Moving to South Hall

Over the last 3 months Braden has been at Baylor, we have heard families and nurses speak of "South Hall." This was the Super Bowl, the cream of the crop of the NICU, the hall you wanted your baby to be, if they were born premature. See, this is the last place babies are graduated to, before they go home. This is where the babies go who require the least amount of attention. We found out Braden is making the move today. All we know so far, is Braden should be in a real crib with mobiles, music boxes, and even baby toys. They are going to attempt to feed Braden every meal by bottle. Also, they are going to remove the nasal cannula from his nose. If he feeds well and has no issues breathing on his own over an extended period of time, he will be cleared to come home. We have been told he has to pass these tests over an eight day period, with no mishaps, or the eight day period starts over. So, it may be as little as eight days, probably more realistically it will be longer, but hopefully only a few more weeks. He might be home just in time to help us move into his new house around June 15-18. Annie's birthday is on the 17th and Father's Day is the 18th, so we could get the greatest gift imaginable.

On another note, we received some preemie clothes as an early baby shower gift from one of my co-workers (thanks Terree). One problem, they didn't fit. He wasn't able to wear outfits until just recently, so we didn't have much to go on. Our fault, now we know he definitely needs regular newborn clothes. He is weighing almost 6 lbs now. At this rate he should be well over 6lbs and maybe close to 7lbs by his original term due date, which would have been around mid June.

Well, needless to say, if things continue on a positive note, June shapes up to be one of the most exciting months of our lives. Braden coming home (hopefully), birthdays, father's day, and a new house, couldn't ask for much more. The sooner we find out when Braden's come home date might be, the sooner we can plan his Baby Shower/Coming home party. Hopefully we'll have more details on this soon. Thanks as always for checking in, all good news for this entry! Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day and gets to spend time with family!

Steve, Annie, & Braden

Thanks to the Braden Bunch

We just wanted to say thanks again to the "Braden Bunch" from Evers Park Elementary in Denton, TX. MoMo works at Evers Park and her friends/coworkers have been very supportive of our whole family during Annie's and Braden's stay in the hospital. We gave them a cake as a very small token of thanks for all they have done.

I wish there was a way we could give all of you who read this blog a small token of our thanks. Many of you live far away and many of you don't actually know us. But you consistently send us the most touching words. More importantly, you send your prayers and we couldn't ask for anything better. I do hope we get to meet all of you sometime. Although, I don't know how we could ever thank you enough.

As of today, Braden is weighing a little over 5 pounds. He's recovering from both of his surgeries and he's enjoying all the new stories that we read to him. He got his first registry gift! It was a big musical piggy bank from his Great-Aunt Patsy. We are eager to have Braden home, but we are much more eager to have him be healthy.

Thanks for stopping by and have a good weekend.

This is the cake for the "Braden Bunch" at Evers Park.

Uncle Allen Bunger - a sad day

Last night around 11:30 pm, Braden's Great Great Uncle James Allen Bunger passed away peacefully in his sleep. Thankfully his immediate family was with him, holding his hands and praying as he passed. It's too bad Braden never got to meet Uncle Allen, he was a very good man. They believe the service will be held this Saturday in the Hot Springs/Malvern Arkansas area. Unfortunatley, due to our situation it is doubtful we'll be attending, but we will be represented by Braden's Grandbob. We wish our Bunger family well in this difficult time.

Steve, Annie, & Braden

Eye Surgery Went Well

Braden's eye surgery was a success. The doctors were pleased with the results and with Braden's condition after the surgery. Since this was eye surgery with a laser, Braden's eyes are really sensitive right now. They are trying to keep his eyes from any harsh or direct light for now. But hopefully he'll be able to gaze out his window and watch everyone in the nursery very soon...he loves to do that!

Speaking of loving things, I'm sure you know that Braden loves to eat. Well, last night Annie told me that he weighs 5 pounds 2 ounces!!! His clothing is starting to be a bit tight and he might need some new hospital shirts. He is really starting to pack on the ounces. We hope he gets nice and plump!

