Evan Parker Cornett was born on Aug. 26, 2012, at 10:50 p.m. to his
loving parents, Chris and Lauren Cornett, at the Women's Center in
Tupelo. He weighed 4 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 18 inches long.
While
we knew his life would be short, everyone who knew him during this time
was most certainly blessed by his presence. We anxiously awaited his
arrival and once he joined us in this world he visited with us for four
and a half hours before leaving his mother's arms and was carried away
by the embrace of our Lord. “There is no foot too small to leave an
imprint in this world” and he did just that. He walked into our lives
and touched our hearts forever.
We are honored and humbled by
the charity and selflessness of those around us. We give very special
thanks to Mary Meghan Mabus and Stephanie Rhea Barcia for documenting
our time with our precious little one and Will Rambo for his continued
support and prayer.
Evan is survived by his parents, Lauren and
Chris Cornett; grandparents, Jan and David Rowan, and Charlotte Walton;
great-grandparents, Katherine and Royce Hill; aunts, Leigh-Ann Corder
and Camille Rodgers; uncles, Denny Corder and James Rodgers; cousins,
Kelsey and Ethan Corder, and Adam and Ellinor Rodgers; and many
great-aunts, great-uncles, cousins and family friends. He is preceded in
death by his great-grandparents, Annie Lois and Byron Fitzgerald,
Jamison Rowan, and Argie Guy Cornett.
There will be a private graveside service at Pontotoc Memorial Gardens today, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m.
“An
angel in the Book of Life wrote down my baby's birth. Then whispered as
she closed the book, ‘Too beautiful for this Earth.’” As we carry on,
you will never be forgotten.
Please pray for this family today.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Evan is with Jesus
Evan's Aunt Camille wrote this update this morning:
"I met the most amazing little boy last night. He made the sweetest little sounds and had ticklish feet. His skin was the softest soft. And he was beautiful. He stayed strong for his family for five and a half hours! Lauren told him about some very important things that little boys needed to know about. And Chris held onto him a lot. We said goodbye to him this morning which was incredibly hard and sweet. I can only imagine the multitudes in Heaven taking care of him right now. God has been glorified in so many ways because of Evan. I thank God for letting us love on Evan for the past nine months while growing closer to Him at the same time. Please continue to pray for Lauren and Chris."
My heart breaks to have to write that he is in Heaven, but I know that he is richly blessed because he only knew love in life. I praise God for giving them gracious time with Evan. I can imagine his precious family passing him around and oohing and ahhing at his sweet body. I'm sure they commented about who he looked like and kissed his sweet cheeks all night. I can't imagine how empty their arms feel today.
I pray that God would be their Comforter and their Strength right now. I pray that Lauren's body would heal quickly and easily and that she would have minimal pain. I pray for her broken heart, as I'm sure she will always feel incomplete without her first boy here with her. I pray for Chris, as he tries to be strong and take care of Lauren. Lord, give peace to this family as only You can provide. Carry them through this nightmare. Remind them of the sweet memories they have with Evan. Give them joy through their pain. Most of all, remind them of your great love for them.
"I met the most amazing little boy last night. He made the sweetest little sounds and had ticklish feet. His skin was the softest soft. And he was beautiful. He stayed strong for his family for five and a half hours! Lauren told him about some very important things that little boys needed to know about. And Chris held onto him a lot. We said goodbye to him this morning which was incredibly hard and sweet. I can only imagine the multitudes in Heaven taking care of him right now. God has been glorified in so many ways because of Evan. I thank God for letting us love on Evan for the past nine months while growing closer to Him at the same time. Please continue to pray for Lauren and Chris."
My heart breaks to have to write that he is in Heaven, but I know that he is richly blessed because he only knew love in life. I praise God for giving them gracious time with Evan. I can imagine his precious family passing him around and oohing and ahhing at his sweet body. I'm sure they commented about who he looked like and kissed his sweet cheeks all night. I can't imagine how empty their arms feel today.
