Where is 2013 going? Weren't we just getting ready to head to Hawaii to see Patrick? Summer is flying by, but we're happy to report that life is still nice and quiet. We have still been on the road quite a bit to see doctors for Claire in Little Rock and Dallas; however, we can't complain too much because we have been consistently receiving good news. Our latest trip was to an opthamologist with Cook's Children's Hospital in Ft. Worth. Our doctor in Hawaii had mentioned her small optic nerve, but at the time, we didn't think much of it. Well, when her most recent MRI not only showed a smaller than normal brain, it also showed a small optic nerve. So, back to opthamology we went! Fortunately, although Claire is considered to have Optic Nerve Dysplagia (fancy name for small optic nerve), the doctor is very encouraged by her vision. We'll re-evaluate in 4 months to see if glasses and/or surgery could potentially improve her vision. Cross your fingers that we'll at least be able to obtain some form of correction. As far as the long-term impact, we have no idea how her vision will be impacted.
Sine all of the time on the road is exhausting for Claire (and the rest of us), we have finally decided to stop rushing around from one appointment to the next. For example, last week Patrick and I both took the entire day off on Thursday for travel instead of leaving after lunch and squeezing in a 1/2 day of work. This made all of the difference because the kids travelled much better which meant far less stressed parents. We stayed at The Gaylord, one of our favorite hotels, and enjoyed lounging in the lazy river after a long morning of travel. Luke LOVED the lazy river (just like his momma), but princess Claire wasn't sure what she thought about the cold water on her toes, so she just snuggled with daddy on the chairs. Despite a thunderstorm cutting our time a bit short, we had a great time. The storm was actually a good thing because we were showered, dressed, ate dinner on the property, and were back in the room and ready for bed nice and early since Claire's appointment was first thing in the morning.
Other than getting the good news in Ft. Worth that Claire's vision was better than they had anticipated, we have just been having a nice, relaxing summer (which explains the lack of posts!). Each day Claire seems just a little bit stronger and has the endurance to play longer without rest, and her favorite thing to do is watch crazy brother Luke run around the house with his crazy imagination. Who knows what is so exciting in his mind, but whatever it is sure must be awesome. He loves to pretend talk on the phone, play with his new kitchen, or swim in the backyard. Although Claire isn't a fan of the heat, she sure does love watching tv or rocking on the airplane rocker with her big brother!