We still don't know when Braden will be coming home, but we do know it could be in the next week or so. We can't wait! Thanks for stopping by to check on Braden and thanks for your continued prayers. We do appreciate it and we're always praying for you as well. Have a blessed day!

Braden's Eye Surgery

Braden is having laser eye surgery today at 10:00 a.m. In full term babies, there are vessels in the eye that form normally while the baby is still in the womb. In preemies, those vessels tend to form abnormally. If untreated, it could cause blindness or other eye conditions. The way to remove the abnormal vessels is by laser. It's best to do the surgery as soon as possible to prevent any permanent sight loss. So in a way, this surgery crept up on us. But since the doctors have to act fast, we completely understand.

This may add to the number of days Braden has to be in the hospital. We are extremely anxious to have him home. But more importantly, we want him to be healthy. We love Baylor and we really love Braden's doctors and nurses. So if this surgery means more days in the NICU, then so be it.

In other news, I got to hold Braden for the first time last night! I was SSSOOO excited! Honestly, I was a bit nervous at first. But Leslie, Braden's nurse, assured me that it was fine. It felt so good to hold him finally. I sat with him for about an hour and it only felt like 5 minutes! I can't wait for you guys to meet him. He's precious.

Thanks for checking on Braden today. As soon as we have any news regarding the surgery, we'll post it here. Have a blessed day.

85 Days

It's hard to imagine that Braden has been in the NICU for 85 days. It's even harder to imagine that he will be 3 months old this Saturday and almost weighs 5 pounds! He has really grown and he has proven to us over and over that he is a fighter. We're so proud of him!

The doctors have informed us that they will need to slow down on Braden's bottle feedings. They don't want him to get too tired, but he definitely needs to eat. So he'll do a little more tube feeding and a little less bottle feeding for now. Hopefully, that will give him some more time to get stronger and grow a little more. We are very excited to think that Braden could be home in about a week - but we are still very guarded with that information. Anything can change in the NICU, so we're still going one day at a time. But we know he'll be healthy enough to go home soon!

We've got some cute photos to share with you today. Thanks for stopping by to check on my precious nephew and please continue to keep him in your prayers.

This is one of Braden's very first bottle feedings with one of his nurses. As you can see, he liked it!


Braden loves to look around the nursery. He has his eye on everything!


Braden was tired after watching the people in the nursery and fell asleep in his mommy's arms. Check out that double-chin! Isn't it cute??!!


Braden is practicing his good-bye wave since he knows he'll be heading home soon.

Just What We Wanted To Hear

We have lots of news for you this morning. Braden has done a fantastic job of recovering from his surgery, he's almost breathing on his own, and he is eating from a bottle 3 times a day with no problems. Everything is finally moving in the right direction! The doctors believe Braden will be able to go home in about a week! Annie and Steve were overjoyed to hear this news! We all jumped with excitement; there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Having Braden home will bring such comfort to our hearts and such warmth to our homes.

This weekend, Annie and Steve were able to feed Braden with a bottle for the first time! They spent a little time on the weekend putting together Braden's carseat/stroller and pushed it all around their apartment. On Sunday, we went to visit Braden and MoMo got to hold him for the first time! So far, only Steve and Annie have been able to hold him. But Braden was happy to have new arms to hold him. He snuggled up to his MoMo and quickly fell asleep. And if you know MoMo, you know that she likes to give gentle pinches to her grandkids. We have no proof, but we think she got a hold of that double-chin!

Even though we have a better idea of when Braden will come home, we still do not have a day, time or place for the baby shower/welcome home party. We are comparing calendars and trying to find a place to have the party. Because of Braden's delicate condition, the party will need to be indoors, so we're looking into that. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. You can e-mail me at cjackso1@pisd.edu.

