Day 35 & more pictures

Sorry its been a few days since I've posted. Things are going pretty well with Kanyon. He is still off the vent, so that is great. He was on a C-PAP, but now he is on what they call a vapotherm. It does the same thing as a C-PAP, but it circulates the oxygen differently and it is more comfortable on the outside and on the inside. We are praying that he can be strong enough to stay on this and not have to go back on the vent. They are adding more calories to his feedings and he is now eating 24 cc's per feeding. I think they're trying to pack on some pounds. Speaking of, he is 2 lbs. 10.7oz. So far they have not heard his heart murmor, so they are assuming it is still closed! YEAH! As for his brain and the ventricle situation, they are calling it "non progressive" its not getting significantly bigger..so no treatments are ordered for that as of now. Keep praying for this to resolve on its own. He had a head scan sometime today, but we've not heard the results on how it looked. This new breathing machine seems to have helped his lungs, they sound more clear, so thats good. I think they guy just needs to get bigger. I just kind of threw a ton of information at everyone, but that is pretty much the way it is! Keep praying for him. We had a great weekend...we just need him to keep going! OK OK..here are the pictures!!!



This is his picture the day he was one month old. You can see how big and bulky this C-PAP is...it smashes his nose and bothers him. He LOVES to have his arms over his head like this. They are almost always up. When he has the C-PAP on, he likes to grab the sides like he's doing in this picture!

This is what the VapoTherm thing looks like..you can see his sweet little face! By the way, the white tube in his mouth is how he gets his milk!

Just another sweet little picture

His dear friend Terri Lee gave him this hat made especially for micro-preemies and it is so great. We had to wait for him to have the IV out of his head. I didn't put the hat on right..I was supposed to tie it off, so he kinda looks like Abraham Lincoln! Next time I'll do it right. Thanks Terri..we love the hat!
Another hat picture and his eyes are open and looking around!

Keep the prayers going for this little guy...everything is just so hard for him right now. I hate that he has to work so hard just to get by, but I know that prayers for strength will get him through. He is in his 30th week (gestational)..each day is one step closer! Thank you again for everything!

Day 32

First of all, sorry it has taken me so long to post. I feel like I begged for urgent prayers and never let you know how things were going. Sorry! We are thrilled to say that Kan-the-man is doing great. He's back to full feedings and tolerating those very well. He is still on the CPAP and so far has done good. They still think his heart valve is closed and the Dr. thinks that the brain thing might be beginning to drain on its own. They will do another head scan sometime soon to check on it. We had nice visits with him today and are very thankful to GOD for giving him strength and success today. We also thank you, his dedicated fan club and prayer warriors. Keep going, as we know that we can never completely relax...he needs prayers as much on good days as he does on not-so-good days.

On another note, Kanyon wants to send out a special birthday wish to his Auntie Ali and his cousins Franklin and Nathan.

Day 31-special request

About noon today they are going to try to take Kanyon off the vent again and put him back on CPAP. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for those little lungs to be ready! If he has to go back on the vent, they will have to give him some steroid medication. They try to avoid that because of the side effects, but the Dr. says it's better to get him off the respiratory assistance. SOOOO...just send up a few prayers for the little guy that he'll be ready for this and we won't have to worry about the medication!

Day 30

Quick update: He had his last round of his heart meds...we'll know more tomorrow how it worked. The nurse during the day couldn't hear the murmor, but the night nurse could. We'll see tomorrow. His head did not grow from yesterday, so thats good...says that no additional swelling is happening. As of 7:30 tonight, he "eating" again. They had to stop feedings while the medicine was in him. He started back on 11cc's and they'll work him back up pretty quickly. We're praying that he jumps right back into his good feeding habits! We sure want that to keep going well. As a follow up to yesterday's thumbs up sign, today I got an "OK" sign. I didn't have my camera, bur I guess he just wanted everyone to know that he is OK!! Thanks for sticking with us!

Day 29

Not much new news tonight (last time I said that, I was writing again in an hour with lots of news, but this time I think its gonna last til tomorrow at least). They started his heart medicine at about 5:00 this afternoon . They'll give it again at 5am and then tomorrow evening at 5pm. Then we wait maybe a day or two to see if it worked. His heart rate and oxygen levels were good tonight and he was sleeping so good. He would squirm a little and raise his bottom in the air and roll his back...when I see him move like that, I know just what that feels like inside my tummy! He was moving constantly and now I think I know what he was doing in there! I think Kory and I both felt good in there tonight, very peaceful about what is going on. We'll all keep praying! Y'all are pros at this praying thing!