I pray that God would be their Comforter and their Strength right now. I pray that Lauren's body would heal quickly and easily and that she would have minimal pain. I pray for her broken heart, as I'm sure she will always feel incomplete without her first boy here with her. I pray for Chris, as he tries to be strong and take care of Lauren. Lord, give peace to this family as only You can provide. Carry them through this nightmare. Remind them of the sweet memories they have with Evan. Give them joy through their pain. Most of all, remind them of your great love for them.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Evan is here
He was born at 10:50. Please continue to pray for his family.
This is an update from Camille, Lauren's sister:
At 10:50 Evan Parker Cornett was born, crying! Lauren and Chris have had great bonding time with him. Chris is holding him now. Evan is breathing on his own. Lauren is finishing up her C-section surgery. Their wedding photographer is taking tons of pictures! The staff, nurses, and doctors here have prayed with us and them. I thank God for all of them and all of you.
This is an update from Camille, Lauren's sister:
At 10:50 Evan Parker Cornett was born, crying! Lauren and Chris have had great bonding time with him. Chris is holding him now. Evan is breathing on his own. Lauren is finishing up her C-section surgery. Their wedding photographer is taking tons of pictures! The staff, nurses, and doctors here have prayed with us and them. I thank God for all of them and all of you.
Evan-Second Update
Evan is not here yet. From the Facebook updates from her mom, they were thinking she may have to have a C section. She said Lauren is very tired and of course upset. Another update after that one said that she is progressing, but she still has a long way to go. His heartbeat is still good. That's all I know. Please continue to pray.
Update on Evan
Lauren went into labor today, so they will be meeting Evan 4 days early! I cannot imagine how they are feeling, but I have been praying that God's presence will be so evident that all will taste and see Him today. I saw an update on Facebook about an hour ago that said that Evan's heartbeat is good. Please - PLEASE - join with me in prayer for Evan and his precious family!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Evan
I am posting a prayer request today for one of my oldest and dearest friends Lauren, her husband Chris, and their precious little one Evan. Evan has anencephaly and he is going to be induced on August 30. I am feeling a sense of desperation in my prayers for him and his family.
You can find Lauren's blog here. Please join with me in prayer that Lauren will have an easy labor, that Evan will be born alive, that they would get to spend a gracious amount of time with him, that their families will get to meet him, and for a miracle for Evan to be healed completely. I pray for sweet memories, for little anxiety, and for a peace that surpasses all understanding. I pray that if God chooses not to heal Evan on earth, that he would pass peacefully and that Lauren and Chris would be comforted in knowing that Evan is perfectly healed in Heaven. I pray that others would continue to be drawn closer to God through Evan's life.
You can find Lauren's blog here. Please join with me in prayer that Lauren will have an easy labor, that Evan will be born alive, that they would get to spend a gracious amount of time with him, that their families will get to meet him, and for a miracle for Evan to be healed completely. I pray for sweet memories, for little anxiety, and for a peace that surpasses all understanding. I pray that if God chooses not to heal Evan on earth, that he would pass peacefully and that Lauren and Chris would be comforted in knowing that Evan is perfectly healed in Heaven. I pray that others would continue to be drawn closer to God through Evan's life.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Hayden
It is with great sadness that I have to post that our precious friend Hayden is now in Heaven.
I met Hayden and his parents Lauren and Brent when I was his nurse several months ago. His mama called him her "earth angel," which described him perfectly. I have taken care of many special babies, but Hayden and his family hold an extra special place in my heart.
As does his mom. Lauren has taught me how to be a better mama, and how to truly celebrate every moment. She had such amazing HOPE for Hayden.
As sad as I am that Hayden is now in Heaven, I am rejoicing that he is perfect and whole, in no more pain, no longer suffering. He blessed us with his presence on earth, and now I look forward to seeing him again one day. :)
Please pray for Hayden's family as they have his funeral tomorrow.
I met Hayden and his parents Lauren and Brent when I was his nurse several months ago. His mama called him her "earth angel," which described him perfectly. I have taken care of many special babies, but Hayden and his family hold an extra special place in my heart.