Annie and Steve did find time to create a gift registry at Babies R Us and at Target. If live near either of these stores, you can view the registry there. Or you can go online and view the registries. Below is the pertinent information you might need to find Braden's registry.

Parents' Names: Annie J. Bunger and Steven L. Bunger
Babies R Us: www.babiesrus.com Registry #39438214
Target: www.target.com

Braden's current weight: 4 pounds 14 ounces
Braden's current size: any newborn sized clothing; 3 - 7 pounds
Braden's Pamper size: Pampers Swaddlers Size N (Newborn)

Annie and Steve will be in the process of moving over the next few weeks. They will close on a house in McKinney, TX in early June. If you need to contact them by mail or send them something by mail, please send it to my address instead. I'd be happy to deliver it to them for you. My address is:

Clara Jackson
1424 Camelia Drive
Plano, TX 75074

In other news, we send our prayers to Braden's Great-Great Uncle, Allen Bunger. He's very ill and we're keeping him and the family in our thoughts. Also, many prayers and blessings to the mother of Annie's co-worker who is going through radiation treatments. Thanks for stopping by and thank you for all your prayers and positive thoughts.

This is Annie feeding Braden with a bottle for the first time.


Braden ate all the formula and was still wanting more!


Here is Steve getting to bottle-feed Braden for the first time.


Braden and his daddy hanging out in the nursery.


Braden and his mommy sitting by Braden's window.


Braden was sporting his "Preemie Prince" shirt.


He loves his pacifier!


Braden and his mommy sharing a tender moment.

One More Thing...

Right now Annie and Steve have not yet registered for baby shower gifts. They have simply not had the time. I'm sure they will register soon and we'll post all the info as soon as possible. Also, since we had no idea when Braden would be released, we had not planned any specific day or time for the shower/welcome home party. We have just now started to toss around ideas. But we'll let you know any news as soon as we get something definite planned. I've had some requests for Annie and Steve's contact info. Here it is:

Steve, Annie and Braden Bunger
800 Lakeside Circle #1233
Lewisville, TX 75057

annie.bunger@gmail.com

FANTASTIC NEWS!

We keep getting such wonderful phone calls, blog comments, letters and e-mails asking about sweet Braden. We are happy to report that he's doing a fine job of recovering from his surgery. He is no longer on the ventilator and he's eating like a champ! In fact, on Wednesday night his MoMo went to visit him and he was very fussy and would cry and cry. It turns out that he was just hungry! Also, Braden absolutely loves his pacifier and he will just chomp and chomp on it until he finally dozes off. If that pacifier happens to fall out of his mouth while he's chomping, be prepared to hear that boy scream!

One question I've been asked a lot is, "When will Braden get to go home?" The truth is, there are a few milestones Braden will have to pass before he gets to come home. For example, he will need to eat from a bottle, he will need to breathe on his own, he will need to have fully recovered from his surgery, etc. Fortunately, he is very close to these milestones. Right now he is on room air and basically breathing on his own. He is up to 38 CCs of formula every 3 hours and he now gets 1 feeding through a bottle each day!

Ok, so you must have read the title of this entry and you're probably wondering what the fantastic news must be. Well, yesterday Steve and PoPo spent some time with Braden. The doctor came in and spoke to them about the timeline regarding Braden's release. If all goes well Braden should be released from the hospital sometime in the next 3 weeks!!! It's amazing that we now see the end in sight. It's incredible to think that in the next couple of weeks he could be packing up to go live with his mom and dad. Of course, anything can change at anytime in the NICU so we are a bit guarded with this information. But for now, we're going to remain positive and start getting ready for that baby to come home!

Our family has been talking about a shower/welcome home party for Braden. Right now we are tossing around ideas, talking about possible dates/locations, and trying to figure out how to invite those who don't actually know us but want to meet Braden. If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to contact me at cjackso1@pisd.edu and let me know.

