We’re in the house. It was official last Saturday, the 30th. Another great group of friends helped us move the last vestiges of apartment living into the house. And the joys of home ownership were fully realized.
I need to take care of the most important business before getting into the updates, and it’s the right month for it: thanks giving. The overwhelming support has continued over the last three weeks as we made the transition to the home. Our minds boggle knowing we closed on October 15th. In a mere two weeks, the house was move-in ready and immaculate. There are so many people who helped and they have our gratitude. They helped make the house our home.
Because of all the help, we’ve been able to get settled much more quickly than anticipated. The two that have had the hardest time adjusting are Autumn and Claire. Autumn’s first night in the house was a sea of tears: she missed the apartment. Autumn is a caricature of change for the rest of us. What we often feel inside and hide, Autumn displays in all its glory. Tears, sniffles, red eyes and wailing accompany Autumn’s emotions. No amount of discussion or rationale appeases her: she just needs time to get used to the new world. And when all is said and done, Autumn adapts to change faster that most of us, in part because she deals with her grief so dramatically in one fell swoop, and then moves on.
Claire’s difficulties have been more prolonged. Claire’s reflux returned with a vengeance for the first few days and is only now abating. We had to install a whole house air purifier to eliminate microbes and mitigate the possibility of airborne infection for Claire at the house. The air is clear, the environment clean; however, the volume of change has upset Claire’s stasis. She has started to calm down again and better days are returning.
Claire continues to move forward. Her eyes and focus are getting stronger week by week. She Her therapists have been so pleased with her progress that they recommended adding a day of speech therapy back into Claire’s schedule. Claire is following commands with much improved consistency and this let’s the speech therapist work with greater efficacy. We’re excited for her progress and while we still wish it was faster, we are glad it’s still forward.
Claire greeted us in a new way this morning as well. It’s been several months since we’ve seen Claire stretch and she did it this morning. Her legs were curled up, she stretched them out and then brought them back up to her chest. Stretching this way is a voluntary movement and we’re excited to see more purposeful effort like this. It seems the past two weeks have had a greater volume of these small steps than normal. It helps fuel our hope.
It’s been a couple of months in the making, but tonight was capped off with more family news: my little sister Bryanna accepted Brian’s proposal. Recall that Brian came out here with Bryanna while Claire was still at OCH. His support for my little sister and us the past several months has spoken volumes. We’re all excited to extend our family further and proud of Bryanna. We wish we could be with them to celebrate tonight and look forward to a celebratory glass of wine when they come out in December.
We hope you’re enjoying the season change and look forward to seeing many of you over the coming weeks. Thank you for your support and prayers.
Our Claire Journal 
I am so glad everything is settling down for you all. It is great to hear about Claire’s continued improvement! Thank you for taking the time to update during this busy season!! I hope you all have a great rest of the weekend!
What a blessing to hear from you all! I miss your updates and often wonder how things are going for your family! I’m so thankful that you had help getting your house ready to move into! God is good!
I will continue to pray for you all!
Please hug your girls for me! I don’t know you personally but I feel like I am getting to know your family via your updates.
You have an incredible family! Blessings to all!
Thanks for the encouraging update, Tyler — congratulations on your new home!!! Our Moms in Touch group continues to pray for Claire and your family almost weekly, and I read them your updates. May God keep you encouraged, surrounded with loving help, and rooted in Him — and may He make all your hard work very fruitful. Praying also for Autumn to adjust to and appreciate her new home, and to begin to comprehend what a blessing it is!
So glad to hear from you again, I’m happy that Claire is doing well and continuing to improve. Praying for you. May God continue you to bless your family and your new home 🙂
Wow! What a lot of changes in your lives! Sounds like Autumn and Claire, in their different ways, are the barometers of those changes. I love Autumn, her storms at the changes, her inability to keep them to herself, and then her ability to move on once she’s expressed them. It sounds a bit hard on you and Tiffany, but in a way I hope she never loses that ability to be so transparent with her emotions–what a gift! Claire’s harder, because right now she can’t tell you the way she used to, she can only react physically, and you can’t reassure her so easily, only leave her to work it out on her own. But it sounds like she IS working it out on her own, slowly, over time. And the new house sounds like it’s becomeing home for you all, in spite of the adjustments. It was the right move, in every sense of the word. I’m glad you got so much help! And congratulations to Bryana and Brian. God is good! Dodie
Tyler,
How exciting to be in your new home and to hear of the continued progress for Claire. I, like many others, miss your posts but fully understand how busy you must be. Please give each of your girls an extra tight hug tonight on my behalf.
