Our Little Miracles

2009-11-29T17:46:00.004-06:00

This week has been a good one. Stephen has been home for several days. Braden loves having extra time with his Daddy. I got to cook breakfast several mornings and I even made dinner on Thursday nite. Braden is crawling really well now. He can even pull up on to his knees. He is getting into everything he shouldn't... lol He loves going after the dog, his suction machine or the entertainment center doors. We put in the child safety equipment for some of the items. But haven't completely finished child proofing just yet. I hate to lock him out of everything since part of his exploring helps his development. Braden has several appts. early this month. We see Pulmonary, Ortho and Braden will be getting another H1N1 shot along with his monthly RSV shot. Eating is still going super. Braden is handling Stage 3 foods pretty easily now. I have been giving half Stage 3 foods and then a Stage 1 or 2. That way he eats enough and gets the calories he needs.

As far as the pregnancy things are going well so far. The only trouble I've been having is getting enough sleep and headaches occassionally. I feel like carrying one baby instead of two is definitely easier. Or at least so far it seems much better. This week starts my second trimester. So looking forward to the 3rd.

New pics and update

2009-11-17T21:31:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Braden started forward crawling. I'm excited because I really thought it would be too difficult for him with his brace. But he figured it out and even showed his therapist during today's session. We've had a rough couple of nites because Braden has been congested and coughing. We've ruled out a cold since he has only gotten better not worse. So we are thankful. Stephen taught Braden how to give kisses on your cheek. The sweetest and cutest thing ever. Although Braden is not going to give them if he doesn't want too. You can ask but you don't always receive. At random though you might get a free one and that just melts your heart. Today Braden ate just regular old Apple's n Cinnamon Oatmeal. He did pretty well but gagged on the first bite. I was really proud because he at 3/4 of it. The second feed of the day I didn't make him eat anything chunky. You can tell he has to work too hard and with as much oatmeal as he ate I didn't want to push him. Plus his cough has made his throat raw and it's not so comfortable to swallow. Hope you all enjoy the new pics.

Weekly update 11/12

2009-11-12T21:58:00.002-06:00

This week has been busy. Pop John and Nana came down to visit with Braden and take me to a consignment sale. We were able to purchase a double stroller for half the cost of a new one.:-) Two practically new toys for Braden and another safety gate. So now I have one for upstairs and down. Braden always enjoys company especially when it's his Pop Pop and Nana. He has done really well with the exception of napping and getting enough sleep. He is eating amazingly well. We've had diced canned peaches, mashed up banana, puffs and some stage 3 chunky style baby foods. He has done really well with all of them. The diced peaches took more effort and you can really tell he had to work on them. I think if he has them on a regular basis he'll gradually do just as well as he does with the puffs. He is also eating more by mouth. His appetite has definitely increased with his activity. Which is good but I wish he could tell me when he is hungry. We will have to work on signing for that one. I feed him almost every two hours to make sure he gets enough. We went to the Pediatrician this week for his first RSV shot. I asked for a measurement and Braden is now 31" long. However, he had lost the weight he gained and was back down to 20 lbs 15.8 Ozs. I think he's gained some of that back this week surely with all he's been eating. It's a rollercoaster but not too bad. Mobility for Braden is getting better daily. I'm still amazed how much he can get to with a backwards crawl/rolling/sitting moves and not actually forward crawling. He has also increased his stamina. He can go non-stop all day long now and has started napping where ever he is. A few evenings ago he fell asleep in the middle of sitting up. He was on my lap and it was hilarious. During the day he'll be playing so hard he'll just all of the sudden poop out. Those occasions use to be so rare but lately it's been happening alot. I have to say I love seeing it. It's so amazing to see him exploring his world and being so motivated to go go go.

Exciting News!!!

2009-11-05T17:09:00.002-06:00

Well today was a busy day for our family. At 2:00 o'clock we made a visit to see Dr. Wingo. We are very please to announce we are having another baby. I am 10 wks and 5 days. We were anxious to be sure we were not having twins. Happily we saw only one baby with lots of room to grow. :-) The ultrasound looks good and we have pics but unfortunately I do not have a scanner to share them. I'm sure Braden will love being an older brother.