Below are some fun pics of Braden - hope you like them! Thanks for stopping by to check on that sweet boy and thanks for keeping him in your prayers.

Don't get in Braden's way when he's hungry!


PoPo's hand gently rocked Braden on a sunny Thursday afternoon.


Braden's new crib decorations show he's ready for the summer!


Braden likes to gaze out of his window. In this photo, you can see one of the scars from his shunt surgery. It's on the top of his head above his right eye.

Back at Baylor

Braden has certainly had a busy week. He strolled into Children's Hospital around 5:00 a.m. on Monday and about 8 hours later he was getting rolled into surgery. The surgery went well and the doctors were very happy with the results. After his surgery, he was just resting comfortably for several hours before he started to open those big, brown eyes.

The visitation policies at Children's are very different from Baylor's. There was not an age limit for visitors. Two of Braden's cousins, Jackson and Jonathan, got to see him for the first time! They were amazed at how small Braden is and they both can't wait to get him home. There was no policy regarding a specific list of who can and cannot go back to his room. So he had lots of family and friends visiting throughout the day. Also, Children's allowed overnight visitors. Annie and I got to sleep in the same room with him. Honestly, we didn't sleep very well, but it was nice to see Braden each time we woke up.

The doctors had to stop feeding Braden during the time of his surgery and he was only receiving IV fluids. For Braden, that was tough. He is a formula eater now and he definitely did not like going back to IV fluids! Braden was extremely fussy and cried and cried because he was so hungry. Fortunately, he was put back on formula on Tuesday afternoon and has been receiving 35 CCs of formula every 3 hours since then. Once that formula hit his tummy, he dozed off and slept for hours. Late Tuesday afternoon, the doctors told us that Braden was stable enough to move back to Baylor! We liked Children's Hospital, but we knew that going back to Baylor was a good sign. By 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening, Braden was snuggled up in his regular spot by a window of the NICU at Baylor.

While Braden was in surgery, they placed him back on a ventilator. We wanted to see him stay with his C-PAP and felt that moving to the ventilator was a step backwards. But since his surgery was tough on his little body, he needed that extra help to breathe. However, this morning at Baylor he was taken off the ventilator and upgraded to a nasal cannula! This is great news!!

Now, we just need to focus on getting Braden fully recovered from this surgery. Also, we'd like for him to continue to grow and grow. The fact that he has successfully gained weight helped him through surgery and it will help him to recover. Right now he weighs 4 pounds 12 ounces but we'd like for him to keep gaining! So we are just praying for healing and growth. Braden seems to comfy and happy at Baylor and we are so glad that he's back in familiar territory. We missed Baylor and we especially missed Braden's nurses!

Thanks to the Lynda and the nurses at the Labor and Delivery unit of Presbyterian Hospital of Denton for checking on Braden even though you haven't had a chance to meet him yet. Thanks to all our family and friends -even those we have not met- for the many phone calls, visits, kind words and prayers. We are all so grateful that you keep Braden in your hearts! We took some photos this weekend to share with you. Thanks for stopping by!

On Saturday, a playful Braden managed to stick his tongue out at his daddy.


Braden was wide awake and ready to pose for pictures.


Of course, he got tired and was ready to enjoy that pacifier he loves so much.


Here he is gazing out his cool window at Baylor before moving to Children's.


Annie and Steve had some family time just moments before Braden's surgery.


This is the first picture taken of Braden after his surgery. Doesn't he look great!!??


He slept all afternoon in this private room at Children's which was a lot like a suite!


On Tuesday, the nice crew came to transport Braden back to Baylor.


Braden was all strapped in and ready to go back to Baylor! Annie got to ride in the ambulance with him.

Braden's Coming Home (Kinda)

Braden is going back home, to the only home he has known so far, Baylor Hospital. In less than 24 hours from his operation at Children's, his doctor feels Braden is stable enough to move back. We were told 1 to 3 days recovery, barring no unforeseen setbacks. The least amount of time sounds promising to us.

