Good morning daddy

Blessings

Today was such a blessing and good food for my soul. I saw my mom and she was smiling and in SUCH good spirits. She told me her story about the accident and her testimony is amazing! I thought about posting it but it is not my story to tell. I will wait and let my mother tell you her story. She is an amazing woman and I am honored to be her daughter. Thank you all for your prayers. I felt them today in a real way.

My mom is able to move to a regular room today, they are just waiting for one to become available. They are going to remove the chest tube as soon as possible. When they went to put the second chest tube in they did a confirmation x ray and all the fluid build up was gone! Praise the Lord! She did not have to have the second chest tube. The doctors now have her meds under control and managing her pain as best they can. I was talking to my mom today about when she moves to Baylor and when she gets to go home. She said and I quote, "Losing my legs is a real bummer, but I will glorify God with this. And I can not wait to go home. I understand that going home depends on how hard I work. No pain, No gain." I dont know if I would be so optimistic if I were in my mothers shoes but praise the Lord for His strength in her.

Please continue your prayers. Please pray that my mom would have a strength and peace that is not her own. Please pray that the Lord will calm her fears. That at night she would feel safe and gaurded. That she will be blessed with restful sleep. That her good spirits would continue and as she begins to more fully grieve that the Lord will guide her. That she will not have an infection, pneumonia or blood clots. And that she can be moved to Baylor soon to start the rehabilitation process. Please pray that as my family begins to look ahead to bringing my mom home that the Lord will guide our decisions and make VERY clear His will for our family and my mom's care.

Bless each of you. I pray that the Lord will return blessings to you ten fold.

Cib Update:
My precious son lights up my life even in moments of darkness. He is beginning to smile, laugh and coo. He is taking the formula like a champ and sleeping through the night now. (although we cant seem to shake the 2 a.m. poopy diaper -- like clock work his bowels are)

Cib says go horns!

A good night

Last night was a MUCH better night. We have some how gotten some one to stay in the ICU with my mom 24/7 now. I think this is a result of sheer determination on my aunt and grandmother's part, and a blessing from above! I am afraid getting out of ICU might be a while. Please continue prayers for acurate medications and little side effects. Please pray for my family as we rotate spending the night at the hospital with little sleep and high emotions.
Yesterday, while she was not mentally present most of the day, my mom had about a 15 minute period right before I left the hospital where she was with me. It made a hard day seem much better. She told me she loves me and we prayed together. When I asked her how I could pray for her she asked for two things. 1) That the Lord make this monumental task ahead of her seem possible in her own mind. 2) That she be an amazing friend to her children. (I cant believe that even NOW she is still the selfless woman I grew up admiring)
This morning was the benefit breakfast here in Eustace. It was a great success! Over 250 people came to show their support for my mom. Here are some pictures of the breakfast and precious Cib there showing his support for Nana. Everyone serving breakfast is wearing yellow: my mom's favorite color.

No visitors

Due to her conditions noyted only last post it is best for now that
she have no visitors. Thank you for understanding. We will let
everyone know when she can have visitors again.

Update Thursday

My mother is not doing well. She will not be out of icu for several
more days. She needs a second chest tube on the left side ( her other
tube is onthe right) she has had a phsycotic reaction to her pain meds.
Please pray for her mind. She is saying and doing things that are not
her.

Update Wednesday

I have made it out to Eustace with two babies, one granny nanny, one husband, one bestest friend and a crap load of baby equipment. It feels good to know I am even 30 minutes closer to my mom.

I just got back from the hospital. Great news: It looks like a second back surgery to remove bone fragments will not be necessary. Praise the Lord! My mom started more intensive physical therapy today and is very tired. She is still having a mix of emotions but is trying to stay positive. The doctor has removed the pump on the chest tube but not the chest tube itself. They hope to move my mom from ICU this coming Friday and into a room at East Texas Medical. The doctors say they hope to move her to Baylor Dallas next Friday, Sept. 26th

Continued prayers for healing, strength and peace. My mom is very anxious to be out of ICU and have my dad with her over night as these are the 'worrying hours' for her.

