Braden is Going Home!!!

We just got word that Braden will be heading home today. The doctors are very pleased with Braden's recovery and they will discharge him today around noon! Braden was up all night - but he was not crying nor was he fussy. He just wanted to be awake while his mom and dad talked to him. Sending him home today is such a GREAT sign. We are so anxious to have him out of the hospital and back at his comfy home.

Also, we wanted to share some of the pictures that Shannon took at Braden's baptism.

Braden with his mom and dad in Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Denton, TX.


Braden with his parents and his Godparents, Uncle Chris and Aunt Clara.


The proud Godparents, Uncle Chris and Aunt Clara with sweet Braden.

Pre-Op

Braden's day at the hospital went well. First thing they did was weigh him, 13lbs 9ozs. They checked his blood pressure and asked a lot of questions, then just told us what to expect for tomorrow. Finally they drew blood. Braden screamed for a few minutes then in an instant was over it. After that all he wanted to do was eat and then sleep.

Surgery is set for 12:30pm tomorrow (Tuesday). They are hoping to get us in earlier, we have to be there at 10:30am. Of course they could be running behind as well. We'll stay at least 1 night at Children's and then just see how it goes from there. Braden is busy resting up now, he can't have formula past 4am and can't have any clear liquids or anything past 8am. It will be a challenging morning. Thanks and we'll be posting as soon as possible with the results.

Steve, Annie, & Braden

Suit Pics

Hello!

Just wanted to share 2 photos with you that Jonathan took with Aunt Clara's camera at the baptism. They actually came out really well. Jonathan was very excited about Braden's baptism and wanted to snap a few photos of Braden in his suit. And you can also see Braden's single rose boutonniere. We were honored to have our family and friends at the baptism. Braden's two best friends, John and Sam, came with their families.






The photo below was taken by our good friend Shannon, who is also John's dad. He takes the BEST pictures. He was kind enough to take photos at the baptism and we will share them with you very soon. But this photo Shannon took of Braden is too cute and we just had to share.

Thanks for stopping by...we will have info posted tomorrow regarding Braden's surgery.

Surgery on Tuesday

Braden's surgery is set for Tuesday the 27th. I believe it is going to be mid-morning or early afternoon. We are not sure if he will be released the next day or need to stay two nights. After his first head surgery, the next day he was bouncing around and extremely hungry. He was only 5lbs then and over 13 now, so we are hoping the extra strength will help him get through this even better. His Pre-Op is on Monday, and I (Steve) and my mother will take him to Chirdren's in Dallas to have some blood work and evaluations done. Then we'll go back on Tuesday hoping to only stay 1 night there. Thanks to everyone who has expressed so much interest. With so many national disasters and tradgedies going on in our country right now, it is comforting to know so many people still find it in them to care for our situation as much as they do.

On a lighter note, Braden was Baptised yesterday in Denton. He did so well, I think he loved all the attention he received. JJ & Clara, his aunt & uncle are his Godparents, but JJ was not able to be there due to living in Galveston and MS. Hurricane Rita. Chris, another of Braden's uncles, filled in for him. It really went well, Braden didn't even cry when they lowered him chest deep in the water, actually his instincts kicked in and tried to swim. He was kicking his legs and waving his arms, I think if we would have let him go he would've swam to the top. This may turn out to be the ideal sport for Braden since he already seems to have a knack for it, oh great, now we have to think about a swimming pool in the backyard. -- After Braden did his skinney dipping in water we dressed him in his Baptismal suit. It was a little white pair of slacks, a shirt, vest, tie, and jacket. We can't wait to share the pictures with you all. We had a small family "get together" for him afterwards and had plenty of food and drink and fun. Thanks to everyone who went and helped out, it was a real nice time.

Please check back, we'll be doing our best to keep the situation updated. We'd appreciate it if you could squeeze an extra prayer in for Braden, its really a scary time right now.

Steve, Annie, & Braden

Braden's Best Friends

We are still waiting to hear the details about Braden's surgery. He did have his MRI today and he's doing great. We will post info as soon as possible.

