My name is Sheila and I am 45 years old. I married my High school sweetheart at the tender age of 17. We had our first son 9 months later. 14 months after that son number two was born. 22 months later we had our little girl. So there I was, 22 years old, with three wonderful children and the love of my life.I loved being a Mom and I enjoyed it more than I ever thought possible. I would hold them and watch them sleep never wanting to put them down. Clint and I were very young and I'm sure some thought we were crazy, but I wouldn't trade it!As my children grew and we bought our land and built our home I began to miss having a little one. My babies weren't babies anymore. I decided it would be fun to have little ones around and approached my husband, then the kiddos about becoming a foster family. I thought it sounded like a great idea and it would be wonderful for the kids to be involved in helping those that needed us. Everyone agreed, I made some phone calls, and we began our journey.....We went to foster parent training and did our paper work, back ground checks, home visits and then we waited. I was a little surprised that we didn't get a child immediately. Then it happened on March 18, 1998 while I was shopping with my friend Chris I received the phone call that would change my life forever. The social worker wanted to know if we would take a little boy who was 18 months old and his 3 month old baby sister. I was so excited I couldn't wait to get home.Richard and Katy came into our lives that very evening. They were beautiful but they didn't smell so pretty! My daughter Ashley and I gave them baths and fed them. Ashley read Richard a story while I rocked Katy. They stayed with us for 15 months and then the dreaded phone call came. Richard and Katy were going home. I know I am supposed to be happy and that the goal from the very beginning was reunification. I had watched the parents with Richard and Katy and I truly felt in my heart that they were not ready for the responsibility. Katy was so frail when she came to us she was failing to thrive, she spit up all the time, had frequent diarrhea and many ear infections. She was just beginning to blossom. I feared for her safety. There was nothing I could do but pray to God to watch over these children and keep them safe. I was not prepared for how difficult it would be to let go. I loved these children and I didn't know if I would ever see them again. With a broken heart and tears streaming down my face I stood next to Clint as we said our goodbyes. I will never forget the looks on their faces. I felt as if they were asking me why they had to go away.Three weeks had passed since our sweet little babies had gone away. My heart ached and I thought of them constantly. The second week in July I received a phone call from D.H.S asking me if I minded speaking with Katy's doctor. The worker informed me that Katy had been found unconscious in her crib and rushed to the hospital. She had suffered a metabolic crises and because of a lack of oxygen she had brain damage. When she awoke from the coma she was unable to speak, sit up, stand or walk. The doctors needed to speak to someone that knew when Katy had attained each milestone such as walking and how well she talked. They had nothing to compare her current condition with. I asked if we could come to the hospital and be with her. When we saw her tiny little body in that big hospital bed with all the tubes coming out of her I couldn't believe it was the same child. I stayed with her night and day. I took her to the play room and coaxed her into taking tiny little steps with help. I got her to take small bites of food. I bathed her and brushed her tangled hair.The doctors explained that Katy had a rare metabolic disorder called Medium Chain acyl CoA Dehydrogenase. Medium chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, or 'MCAD,' is a disorder in which your body is unable to breakdown fats to make energy. Normally, fat is broken down into energy by "enzymes." This energy keeps your body running whenever it runs out of its main source of energy, a sugar called 'glucose.' In MCAD, a very important enzyme for breaking down fat, the medium chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase enzyme (MCAD) is missing or does not work correctly. This means that people with MCAD can't break down fat for energy when they run out of glucose. When people with MCAD fast, they can experience a range of serious life threatening symptoms or even death. Persons with MCAD cannot use this fat to make energy, consequently, the body begins to fail and malfunction once the food the person has eaten runs out. The main treatment is to avoid going without food for very long periods. Children should eat high carbohydrate meals like sugar-containing drinks, cereals, and pastas when they are ill. Children with MCAD should follow a low fat diet. If not detected and treated appropriately, MCAD can result in death. Untreated MCAD can lead to mental retardation and death.Katy was released from the hospital into our care. Richard went to another foster home due to all the therapies and constant care Katy needed at this time. Richard never made it back to us. He was adopted by a family that fell in love with him while we helped Katy with her long journey back. We spent everyday working with Katy encouraging her to walk and talk.On April 27, 2001 when she was 3 1/2 years old Kaitlin Elizabeth Kimble became our daughter. She was officially ours. When the Judge announced her new name and put her in my arms I felt the same joy I felt when my biological children were born. The same feelings overwhelmed me and I knew that God had brought us to Katy and that she was supposed to be with us and never have to say good bye again.Now it is December 2, 2007 and Katy will be 10 years old on the 24th. She is in the third grade. She is truly a gift from God. She brings us so much joy. I will admit though that it isn't always easy. Katy has developmental delays and ADHD do to the metobolic crises. She goes to speech, occupational and physical therapy twice a week. She has a Para professional that helps her because Katy has not learned to read. She needs constant supervision as she does not think things through. She is very revved up and is on medication to help her sleep. I was very much against giving her any medication in the beginning but after being up until 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning trying to get her to sleep and regularly being late for school, I soon realized that this was a good choice for Katy. It slows her down enough to be able to go to sleep and she is able to wake up in the morning feeling rested and ready to go to school.Katy has three older siblings Chris her oldest brother is 27. Randy her brother is 26 and her sister Ashley is 24. She has a niece Brooklynn who is 6 and a nephew Hayden that is 3. She has another nephew Peyton that is 3 1/2. Join me as you peek into my life and all that it entails as a Mom to three grown children and Katy a 10 year old who keeps me on my toes. I'm Nana to three beautiful grandchildren and wife to the love of my life. The journey continues......
