Little Girl Fun

With Hope away for the week at Grandmommy and Grandaddy's house. I have gotten to enjoy a relatively quiet week with just Claire and Molly. We have had quite a bit of fun just playing, and quite a bit of that playing time spent outside.....

Molly is quite a hoot to watch riding her new ride on toy. Of course she isn't quite tall enough to reach the peddles, so she pushes with her feet and then lets momentum and gravity race her down any little hill there may be.

She has also loved pushing "sissy" as she calls Claire, in her swing. Hold on tight Claire!

How precious it is to spend time with each one of my children!


PS...2 more new posts following this one---so check them out!

How's Claire?

That is the question I get asked quite often by well intentioned people. I have found lately that I have been struggling as to just how to answer that simple question.

Is it really a simple question? Do I just nod my head and say, "oh she is doing fine, or good, or great..." or do I go into a more detailed explanation of just how she is?

You see a part of me just wants to pass over that question with the easy answer of "she is doing great"... but a bigger part of me is screaming out to say...."she has had 11 seizures today, she can't walk, she can't talk... she cannot communicate in a way we understand.... she is not good at all!!!"

Of course if I did bust out with that answer I would probably scare all of my friends away and they would be afraid to talk to us again.

This is the daily struggle our family faces... and I do mean daily and sometimes moment by moment. I do believe that God has a plan and a purpose for Claire. I do believe he had her in a wonderful way. I do believe he loves us and he loves Claire so much more than I can comprehend. I do not understand his ways. Yes I get frustrated as a mom... I hate to see her suffer. I hate that she is different.... I hate that she may be this way for as long as God gives her days. I do know that one day God will give her a new body, a new mind.

I want to be able to answer that Claire is good... and she is... she is healthy, and happy as far as we know. But it is hard to watch your child suffer more seizures in a day than you can count... be so wiped out afterwards from them, that she just sleeps or is zonked for the rest of the day. To me, that is not good. That is no way to have to spend your life. We are on the roller coaster ride of adjusting medicine and the good ole waiting game. May God continue to give me grace to love on Claire and grace to know how to answer the question, "How's Claire?"

Big Girls Out

What a wonderful time I got to have with Hope! You see, I can only remember one time since Claire was born that I have gotten to take Hope out and just the 2 of us have some Mommy/Daughter time. Well we finally got our chance. Chad and Marci's baby shower was the end of May, so mom and I thought it would be fun to take Hope and go. So the 3 of us got to hang out for the whole weekend. We enjoyed eating together, staying in a hotel, swimming at the hotel.... enjoyed the River walk in San Antonio, the Alamo, Sea World (with no stroller---yeah) and even a trip to the state capital in Austin. We had a fabulous time.

The first meal Hope and I got to eat together after having dropped off the little girls with Grandma and Pappaw, Hope wanted to sit in a booth and sit by me. She talked non stop.... she was so excited to not have to compete for any one's attention.

I love you Hope Ashton. I had a great time with you. It is fun to hang out with you and go and explore new and exciting things that you have never gotten to see before. I love watching your enthusiasm and your joy of living. You are growing up to be such a lovely young girl!

I sure hope it won't take me 4 years to get to do that again.