Pictures!!!

I don't have much of an update yet today. This morning things were the same, they hadn't started his medicine yet. I'm sure they have by now, I'll know more soon. But, I took a few pictures yesterday and I thought everyone might enjoy seeing him!

Here he is with his eyes open!



And we're back to eyes closed, but he is giving everyone a thumbs up sign...letting us know everything is going to be OK!

His nurse Kathy wrote this note for him..they won't let him out of his bed to write on the board so she had to write while he dictated.

I'll write more when I have more info. Keep those prayers going!! They will work!! My dad has figured out a pretty good prayer....open his brain (so it will drain), close his heart, open his lungs, and keep his tummy going!! I guess that's it in a nutshell!

Update on Day 28 Update

I went ahead and updated before our night visit thinking nothing would change...but.....I do have a little more to update. Of course that means a little more to add to the prayer list.

While we were in there tonight, his Dr. was there so we got to talk to him. He said they took a second look at the ECG of his heart and that they've decided the opening was larger than they originally thought. He has had increased heart rate and a few other minor signs, so they are going to go ahead and treat this with medication starting tomorrow morning. They will stop his feedings and give him his medication over 36 hours. Dr. Chris said that about 80% are fixed with this first round and that 90% are fixed with 2 rounds. SO..hopefully this will work the first time. If the medication doesn't work then he'll have to have a surgery and of course we're wanting to avoid that. If this PDA (thats this little heart thing) has been affecting breathing, oxigination, or his heart rate then they said we'll see a big turn around once it's fixed. Please pray for his little heart.

Dr. Chris said they'll do another head scan to check the swelling Thursday or Friday. There has been growth over the last 2 days. I fully believe that all these prayers will turn that around.

Still on antibiotics for 2 more days to make sure there is no infection. They can be tough on his liver and kindeys so we're kind of ready for him to be off of those.

We thank you so much for your prayers. We are honored to have so many people praying. We don't ask you for these prayers lightly or with greed, we are so thankful for all of you who pray. I have so much comfort and I believe so strongly that this WILL make a difference--that all of these prayers are working and will work!

Day 28 Update

Not much new going on today. Still tolerating his feeds well (22 cc's) so that is GREAT! By the way, for those of you who don't know, 30 cc's is one ounce. The big news is his length...14 1/2 inches!! He was 11 1/2 at birth, so he's tall already!!!

Please keep praying specifically for the swelling of the ventricle to go down on its own!!!

Day 27 Update

Kanyon has had a pretty relaxing day today. His oxygen level on the vent is low, so that is good. They have been using a machine to massage his lungs to help them open up and clear up. That seems to have helped a lot. His cultures all came back negative, but they're going to leave him on the antibiotics for several more days just to make sure. He's still eating like a champ and weighs a whopping 2 lbs. 2.7 oz. We're hoping this time on the vent will give him a chance to pack on a few more ounces. We left him tonight curled up on his tummy with his arms up by his head...very comfy!

I mentioned yesterday about the enlarged ventricle in his brain. I want to ask specific prayers for that. They do know that it is not draining the fluid out, so that is why it is enlarged. It could be because of a clot that has it stopped up..we don't know that for sure. But, we do know that we want that to open up and drain on it own so that they do not have to intervene. Please pray for that to heal and level out...we know that this is another chance for GOD to take care of Kanyon. They will measure his head twice a day to monitor the growth over the next several days, so we'll update you as they update us. Thank you so much.

Update

Well, the little man is resting much better. He is calm and "pink" (meaning he's not pale like he was last night..the new blood has been good for him). His blood pressure has leveled out now that things have settled down. His echocardiogram came back good..YEAH! One of his blood cultures came back and was negative..not infection with that one. They are waiting on one more that will be back tomorrow so hopefully that one will be negative too. They are going to check his white blood cell counts again tomorrow and make sure those levels are still good. If all of that goes well, they will take him off of the antibiotics that they've had him on while they were waiting to hear back from these tests. He is still tolerating his feeds-- way to go, we want to keep that up. We felt good when we went in tonight. He was resting comfortably, but he did peek one eye open at us for a little bit. We pray that he will rest up and continue to strengthen his lungs and his whole body so that he can be ready when they take him off again. His nurese have worked really hard these last couple of days with him....he's been pretty demanding, but they've done a great job! Thanks for the prayers, keep em going!

