A Little Rhyme

This little Wallace is ten



This little Wallace is seven



This little Wallace is two



This little Wallace is in heaven



And this little Wallace is due, due, due on November Twenty-Second.

Two Years

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I cannot believe that this day two years ago our beautiful little boy came into this world. All the emotions wrapped up in that day still rise to the surface. The calls for Dr. Malpass, his pediatric cardiologist, the NICU team, the extra medical staff running around, it all seems to come alive again when I look at Kaden. I thought surely God would heal him without medical intervention and I would close my eyes with my hand on his tiny gray chest and open them believing that his stats would be normal and he would be completely healed. God didn't see fit to heal Kaden. He instead chose Dr. Bradley and the medical team at MUSC to be His instrument of healing. How I praise God today and everyday for the loving care we received and for the Hand of God being on our lives through the last two years.

Today, my sweet boy, we celebrate not only your birthday, but God's plan for your life. Through the sorrow and joy, the mountain tops and the valleys, may God walk with you, always holding you in the palm of His mighty hand. I love you, Kaden John, through you God has blessed my life.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”- Luke 19:10

Speaking at USC School of Medicine

I had the opportunity to speak on behalf of Palmetto Hearts and to raise some awareness for Congenital Heart Defects. The questions and answers session was amazing and I was astounded at the amount of respect and care these future medical professionals had for our cause. At one point, my emotions got the better of me and a few tears were shed. God knew I needed a reminder of the passion He put in my heart. I alone cannot take credit for what happened today and the way that things went. This is only possible through God, who has not only given me the heart (no pun intended), but those that work with me in each and every capacity of Palmetto Hearts. The email below is from the President of the group I spoke to. I'm sharing this with you, not lift myself up, but to let each of those involved with Palmetto Hearts that this is the way YOU are viewed, whether you have a board position or participate in forum discussions or take a family to God in prayer. Each of you make a difference everyday that you choose to be a part of serving our heart community. I am thankful for each and every one of you and none of this would be possible without you.

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I just wanted to thank you again for coming today. I have gotten AWESOME feedback from everyone who attended! You were great and I think everyone was really inspired. Thank you for what you do! It is so encouraging to know there are people like you out in the world who see how to make the world a better place and actually do it. Thanks again!

Maggie Gray

For Kaden

A heart that beats
Scars that won’t heal
And the amazing day
When time stood still

I held him all night
And kissed his sweet face
Knowing all the while
Only God knew his fate

I prayed and I cried
Father, take this from him
Heal his heart
Let no knife touch his skin

Let me open my eyes
And everything be right
Father please heal him
Please do it tonight

But the path had been chosen
And our Lord new best
This path we must travel
This would be our test

Somberly they came
And took him away
To fix his heart
And his life to save

I handed him over
Into hands unknow
Father, deliver him
I begged at His throne

Time stopped with his heart
Then began again
When we heard the news
We’re done, he’s on the mend

I look at his chest
The scars are still there
The battle of a lifetime
My little one fared.

Thank you Lord for our child
For each precious day
For the mended heart inside him
And the life that you saved

The Porta-Potty

I took the munchkins for soccer evaulations today. There were several stations set up for various skills. I took my friend's two girls, so there I was with five kids in tow. Not to shabby, I can handle it. Then I saw it, the one thing no mom wants to see with a bunch of kids..... a porta-potty. Oh, the dreaded, "we haven't developed our facilities yet, porta-potty." I shuddered.

We managed to make it all the way through the evaluations. Avery and Kaeleigh did great, and I'm excited to see them all suited up for games!! Avery has a natural talent for soccer and Kaeleigh is so athletic and will do amazing. Em and Cam did really well too, especially Cam. She's so stinking cute and was nervous, but pulled through and did her best!

We headed out to the car to get home and the word was heard..."pee." Kaeleigh heard it first and told me, then Kaden looked at me and said, "pee-pee." There I was, the woods or the porta-potty. I chose the latter. I guess in a moment of panic, all the nicely dressed moms, folks from the church, I was possed to not have my 2 year old use a tree. So Kaden on my hip and the others instructed to get in the car, and with a diaper bag hung around my neck, we half walked, half jogged to the evil beast. I won't go into detail about the various positions I had to hold him in so we wouldn't touch anything, but we managed. And now, I can proudly proclaim, "I have braved the evil of all evils with a heart child and we both made it out alive!"

Diapers be Gone!

This morning, Kaden took it upon himself to take off his diaper and begin using his potty chair. He's had a few accidents, but overall has done really well! It's a little bittersweet. I'm excited for him to reach this next milestone, but then I know he's further from being a "baby." This has been a pleasant surprise. I thought surely this one was gonna give me a run for my money while training!

So it's off with the diapers and on with the "big guy pants"!!

Rainy Days

I'm torn on loving a rainy day. On one hand it means I get to spend time with my family and on the other hand it means I'm stuck in the house with three rambuncious children! Enter the Wii...

What a fabulous purchase we've made, minus the competitive arguments between KK and Ave. All of us have been up off the couch playing tennis or bowling and interacting with each other. It's brought Tim and I together as well. We have bowling dates, at home!! Ok, I realize how sad that sounds even as I'm re-reading what I just wrote. But come on, we don't have sitters or family close by to watch the children so we rarely have time to reconnect with each other. We put the kids down and have a little time bustin' each other's chops while playing. It's been fantastic. If you can get one, I suggest you do!

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This past week has been tough. Kaden ended up being hospitalized with RSV. He was admitted Tuesday because he was dehydrated. It took four nurses 11 tries to get his IV going. It ended up in his big toe. His little veins were just too dry to get a line going. He's covered in bruises from all the tries. He was released Wednesday around lunch time and he's been much better since then. Tim and I are watching him for fever. Apparantly secondary pneumonia is very common after RSV, so we aren't in the clear on that yet. Still have another week of keeping him at home and things should get back to normal.

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I was not able to make it to my appointment on Wednesday with the doctor. I'm going to reschedule it for as soon as possible. I feel a sense of peace about it. I know God is going to provide in His timing.

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Kaden is going for a speech evaulation soon. He was supposed to go Wednesday but with the RSV, I'm not going to risk infecting other kids. I will post how that goes when we get there!