doc appointment update

we've had a bit of a set back today. we've been accustomed to hearing good news each visit, that we know this is just a small bump in the road.

mara + i noticed his eye was red + a bit irritated last week. he also wasn't opening the eye nearly as big as before. when he did open it, it was noticeably more lazy than before. we called the hospital last week, got an appointment for today, and found out the contact lens we has ordered had arrived which meant we could receive instructions how to place it in and out each day.

he's begun to sense the drill: strapped + held down so the doc can peel back his lids to take a peek. at first they thought the scab from the scar had become loose, possibly from itching it. but upon further exam, they think it's a bit worse.

of the three explanations that it could be, the doc said he feels like it is the least complicated of them. he thinks the pupil has attached itself to the cornea, making the cornea inflamed and irritated. he ruled out an infection and there is a slight chance his eye pressure might be involved. he explained that if it is the pupil attaching itself to the cornea, surgery + medicine could remedy the problem. there is also now a chance we might have to do a cornea transplant again.

jasper, as any two year old, wont stay still for more than a milli-second while we try and open his eye. hence, they need to put him to sleep once more for a long exam to find out exactly what's wrong.

unfortunately, since his cornea is inflamed and uneven, the contact lens placement + instruction had to be delayed. the lens won't stay positioned in the eye's current state. in addition, even if we did put it in, the doctors said he wouldn't be able to see.

as you probably already guessed, timing is a big question. mara is to give birth on may 8th (yes, i know...10 days away!!). at the moment, jasper's examination is scheduled for the 12th. we are trying to have the exam pushed forward to first thing next week, since it will be difficult for mara to be there when he wakes up as she will be in another hospital recovering from the c-section. we should know friday when the exam will be.

stay tuned.

our little student

more pics from finn's bday

happy birthday finn!

walk

malibu

underneath

daily pic

haircut #4

after the appiontment

he was back to being a happy kid within minutes of leaving the doc office. back to his old self, even though just moments before he was screaming for dear life at the top of his lungs as we tried to peel open his eye lid. kids are amazing.

the yellow around his eye is residue from a solution which works with a specific measuring instrument.

this is a contact lens

doc appointment update

today's visit was a rough one...as well as huge step forward to his recovery. the contact lens specialist needed to take measurements of jasper's bum eye. hence, the need for jasper to hold still while a light and elaborate measuring device calibrated his eye. needless to say, this was impossible unless we strapped him in the super velcro apparatus.

i snapped this pic shortly after he got out of the first one. you can see how sweaty he got from struggling the entire 15 or so minutes he was strapped down. other docs were called in to help restrain jasper as he wiggled and with sheer strength busted through the straps. it was straight out of the incredible hulk.

the biggest problem was that jasper's cornea is badly scared and the device could not get a correct calibration since it was so uneven. they eventually took a measurement of his left eye and assuming it's symmetrical, based the lens strength off that one.

the best news is that once we inserted the lens into his eye, we think he was able to see! we placed a patch over his good eye, and placed him off our lap and onto the ground. i was so consumed with anticipation and amazement, i didn't take any pictures at that special moment.

he was extremely hesitant of opening the bad eye with the lens. at points, he would open it ever so slightly, then shut quickly, but we could tell he received enough input to reach for a ball and then a door handle (to get the hell out of the doctor's office).

we left the lens in for 15 minutes in which jasper calmed down and began opening it even more. the test was a success. next, the lens is ordered and will be here shortly...where upon we return for lessons in how we will place the lens in his eye each day. we begin patching the good eye immediately with the grace of God, he can begin to use both eyes once more.

2nd birthday

believe it or not, mara + i actually thought we would not have a party for jasper this year. mara's 9 months pregnant and we thought: let's just keep it small and simple. but, we couldn't resist giving him his day. we kept it simple, but not small. we threw it all together a few days before sunday and it felt relaxed, casual, and lots of fun for jasper + his friends. can you believe kristen grosser made the soccer ball cake?

daily pics

birthday lunch

mara + i have begun to make a tradition of stopping at mexico city on the way home from children's hospital.

doc appointment update

the plan was for jasper to be outfitted for a contact lens this morning. the retina specialist saw him first and performed an ultrasound and examination. 4 weeks ago, when the stitches were removed, the cornea specialist noticed some small pulling of the retina. the good news is that it still looks good and they are not overly concerned about the pulling. we have to monitor it for the rest of the life.

The bad news was they had to once more strap him in a super velcro harness in order to peel his eye open. He's too strong for three of us to hold in the chair. he was so emotional and worked up after the exam, that the contact lens specialist recommended us coming back on wenseday...

the smaller pics were taken after the exam so you can see he quickly calmed down after we pulled out pretzels and a tennis ball to throw around.