"Tune Up"

Before I get bogged down in medical terms, this is not Rachel...its actually me, Jaymie, attempting to make my first post...we'll see how it goes. You can expect worse grammar, bad spelling, and too many attempts at medical terms. I'm not a genius like Rachel. But, I thought I could handle this so here we go. Of course a big thank you goes out to Rachel for all she's done over the last 3 weeks. She is definitely not gone from the blog forever, she's still gonna help me out! So..thanks Rach! You're the best!

Well, in the words of Kanyon's Dr. this morning...Kanyon got a tune up. His apnea and Bradys (heart rate drop) never did get better, so about 2am this morning they put him back on the vent. They want him to rest and take some time to grow and get a little stronger and they'll start all over. Kory and I can't help but feel a little disappointed, but we also know they told us from the beginning that little guys like him will go back and forth a few times before its over for good. We were just honeymooning there at first and we got spoiled. They also gave Kanyon a blood transfusion so that should help perk him up and carry that oxygen a little better. When we went in this morning, there was kind of a lot going on, so I'll just list it out so that you can know exactly what needs our special prayers.

• His blood pressure was a little high, they're hoping once he calms down and recovers from everything they did last night that that will level off.
• They did a head scan since they hadn't done one in a few weeks. His ventricle where fluid for brain and spinal cord are is a little larger than normal. There are several possible reasons for this. They will just watch it each day and hope that like most things it just fixes itself with a little growth. Pray that it does...otherwise they have to take steps to fix it.
• They're doing an echocardiogram to look at his heart and make sure there is no murmur there. All babies have an open duct that closes when they're born. Due to prematurity, this duct doesn't always close or doesn't stay closed. This is common, but we're of course hoping that he doesn't have it. We'll know more about that later today.
• Eating is still a major thing and thankfully, that has gone really well. That is GREAT...it points to no infections in his tummy that he is at a high risk for. So thank GOD that is going well and pray that he keeps it up.

I think that is all for now. I think we are in the middle of one of those slopes on the roller coaster everyone told us we'd be riding. Even when you know it will happen, its hard not to get discouraged and worried. We have been so blessed by the prayers and support that we've received thanks to this blog. You have no idea how much it encourages us and keeps us going to read all of the comments. That was always a highlight of our day when we were in the hospital and someone would print them out and bring them to us. You just have no idea how much comfort and peace we've felt because of your prayers. We are humbled and we thank you so much. Please continue to pray for his Dr. and his nurses. They are all so wonderful and they work so hard for him and for us. Thanks again for keeping up with our little man. We can't for everyone to meet him...we pray that day comes soon. As always, stay tuned for updates as we have them.

**all medical students, nurses, and doctors don't laugh at my medical explanations, spelling, or anything else...just 3 weeks ago I spent my time with 7 year olds....we don't talk about all this stuff in 2nd grade!!

Not a great day

Well, Kanyon had a good afternoon with no apnea, but this evening he hasn't done as well. He had several more spells of apnea and low heart rate, and they had to increase his oxygen level to 80 on the CPAP, which is much higher than normal for him. They might have to put him back on the ventilator. They have put him on a strong antibiotic because they think he may possibly have some sort of infection, but they are doing tests to find out for sure. If he doesn't actually have an infection, they don't want to have him on the antibiotic unnecessarily. They think his problems could also be caused by reflux, so they are going to spread out his feedings, meaning they are going to take 2 hours to give him a feeding rather than 30 minutes. He is also going to have an echocardiogram in the morning to check on his heart. If he were still in the womb, this is the time frame where certain crucial things happen with the heart, and they just need to make sure that those things are still happening correctly. I know that's pretty vague, but I didn't talk to Jaymie directly, and I don't understand completely what they are checking for. Anyway, just pray that the echocardiogram and the other tests come back with positive results, pray for no infection, and pray for his heart rate and his breathing to improve.

Pray for no more apnea

I'll just post the email that Jaymie sent me today:
"Kanyon is still having the apnea and heart rate drop today. They say that as long as they can pat him or rub his feet to 'wake him up' and remind him to breathe on his own they will just keep things as they are. If they have to actually give him breathing assistance, then they will put him back on the ventilator. This apnea seems to be a common problem because this is the kind of breathing he would be doing inside my tummy..its just that sporadic shallow breaths don't work once you're out of the womb! We are still praying (and want everyone else to too) that this will stop. We sure don't want to have to take the step back to the vent. They say as long as it stays this way, they just have to wait for him to outgrow it...which usually might come around week 33. We're not even to week 29 yet! One of the first days we were there, Jim the nurse told us it was going to be a roller coaster and he reminded me today that this kind of thing is what he was talking about. Dr. Chris came in this afternoon while I was there and kind of said the same stuff. I guess it's good that they aren't freaking out about this, but I sure would like to keep coasting through without having to take steps backwards. I really believe that if we're all praying for this, that it can stop. He doesn't have to be like 'most babies' - we want him to be better than most! :)"
Let's honor Jaymie's request and pray for no more apnea!

