Monthly Archive: October 2016

Happy Monday everyone! …Monday’s are typically crazy around our house with everyone going in all directions full speed. Grace and Cole are back at school and of course there is ball practice. Kayleigh had a Dr’s appointment in Birmingham with a chiropractic adjustment and some new vitamins to try and help with the daily tummy issues. Tonight she was able to put away a steak which she asked for all day and realized shortly after eating she may have eaten too much. As I was helping tonight I truly noticed Kayleigh’s frustration in her own ability to do some basic things. That was not easy to watch because I am the worlds worst about admitting when I need help. I had to stop and reassure her that it was ok for me to help her. She had that short moment of being upset and it was back to business as usual being her silly self before bedtime. At the same time This evening I am picking up that ‘Carrow is in extreme frazzled mode just from running all over and being the incredible mom that she is. Most times I don’t pick up on that early enough but today it was pretty evident how worn out she truly was. So with all the craziness that normal daily life throws our way, it is very easy to get distracted from God’s plan and direction that he is clearly pointing us to go and what He is expecting us to do. But even with the daily struggle our God is bigger and is “Our Revival”.

Proverbs 4:25-27
25 Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26 Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
27 Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.

My Revival
Lauren Daigle
Lyrics
I will run and not grow weary
I will walk, I will not faint
I will soar on wings like eagles
Find my rest in Your everlasting name
You are my revival
Jesus on You I wait
I’ll lean on Your promise
You will renew my strength

Please continue to pray for healing this side of Heaven. Pray for ‘Carrow to be able rest. Pray for strength in Kayleigh’s right side.

Thank you to everyone for the continued support and prayers coming from all over!
Good night and always be thankful for another day !

Tim💜

Thankful for another day with this crazy bunch!

Cole testing his new tent in the driveway to make sure it’s big enough.

Cole and his Scout buddies in a very cool tent about 6-8 feet off the ground.

Greetings friends from a weary mommy. Today has been another day of the same. No real improvement yet no changes for the worse either. She woke with a headache and tummy ache again but they didn’t last long. And while the headache would appear a couple more times through the day it was still manageable.

Thank you all for your prayers for wisdom. Our paleo goodies from the Mason Dixon Bakery are still the best food we have found for her so far but we can’t exactly love off of cookies and fruit bars. So, I’ve been digging into the AIP Paleo diet a little more simply looking for ways to decrease the gut inflammation. The more I read the more things I find that can cause inflammation – mercy! Anyway, today I made a point to keep Kayleigh on the AIP approved type foods. It wasn’t a magic miracle answer, but by dinner her stomach ache was less than it had been in days so that was a blessing!

Of course it’s hard to explain to a child that things they love aren’t good for them. Kayleigh has found a cheese type snack she likes but it is not AIP compliant. She begged and begged for that snack all day. Against my better judgement I caved after dinner. And guess what? She felt awful again just a few moments later. Ugh!! But, at least we saw a glimmer of hope for the future.

It certainly stresses this mom out just thinking about how to make such major diet changes. I don’t want Kayleigh to be unhappy because she is missing out on things she likes but I want her stomach to feel better even more. I’m just praying that she will decide feeling good is better than eating some things.

So while today was more of the same, at least today we found another path to start down. Hopefully one that will make a positive difference in the near future. Keep on praying for improvement on all fronts.

This mommy, while weary, is thankful for each of you and how you continue to love and encourage us. This is my prayer for myself today. Perhaps some of you need this verse as well.

Ephesians 4:23
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

I’m so glad I have the Holy Spirit to renew my mind. Tomorrow will be a new day full of hope and new mercies.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

My tough, strong girl!

She wanted a unicorn so we made a unicorn!

Happy Fall, Friends! It’s actually starting to get a little cooler here in the Deep South which is VERY welcome.

Grace had a softball tournament today and it was finally cool enough for Kayleigh to get to go watch a little. We had hoped to be able to watch at least the first two games but Kayleigh woke with a headache and stomach ache this morning so we only made it to part of one game. She enjoyed getting to be at the park, but her stomach was relentlessly painful today so she had to cut it short.

The headache also made multiple appearances today which is unsettling. None were terrible but they were enough to slow her down a little. Thankfully they were not constant, just come and go. Her walking is also getting much more labored and she is relying on her wheelchair more. It’s difficult for her to climb up in my car, and her hearing is fading a little. When you start putting all of those things together it is quite unsettling. And for her to feel so terrible on top of everything I honestly don’t know what to do.

Times like this it is easy to get worried, concerned, or sad. We had such good news after the last scan, I had really thought we would see more improvement. I was eagerly anticipating God’s miracle. And yet here I sit, 1.5 weeks after that scan and God is not answering my prayers as I had hoped He would. As I though He would. And the enemy is using that to try to create doubt in my heart and mind from all angles.

Perhaps this is an intense, crash-course on taking negative thought captive and turning them over to God. Or maybe it’s a test to build my faith or increase my trust. Or even more likely it is preparation for the future that I can’t even guess. Whatever it is, I would certainly appreciate you prayers for strength and wisdom. Strength to keep fighting and staying positive and wisdom to understand and follow God’s direction.

Our sweet girl still needs tummy, head, steroid weaning, anxiety, and healing prayers. We know God is able. Even with everything we are seeing with Kayleigh right now, we know nothing is too big for God.

Thank you for your prayers. You cannot know how much it helps to be able to lay all these feelings out in the open and know that they will be covered in prayer. We know our strength comes from God, but we also know that often times He uses many of you to encourage us.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

I’m thankful that even though we are in a season of waiting, I know God is on the move!

Tim’s company had these shirts made…

And then everyone wore them to the company picnic! We are to blessed to be so loved!

My big girl doing her thing!

We are alive! The stomach bug seems to have left us. Only Grace and Kayleigh became seriously ill. Tim and I felt “off” and Cole escaped this round. Two sick kids + two parents = one-on-one care. That is doable. If we’d had three sick kids it would have been a bit more interesting. So – thank you Jesus for small favors!

As I mentioned in the wee hours of the morning, while the illness was very unpleasant, it did seem to purge Kayleigh’s system quite well. When she woke this morning her eyes were clearer than they have been and her spirits were a bit brighter. And she’s been hungry all day!

We were very cautious with food all day. Her stomach was hurting but ok when she woke. She did pretty well with breakfast, but as the day progressed her belly pain did as well. I think I am starting to figure out some things that cause her more distress than others. I am hopeful that I am right, and I can begin to adjust our already very restricted diet into something that Kayleigh likes and can eat without pain.

Amazingly, even with all the nastiness, Kayleigh did not get a headache! So, we decreased the steroids a little bit more. She is now down to .25 mg in the am and .25 mg in the pm. She did have a little bit of a headache break through this afternoon, but I don’t think it was medicine related. Please keep praying the headaches stay away!

I also noticed she was quite unsteady on her feet today. The right side was showing even more weakness and it’s getting harder for her to walk because her right toes don’t want to lift and clear the floor. I hope it is because she’s been less active this week due to feeling crummy and not something more significant. Continue praying for our miracle!

This is the Psalm that came to my mind as I typed tonight. Oh how good our God is.

Psalm 121
1 I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! 3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. 5 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. 6 The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.

7 The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. 8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