Another feeding report

2009-11-03T14:15:00.002-06:00

At the suggestion of another preemie Mom from the yahoo group that I am a member. Take little puffs and mix with purees. Braden did great with blueberry little puffs and Apple delight from Beech nut. To me it's like soggy cereal. But for Braden it was texture without gagging and he liked the flavor combo. He didn't gag once. So I am thrilled. Looks like it's a good week with some new milestones. Hopefully, as he progresses I can soak the puffs less and less till he gets use to them without puree's being mixed with them. Then maybe he can graduate to cheerios and little fishes. I would love to see it. :-)

Oreo Stiks

2009-11-02T16:54:00.003-06:00

Well I am so happy to report Braden is eating something new. He tried Oreo stiks today. He did almost as well with them as he does with Cheetos. I am so thrilled. We have to thank Mollie and Dax. Mollie gave a list on her last blog of things Dax will eat. So this is the first item I tried. It's so nice knowing other preemie Mom's and getting suggestions from them. Braden also did better in therapy today. He is still giving a hard time but not so bad that he can't be worked with...

The nutritionist

2009-10-30T11:14:00.006-05:00

Well much to my surprise the Nutritionist is happy with Braden's weight gain. She said I do not have to increase from 20 ozs per day to 24. I only need to add an extra bottle if Braden doesn't eat good by mouth. Which over the past several days has not been a problem. He has been eating 6 ozs per day and I am very happy about it. The goal is for Braden to gain no more than 5 grams per day. On a few occassions I have tried new foods (other than cheesy puffs) without success. His gagging and sensory issues are just too strong right now. I tried giving him a french fry the other nite. He grabs it and then feels it's icky so drops it. If he doesn't like the way something feels it'll never make it to his mouth. I have to say this may not just be a preemie issue. When I was young I hated for my hands to be dirty. Apparently, his cousin Matthew and Pop John have the same issue. The gagging problem is also in the family. His Daddy has it and so does his Aunt Leslie. I'm sure being a preemie has intensified the already inherited so it may be a while before Braden will eat chunky foods. I do have a another preemie Mom friend who's little boy is about the same age as Braden. She listed several foods she has gotten her son to eat. I will be attempting to introduce some of these to Braden. With the cheesy puffs I had to give them at every meal till he got over touching them. Once he got use to the way they felt he progressed to attempting to eat them. So that'll be the plan for the other items. One at a time till he gets use to them and they make it to his mouth.:-) Hope you enjoy the new pics.

On the move...

2009-10-28T23:23:00.002-05:00

Well Braden is busier than ever lately. He seems to have found more energy. So he is trying harder than ever to go places. He can cruise backwards pretty well but still hasn't figured out how to go forward. He also seems to want to pull up on things even though he can't. We don't allow him to stand since the Dr. isn't letting him without the brace. We would really like him to crawl first so we try to keep him focused on that instead. I've increased his feedings again this week to try and get his weight up. Braden is eating by mouth again. I had started feeding him in the kitchen during meal time. Guess that was a bad idea. Now he's back in front of the TV and eats like a champ. Therapy has not been going well. Between sickness on the therapist side and Braden's new found crying and refusing to look at his therapist we aren't getting much done. He has been clinging to me and wanting the therapist to hold him instead of making him work. It's really very funny and sad at the same time. Not to mention a little surprising. Afterall, he seemed to love their visits until now. Guess he figured out what they are doing and realized it's work and not really play. Today I had put Braden at his special table his Daddy and Pop John made and went into the kitchen. As I glanced over Braden was actually pushing the big table onto two legs. Wow he was strapped in but still I couldn't believe he could do it. That table is pretty heavy. Guess I can't leave him there anymore. Not that he was out of my site the kitchen and Den are open to each other. But I use to place him there so I could see him and cook or fix his meals. The pack n play is about the only place I can safely put him to do anything anymore. Not complaining just happy with his progress and adjusting to the new obstacles.

New pictures

2009-10-18T21:38:00.006-05:00

Not much is new this week. Braden has gained back some of his weight. yeah!!! So the new feeding schedule is working. We had a nice visit with Pop John and Nana. These photos are off their camera.