A little apnea

Kanyon had a rough time this evening, but he's doing okay now. He had a few spells of apnea, which means that he stopped breathing for a short time. All they had to do to get him to start again was pat on him a little bit, which is good since they didn't have to intervene much, but it is still a concern. Apparently this is not uncommon, but they requested special prayers for his breathing. His feedings are now 19cc, and he is digesting that well, so praise God for that. Just keep praying!

Back on the CPAP

Kanyon had sort of a rough night and day without the CPAP. They were having a hard time regulating his heart rate, and he stopped breathing a few times, so they put him back on the CPAP this afternoon. But don't worry - now he is cruising again. He is up to 17cc per feeding and doing well now that he's had a chance to rest. He's tough!

Off the CPAP

They took Kanyon off the CPAP this morning! He is now breathing pretty much on his own. They still have tubes in his nose that provide a little bit of oxygen when he breathes, but it doesn't push the oxygen for him - he has to breathe it in himself. Doing this has caused his breathing and his heart rate to fluctuate somewhat, so they have had to help him regulate it a little bit. If they have to intervene too much, they'll put the CPAP back in, but this is still great progress. His feedings are up to 16cc now, so he is still eating good. Great job, Kanyon!

2 lbs. and still breathing good!

Well, Kanyon has had a big day. He reached the 2 lb. mark - yeah! Actually, 2 lb. and .02 oz. to be exact. Big boy! And he is STILL off the ventilator! It's been over 38 hours now on the CPAP - praise God! This is a huge accomplishment. They also took out his IV today, so he'll now be taking just Jaymie's milk, plus a few vitamins through his feeding tube. Thanks for your continued prayers - he's doing great!

March of Dimes Walk America

Drew N. from Longview mentioned in one of his posts that he wants to get a group together from his youth group in Longview to participate in the March of Dimes Walk America, which raises money for premature babies. He also wanted to encourage others to participate or donate to this cause. Since then, I also got a message from Sarah Brennan, a lady that works with my parents, and she told me that she and her family are also participating and are walking in honor of the Phillips family. I had heard of the March of Dimes, but never really knew much about it, so I checked out their website today. I'm pasting a paragraph from their website that explains the purpose of their organization and this fundraiser:

"The money you raise goes directly to research to find the causes of premature birth and how it can be prevented, to support families whose babies must spend time in neonatal intensive care units and to provide women with the latest information on having a healthy pregnancy."

I found that there are walks taking place all over the country on various dates in the near future if anyone cares to participate in any way. I found that there is one in Paris on April 28th, and the one in Longview is on April 21st. You can register online as an individual or you can create a team, and it will create a personal webpage for you that you can send to other people to have them sponsor you. The website is www.walkamerica.org. The links for Sarah and her family are www.walkamerica.org/sarahbrennan, www.walkamerica.org/DevB, and www.walkamerica.org/krisas. You can sponsor one of them if you want to, or you can participate on your own if you want to.

Another great day

I just talked to Jaymie, and she said that they took Kanyon off the ventilator this morning at around 9:30 and put him on the CPAP, and as of 9:45 this evening when they left the hospital, he was still off the ventilator! This is great improvement, especially since he only lasted an hour last week. He is still eating good - up to 13cc today, and he is up to 1 lb. 15.4 oz. We don't know how long he'll last on the CPAP, but keep praying - he's doing great so far!

Update - with pictures!

I talked to Jaymie tonight, and Kanyon had another good day today. They did not take his ventilator out and put in the CPAP today like they had planned because his doctor was called away from the hospital. They are going to try tomorrow, so keep that in your prayers. His feedings are up to 12cc and he is digesting them well. Jaymie got to change his diaper and take his temperature for the first time today, which she was excited about. Also, his umbilical cord came off and he now has a beautiful tiny belly button. Here are some pictures from the last few days:

Here's Jaymie and Kanyon with Melissa, one of Kanyon's favorite nurses:

Here's Jaymie and Gay with Kanyon:

Here's a glimpse of Kanyon taking a peek at the outside world:
and taking a peek at his doting grandma:
Look at those precious little feet! He was kicking Jaymie's hand.
closer view:
I think he's going to have big feet like his daddy!