The report on Braden's condition is he is back to full feeds already. He came out of his ordeal hungry! He has been very comfortable, just laying there checking out his new surroundings. His color is good and his swelling on his head is down. Last night he gave us a little scare, his blood gases were coming back off. Turns out he had some liquid buildup in his lungs. They gave him medication for this and today he is breathing fine. We hate to get too excited because he still has a tough road ahead, but it is hard not to, at least a little bit. We have plenty of new pictures hopefully we can share with you in the next day or two. Thanks for checking by so often, and to the nurses, doctors, and friends at Baylor, see you soon! The preemie prince is on his way back!
Steve & Annie

Braden's Big Day

Just wanted to let everyone know that Braden did great with his procedure. The doctors said it was amazing that he lost so little blood. He went in early, shortly after 1pm and was in for about an hour and forty-five minutes. When they wheeled his little bed back in the room to us, he looked great for what he had just went through. His color was good and he was just resting so peacefully. He does have some battle wounds, but we can live with that. We are very thankful everything went so well. The doctors and nurses at Children's have been great. We were nervous being in a new, strange environment, but it was so smooth. Braden started to wake about 3 hours or so after his surgery. He was very fiesty and fidgety, which to me not knowing anything, looked like a good sign. After something like that, I figured he would be dead to the world, but he woke up squirming. Obviously, much of it was pain and discomfort, but the nurses were right on it and gave him medication and he quickly calmed down. Annie and her sister Clara (Aunt Clara, the famous writer) are staying with Braden tonight to keep a close eye on him. Thanks for all the calls, e-mails, cards, and even the visits. They really help at a time like this. Now we just wait, let Braden heal and continue growing and hopefully our highest hurdle is behind us now. Thanks one more time, we really, really appreciate the thoughts and prayers - and don't think we don't read every single comment listed, we love the support.
Steve & Annie

Surgery Is Over

Braden went in to surgery around 12:45pm. The surgery lasted approximately an hour and a half. The surgery was SUCCESSFUL!! Braden is resting and doing very well. Thank you for your prayers. Tomorrow we will post more specific details regarding the procedure of the surgery.

Quick Update

Braden was finally transported to Children's Hospital at 3:30am this morning. We were told the delay was due to how busy they were and Braden's condition being stable. They have his tenative surgery time set for 2:30pm. We will try to update his condition late tonight or in the morning. We apologize in advance if we don't call people with updates, it is just too stressful of times right now. Thanks for checking up and we will have another post as soon as possible.
Steve & Annie

Surgery Date Set

Braden will be moving from Baylor to Children's on Sunday, May 15. They have scheduled his surgery for Monday, May 16. We do not know an exact time yet, but we'll post any news here as soon as we know. Most likely, he will get to go back to Baylor on Wednesday, May 18.

Please continue to keep Braden in your prayers!

News about the Surgery

Hello! Thanks for stopping by to check on my precious nephew. Braden is having a good day. He is still on C-PAP to assist him with his breathing. They are going to try the nasal cannula again on May 16 and hopefully he will have a better response to it this time. He now weighs 4 pounds 5 ounces and he is eating 32 CCs of real formula every few hours. (He is plumping up fast...and that cute double chin of his is proof of that.) Braden is now at the right weight to undergo the shunt surgery; it's just a matter of getting it scheduled. The surgeon will let us know the exact date and we will post any info here as soon as we get it.

Braden will have to leave Baylor and go to Children's at Parkland Hosptial to have his surgery. He will most likely stay at Children's for a couple of days and then get moved back to Baylor. The surgery is a tough battle for Braden. But he's been so strong through all of this and we know he'll be just fine. He has worked so hard over the last 10 weeks and we are all so proud of that little fighter! We feel that once this battle is over, Braden's only challenge will be to grow and grow.