New Videos

2009-10-09T14:03:00.004-05:00

Trip to the Pediatrician

2009-10-07T22:44:00.007-05:00

Well today was our first long trip out of the house by ourselves. Braden's eczema is awful. He has scratched it so badly that it's become infected. Which has caused the eczema to spread and his poor skin looks horrible. So his pediatrician gave him an antibiotic to help clear it up. I am so proud of Braden for making this trip so easy. We didn't have to stop not even once for suctioning. I have to admit he wasn't having teething issues today. So that really helped. We found out that Braden has lost a little weight. He is now 20 lbs 12 ozs. The pediatrician wasn't surprised since he has been so active. It's not uncommon for toddlers to lose a little. I asked her if he looked healthy enough and she said yes. I'm sure you can tell from his pics that he is doing just fine. My only concern is if Pulmonary will agree. Therapy is going great and Braden is really working hard. He can now get into the sitting position from the floor. No support from a boppy or pillow. He can also pivot in a half circle in the sitting position. He was taught how on Monday and has been doing it ever since. :-) He has made several attempts at crawling however he is still in the brace most of the time. So I feel that is hendering his progress. He can't really get his knees up under him in the brace. He actually stays on his belly more and more each week. Seems he isn't bothered by it so much anymore. Which is great. He has been pushing up and just really working hard towards moving.

New pics as promised

2009-10-01T22:49:00.005-05:00

This week has been good. Braden has done very well in therapy despite being a bit tired. Teething is off and on and this week it's ON. He woke up at 4:30 am this morning and it took an hour to get him back to sleep. Then he woke up to stay up at 6:30 am. Right now I need to be in bed but I am posting instead. Will go to sleep as soon as I'm done. Hope you all enjoy the new pics.

Busy Busy Busy....:-)

2009-09-27T20:58:00.003-05:00

We have been very busy lately. Braden has therapy 5 X's per week. Most are scheduled early morning. So we are up early and have a good bit to do before therapy. Bath time is now at nite instead of in the morning. Which has actually been better since Braden has decided making messes with his food is FUN. Last week was the first week on this new schedule. By Thursday Braden was too exhausted for his PT session. Hopefully he'll build up some stamina after just a few more weeks. He has already made great progress. He can now sustain pushing up in the crawl position for 15-20 seconds. He can also rock back and forth without dropping to the floor. He can stand up on his knees. He wants to stand now but I have to call Ortho first. Not sure if he is allowed. We have been putting it off because I'd rather him crawl before he tries to walk. He actually does travel to get to his toys although much of it is the non crawling technique. It's the Braden Harris version of traveling. Which usually involves staying on his back or side and wiggling till he gets there. Or he uses his head to move. Hard to explain but lets just say this is how he got around in his cast. He has strong neck muscles. lol Braden is also very active on our laps. He can really wear you out when he wants too. Especially when he's tired and doesn't want to fall asleep. I'm sorry I don't have any new pics. I'll try to post some later this week. Thanks to everyone again for keeping up with Braden's progress. We appreciate all of you so much.

Cute pics...

2009-09-19T00:21:00.008-05:00

I just wanted to share a few new pics. Braden is loving chewing up the remote. He would rather put his teeth on hard plastic than a teether. He bites on remotes, tupperware, the box of wipes, lotion bottles and sterile water bottles. In fact we have to give him empty sterile water bottles. He actually got the cap off one while chewing on it and fortunately it had little water in it. I would have had a stroke if he had dumped water down his trach. You know because he won't keep his nose on. Notice in some of the recliner photos his nose if laying off to the side. He's such a character.

