or clothes changed. She screams like you are beating her.

* She loves her little stuffed Giraffe.

* She LOVES to be held and rocked (I think she is spoiled already)

* She does not like her arms to be swaddled. She always wants her hands by her face.

* Loves her big sisters

* Very impatient when it comes feeding time. She is drinking anywhere from 2 to 4 oz. every 3 to 4 hours.

* She is about 22 inches long. (2 inches longer than birth legnth)

* She weighs 7lbs 15oz (finally back at birth weight)

* Smiled her first "Real" smile at Kelsey 3 days ago but hasn't smiled since.

Please keep my sweet girl in your daily prayers. They are still trying to regulate her thyroid levels. She is still VERY tired (some days more so than others). I worry so much about her. She acts more like a preemie baby than the twins did, and they were born 7 weeks early.

Kinsley at 4 weeks

Where does time go? My baby girl is almost a month old already. We saw the Endocrinologist yesterday and she was very pleased with Kinsley's progress. Her thyroid levels are almost in the normal range and we don't go back for a month, unless her weekly labs come back "abnormal" or not showing improvement. So, my sweet pea has grown almost 2 inches in 4 weeks and is finally back up to her birth weight, 7lbs 15 oz:) The is long and skinny just like her big sisters. She is such a sweet baby. Here are a few pictures from when Shane was home.

 

 

 

 

A few pictures of Kinsley

I can't believe Kinsley is 3 weeks old today. She is improving on her feeds, it just takes her A LONG time to eat because it tires her out. I have to keep stimulating her to wake up. She is now staying awake for a total of an hour each day which is also an improvement. Her TSH level is still really high, but it is coming down. Her newborn screening level was close to 500 (Normal is between 1.0 to 39). Last week she was at 358, and I haven't gotten the results from this weeks lab yet. Hopefully, it has come down more. She is such a sweet and beautiful baby and I thank God for blessing me with her.

Shane is back in Afghanistan. It was so hard watching him kiss her goodbye. I did very well until then. The girls begged me not to cry so I was trying so hard, but the moment he picked her up, I LOST IT!!

 

 

 

 

Update on Kinsley

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers that have been sent on Kinsley's behalf. She has been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Right now they are not sure if she was born with no thyroid glad or if it just isn't working. They started her on medication in which she will be on the rest of her life. She still isn't gaining weight and has lost a little over a pound since birth, but as of yesterday, she hasn't lost either so that's good. We saw the Endocrinologist for the first time yesterday and she assured us that she should have no brain damage or developmental delays because they caught it so quickly. She also assured us that she should live a normal life, as long as she has her medicine because her brain can not tell the difference between the medicine and they hormone her thyroid should produce. We will make weekly visits to the Endocrinologist and have weekly blood work until her levels are where they should be. God is good and I am so thankful that her disease can be treated.I know he is watching over my baby girl. She has been feeding better over the past 24 hours so that is an improvement. She has also been awake a little more. Please keep my sweet baby girl in your thoughts and prayers, as well as our family.

Kinsley Madison is here (Birth Story)

Kinsley made her appearance into this world on Oct. 22 at 4:59 pm weighing in at 7 lbs 15 oz and 20 inches long.(At her one week check yesterday she was 7 lbs 5 oz) Shane arrived home on Oct. 21 and we surprised the girls at school during lunch. This was such a bittersweet moment:) (Deserves a post of it's own). I had to put that in just to let you know he arrived just in time. Back to Kinsley's birth story...

