The Passing of a Great Man

My grandfather (actually my step grandfather, but I never looked at him that way) Dr. Van A. Phillips passed away this morning around 2:30 a.m. Both of his daughters, my grandmother, and my mother were there with him. Please pray for all of our families as we mourn the loss of this great man. Dr. Phillips, or "doc" as we called him, was such a wonderful man and loved by many. He was so good to my grandmother. They actually went to high school together...both married other people...had long marriages...then both spouses died around the same time...a few years later they married. They actually married December 29, 1998 so yesterday was their 10th anniversary. They were great for each other as they were companions for one another. He was a great caregiver to my grandmother and I will always be thankful to him for this reason. Please pray a special prayer for my grandmother as this is the second husband she has lost. I can't imagine the pain she is feeling right now.

Much Love,
Bethany

Prayers Needed

I come to you all tonight asking for prayers for my grandfather. This morning he was not feeling well so my grandmother took him to the ER. They learned that he was having congestive heart failure. They were going to need to admit him and remove fluid from the heart but things looked okay. Then while still in the ER he coded...they got him back but things are not looking good. They have now learned that he has an infection in the blood...his kidneys are also not functioning. Please pray for his two daughters and my grandmother. This is my grandmother's second husband...they married ten years ago after both of their spouses passed away. Also please pray for my mother as she is having to be with my grandmother during this hard time. My grandmother has the beginning of Alzheimer's disease and things can get her confused very quickly. I was with them for awhile tonight but seeing him on the respirator brought back fresh memories of precious Mary Glenn so I decided to come home and have some time to myself (Shea is off hunting). So now Marley and I will try to get some rest and pray for God's will on my grandfather.

Much Love,
Bethany

Christmas In Heaven

A friend sent this poem to me in the mail during the holidays and I had planned on sharing it with you guys on Christmas Day but we were on a schedule and pooped by the end of the night and I forgot to do so. Shea and I had a great Christmas considering everything that we have been going through these past few months. We had some moments of sadness...moments of crying VERY hard, and LOTS of moments with laughter. We were surrounded by friends and family which always brings joy to my heart.

Christmas In Heaven

I see the countless CHRISTMAS TREES around the world below
with tiny lights like HEAVEN'S STARS reflecting on the snow.

The sight is so SPECTACULAR please wipe away that tear
for I am spending CHRISTMAS WITH JESUS CHRIST this year.

I hear the many CHRISTMAS SONGS that people hold so dear
but the SOUND OF MUSIC can't compare with the CHRISTMAS CHOIR up here.

I have no words to tell you of the JOY their voices bring
for it is beyond description to HEAR THE ANGELS SING.

I know HOW MUCH YOU MISS ME, I see the pain inside your heart
for I am spending CHRISTMAS WITH JESUS CHRIST this year.

I can't tell you of the SPLENDOR or the PEACE here in this place
Can you just imagine CHRISTMAS WITH OUR SAVIOR face to face

I'll ask him to LIFT YOUR SPIRIT as I tell him of your love
so then PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER as you lift your eyes above.

Please let your HEARTS BE JOYFUL and let your SPIRIT SING
for I am spending CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN and I'm walking WITH THE KING.

I will be posting pictures from Nashville and Christmas soon, but now I must get started balancing our checkbook...paying bills...and writing thank you notes!

Love,
Bethany

I'M BACK!!!

First I must apologize for not posting any blogs lately. I didn't realize how long it had been. We have been very busy and honestly I have been enjoying taking a break from the blog world...but I'M BACK!

Shea and I had a GREAT Thanksgiving. We spent the day at my Aunt Julie's house in Carnes, MS...this is a family tradition that we have been doing as long as I can remember. My Aunt Julie is such a wonderful person and a true friend in Christ. Her faith is amazing and I love spending time with her. The night was spent with Shea's family. Shea broke out the guitar and played his #1 fan (his mother) a few songs. Shea has never missed an opportunity to play for a crowd. Usually Shea leaves Thanksgiving day to spend the rest of the holiday with my dad at the duck camp, but this year he spent it with me and for that I was SUPER thankful.

Since Thanksgiving we have stayed on the go with Christmas parties and hanging out with each other. Shea did take a quick trip to the duck camp Friday and Saturday...the weather was suppose to be perfect for deer and ducks...but for some reason he didn't come with a deer or many ducks. I told him yesterday that I think he uses that excuse to get away from me!!! My hormones are still out of whack. If you don't beleive me then ask Shea about my break down last Wednesday night.

This past Thursday South Mississippi was covered in snow. The news and my neighbors estimated that we got almost 5 inches of snow in Sumrall. It was wild. It started snowing at 5:45 in the morning and didn't stop til 1:00 that afternoon. It was the hardest snow that I have ever seen and absolutely gourgeous.

Overall I am doing good. I still have my moments. I really miss Mary Glenn and the holidays are especially hard. I had planned out a totally different holiday...one that may include a baby or one with me about to pop. Neither of these plans are reality. The reality is that I will celebrate my Christmas with a baby that has gone to be with our Lord. I know she is up there singing away and watching how her daddy absolutely loves the holidays and how her mom stresses out over the small things when it comes to the holidays. I will say that this Christmas is totally different...but in a good way. I have never looked at Christmas in the way I do now. Christmas has a new meaning to me and it always will because of my precious baby girl. Once again...thank you Mary Glenn. I know you are up there singing Christmas carols with your pops, mammaw & grandaddy, and pawpaw...sing my favorite song for me...O Holy Night...I know you sound a lot better than your mommie. I love you!!!

Shea and I leave Wednesday for a much needed get away...by ourselves...to Nashville! We are very excited and can't wait to get there and hang out. I will be posting pictures when we return. For now I have posted some pictures of our Christmas decorations and some from the snow day.