Thank you again for your prayers. This has been an incredibly humbling experience so far to need so much help but also to have more help offered than you thought possible. Thank you all for making us feel SO loved and cared for. Bless you!

Update Tuesday on Nana and Cib

Today my mom start very light physical therapy. They are saying she will be moved to a private room in Tyler tonight or tomorrow. This will give her a few days to rest before we move her to Baylor Dallas. She is much more alert and awake now. The nights seem to be the hardest as she isnt sleeping well and having too much alone time to think. Once she is in a private room we can stay with her over night and this will make a huge difference. She is sleeping well now and this afternoon she will sit up in a chair for the first time. The doctors hope to remove the chest tube in the next few days. Praise the Lord for the progress she is making! She is already beating all odds and doctors expectations! I want to especially thank those who have driven so far to just give us a hug and offer support. It means so much to my family and my mom. She is already overwhelmed by the visitors, prayers and support.

Today I am staying in Dallas as Cib had his 2 month check up and shots today. Ugh...it was hard for me to watch but Cib did SO well! I am so proud of him. He cried for a couple minutes and then went to sleep. He is playing with Granny Nanny right now and offering those beautiful smiles up! He currently weighs 14 pounds and 11 ounces and is 26 inches long. Both of these put him in the 95% for weight and height....my baby chunks! The doctor has encouraged me that since Cib is doing so well we can introduce formula for one feeding a day to help me get more milk in the freezer. Thank you for your prayers for my efforts to juggle breast feeding and being at the hospital, please continue those prayers...they are working!

Austin, Cib, Natasha, Saige and I will be heading out to my parents house tomorrow (Wed) where we will be closer to the hospital by 30 minutes and that extra hour a day will help. Austin will be out there until next Monday working remotely and I will be out there with Cib until my mom is moved to Baylor. My parents home number is 903-425-2002 I will have access to my email via Iphone and my cell is always on.

Keep up the prayers my prayer warriors! They are working!

Part two Hope Fund

Mail donations to :
Franklin bank
Attn: Darrell Thompson
2507 university blvd
Tyler, tx 75701

Make donation payable to;
Renee Templeton Hope fund

The Renee Templeton Hope Fund

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers. So many of you
have asked how you can help my family, to that end I have opened the
Hope Fund. This fund will make sure that no stone goes unturned, no
treatment out of reach. Please pass this information to those who
might would like to help.

This Saturday, sept 20th there will be a benefit breakfast in honor of
my extrodinary mom. Eustace baptist church in eustace tx from 7 am to
9 am. For more information email me at amber@fatheree.info

God bless each of you for your prayers!

My mom is very awake today and saying to God be the glory! Because He
lives, she too knows life.

Update Monday sept 15

After the surgery yesterday the doctor told us he had visual
confirmation of the spinal cord sever. He also told us my mom is not
out of the woods. The "immediate threat to her life" will last for
another 7 to 10 days. After that she will be moved to Baylor Dallas
for rehab. Due to her age, she could me ready to go home as soon as 30
days.

Last night was a very very hard one for my mom. Her pain management
was very hard. She is now awake enough to know what has happened and
really understand for the first time. She has been refusing medication
because she says she doesn't want to miss any of our visits or lose
any more time. We are working with the doctor to male sure she can't
refuse meds any more.

Please pray for easy rest for my mom. That the lord will bless her an
extrodinary will to survive and heal. That she would have an unearthly
strength and energy when rehab starts. That for now she will know a
peace that passes all understanding. That today as I begin to cut
through a mountain of red tape and paper work with insurance, social
security, etc that the lord will bless my efforts and give me favor
with those I speak to.

This may seem very cheesy but I feel the lord has given me a song of
comfort. It is called held. I'd says," this is what it means to be
held. This is how it feels to have the sacred torn from your life and
you survive.
This is what it is to be loved and to know that the promise is that
when every thing fell, we would be held."

Thank Jesus for the miracle of my mothers life and for holding her in
the palm of your hand. Praise you soverign king!