On Thurs. Oct. 22, I had been extremely sick all day, as usual and contracting, as usual. I assumed the contractions were from dehydration considering I had been hospitalized twice during the week prior for dehydration and the fluids always made them stop. So, I sent Shane to pick the girls up from school while I lay on the couch and rested. I had an OB appt. at 3:30 in which we were going to discuss scheduling a c-section since I had one with the girls. As I was waiting on Shane and the girls to get home, I dozed off on the couch. Around 2:20 I was awoken by a "POP" in my belly. I got up, went to the bathroom and a few trickles came out. I thought my water had broken but wasn't 100% positive. By the time Shane got here (around 2:30), there was no doubt my water had broke or either I was loosing major control of my bladder. I put on a really thick pad, called the OB office and made them aware my water had broken and asked them if I should come to the office first since I had an appt. anyway or go to L&D. They wanted me to come to the office first. So, I met Shane at the car, took the girls to his Mom's, and by the time we got to her house, my pants were SOAKED!!! The water kept gushing. I couldn't go to the doctor's office soaking wet, so I wanted Shane to take me back home to change, thinking I had PLENTY of time. On the way home, making one stop to throw up, fluid kept gushing out. I got home, changed clothes, and got in the car to make the journey to the OB office (which is located at the hospital). On the way there I started hurting pretty bad and contraction were really close. I told Shane, "Maybe we should just to to L&D instead of the office." The office called my cell phone asking where I was and Shane explained to them he was taking me straight to L&D. The doctor got upset according to the L&D triage nurse. Okay, so we arrived at the hospital around 3:45. By the time I got to the 2nd floor L&D check in, I was in tears. I got changed, hooked up to the moniters, had an IV put in, and she checked me. I was a 3-4 cm. I made a comment to the nurse, "How do people do this with no epidural?" I was thinking, "Anesthesia will be here soon to give me an epidural and I will be in labor all day." They were thinking the same thing. About 30 mins. after arriving at the hospital, they got me in the room where I was to deliver. I was in so much pain, and my body started kind of pushing on it's own. I looked at the nurse whom was hooking me back up to the monitor and said, "Am I suppose to be needing to push?" She said, hold on and I'll check just to see where you are. She put her hand in, looked at the other nurse with a weird expression and said, "You need to go get the doctor." I looked at her and said, "I am not going to get an epidural am I?" She just shook her head. She told me, "Don't push, we need the doctor in here first." She kept her hand inside until DR. D got in, I pushed twice and Kinsley made her appearance at 4:59 pm, about 10 mins. after getting into the room where supposedly I would be laboring all day. LOL! So, I guess I got my wish for a VBAC, an all natural one at that. Kinsley is beautiful and perfect. Kelsey and Kaley are such proud and wonderful big sisters.

Oh yeah, my DSLR camera was in the car. There was no time for Shane to go get it. Luckily, the nurses had a disposable camera on had they let him have:) I will post pictures toon.

38 weeks and ready!!

I am so over this pregnancy and ready for Miss Kinsley to make her appearance. The past 2 weeks have been TERRIBLE!!! I have not eaten hardly anything, much less keep anything down. I'm exhausted from throwing up, my eyes are bruised underneath and my lips are cracked open in the corners. I was in the hospital this past Wed. for fluids and again last night. Contractions were every 2 mins. but they were caused by dehydration and not the "real thing". I also have a Urinary Tract Infection. Shane will be hopefully be here by Thursday, and we are praying the baby arrives Friday.

36 weeks and counting:)

 

WOO HOO!!! I am so excited! She will be here in no more than 3 weeks:)

Swine Flu

My poor Kelsey has the swine flu:( She started feeling bad Sat., but woke up at 4 am this morning crying that she didn't feel good and had a 103 fever. The doctor said most children are doing very well with it and recovering in a few days. I pray I don't get it considering it's harder on pregnant women.

34 Week 4 Day Belly Shot & update

 

I am starting to wonder if this baby is going to stay put much longer. I've been having some pretty painful contractions, cramping, and lower back aches today:( Contractions were about 2 mins apart but before calling the doc. I drank some water and layed down for a while. They stopped:) As of my appointment this past Wed. I had lost 3 lbs since the previous week and was dehyrated. So that puts me still not gaining any of the 25 lbs I lost back which is completely okay with me as long as the baby is healthy. They have put me on weekly visits because of BP and they are going to check my cervix next week to see if all the BH contractions are doing anything. So, that's about it! I am counting down the days until Shane is home on R&R:)

31 weeks 4 day belly shot

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Happy Birthday Shane, and Congratulations!!

Happy 34th Birthday to my wonderful husband. We miss you and love you so much! I also want to congratulate him for being awarded a Bronze Star Medal for his dedication and hard work. Here is what the award is about...



3-13. Bronze Star Medal
a. The Bronze Star Medal was established by Executive Order 9419, 4 February 1944 (superseded by Executive Order 11046, 24 August 1962).

b. The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Army of the United States after 6 December 1941, distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight, in connection with military operations against an armed enemy; or while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.

c. Awards may be made for acts of heroism, performed under circumstances described above, which are of lesser degree than required for the award of the Silver Star.

d. The Bronze Star Medal may be awarded for meritorious achievement or meritorious service according to the following:

(1) Awards may be made to recognize single acts of merit or meritorious service. The lesser degree than that required for the award of the Legion of Merit must nevertheless have been meritorious and accomplished with distinction.