As does his mom. Lauren has taught me how to be a better mama, and how to truly celebrate every moment. She had such amazing HOPE for Hayden.
As sad as I am that Hayden is now in Heaven, I am rejoicing that he is perfect and whole, in no more pain, no longer suffering. He blessed us with his presence on earth, and now I look forward to seeing him again one day. :)
Please pray for Hayden's family as they have his funeral tomorrow.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Choices and Thank Yous
Today, I am choosing to be thankful for the miracles in my life. :)
Check out what my girl did in therapy today!
This is the first time she has ever fed herself all by herself! She actually fed herself three puffs...I was in shock, so I only got one on video.
p.s. Thank you to everyone for the encouragement yesterday! Ms. Kathy, Auntie Susan, Aunt Lesia, Marilyn, Alita, and sweet Tina (all the way from Greece!)...thank you!
Check out what my girl did in therapy today!
This is the first time she has ever fed herself all by herself! She actually fed herself three puffs...I was in shock, so I only got one on video.
p.s. Thank you to everyone for the encouragement yesterday! Ms. Kathy, Auntie Susan, Aunt Lesia, Marilyn, Alita, and sweet Tina (all the way from Greece!)...thank you!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Eating Issues and Other Ramblings...
I have wanted to write a post about Grace's eating issues for a while. However, I've been anxious about the comments I might get in response it. I'm now ready to be honest and hopefully I will receive positive and encouraging comments! :)
Grace has had eating/feeding issues for a while now. When she was a baby, she took her bottles with virtually no problems (I even had to try a lot of different bottles because she was spitting up so much). The only small problem we had was she would take a while (longer than 30 minutes at times) to finish bottles, but after briefly seeing a speech therapist through early intervention, this problem was corrected. We sailed along and she did fine with transitioning to rice cereal and to stages 1 and 2 baby foods. She loved to eat, and would pretty much eat everything.
We started having trouble when we were beginning to try to transition to a sippy cup and table foods. We see a speech therapist on an as needed basis currently, and she has helped us so much! Through a lot of work, which at times seemed like it wasn't working, Grace now eats most table foods. She still gags on slippery foods, especially fruits like peaches and strawberries. But she is able to eat pretty much anything.
She still refuses any type of sippy cup. She is very sensitive to anything new. I tried to take away one of her bottles thinking she would be more thirsty and would cooperate with a sippy cup. That did not work. Instead, she started getting a little dehydrated. So I added back that bottle. She currently takes 3 bottles a day (at 10, 3, and 8) in between meals (at 8, 12, and 6). Thankfully, she is now only taking whole milk (no formula). She won't even hold her bottles, although I have recently been using handles that I found that go with Avent bottles. I've been placing her hands on the handles. I think she will get it eventually. During meals, we try to get her to take liquids (milk, water, juice) off of a cup edge (we use nosey cups). She will take anything from nothing on bad days to maybe an ounce of liquid with meals on really good days. She is usually pretty offended by even seeing the cup. I've tried working with her with straw drinking, but she hasn't gotten that yet either (although we haven't been working on that long).
I have a hard time with knowing the balance between pushing her to overcome her sensitivities, and when to be okay with her being sensitive.
We make her try and feed herself puffs or goldfish (at least 5) before her meals. This consists of her eventually trying to pick up the puffs/goldfish (after a lot of encouragement) and then us putting our hand around hers so that she will hold it in her hand. Then we guide her hand to her mouth and put the puff/goldfish in her mouth. She is proud of herself once she realizes what she's done, but she does not know how to do it on her own. We've been working on this skill for months.
It is exhausting trying to feed her. It usually takes around 30 minutes. While I am thankful she can eat by mouth (many of the children we know with diagnoses like Grace's are tube fed), it is still very exhausting. There are times that I cry during meals. There are times that I get angry.