Clint put down the ground cover and the pebbles today. The pile of pebbles doesn't look all that big but it is 12 tons! The truck is huge but you can see how tall the pile is when you look at the man standing behind it. I think the next project will be the fence. It is really coming together. I can not wait to see the finished project. Poppa would be happy! I included a picture of Clint and his Mom. (Poppa's wife) better known as Memaw.
Today is my sons birthday. Happy 26th Birthday Randy! It is hard to believe
that you are all grown up with two beautiful children of your own. Enjoy every second with them because soon they will be all grown up too. I hope you have a wonderful day! We Love you! Here is a picture of his wonderful family.
Peyton came home with me Saturday after the garage sale. We had a very busy weekend and sold a lot of goodies. I feels good to have it all behind me. It was a lot of work! I made a litttle over a $1000 to put toward my living room fund. We have been saving toward new flooring and living room furniture. Ashley made $300 which was her goal. They just spent $300 on the air conditioner in their car. Not only did we make some extra cash but we did some major cleaning out of closets and toy boxes and other nooks and crannies! Peyton really wanted to come home with me and I can never tell him no. He has me wrapped around his little finger! One look at those baby blues and he pretty much has anything his little heart desires! We have enjoyed him so much. One day Hayden came over to play too. They love being with each other.
I heard the boys (Peyton and Hayden) telling Katy they wanted to go swimming. In a few minutes they came running into the kitchen and said "Nana we want to go swimming" I turned to look at them and this is what I saw!!!! They were wearing Katy's swimmming suit bottoms and she had tied them up with pony tail holders. The boys didn't mind at all! They were just happy to be going swimming.
Brooklynn and Hayden spent the night with us. Don't they look sweet when they are asleep? Oops I see some eyes staring back at me. He looks sweet even when he's awake!
We took Peyton to get a haircut today! We have a barber in town that cut Clint's hair and Chris and Randy's hair(our Sons) and now he is cutting our grandsons. Peyton looked so cute sitting in the barber chair. It brought back memories of Chris and Randy sitting in the same chair getting their flat tops for the summer.
Ashley and Chris took us out to eat at Toby Keith's at Bricktown for Fathers Day and Clint's birthday. It was very nice. After we ate we went to Bass Pro Shop and then to the Mall. Peyton came home with us. We have enjoyed having him here. We picked Hayden up today and they have had so much fun palying together! Thanks Ashley and Chris we had a great time!
My daughter Ashley and my daughter in law Ashley and I went to garages sales Saturday. We had a lot of fun and we all found some bargains. My favorite buy of the day was this Osterizer blender. Works perfect and only $2.00. Then we headed to Homeland to get in on the specials they were having during their 3 day sale. It is sad that the sale prices now are higher than the regular prices were a few months ago! We picked our first squash today. It was so good!! I love fresh veggies!
When I was a girl I would tell my Mom that I was going to be the best Grandma in the world. I told her I would wear glasses and an apron and I would bake cookies and cakes for my grandchildren. I knew I wanted to be a grandma but I had no idea how wonderful it would be! I can’t begin to describe the pleasure that Brooklynn, Hayden and Peyton bring to our lives. Hearing Peyton say his prayers and thanking Jesus for his Nana’s and Poppa’s touches my heart in a way that the best planned sermon couldn't. Brooklynn's clear sweet voice fills my heart with joy when she sings to me as only she can. Listening to Hayden tell me about his Daddy and watching him follow every step his Daddy takes reminds me how quickly they grow up and how precious each moment is. I am so thankful that God has allowed me the opportunity to be a Nana. I might not be the apron wearing, cookie baking Grandma I thought I would be as a little girl and I am sure I'm not the best grandma in the world either, but I think I have the best grandchildren in the world!
My daughter in law graduated from nursing school! We are so proud of her!
The pinning was very nice and there was a lovely reception afterwards. She will be working at a near by hospital starting tomorrow. Here are some pictures of Ashley and Randy and their two children Brooklynn and Hayden, Clint and Ashley, Randy and Ashley and Katy Ashley and Brooklynn. Way to go Ashley we are very proud of you!