(2) Award may be made by letter application to Commander, ARPERCEN, ATTN: DARP-VSE-A, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200 (enclosing documentary evidence, if possible), to each member of the Armed Forces of the United States who after 6 December 1941, has been cited in orders or awarded a certificate for exemplary conduct in ground combat against an armed enemy between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945, inclusive, or whose meritorious achievement has been other wise confirmed by documents executed prior to 1 July 1947. For this purpose, an award of the Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medical Badge is considered as a citation in orders. Documents executed since 4 August 1944 in connection with recommendations for the award of decorations of higher degree than the Bronze Star Medal will not be used as the basis for an award under this paragraph.

(3) Upon letter application, award of the Bronze Star Medal may be made to eligible soldiers who participated in the Philippine Islands Campaign between 7 December 1941 to 10 May 1942. Performance of duty must have been on the island of Luzon or the Harbor Defenses in Corregidor and Bataan. Only soldiers who were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (Presidential Unit Citation) may be awarded this decoration. Letter application should be sent to the Commander, ARPERCEN, ATTN: DARP-VSE-A, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200.

Missing in Action

I thought I should post considering it's almost been a month. Still not a whole lot to post about. The girls started first grade. They are in different classes this year and are doing well. The first week was very difficult for them. The first day of school they broke my heart when they got in the car. They said, "We DO NOT like being in different classes and I never want to be in different classes again." Kelsey replied, "Yeah, I kept 'thanking' (thinking) Kaley needed me and I wanted her." Kaley said, "And at lunch I wanted my sister so bad." They still say they miss one another, but I think it's really good for them to be apart.

The pregnancy is going well. I can't believe I am almost 31 weeks. Where does time go? I am getting so nervous because the girls were born at 33 weeks. I hope this one stays put for a little longer. I am still down 25 lbs pre-pregnancy weight and haven't gained a single pound of it back. I guess pregnancy is my weight loss solution. I'm sure my day is coming though and I will blow up like a balloon. The heartburn is kicking in and the braxton hicks a little more often. But for the most part, I feel great!! We are getting SO EXCITED about seeing Shane. He is comming home mid-Oct for his 2 week R&R. If this baby does hang in there, I am going to try and schedule a c-section around Oct. 20. I was hoping for a V-Bac but considering circumstances, I'm not so sure that will happen.

Here are a few random pictures.

1) The girls waiting their turn on the "surfing" ride at the Simpsonville waterpark.
2) First day of first grade
3) My sweet niece, Rachel
4) The girls helping hold our amazing cousin, Jasmine at her 7th birthday party. The girls love her to death. This child melts my heart just to be in the same room with her. She is 7 years old and has NEVER been able to drink, eat, swallow, sit, stand, roll over, etc., and has been through numerous MAJOR surgeries, but the smile this child has will brighten anyones day! I also admire her parents, Susan and David, whom fostered this child from birth and was able to adopt her a few years ago.

 

 

 

 

26 weeks 4 days

Kinsley with her foot over her head. (This was last week)

 

Wow...where does time go? I can not believe I'm almost 27 weeks pregnant. Things are going well. I had an ultrasound last week to make sure Kinsley was growing okay because I have not gained any weight. (as of July 22). I still weigh 25 lbs less than when I got pregnant. This week, I feel like my belly has grown a mile though. Anyway, she is a little small, but nothing to be concerned about. I am feeling great for the most part. I haven't thrown up in almost 2 weeks (WHOO HOOO) and I haven't taken phenegren is about a week and a half. Sleeping is getting a little less uncomfortable because I am a belly sleeper, and with the growing belly, it's getting more difficult to sleep on my belly. I still wake up that way though. On top of that, my 6 year olds do not think they can sleep in their beds all night, so I usually have wild sleepers sleeping next to me that manage to push me to the very edge of the bed. So...I guess that's about all for now. I go back on Aug. 11 for my 28 weeks apt. and glucose test. 28 weeks is when all my more serious problems started occuring with the twins (pre-term labor and pre-eclampsia) so I'm praying this time, this won't be an issue.

Shane is doing well. He is able to get on facebook now, so if anyone wants to send him a message, I'm sure he would enjoy it!!

Happy Birthday, Daddy

Today would have been my Dad's 53rd birthday. The girls wanted to have him a "party". So, we got a cake, put some candles on it, and we sang Happy Birthday to Papa. They blew the candles out. They said, "Papa, I hope you're having a great birthday in Heaven." I went and sat in his swing for the second time since he passed away almost 9 months ago. Right as I did, it started raining. Later tonight, my Mom said she wanted to tell me something. My cousin, Kinsy, her son and husband were some of the very few people that saw Daddy in his casket. None of us even saw him, but her 8 year old son, begged to see him and wanted to put a card he had made for him in his casket, so she took him to the mortuary. Anyway, she called tonight after it rained and told Mom that that day, she talked to Daddy and told him if he could hear her to make sure it rained on his birthday. She hasn't mentioned anything of it until today. And it rained.