Update on Braden's progress

2009-09-15T23:14:00.003-05:00

I just realized it's been almost a week since my last post. So I thought I would share a few new things with you. Braden has done two complete roll overs over the past week. All one direction which he has never done even before his cast. Braden has also warmed up to being on his belly just a smidge. At random we will find him pushing up from the floor and raising his head while on his belly. All good exercises for learning to crawl. He is still teething up a storm and now has 13 teeth. It seems they have all started coming in at once. It's required alot of Motrin and teething tablets. Braden and I have been practicing playing ball. We sit on the floor and pass the Elmo ball to each other. He either pushes with his hands or drops it to me after trying to eat it.:-) Several days ago Braden played a very long game of peek-a-boo with me. It was so much fun to see him laughing so hard and really getting into the game. Before he'd play one or two times and then he was over it. Braden has also learned a new sign other than Daddy. No it's not Mommy it's "all done". The therapist and I grab Braden's hands after he eats to say "all done". So in Braden's world he should grab my hands and make me sign "all done". So that is how Mr. Braden tells me he's finished eating. He always gets a great big grin on his face while signing he's all done. It's so cute. Stephen has taught Braden to reach for us when he wants up. Braden will also grab your hands if he wants to pull up and sit. Braden's back to not loving his cheesy poofs. Could be partly due to the teething. Braden and I took a trip to the Donelson Walgreens all by ourselves this week. We went thru the drive-thru because as many of you know I will not take him into the stores. The trip went very well. It was so nice to get out and I think we will be doing more of it. I really wish grocery stores would let you fax in your grocery list and have a drive thru pick up. Wouldn't that be awesome? For now we will just have to go to Sonic every once in a while for a treat. Maybe I can talk Braden in to liking ice cream now that we know he's not allergic to milk. We tried Yo baby yogurt and Braden really likes it. Oh and on the way back from our trip to Walgreens Mr. Braden decided to take off his trach nose. So I am scolding him thru the rearview mirror and what does he do? Starts laughing wide mouth smile showing all his teeth. He just thought that was hilarious. I had a really hard time not laughing with him. But I didn't. We stopped off at the Cracker Barrel so I could put his nose back on. He wasn't real happy about it. I think he thought since we were on the road he wouldn't have to put it back on. It's a little bit of a battle with him right now. He goes thru spells of us going back and forth putting the nose back on after he pulls it off. He's also learned how to pull off his velcro straps on his splint/brace. I think he likes the noise it makes. So glad he doesn't have to wear it all the time. As long as I can keep him in it for naps and nite time we are good.

Due to all the sickness (H1N1) we have asked to cancel all our visits to Vandy over the winter. Thankfully they were excepting of that request. So our Pediatrician will see us for RSV shots and she has agreed to see us in the early AM before anyone else arrives. So hopefully we will be able to keep Braden from getting sick this winter.

Ok well it is late and for not having much to say this is a pretty long post. :-) I am super tired so hope it all makes sense. If I've rambled please forgive me. Braden has been waking up at 4 am and has no desire to go back to sleep. With his feeding schedule I rarely go to bed before 11 pm. So not much sleep for me lately. Braden eventually goes back to sleep and then gets up a 6:30 but I am up at random during 4-6:30 because after a full nite of sleep (Braden's full nite) he's a bit junky and has to be suctioned a good bit. So I'm up and down alot.

Braden Update

2009-09-08T22:11:00.005-05:00

Well not alot to share right now. Braden is doing well. Still teething and drooling like crazy. But he is still eating good, on and off with the cheesy poofs and still drinking well from the sippy cup. We take his brace/splint off a couple of times a day. He loves being in his jumper as seen in these latest pics. He isn't super active. He is a little reserved on using his feet. Which is to be expected but I'm sure with time he will get more active with it. He is doing great push ups for us and his PT. Working with him on those crawling skills. He still hates being on his tummy so who knows he may skip crawling. The last pic with Braden sleeping on his table. That was a day when he didn't take his nap. It was about 6 pm and he just passed out. It lasted about 20 minutes. :-)

First trip to the Nashville Zoo

2009-09-02T17:49:00.007-05:00

NICU party photo

2009-09-01T17:26:00.002-05:00

Here is the pic the professional photographer took of Braden and some of his friends on Sunday.

Braden eating Cheetos - Thanks Ms. Sharon for teaching me how to chew.

2009-08-31T12:54:00.002-05:00

Ok much to my amazement our big boy Braden decided to actually eat cheetos. Not only did he eat them he didn't gag. Not only didn't he gag but he actually picked them up himself and put them in his mouth. Honestly he does stuff overnite. It's like he just wakes up and says I'm going to eat today and he does. I really think his therapy has brought him into a whole new world. He loves seeing his therapist so much and they bring out the best in him. We are so proud of him and I am also thankful his Daddy actually was home to see him eat. :-)

Braden Update

2009-08-30T22:11:00.006-05:00

Sorry for not posting last week. I had a horrible sinus infection and Braden was junky all nite from teething. So little sleep and just barely making it thru the days. I am better now and Braden is still teething with drainage but is his usual happy self. Today we went to the Baptist Hospital NICU party. We saw so many friends, nurses and fellow preemies. It was great to see everyone and I wish we had taken more pics but it was so crowded and busy. I know we will be emailed at least one pic of Braden later. I'll have to post it once I get it.

Braden has been a busy little guy. He is so anxious to stand it's not even funny. I hate that I have to keep him off his feet. He is turning circles on the carpet during floor time. We were going to try and help him crawl but the smart little guy won't stay on his belly. He still hates his belly. Pushing up with his arms while on his belly is greatly improved. So he is making lots of progress. This week Braden will see Ortho again and we will find out if he has to continue to wear his splint 24/7.