I HATE the disabilities. I HATE THEM. It breaks my heart that my child struggles with things like these issues that come so naturally to other children. EVERY milestone she meets is a pure STRUGGLE. There are days when I am okay with all that we go through to teach Grace to do new skills, and there are days that I give up and grieve for the things Grace has to go through just to do things that other kids do without even thinking about them.
Some days I feel the (extreme) pressure to achieve "normal". I want her to be able to do all the normal things other kids do. Then I realize that maybe she will never be "normal". This realization is both relieving and utterly heartbreaking...relieving because it takes the pressure off to achieve "normal," and heartbreaking because I know in my heart she will never be normal.
I feel like I'm rambling. I hope something here makes sense to some mom who has been there and can encourage me with positive thoughts and/or advice. Thank you for listening!
Grace has had eating/feeding issues for a while now. When she was a baby, she took her bottles with virtually no problems (I even had to try a lot of different bottles because she was spitting up so much). The only small problem we had was she would take a while (longer than 30 minutes at times) to finish bottles, but after briefly seeing a speech therapist through early intervention, this problem was corrected. We sailed along and she did fine with transitioning to rice cereal and to stages 1 and 2 baby foods. She loved to eat, and would pretty much eat everything.
We started having trouble when we were beginning to try to transition to a sippy cup and table foods. We see a speech therapist on an as needed basis currently, and she has helped us so much! Through a lot of work, which at times seemed like it wasn't working, Grace now eats most table foods. She still gags on slippery foods, especially fruits like peaches and strawberries. But she is able to eat pretty much anything.
She still refuses any type of sippy cup. She is very sensitive to anything new. I tried to take away one of her bottles thinking she would be more thirsty and would cooperate with a sippy cup. That did not work. Instead, she started getting a little dehydrated. So I added back that bottle. She currently takes 3 bottles a day (at 10, 3, and 8) in between meals (at 8, 12, and 6). Thankfully, she is now only taking whole milk (no formula). She won't even hold her bottles, although I have recently been using handles that I found that go with Avent bottles. I've been placing her hands on the handles. I think she will get it eventually. During meals, we try to get her to take liquids (milk, water, juice) off of a cup edge (we use nosey cups). She will take anything from nothing on bad days to maybe an ounce of liquid with meals on really good days. She is usually pretty offended by even seeing the cup. I've tried working with her with straw drinking, but she hasn't gotten that yet either (although we haven't been working on that long).
I have a hard time with knowing the balance between pushing her to overcome her sensitivities, and when to be okay with her being sensitive.
We make her try and feed herself puffs or goldfish (at least 5) before her meals. This consists of her eventually trying to pick up the puffs/goldfish (after a lot of encouragement) and then us putting our hand around hers so that she will hold it in her hand. Then we guide her hand to her mouth and put the puff/goldfish in her mouth. She is proud of herself once she realizes what she's done, but she does not know how to do it on her own. We've been working on this skill for months.
It is exhausting trying to feed her. It usually takes around 30 minutes. While I am thankful she can eat by mouth (many of the children we know with diagnoses like Grace's are tube fed), it is still very exhausting. There are times that I cry during meals. There are times that I get angry.
I HATE the disabilities. I HATE THEM. It breaks my heart that my child struggles with things like these issues that come so naturally to other children. EVERY milestone she meets is a pure STRUGGLE. There are days when I am okay with all that we go through to teach Grace to do new skills, and there are days that I give up and grieve for the things Grace has to go through just to do things that other kids do without even thinking about them.
Some days I feel the (extreme) pressure to achieve "normal". I want her to be able to do all the normal things other kids do. Then I realize that maybe she will never be "normal". This realization is both relieving and utterly heartbreaking...relieving because it takes the pressure off to achieve "normal," and heartbreaking because I know in my heart she will never be normal.
I feel like I'm rambling. I hope something here makes sense to some mom who has been there and can encourage me with positive thoughts and/or advice. Thank you for listening!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
***PT Update***
Grace got into the crawl position ALL BY HERSELF this morning in PT!!!!!
Praises to God for this big goal that she met!
Next on the agenda: staying in the crawl position, crawling on her own, and pulling up! We are also going to be getting a hip splint, AFOs, and a standing frame in the near future.