Daddy, we love you and we miss you so much!!! We know you are with us and you will never be forgotten!!!

My 6 year old Fish

Kelsey flipping off the diving board

The girls and pregnancy update

All 3 of us had doctor's appointment yesterday. My appointment was great, BP was pretty good, baby's heartbeat strong, and I have not gained a single pound from my first doctor's appt. I still weigh about 20 lbs less than pre-pregnancy weight. Of course, I still throw up everyday, but it doesn't last all day like before. My energy is finally starting to return. WHOO HOOO! As of now, unless I change my mind, her name will be Kensley Madison, or Kinsley, or Kensleigh. I am not sure of the spelling yet either.

The girls are healing well. It has been a VERY HARD two weeks, but they are finally better, with the exception of their speech. The doctor said to give them another month and if it doesn't improve, he will look into options such as speech therapy. I can already see a HUGE difference in how they sleep and breathe. I will post pictures later, but for several years now, Kaley has stuck her tongue out everytime she was playing, swimming, or any type of activity. I always thought it was habit, but guess what, she doesn't do it anymore. The poor child couldn't breathe.

Other than that, not much has been going on. Hope you are all having a wonderful summer!

Update on Kelsey & Kaley

Please say a little prayer for my babies. Yesterday was terrible. I could not get them to eat of drink ANYTHING, with the exception of a tiny drink here and there and one lick of a Popsicle every now and then, only to have them say, "I can't Mommy." They were so lethargic and pitiful yesterday. I have NEVER seen my girls like this, even when Kelsey was in the hospital with what they thought was meningitis. I am praying today is better. If not, I will be calling the doctor I guess. I have always heard Day 3 was the worst, so we'll see. Monday, they did great all day. I think it was the Morphine they gave them during surgery because they were bouncing off the walls. Tuesday, they still drank and ate but felt worse and were very clingy and not wanting me out of their sight, and Wed. was just terrible.

PLEASE SAY A LITTLE PRAYER THEY WILL DRINK TODAY SO THEY WON'T HAVE TO GO IN THE HOSPITAL! THANKS!

Surgery in the morning

Please say a little prayer for me, Kelsey,and Kaley. They will be having their tonsils and adenoids taken out in the morning. I know this is not major and tons of kids go through it, but I am so scared for them. It breaks my heart to know the pain they will be feeling. Please pray the surgery goes well and they have a quick recovery.

IT"S A.....

 

 

GIRL!!!!!!!

Cold Chills

I have cold chills after the comment Kelsey just said to my Mom. We were both in their room tucking them in. Every night one of the girls goes in gets in the bed with my Mom during the night, but last night Kelsey came and got in the bed with me. Kaley was still in her bed this morning. Anyway, Mom asked her why she got in my bed and she said, "Well, I came to get in your bed but Papa was in the bed and I didn't think you wanted me to, so I went and got in the bed with Mama." She was serious as she could be and said nothing else about it. My Mom and I both looked at one another, in shock I guess. Last Saturday morning, Kaley was sitting in the bed with my Mom and she said, "Papa is sitting here and he is giving me a hug." One other recent incident by the girls was, 2 Sundays ago at church we were walking in to church thru the back door. The girls both at the same time yelled, "Hey Papa" and started smiling and waving. I thought they were talking to my Papa, but he was no where in sight. They were looking at Daddy's grave when they did that, and then proceeded into church.

Fun in the sun

 

 

A Rare Moment

 

K-5 End of Year Celebration

 

 

 

 

Pregnancy Update

I went to the doctor this morning and everything looked good. I had to do a 24 hour urine analysis & blood work a couple weeks ago and the results came back good. I had a brief ultrasound and the baby looked great:) The twin and it's sac was still there but had gotten much smaller. She thinks the baby is a girl but wasn't 100%. She saw nothing "sticking out" as she said. I go back on June 3 for the anatomy scan.

Other news is....1) my girls are having their Kindergarten end of year ceremony today and 2) my new camera is suppose to arrive today. I'm so excited!

Now a couple of prayer request!

1) A family friend, Preston Wood, tragically lost his Dad this past Sunday. He shot and killed himself. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.

2) A member of our church family, Angie Tesner, had a massive stroke a week ago. She is only 37 and her daughter is graduating high school this year. The last update I had is she was on a ventilator and feeding tube and her brain was swollen. They were going to do surgery to relieve the pressure, but decided against it. As of Sunday, she was stable. PLEASE keep this family in your daily thoughts and prayers as well!!

Ready for Field Day