Feeding is going well again. During this round of teething he slowed down to about 1 1/2 - 2 ozs per session. But now he's back up to 2 1/2 to 4 ozs at a time. He has also bit a Cheetos puff at least twice. lol That's progress even if he does gag afterward. I'll take whatever we can get at this point. Sippy cup drinking is going very well. Braden doesn't drink a huge amount but he does pretty good. It also helps keep his food down.

Allergy report

2009-08-20T13:16:00.003-05:00

Ok so they called back quick this time. Told me Braden doesn't have allergies of any kind. So not sure where his drainage could be coming from... can't imagine he has a cold. We rarely go anywhere. Oh well doesn't seem to be causing him any problems. Just me at nite. Another good thing I can't believe I forgot to mention. Braden has been off O2 at nite since Friday. He is doing great. So I am hoping this means he is off for good. We will see at our next Pulmonary visit.

Update on test results

2009-08-20T09:11:00.006-05:00

Well we actually got good news on Braden's reflux. It is minimal and we can keep him on 10 mg of Nexium or switch to 20 mg if needed. I am so thrilled with this news. They did forget to mention allergies when they called. I wasn't feeling well yesterday and forgot to ask. I am run down and my allergies are killing me. Braden's been battling allergies for over a week. I haven't been getting much sleep due to suctioning Braden several times a nite. I think most of my problem is just being worn down from lack of sleep. Fortunately, last nite Braden went to sleep at 6pm so I did too. Still had to get up 4 or 5 times between last feed, Nexium dose and suctioning. But I feel a good bit better today. Hoping we can both take it easy and get some much needed rest. Next week will be very busy. Braden has therapy early Mon thru Wed. mornings and also Wed. evening. We see Urology next Tuesday and we are going to the NICU party on the 30th. We are really looking forward to taking Braden out and seeing our NICU friends. As well as the other families and their babies or should I say toddlers. :-)

Braden is doing great in therapy. He is eating well and he is drinking from a sippy cup. We have took out the gadget that keeps the liquid from spilling. He does much better without it. He is also pulling up into the sitting position really well. He just needs a little support behind him and he wears himself out laying back and sitting up. Really working those stomach muscles. He can also roll on his belly but I try not to let him. The Doctor does not want him trying to crawl. :-( Braden has finally found his feet and loves pulling on his socks and trying to take them off. Remember his legs use to be so short. He couldn't reach his feet. Since his surgery his legs have really lengthened. So now touching his ankles and feet are no problem. He is really getting around despite his splint. Once his splint is off he will have PT twice a week so he can catch up to his peers. With as much as he is doing now we all think it won't be long before he is crawling and walking.

PH probe pictures

2009-08-12T21:29:00.006-05:00

Here are a few pics of Braden's PH probe set up. Unfortunately, he had to have his arms restrained. His allergies are bad and his nose itched all evening. Couldn't risk him pulling the probe out. One good thing from today is he was so groggy from the mild sedation he slept alot. Took a three hour nap which was great for me. I needed one too. He went down for the nite at 8:30 pm. So glad this is only a 24 hour thing and he gets to have this out 8 am tomorrow.

By the way in these photos Braden's hair is standing up. This was not on purpose. His hair actually does this on it's own now. lol Everyone loved it at Vandy. He got so much attention today it was great. Even people in the elevator were loving his hair. :-)

Procedure Upper GI and PH probe

2009-08-12T12:26:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note before I take a nap with Braden. Who is out sleeping already.:-) Today's Upper GI scoping and PH probe procedure went very well. The Dr. said no visible signs of irritation to Braden's throat. He also said the Nissen still looks good although we still won't know if that is working until the PH probe results come back. We will update sometime Tuesday with more information. Braden didn't even require an IV this time for the mild sedation. We were so pleased. We go back in at 8 am to have the probe removed. Braden will be thrilled since we have his arms in splints. It's the only way we can keep him from pulling out the probe.

Braden's first haircut

2009-08-10T12:34:00.006-05:00

Just a quick post to thank Sylvia for giving Braden his first haircut. Now Braden looks more like his Daddy again. :-) Stephen will have to get better snapshots. I'm not getting Braden to smile so much these days. He's too busy playing and trying to sit up. He is so active and trying so hard to go places. I can't wait till he gets this brace off.