Memorials

Many people have asked if there is somewhere they could send a memorial donation in Jayde's honor, and Jaymie and Kory have requested that they be sent either to Camp Deer Run or to Yellowstone Bible Camp. Those can be mailed to:

Camp Deer Run
1227 CR 4590
Winnsboro, TX 75494-4967

Yellowstone Bible Camp
c/o Frank Arnold
2565 Arnica Dr.
Bozeman, MT 59715

Jaymie said that Kanyon weighs 1 lb. 15 oz. today - inching closer to 2 lbs. She also said that they are going to try again tomorrow to take him off the ventilator and put him on the CPAP, so pray for his little lungs.

He's peeking!

Well, Jaymie just called me with another update: he finally opened his eyes! Sweet little Kanyon wanted to take a look at the big bright world around him. He opened one on his own this morning, and the nurse helped him a little with the other one. They got to see him with his eyes open when they went to visit this morning. She said he doesn't open them very wide - basically he's just peeking a little. She doesn't have pictures yet, but will take some soon.

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Other than that, she said he's up to 10cc per feeding, which is good. Also, even though he's on the ventilator, they can tell that he is taking some shallow breaths on his own. This is a good sign that his lungs are getting stronger. Praise God for each little milestone!

A few new pictures

Here are the promised pictures from last night when Jaymie got to hold Kanyon for the second time. They weren't expecting to, but when they went to visit last night, the nurse asked if she wanted to hold him, and she just wrapped him up in a blanket and hat and handed him over.

They also took pictures with a basketball. That's how they are going to measure his growth - how big he is compared to the basketball. He'll be palming it before we know it!

And one of their friends from church that is a nurse there made him a blue bow and took some pictures for them. What a sweet little gift he is!

Kanyon is up to 1 lb 14.7 oz. Jaymie said to be sure and note the .7 because that's a big deal in their world! He's closing in on the 2lb. mark! He was doing good today, just relaxing. He's up to 9cc per feeding and doing great with that. They think they'll take him off of his IV feeding within the next week. That will mean he's getting all he needs from Jaymie's milk. The digestive system is a big concern for preemies and his has been great so far. Continue to pray and thank God for that as well as for his little lungs. Just pray for all parts of his body inside and out to grow grow grow!!

Back on the ventilator

They took Kanyon off the ventilator this morning and put him on the CPAP, but he only lasted for about an hour before they had to put it back in. Jaymie says that they weren't really disappointed because his doctor just wanted to try it to see how well he would do, and they didn't really expect him to stay off it for too long. They will probably have to try it several times before they can take him off it for good. They are going to give him a week to get a little stronger before trying again. Other than that, he had a good day. He is up to 8cc per feeding and digesting it well. And even more exciting, Jaymie got to hold him again tonight! This time they just wrapped him up in a blanket and put a hat on him instead of the kangaroo method. They took pictures and I'll post them once Jaymie sends them to me.

Special prayers needed tomorrow

Kanyon has had another good day - they upped his feedings to 7cc and he is tolerating that well. A full feeding is 15cc, so he's nearly half-way there! Tomorrow they are going to take him off the ventilator to see if he can breathe on his own. They will put a CPAP in his nose, which pushes a continuous flow of air through his lungs to make sure all the little airways stay open, but it does not actually inititate breathing for him. He will be breathing pretty much on his own. His doctor says that it may tire him out and they may have to put him back on the ventilator after a few hours, but they'll just have to wait and see how he does. The doctors and nurses keep stressing that it is a big day for Kanyon, and it's making Jaymie nervous. So pray that Kanyon has the strength and energy to breathe on his own, and pray for peace for Jaymie and Kory so they won't be so worried.

Prayer partners around the world

I mentioned in a previous post that Jaymie and Kory have a map where they have marked states and countries where they know people are praying for them. It has been such an encouragement to them to find out how many people are praying all over the country and the world. Jaymie's cousin, Susan, sent me a link to a website where you can create your own state and world map and color in just the selected areas. It is actually intended to show which states or countries you have visited, but it works perfect for this. So here is a US map and a world map showing where they know people are praying. If we have missed a state or country, please let us know by responding to this post. Thanks again for all your prayers!



create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.




create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

Note: after posting, I noticed that the maps are cut off to fit in the left pane of the blog, so I also placed them at the bottom of the page where they will not be cropped. Rather than putting an updated map on a new post, I will probably just go back and update the maps on the bottom of the page if we find out about more states or countries.