Benefit Breakfast

There will be a benefit breakfast this Saturday at the First Baptist
Church of Eustace from 7am to 9am. A five dollar per plate donation
will be accepted as well as any other donations anyone would like to
contribute.

For those who can't make it we will be opening a disaster relief fund
for the Templeton family on Monday. We will post details here on Monday.

Thank you for all of your prayers,
Austin

She's out

We don't know much but that she did great and they are closing now.
The doctor will call with more soon.

No news is good news?

We haven't had an update but are assured all is fine. My family is in
much better spirits today. Thank you for your prayers of peace, they
are felt here.

She just went back for surgery

Update

We are waiting for my mom to go back for surgery. She had a hard night
with pain and anxiety. Please pray for her peace this morning. Please
pray for a smooth surgery, it will last about two or three hours.

Update

My mom will undergo surgery tomorrow morning, Sunday at 8 a.m. at East Texas Medical, Tyler TX I will be updating the blog via Iphone. Please continue the prayers my sweet friends. They mean more to my family than I can say.

Update

All,

Thank you for your continued prayers and concern. My mom slept comfortably through the night. THe doctors are giving her a medicine similar to twlight sleep which is wonderful for keeping her out of pain but not helping her mental state. Every time she comes to she has to be told all over again about her condition. She thinks she has just arrived at the hospital each time she wakes up. Once she is told, she is either very positive or begins to cry. She is very worried about being a burden to her family and being 'put in a home'-- which will obviously never happen.

After consulting with a doctor in LA, Houston and her dr in Tyler they have decided that she has a T12 fracture and a complete sever of her spinal cord. This means, as of now, there is no surgery to restore function. She will have two surgeries. One tomorrow to stabalize the spine and another in the immediate days following to remove bone fragments and 'clean up' nerve endings. Please pray for the surgeon, Dr. Renfro, that will be performing these surgeries. Please pray for success in the stabilzation. Please pray for good pain management and mental state for my mom.

Please continue to pray for my family. We are all still in major shock, this is not real to us yes in it's intirety. We cant help but think ahead and that is more than we can wrap our minds around.

My mom will be moved from East Texas Medical in Tyler in about a week to Baylor Dallas where we have researched that she will recieve top care.

We all have a very long road ahead, please pray for all of us. Prayers we dont even know we need. Just a blanket of God's grace, peace and understanding of His pefect will for our lives.

So many of you have asked what you can do in the way of bringing meals or sending flowers to brighten my moms room. I would ask that you please hold off as a fund is being set up in my mother's name. This would be the best way to help her and our family. Thank you again for your thoughtfulness and care.

My Mother: Update

I beseech your prayers. My precious mother suffered a severe back break today while helping my father clear trees from their land. We have been told that this damage will leave her permanently paralyzed from the waste down. In addition her lung is collapsed and some of her ribs are broken. The doctors have said her life is not in danger at this time. PLEASE pray for my mother. Please pray for healing, a miracle of a healing. Please pray for my family. We are all sick with unspeakable grief and yet rejoicing that the Lord did not see fit to take her life. Please send this to anyone who would lift her up in prayer. I know the Lord can heal her. Please pray for that.

My mother is extraordinary. I saw her very briefly twice and although she was very medicated, the first thing she said to me was Please pray that the Lord will show me how to use this for His glory. Please also pray this prayer for her.

My mom spoke of severe burning and pain from her ribs, lung and (the doctors say) nerve ending in her upper back. Please pray that the Lord will take this pain from her. I know her body is in shock and the pain will only grow in the upper part of her body. Please pray she recieves just the right medication to keep her as pain free as possible.

My mom does know her situation. She is very out of it though so we fear she might not remember from day to day. Please pray the Lord will help her absorb and handle this information. Please pray that He will cover her with His feathers (from the psalms) and that she will rest in the Shadow of His wings.