Nancy
We also have missed your updates but fully understand. Did not understand how you were able to keep them up but in looking back we realize that they were a form of healing for you also. The support you have received would be double fold if more folks lived in your area. How wonderful that you are in your new nest. We continue to Thank our Lord for all he has given you and for allowing us to share and have a glimpse into your life…The struggles and the joys….Continuing to pray for all of you…Sincerely from The Rebakah & Brendans American Grandparents
So great to hear that everyone is adjusting to the new home and that Claire is really making progress! God is good!
I can’t tell you how good it makes me feel to hear of these improvements in Claire. I feel rejuvinated as Claire is being rejuvinated! Love you all! Mom
That is such GREAT news, all around!! 🙂 I am so happy for you guys! Have a great week!!
Kristen!
So glad to hear of Claire’s continued progress! Your posts are very much appreciated so we know how she is doing. She continues to be in our hearts and prayers! As I’ve mentioned before your(Tyler) dad does work with my husband. In one of their conversations we discovered that Claire and our daughter Isabel are very close in age. I think their birthdays are only a day or so apart!(Nov 27th for Isabel) Isabel thought this was pretty cool when we told her, since she considers Claire a friend of hers (though they’ve never met)! We send Claire our love!
So glad you are all moved in and glad to hear things are heading in the right direction! I will keep praying for you and your family.
Tyler,
I hope with all you guys have been doing to prepare for your move that you are taking care of yourself. I’m so happy to that you are in a place of your own. Now take some time and take care so you don’t get sick again, I have been worried about you.
Love and prayers,
Aunt Mary Ellen
Such hearting news about Claire. It is taking such hard work and dedication on Claire’s and your part. Add in a multitude of prayers and we can see a miracle in progress. I am reminded of a verse that caught my eye last week. Hebrews 6:15 says ‘Then Abraham waited patiently and he received what God had promised.'(NLT) We trust and believe that God is doing a great work in and through Claire, even greater then we will ever know. We will continue to pray often and will wait patiently.
Congrats to the expanding Martin clan.
Love to all of you, Dad and Mom
amazing, stunning, wonderful. all words that i think as i read the post.
and i love autumn’s emotions – its a good feature to have.
great news!!! mucho amor para todos. we love you.
Great news about house, hope all are adapting well.
Glad to hear about the stretching too.
Care to the caregivers; love, hugs and prayers for all,
Susan D.
I am so happy to hear that the move to the house was a huge success and that Claire is doing so well! It’s great to read about her improvements. You are still always in our thoughts and prayers.
So excited that Claire keeps moving forward. Even though I am so far away and only comment by email, I was starting to miss the Updates, so I thank you for updating, and hopefully you will be able to do it more frequently now that you and your family are settling down. Would you please be able to share very specific prayer requests with me that I can lift up to our Heavenly Father.
Thinking of you all
Christina Roberts
I continue to follow Claire’s story, even though we’ve never met. So happy to see the progress she is making. Prayers from Oklahoma are being said daily for your family and your beautiful girl!
Thanks for the update. I love your blog because it helps me to feel connected to you guys. I am so thankful to God for your new house. He has been providing for you every step of the way. I would love to see the promised pictures too! 😉 I miss you all and am thankful to hear about Claire’s progress. I was on a Ladies retreat this weekend and the speaker has Cerebral Palsy (sp?). She talked about how her parents had not “signed up” for that, but faithfully took her to therapy. They did everything they possibly could for her, ignoring the Doctors comments about how she would never walk, or talk etc. She talked about her struggle and how she would cry during therapy as they stretched her muscles. I nearly wept as I thought of Claire. However, in the end she said that her CP was a gift and that she wouldn’t give it up if somebody offered to take it away. She has and incredible faith and love for God. It was such an amazing perspective.
I love you Martins. 🙂
Michelle