For those only interested in Carri feel free to skip to the next paragraph :) The first is just my excuse why I haven't posted in FOREVER!
Wow, this is way overdue!! As most of you know this has been a rough summer for my family as we have been dealing with a possible Celiac Disease diagnosis for my first daughter Ayla and now my second daughter Macy. We've had them both test positive on the blood test for Celiac and Ayla has undergone an endoscopy which came back negative. Although the results show that technically she does not have Celiac because they did not find any visible damage in the endoscopy, I'm confident that going gluten free for a few months will prove that she does. The thought of going totally gluten free has taken some getting used to as I know I'm going to spend a lot more time in the kitchen but the outcomes will far outweigh my fears I'm certain. The thought of not having to worry when an attack (whether it be vomiting, diarrhea, or searing screams of stomach pain for minutes on end) will happen sounds heavenly. (I've literally been stuck in a Fred Meyer family bathroom for 40+ min with Ayla screaming because her stomach hurt so bad with absolutely nothing I could do for her.) I'm also hoping that we will see some behavior changes as well as she goes off gluten. I've read and seen first hand that strong willed behavior, inability to focus, and overall irritability can be caused from gluten issues. I know Ayla will always be a strong willed child but there are times it's completely overwhelming and I don't understand it all or know what to do. Anyway I'm currently trying to gather information and recipes so I can get my kitchen ready for this huge adventure. I just want my kids not to feel like they're missing out for the rest of their lives. It's a tall order I know but I've got a lot of awesome people on our side, namely our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ :)
Ok, back to the matter on hand - my Sister!! She's just wonderful. I love love love her!! We just had our annual family reunion last weekend and can I just say she's such a fun aunt. Macy was sad that she couldn't do something (I don't remember what it was) so Carri asked her if she wanted her to go down the water slide with her. Carri fully expected Macy to say no but she said yes so Carri being the wonderful aunt that she is braved it and went down with her. Macy loved it! Way to go Carri :)
Carri and Milo had a little bump in the road earlier in the summer as they had a medical issue to deal with but all is well now and they are preparing to do an IUI in the next couple weeks. So lots and lots of baby prayers are very welcome their way. Aren't they adorable?
Through the summer I had a goal of selling at least one thing on Craigslist per week to go into Carri's fund but that didn't so much happen as I planned. The first 4 weeks I was on a roll and then everything came to a halt. Oh well, I'll get back in the groove. We're having a little family garage sale this next weekend if I can get my act together. I'm hoping to sell all the baby clothes that didn't sell at the Just Between Friends Sale in the spring. Clothes under size 2T don't really sell well there just because of the shear volume everyone brings in.
I am planning on doing the JBF fall sale which is coming up September 13-16. If anyone wants to donate baby/kid/maternity items (clothes, toys, bedding, feeding, etc.) for Carri's fund please let me know. Eugene folks I'll be down there to pick up my kids August 27th after a little vacation so don't count yourself out if you're wanting to help.
The tally for how much has been raised so far is ~ $560. The cost of an IUI is around $300 + the cost of fertility medication, which for them is fairly steep. This will be their 3rd IUI. As always if you want to donate financially just click on the Donate button at the top right to make a payment with Paypal.
