A new September

Just two short years ago, Kensley and I were living in Omaha, NE. I was desparately looking for hope. Hope that Kensley could live. I never dared to hope that things would become more normal. And yet here we are. Things are not perfect. Kensley is growing very, very very slowly, but she does seem to be growing. Her stools are very liquid most of the time, but here is the great part...Kensley is starting to potty train, and she is doing great. Most of the time she poops in the potty. This is amazing. Our house doesn't smell horrible. The carpet is not being constantly stained with leaking diapers, and our clothes are not destroyed. We actually get to do many normal things. Kensley is an active, VERY ACTIVE, two year old that is doing everything a two year old should. Playing, eating, potty training, and enjoying life. Praise be to God.

2 years 2 months and 8 days , July 6, 2010

OUR TRIP TO OMAHA, NE

2010

Picking Flowers in Kansas

Kensley's First Swim EVER!

Kids with Dad at the Park in Omaha

Choo-Choo ride at the Omaha Zoo

Omaha Zoo

Buffalo in Oklahoma

Picnic in Oklahoma


I can not tell everyone who prays for us and thinks of us and helps us, thank you enough. The past two years have not been easy, but they have been worth it. Kensley is doing great! We just got back from our annual appointment in Omaha, NE. It was great and we got a great report. No, she is not CURED, but healed. She will always have SBS (Short Bowel Syndrome), meaning that she will have more stools and be more sensitive to certain foods. There will be times of vomiting, bloating, and always diarrhea, but it looks like there will NOT be surgeries, or transplants, or central lines. Wow! I can not tell you how this makes me feel. God is good. In his providence he delivered our child, the child who was not supposed to live, or eat on her own, or grow or anything. Now she laughs and plays and runs and loves and EATS.

There are always people who ask me what I learned through all this or how my faith has grown or my life has changed. These questions are almost too complicated to answer. There are many fine points that have changed and many lessons learned and my faith has definitely evolved, but not because of Kensley's condition. These changes came because of love. The love of Jesus, the love of family, the love of friends. In spite of all the poopy diapers, and the late hours, and the days in the hospital, and the time away from my family, and the illnesses, the surgeries, the central lines, the tube feeds, the medical needs, etc, etc., there was always love poured THROUGH our tired and weary souls. So much so, that our wells never ran dry even in the worst of times. Sometimes we were close to losing our minds, and faith, and strength, but somehow we held on to each other and made it through. I found out that my husband really is a knight in shining armour. I found out that my children are amazing and worth every heartache and headache. The reward of being their mother is enough. I found out that people really care. They pray and give and pray and give some more. I found out that I can survive the worst of nightmares and that even when I want to give up, God never gives up on me. So love ....longer than you have to, deeper than you want to, and more than you think you are capable of. God will never let your well run dry either. Hugs from Heaven, Tana

A ban-aid! 3/13/10

Kensley with her Central Line

Kensley without her Central Line

Yes! A ban-aid! That is all the dressing we have. Kensley's central line is OUT! This is BIG! This is HUGE! We had this line removed yesterday, March 12th. It has been in since March 3rd, 2009, over a year. It has really grown in and there was tissue surrounding the cuff that goes into the body, but now IT IS GONE, and only a little ban-aid covers the place where it was. WOW! Kensley went 6 weeks without any fluids and she did great, so out the line came. Now we will skip labs for this coming Monday (3-15th) and have them next Monday (3-22nd). That will tell us a lot. It is just amazing to be down by one tube. Before, we had the central line which was in her chest going into a vein so that she could get fluid hydration, and the feeding tube (G-tube) which provides her with formula that goes directly into her stomach. So, now we will work on the G-tube feeds and hopefully someday that will go away too. It may be years, but we will keep holding on. Kensley has been doing really well, but she is going through a period of not wanting to eat or drink as much, just not hungry or thirsty. So her weight gain was down last week . She still eats a great breakfast of eggs and bacon, but the other meals are hit or miss. She just isn't as hungry after being on the feeding tube all day. We will keep working on increasing oral feeds and decrease the tube feeds until one day we are off the tube entirely. Kensley will be 2years next month, so there is still time before we would go to kindergarten. Preschool may not be an option, but we can hope. It would be nice for Kensley to have someone her own age to play with. There will be more updates and pictures on LubbockGrapevine.com. Become a member and keep up with the Free family there.

A new year, A new hope 2/3/10

It is a new year and here are some new pictures. Kensley has come a long way since last Christmas. She and I had only been home from our stay in Omaha for 5 weeks. At that point my Mom-in-law and Mom had spent more time in my new house than I had. Wow! what a journey this has been. I can't say that it has been fun, but now I can see all the blessings, and all the things that I have a greater appreciation for. I have learned how essential forgiveness is, forgive yourself, forgive others, forget time and enjoy moments.

"> Yes, Kensley is in the dryer. She was helping me unload the clothes and as quick as a wink she crawled in herself. So, of course I grabbed the camera. The problem is that now every time I try to unload or load the dryer, Kensley wants to get in. Not the best idea.

We were fortunate to be able to take Kaydee and Cooper to the A&M vs. TU game on Thanksgiving. It was Cooper's first time in Kyle Field and as you can see, he was wide eyed the whole night. We had a great time with the kids and racked up some great memories.

We were dreaming of a White Christmas and we got it! There was about 8 to 10" on the ground and 4 foot drifts. Of course Kensley had to have labs drawn in the ER on Christmas Eve, but we all survived and enjoyed a simple and less hectic holiday.

The snow hung around for about a week, and Kensely and the kids played outside a lot.

Although our Christmas was filled with strep and double ear infections, the weeks that followed must have been followed by a growth spurt for Kensley. She ate and ate solid food as if she was normal. It was wonderful. Unfortunately it did not last and we are going through a slow eating period now. As I understand this is very normal for Short Gut kids.

We are currently trying soooooooo hard to get off of any kind of fluid therapy. We got down to giving her 100mls over 3 hours every night, then 100mls over 3 hours every other night, and now we are cold turkey. We have not had fluid for three nights, and we will find out next Monday (lab draws) if she handled the transition well. Please add this to your prayer list. We would love to be able to give Kensley a real bath, or to take her swimming this summer. It would be a dream come true.