In other news, Braden is still enjoying that new crib of his. He seems to like being tightly wrapped up in his blankets. He looks like a little tamale in all those blankets! One thing that Braden really loves is story time! Anyone that has gone to see Braden knows that he dozes off right after hearing a fun story. On Mother's Day we wanted to sit outside by the Baylor fountains and enjoy the sunny weather for a little. But we couldn't find my dad, better known as PoPo, so we called the nursery to see if he was still in there. It turns out he had stayed behind in order to have some alone story time with Braden!

Some of MoMo's friends and coworkers at Evers Park Elementary, better known as the "Braden Bunch," gave Braden a 3 pound Winnie The Pooh Collection last month. We have already finished reading the whole thing to him! Braden's cousins, Jackson and Jonathan, decided it was time for some new stories. They bought him several new books including his first Olivia book. I can't wait to have some story time with Braden and his new books.

May 6 -12 is National Nurse Appreciation Week! Braden is celebrating by decorating his crib and giving a sweet wink to those lovely nurses of his.


Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed day!

An Update from Annie

Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by to check on our baby. He had a good weekend. On Friday night, Steve and I went to visit him. It's so fun to have him in that open crib because we can have more interaction with him.

On Saturday, Steve and I went to tour a house that we'd like to buy. (Please wish us luck with this one, we'd love to have this house for Braden!) After the tour, we went straight to the hospital to tell Braden all about it. He was wide awake and was even a little fussy. He cried when I changed him, he cried when the nurse was assessing him, he was just wanting all kinds of attention and we were happy to oblige! To our surprise, Lynda, Steve's mom, stopped by to visit Braden on Saturday. It was a lot for her to drive in from Sherman, so we were happy to see her. She was able to have some alone time with Steve and Braden and they all enjoyed it. After that, Steve took me shopping for my first Mother's Day! I had the best time; Steve really knows how to take care of me.

On Sunday, Mother's Day, we spent the whole day at Baylor. Unfortunately, Steve had to work. But my family spent the whole day there with me. Braden was wide awake for part of the day, but mostly he was sleeping while all wrapped up in his blankets. We didn't hold him all weekend. In fact, we have decided that we will not hold him until after his surgery later this week. We just want him to rest and grow as much as possible before his surgery. It was really hard to leave him, especially on Mother's Day. It broke my heart. My arms were dying to get a hug from Braden. When I got home, I had spent some time with Steve and held on to Braden's blanket. I just cried and cried because I missed Braden so much. But I know that he is being well taken care of at Baylor and I trust that I'll have many days to hug and kiss Braden in the very near future. I know how very blessed I am to have him and even though the last few months have been rocky, I am still very grateful for them. I also know that my family, extended family, friends, and especially my husband are very loving and supportive. Together, we'll make it through all this.

Again, thanks for stopping by. And Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

I've attached some photos for you. You can see his cute double-chin in some of these photos. We're still debating who he got that from. :o) Have a great day!

-Annie

This photo shows the C-PAP that is inserted into his nose to assist him with breathing. As you can see here, he has Steve's hair and complexion.


Braden was chilling out and stretching on Sunday afternoon. You can see him tugging on his feeding tube.


He loves to stretch and during a pamper change, he took advantage of the extra space.


This is the crib he sleeps in now. He looks so small in there but he is actually weighing in at a little over 4 pounds!


There's one big stretch!


His new crib is by a window and he enjoys a sunny afternoon nap.

News from Braden's Doctors

Well, we finally got the news back from Braden's doctors. The scans of his head were sent to the Neurosurgeon and after his review, he concurred with the doctors from Baylor. Braden, at this point, barring a sudden miracle, will need surgery to insert a shunt in his head. Just to clear it up, a shunt is a device that diverts fluid from the brain into the abdominal cavity where it is safely absorbed into the blood stream. Though a shunt may be inserted in infants, children and adults, the procedure is essentially the same regardless of the size of the patient. We have not had the opportunity to speak with the Neurosurgeon yet to have our questions answered, but our doctors tell us it will most likely take place in the next 7-10 days. They want Braden to fatten up a little more before the procedure - if performed too soon, it could require a second operation. Obviously, we don't want that, so we are hoping Braden's condition doesn't worsen between now and then, and he puts on more weight. We are really sick about all this, but there is no use getting down now, Braden is the one who we should be focusing on. He has been so strong through all of this, we know he'll be fine.