As you know, Braden is cared for during the day at the home of family friends. They also keep their grandbaby, John, as well as another family friend's baby, Sam. Those 3 babies have become best friends. They spend their days playing and giggling with each other. They recently took some pictures together and they are absolutely precious. We wanted to share this picture of Braden and his two best friends. This is John, Sam and Braden hanging out in a soft train. John looks quite comfy, Sam looks a little unhappy and Braden has spotted something up on the ceiling. But they all are such cutie pies!

Some Recent Photos

Well we found out today that Braden weighs 13 pounds 5 ounces and is 26 inches long. We are so proud of him; he's getting to be such a big boy! We have no news regarding his surgery yet. He will have an appointment tomorrow for an MRI and we should have a surgery date tomorrow afternoon. Please keep our little angel in your prayers.

Braden gets his picture taken almost every day. We have been trying to get some fun ones to share with you - ones that really show his demeanor and growth. Hope you like these! Thanks for stopping by and we'll post any news regarding the cyst surgery as soon as we hear anything.

Braden's cousin, Jackson, plays on a youth football league for the Chiefs. Braden is ready to cheer him on!


Braden likes to hang out on his comfy pillow.


Here is Steve's mom, Lynda, hanging out with her grandbaby.


Braden caught a cool nap on a hot, Texas day.


This is Braden wearing his first pair of shoes!


Here's a close up of one foot in that darling shoe.


Braden is starting to fit into the clothes he received at his shower.

Results from Braden's CT Scan

Well, we got Braden to Children's Hospital for his appointment for the CT Scan on his head. Everything went smooth, he was in a great mood that day. His Momo & Popo came to be with him. Initially we got good news, the shunt in Braden's head is working, it is draining the excess fluid and has caused his ventricles to recess nicely. Unfortunately, now he has some other issues. The surgeon who performed Braden's shunt insertion believes Braden has a cyst in a rear ventricle. He is certain Braden will need a procedure to correct this. Most likely Braden will need another incision to insert a seperate tubing to drain this new fluid. Dr. Weprin will connect it to the original tubing and it shouldn't be too difficult of a operation, as per the surgeon. Of course to us, we feel like its a kick in the stomach. Things had been going so well, we just hate it for Braden. All that he has been through to have to go through this, its a shame. But, we have dealt with this before and we'll get past this ordeal as well. Braden could have an MRI done as early as the end of this week and then we'll know more, such as an exact date for his procedure.

Braden is so incredibly strong and resilient it is truely inspirational. Whenever we feel sad, we just think of him and what he has went through and it helps us get past it. He is the toughest individual I have ever been around. We feel like everything will be fine, but we ask that you keep Braden in your thoughts and prayers. We know most have you have never let him out, but in the next few weeks we may need a little extra support to help him get through all of this ok. Braden is so big now! He is laughing and trying to talk all the time. He is holding his head up pretty good on his own, doing everything he should be at this age. Thanks for continuing to check back and we promise to have new pictures added in the next day or two.

Steve, Annie & Braden

CT Scan

Hello everyone!

Thanks for stopping by to see our little guy. We just wanted to let you know that Braden will be going in for a CT scan on Friday. From 5:30 a.m. til 10:00 a.m. he can have only have Pedialyte to drink. From 10:00 a.m. til 11:00 a.m. he can have absolutely nothing to eat or drink. That's going to be really tough for Braden, but I think our strong baby can handle it.

At 1:00 on Friday we have an appointment with the doctors to discuss all the results. The doctor who did the shunt surgery will be in this meeting so we are praying for good results. We are hopeful that his shunt is working its magic and that Braden's development is good. As soon as we have the results, we'll post them here. Thanks so much for your prayers and for remembering Braden. He weighs about 13 pounds now and is still teething. Every day is a blessing with him - he makes the whole day better and he makes life happier.

A Note from Braden

Hello everyone! I wanted to send a note to let you know that I now weight a little over 12 pounds. Isn't that great!! I am 25 inches long and I'm just starting to get some teeth. Teething makes me grumpy but my parents give me some good medicine for that.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know about some new rules when you come to visit me. In the fall and winter, we will be in RSV season. RSV is a respiratory virus that affects nearly all babies and can even be fatal. My doctors do not want me to catch this - it could cause very serious problems for me. So if you are feeling sick, you should not come visit me. If you can come visit, you will have to really wash your hands. Go to this website: http://www.rsvprotection.com/ to find out more.

Thanks for stopping by. :o)

Love,
Braden