As of now, Austin and I have come home to care for Cib over night and weather the storm in a safe place. We can only see my mom five times a day for 15 minutes. The storm is headed for Tyler and we all decided to get home and be safe. My mom is scheduled to have surgery on Sunday to stabilize her spine to prevent further damage. We are speaking with many doctors to insure that this procedure is done by the best doctors at the best hospital. Please pray the doctors will see her scans clearly and make just the right decisions for a hopeful recovery. That she will be seen by the best of the best. And that the weather will not complicate or limit her options for care.

All of our minds at this point can not wrap themselves around this situation. I honestly feel incredibly numb as I make calls to family, as if I am talking about someone Else's mother. It cant be mine, I just saw her yesterday night and she was fine. Please pray that we can find peace, rest and understanding.

Please also pray that despite the stress of this situation that I might be able to find some rest, be able to eat so that I can continue to breast feed Cib. I want what is very best for him and I pray the Lord will bless my efforts to give that to Cib.

I will keep everyone posted. Thank you for your prayers.

East Texas Medical Center
Tyler, TX

Cib in more of his big boy clothes

Thanks aunt claire for making bath time cute!

Get your kleenex ready!

http://www.meenajeanesphotography.com/cibbers



We finally had our family photos done and WOW! I cant say enough about the slide show above done by Meena Jean Photography! For our Dallas friends, this is a steal! $50 for her to come and shoot these photos in our home and prints are even more reasonable. The slide show she did in the link above was included! Enjoy this show...I know I cried through the whole thing!

Mr. Bits has lunch

Sleeping like a big boy!

Well, I am not sure it will be consistent or that it will stick...but Cibbers slept through the night last night! We did have to use the paci and swing to get him there but OMG! Austin woke me up at 5 a.m. and said should you wake him up and feed him? To which I gave a gasp of horror and said Let the boy sleep! Cib slept from 10 p.m. to 5:45 a.m. with a few but mild interruptions. Praise the Lord, a full night's sleep for mommy and daddy is on the horizon!

Nana and Poppa came for a visit

The eyes of Texas are upon you

I am learning to hold my head up and wearing my 6 months clothes !

Play time with daddy

Sittin pretty

Looking at the ceiling fan in my bumbo

Happy labor day

Captain Jim sings Cib a Song

Cib smiles!

Here are a few smiles for all our favorites out there!

Mommy is out and about

Cib makes some new friends.

Happy 37th birthday Granny Nanny

Cib is still learning his numbers. We figured we'd just let him go with
it.

All the best on your big day!

With all our love,
Austin, Amber, and Cib

Nicholas and Cib - Trouble in the making

Silly new house shoes

Bath time with nana

Fun!

Silly faces for uncle luke

Who is that handsome devil?

Cib discovers himself and likes what he sees :)

Dinner with daddy

Cib is very popular. More visitors today.

Ready for church

Granny Nannie and Captain Jim

Cib hangs with aunt Lindsey and uncle Luke

The fam is here.

Harry says, "u guys take a break. I will listen for cib"

Listening to frank Sinatra during play time

Sleeping in

Sleeping on the job

Just for daddy

We love u

Hello to all my fans out there

Mr. Bits or Mr. Butterball?!

Well after a quick trip to the Pediatrician this afternoon to check out a little baby acne (which I am told is 'no biggie') We had a little weigh in....drum roll...Mr. Bits now weighs 11 pounds and 4 ounces! The doctor assures me I am not over feeding him and that I am a typical first time mom worry wart. :) Keep up the good work Mr. Butterball! Um, I mean Mr. Bits.

Getting ready for morning nap time

Ode to mr. Poopy pants, our elephant friend

Mr. Poopy pants elephant is our most treasured toy. He is always there
when we have poopy pants to sing us a song and help us make it through
a diaper change. Thank u Mallinson's for our dear friend Mr. Poopy
Pants the elephant.

Got milk?

Sleeping thru church

Hello beautiful

Mommys second martini, after all it is happy hour some where. Three
reasons I love my husband today: 1 he took the middle of the night
feeding last night 2 he let me work out this morning 3 he just made me
a cocktail

Milk! Get in my belly!

Hugs for nana

Granny Nanny loves baby Cib