Another great report

I just got off the phone with Jaymie, and Kanyon got another great report. He is still digesting Jaymie's milk well, or "tolerating his feeds" as the nurses say. They are going to up his feedings to 6cc today. The more milk he takes, the less and less nutrition they have to give him through his IV. Also, he now weighs 1 lb. 13.5 oz. - getting close to 2 lbs.! He had lost a few ounces at first which is normal, then has steadily gained since then. They don't want him to gain weight fast, just slow and steady. His head scan came back good - better than the last one, so that's a blessing. The biggest thing Jaymie and Kory are worried about is that they are going to try to take him off his ventilator in the next couple of days. They will put a CPAP in, which helps him breathe through his nose, but they will take the ventilator out of his trachea and he will have to initiate breathing on his own, which can tire him out more easily. It's great that the doctor feels like he is ready for this, but just pray that it all goes well. The doctor says that he is happy with Kanyon's progress and that he is a tough little boy.

Sweet family photos

Jaymie got to hold Kanyon for the first time this afternoon, and it was so good for both of them. Kanyon didn't say anything, but we think he enjoyed it. Kory and both grandmothers were there, and they took plenty of pictures. They used the kangaroo method where they let Jaymie put him inside her shirt against her skin so he would stay warm and close.

This picture below is from yesterday, and it was titled "cool guy". When they put him under the lights he has to wear shades to protect his eyes.

Exciting news

Well, I just got off the phone with Jaymie, and she had some great news - she may get to hold Kanyon today! One of the nurses mentioned that this morning when she was in the NICU visiting him, and Jaymie is so excited.

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Also, he is up to 5cc of milk now - what a big eater he is! And they are going to reduce some of the medicine that he is taking to see if that will help him to breathe better. They'll try it for a couple of days, and if it works, they will be able to take him off the ventilator and just keep the tubes in his nose. They haven't gotten the results back from his head scan, but I'll let you know when they do.

He's eating, pooping, and breathing well!

Sweet little Kanyon is doing good today. I just got off the phone with Jaymie and she had some updates. He is up to 4cc of milk per feeding, and he also pooped, both of which show that his little digestive system is working well. They are also trying to decrease the amount of pressure that his ventilator is providing. I don't understand exactly how it all works or how they measure it, but I know he is on regular air, not oxygen, which is great, but they are still having to use a ventilator to help his lungs work. It has been set on 20, which measures the amount of pressure it is pumping into his lungs, and they tried decreasing that pressure yesterday and today. I know yesterday he didn't seem to respond very well, so they had to turn it back up. Today they turned it down to 15 for a while, then had to bump it up to 16. They say it will probably have to go down and back up for a while as his lungs get stronger. I don't know how much detail I really need to give on that, but the goal is obviously to get him off the ventilator eventually, and it helps to measure the progress when they are able to use it less and less. I hope I'm getting all the details right on that. He is going to have a routine head scan today, so we can pray that it shows no problems.

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Jaymie is healing well - she got her staples out today, or her zipper, as her brother Clint likes to call it. She and Kory slept at home last night for the first time, which is a good sign that they felt comfortable enough to leave him for that long.

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Jaymie asked for continued prayers for his digestive system, the head scan, and for them to have peace about everything.

Kanyon is still doing well

Kanyon is still holding steady - thanks for all your continued prayers for him.

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Jaymie and Kory traveled to Paris today for the memorial service, and of course it was very difficult, but it was also beautiful. Both of them mentioned how it really gave them a lot of peace and comfort, more than they expected. During the service, I believe it was Kory's brother Clint that read 1 Thessalonians 4:13, which talks about how we should not grieve like men who have no hope. Clint mentioned that Kory and Jaymie do not grieve like people who have no hope, but like people who still have work to do, and I completely agree with him. Of course they are grieving, but they are so strong and faithful and they know they must continue to stay strong for little Kanyon. It is so hard to watch them go through this, but they have been such an example to me and to others of how a Christian should handle difficult times like this. On a side note, thanks to all of you that have shared scriptures in your comments - we read many of them during the service today.

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Please continue to pray for Kanyon. If you would like to sign up for a specific time, please visit the prayer chain website. http://www.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=kanyonandjayde There are lots of times available in the coming week. Also pray for Kory's family as most of them are traveling back to Montana tomorrow.