God has big plans for our little girl. We are privileged just to watch and be involved.
Thank you, Lord, for helping Grace to accomplish this big goal. You knew we needed success. I pray that you will help her to continue to meet goals with strength and courage. Continue to give Chad and me strength and patience as we watch you work in her life. Thank you, thank you, thank you for ALL that you have done in her life and for all that you will continue to do to bring glory and honor to your great name. We love you and praise you for all your good works. Thank you for letting us witness your glory.
Praises to God for this big goal that she met!
Next on the agenda: staying in the crawl position, crawling on her own, and pulling up! We are also going to be getting a hip splint, AFOs, and a standing frame in the near future.
God has big plans for our little girl. We are privileged just to watch and be involved.
Thank you, Lord, for helping Grace to accomplish this big goal. You knew we needed success. I pray that you will help her to continue to meet goals with strength and courage. Continue to give Chad and me strength and patience as we watch you work in her life. Thank you, thank you, thank you for ALL that you have done in her life and for all that you will continue to do to bring glory and honor to your great name. We love you and praise you for all your good works. Thank you for letting us witness your glory.
The Little Light House
Last week, Chad, Grace, and I toured The Little Light House. TLLH is a developmental center for children with special needs. Children that go there have special needs like cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, hydrocephaly, autism, etc. Currently, they have three classes with eight children in each class. Last year, they had 10 graduates!
Grace has been on TLLH waiting list since February when our PT suggested it. To be honest, I learned about TLLH while I was in the hospital after having Grace, but at that time, we didn't really know what Grace's future needs would be. In February, Grace was number 33 on the waiting list. I called the week before last to schedule our tour since they recently moved. The director Carrie said, "Let me check and see where Grace is on the waiting list," and she started counting, "one, two, three...," and she got to the number seven. Grace is NUMBER 7 on the waiting list!!! I was expecting to maybe be in the 20s.
What does this mean? Well, it means that there is a very good possibility that Grace will be a student at TLLH next August! We just need them to graduate 7 this year, which they probably will. I cannot tell you how excited I am for Grace to attend TLLH!
"The Little Light House offers a tuition-free early intervention program for children birth to six years consisting of intensive therapeutic care and cognitive remediation. Addressing a child’s physical ability, wellness, mind, and community, our year-round program promotes systematic, long-term, healthy change. A Bible-based curriculum specifically designed for children with special needs is the foundation for our classroom structure. Working alongside parents, our staff members develop individual education plans with measurable goals for each child. School sessions are held Monday through Thursday, from 8:30am to 1:30pm."
Doesn't that sound AWESOME??!! Please join with us in prayer that Grace will be a student at TLLH next year!
Grace has been on TLLH waiting list since February when our PT suggested it. To be honest, I learned about TLLH while I was in the hospital after having Grace, but at that time, we didn't really know what Grace's future needs would be. In February, Grace was number 33 on the waiting list. I called the week before last to schedule our tour since they recently moved. The director Carrie said, "Let me check and see where Grace is on the waiting list," and she started counting, "one, two, three...," and she got to the number seven. Grace is NUMBER 7 on the waiting list!!! I was expecting to maybe be in the 20s.
What does this mean? Well, it means that there is a very good possibility that Grace will be a student at TLLH next August! We just need them to graduate 7 this year, which they probably will. I cannot tell you how excited I am for Grace to attend TLLH!
"The Little Light House offers a tuition-free early intervention program for children birth to six years consisting of intensive therapeutic care and cognitive remediation. Addressing a child’s physical ability, wellness, mind, and community, our year-round program promotes systematic, long-term, healthy change. A Bible-based curriculum specifically designed for children with special needs is the foundation for our classroom structure. Working alongside parents, our staff members develop individual education plans with measurable goals for each child. School sessions are held Monday through Thursday, from 8:30am to 1:30pm."
Doesn't that sound AWESOME??!! Please join with us in prayer that Grace will be a student at TLLH next year!
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