We had also noticed in the last few days Braden had struggled breathing in random periods of the day. He would be fine one moment, then require his oxygen level to be adjusted, then soon go back to normal. The nurses realized this was mostly happening during/after feedings. We now believe he has reflux, just like in adults. This can be treated with medication - again, just like in adults. Also, when his stomach got full from feeding, it put pressure on his esophagus and lungs. This was contributing to his lungs getting so tired as well. So for now, Braden has been taken off nasal cannula and placed back on CPAP. This is not the ventilator, it is still tubing in his nose, it just does a little more work for Braden. This allows him to rest and heal up a little bit. We need him at full strength for any potential, future procedures. We are ok with this, because his breathing was instantly better with less struggling. We don't really view it as a setback, just a short recovery period.

Well, not to be so grim, we do have some better news. Braden is in a small room with only two other babies. It is much less busy and a lot quieter. Braden is doing well in his open air crib, he is maintaining his own body temperature fine. He is also 1 ounce shy of 4 pounds! He loves to open his big eyes and just check out the scenery of the NICU. He likes to grab a hold of your finger and not let go. He is also not as sensitive when it comes to touch. We rub his head and he is overjoyed. Will close on that note and we've attached some photos below - as always, thanks again to everyone and their concern.
Steve & Annie

Braden looks exactly like Steve, but he definitely has Annie's beautiful brown eyes.


Braden laid across Annie's lap and you can see just how long he is getting!


This is the new crib! He looks so cute in it!


Braden and his daddy hung out by the new crib.


Who wants to go outside and play?
"Pick me, Pick me!"


Steve laughed and laughed at this silly face Braden gave him.

Braden is Moving On Up

Last night as I was driving to the hospital, I got a phone call from Annie and Steve. They told me that Braden had been moved out of Nursery F and into Nursery C. I didn't know exactly what that meant and I was actually a little worried. (It turns out that Braden was switched in order to make room in other areas - nothing to be worried about.) I made it to the hospital and checked in with the receptionist. After washing my hands, I walked down that very familiar hallway. Instead of turning into the first nursery on the left as usual, I walked all the way down to the very end of the hall. I had never made it that far down the hallway and I was able to see into the other nurseries. There were many nooks and hallways in each nursery and it was amazing to see how many Baylor Babies were there.

The families of those sweet babies were tucked into those nurseries and hovered over the incubators, beds, and cribs. As the parents were washing up, they looked so sad and stressed. But then they would walk into their nursery and their whole demeanor would change. Their sad faces became shiny and bright. To me, that was just a peek at how much parents love their children.

As I walked into Nursery C, I met his new nurse, Hope. She was so pleasant and warm. I looked at Braden in that new bed and I was overwhelmed. He looks fantastic! He was wearing a little shirt and was all wrapped up in a blanket. He was sleeping so peacefully and you could really see how much he's grown. He's a very blessed baby and we're thankful to all of you for your prayers.

This morning we got some great news. Braden will be moving on up to a crib today! That big-boy bed was fun while it lasted, but it will be wonderful to see Braden in a crib! I can't wait to get a picture of him in that crib. I will post a photo as soon as possible.

Thanks for stopping by to check on Braden and thank you for posting your comments to this blog. It's nice to read such kind, comforting words. Have a blessed day.