More pictures...








MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!
Bethany

Memorials

Many people have asked us about how and where to submit a Memorial in Mary Glenn's name. Shea and I thought a lot about this topic and we knew that somehow we wanted it to benefit the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at Forrest General Hospital. The doctors and nurses were absolutely amazing and we could not have asked for better care. If you are interested in making a donation in memory of Mary Glenn the information is below. I would like to thank you in advance for your contribution.

Forrest General Healthcare Foundation
Neonatal Unit
P.O. Box 19010
Hattiesburg, MS 39404
(601) 288-4396
In Memory of: Mary Glenn McNease

With Love,
Shea and Bethany

Diagnosis Received

Saturday we learned that the initial tests indicated that Mary Glenn had Trisomy 18. The original test was only for the 18th chromosome. Dr. Henderson called us tonight and after more testing Mary Glenn has triploid syndrome. What does this mean? In a normal pregnancy the baby carries 46 chromosomes...23 from the mother and 23 from the father. Mary Glenn had three of every chromosome...a total of 69 chromosomes. Shea and I have done some research tonight and this is very rare. More amazing is the fact that most babies die in an early miscarriage. Very rarely do babies make it to full term and even more rare do they live but a few hours. There are only a few cases where the baby has made it full term and nothing has been reported that a baby with the Triploid Syndrome live over 5 months. God is revealing to us each day how blessed we were to have almost a complete day with our baby girl. We do not know the chances of recurrences but we will meet with doctors and find out what we can expect. Thanks again for your continued support and prayers.

With Love,
Shea and Bethany

A Blessing

I have thought several times how I would post my first blog since the birth and passing of our precious baby girl, Mary Glenn McNease. I think Shea's post Sunday was absolutely wonderful and beautiful. I am married to such an amazing man. God chose Shea to be my partner in my life and for this I am so very thankful. I can't imagine going through this with someone other than Shea. God planned our life out together long before we met and he planned us to be the parents of Mary Glenn...God blessed us with an angel. Of course we will grieve only because we are human, but we will also rejoice in the fact that Mary Glenn is home with our Heavenly Father.

When I went to the doctor Thursday and learned that our child would be born that night I prayed so hard that God's will be done. We didn't know what we were looking at but I did know doctors were worried about the outcome. Mary Glenn was born at 5:05 p.m. on November 13, 2008...weighing in at 1 lb. 5 ozs. and 11 1/2" long. She came out whimpering and crying some. Dr. Henderson and his team did a great job in caring for her small body. After surgery Dr. Henderson explained she may have some heart problems and be a Trisonomy 18 (T18) baby due to certain markers on her little body. At first the heart problem scared us more than the T18 mainly because this meant our baby would have to go to Jackson for treatment and Shea and I would be broken apart. When they first wheeled me to the NICU to see Mary Glenn...Dr. Henderson told us her heart was fine and no need in Jackson...a prayer answered. I got to touch her this night...tell her that I loved her...and take sweet pictures of her.

Friday morning we (mom, Shea, and I) got to spend some time with her again...she was under the light with her sunglasses on...just laying there. We were able to "hold" her for a tiny bit. "Holding" her is not actually picking her up but putting our hands around her small body. I must say that when Shea did this her stats went up...she was a daddy's girl!!! Then around 1:45 Friday afternoon Dr. Henderson came to give us the news that I believe Shea knew may have been coming. Dr. Henderson let us know that we were losing her and we needed to get down to the NICU immediately. Mary Glenn's lungs were giving out and we knew it was time for her to go home. Because Mary Glenn's heart was strong we had 45 unbelievable moments with her that I will always remember. We got to hold her and love on her...I mean actually hold her...free from tubes and wires!!! I will always remember her brown eyes staring back at me just looking at her mother...what a blessing. I was able to tell her how much I loved her, but most importantly I got to tell Mary Glenn...THANK YOU! This was very important to me. Mary Glenn was a gift from God. She has changed me in so many ways. She has made me a better person...she has brought me closer to our Lord...she has made my relationship with her daddy stronger...she has brought others closer to the Lord...and has strengthen our prayer life! As Shea posted in his blog...Mary Glenn accomplished more on this earth in those few hours then I have in my entire life. She was on a mission...she accomplished her mission...and went home. Shea and I were not suppose to have one minute with our angel and we had a day with her...how awesome! While she took her last breaths we all sang Jesus Loves Me to her and then at 2:36 p.m. on November 14, 2008 she went to be with our Lord and Savior.

We did find out that the intital test did show that Mary Glenn had T18. We will learn more in the weeks to come on the blood results. T18 is a fatal diagnosis. Some babies will live for up to a year, but the percentages are much higher for the baby to only live for a few days. We did learn afterwards that because T18 is fatal that we would have had to make very hard decisions on our baby's life. Mary Glenn knew how hard this would be on her mother and daddy so she went on her own time. AMEN!

Yesterday, Monday, November 17, 2008 we buried our baby girl. This was not in my plan but in God's plan. Words can not express the emotions that entered my body yesterday. I will say that when we were planning out the arrangements we thought at one time to make the service private. After talking Shea and I decided that we had so many people that helped us through this journey and it felt right to allow others to celebrate her life. Shea and I were amazed and so grateful for everyone that came to the service yesterday. It was such a testimony of Mary Glenn. She may not have been that big in size but her impact was so big. AMEN! We prayed over and over that we use Mary Glenn to glorify His name. We will continue to do so. We will continue to pray for God's will to be done.

In closing this post we do not know what the future holds for us, but we do know that we must move on and face the challenges ahead on a day to day basis. I thank everyone for their support on our journey. I ask for continued prayers for Shea and I and our future. We are overwhelmed by the support of our friends and family! We will never be able to thank you enough!

In His Words,
Bethany