BRADEN'S IN A CRIB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We called to check on Braden last night and were told he had been moved to another wing. The hall he was in previously was for "micro" preemies. Since Braden is only 2 ounces shy of FOUR POUNDS, he had clearly outgrown his "micro" status. They needed his space for more serious newborns, so Braden graciously gave up his spot. When we called back to check on Braden this morning, they informed us he had been moved into a crib! This is great news, besides giving us a closer feeling of a normal little baby, this also means he is regulating his temperature on his own. Annie and I have been so excited we are having a hard time at work. We are both watching the clock to get off where we can see his new living quarters in person. I am sure we will be writing back soon with more news, just wanted to share this with you all. Steve & Annie

An Eventful Weekend

Wow! What a wonderful weekend Braden has had. His mom and dad walked 5 miles at the March of Dimes Walk-A-Thon and he had some visitors. His Aunt Connie stopped by to see him and Nurse Leigh told her that Braden's pamper needed to be changed. So Connie anxiously volunteered! As soon as she removed his pamper and started to wipe him, he pooped on her hand! Then she started to wipe her hand off and realized that Braden continued with his duties and had pooped on his sheets and blankets! They had to change his clothes, clean him up, change the bedding, then get him all wrapped up again.

We do have some photos of this weekend to share with you. Luckily for Connie, we took no photos of Braden's special gift for her.

Here is Braden posing for Aunt Connie.


Aunt Connie gave Braden that famous comb-over hairdo!


Braden stared up with his mommy.


Braden loves storytime with his mommy!


Braden was placing a phone call to MoMo requesting some REAL food!


After the Walk-A-Thon, Steve held Braden as he smiled.


Braden and his dad snuggling.


Soon, Braden fell asleep and got kisses from his daddy.


This little guy was tuckered out and ready for his new bed.


This is the new big-boy bed!

March of Dimes - Walk America - Braden's Team

First off, I wanted to report that we still have not received any word from the specialist on Braden's condition with his head. As of the end of last week, he still had some swelling in one ventricle on one side of his brain. He has blood being mixed with his normal brain fluids which is not being drained properly. His head scans were sent to a specialist on Thursday and we hope to hear the results by Monday on whether Braden may require some minor surgery to help correct the issue. On a better note, he was upgraded from his CPAP to a different type of nasal prongs called a nasal cannula. I don't know much about the switch other than it is a good move and one of the last steps to him breathing on his own. This is Braden's second attempt at this procedure - the first time wasn't a success. He has had some difficulty so far, as could be expected, but he isn't dong too bad. Braden's weight has fluctuated between 3lbs 8oz - 3lbs 10oz, but overall he is really doing so good, we couldn't be prouder of his progress.

On Saturday, April 30th we participated in the March of Dimes Walk America to help save babies born too soon. It was a 5 mile walk around White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas. It was a really inspirational event. People or businesses sponsor teams to participate. They are asked to take donations and if you reach the $1000 mark you get your name on the back of the sponsor shirts. Either our fee was raised or waived by the March of Dimes, but Braden's Team was on our shirts. Annie decided at the last minute to do the walk with me and the thousands of others. It sounds pretty easy, but to walk five miles on concrete and gravel, partly uphill after giving birth by cesarean just two months ago isn't too shabby. I haven't seen Annie walk that much since the last Red Apple Sale at Foley's. In all honesty, it was a great time. When we started out there were people holding up signs cheering us on, cheerleaders, clowns, and even some protestors. Some people seem to think a few lab rats used for testing are more important than human lives, but thats another story. We met a lot of parents of other premature babies, many had their little ones with them and we ate some good barbecue. We also saw many of the nurses from Baylor there showing their support. It was fun, exciting, sad, & tiring all in one afternoon. Can't get drama like that on TV.

All in all it was a busy weekend. Its amazing to see how many people are going through or have went through our same situation. It helps a lot, especially seeing the babies born so early now at three, four, and five years of age. Next year we hope to get our whole family to the event, including Braden. Speaking of, its time to call and check in on him. Thanks for taking time to out to read about our little story. Steve & Annie