Reaching

Braden enjoyed beign pushed around the park and when he would see something he would reach out for it.

Grass???

Braden was loving the grass. He was a little unsure of it at first but that grass was so soft to the touch that he could not get enough of it. LOOK AT THOSE FEET!!!!

Steve & Braden

Steve and Braden at a creekside. There was a little bench by the creek and just listened to the water it was very relaxing.

Happy Birthday........

Happy Birthday to Braden's Uncle Leroy!!!

We hope that you have a great day!!!!

We took Braden this weekend to the Dallas Arboretum and he had the best time. As soon as we get the pictures ready we will post them, so check back in a few days.

With our Deepest Sympathy

This morning when I took Braden to day care, I was greeted my Grandma Shirley just like every morning. But this morning there was a different look on her face. On top of the fact that Grandpa Gary is in the Hospital, we found out that Melissa Dolan's mother passed away last night. Melissa is a neighbor to the Parks family and is truly more of a family member to them and to all of us. Her mom was an amazing woman who loved life and her family more than we will ever know. You can see her beautiful soul in Melissa.

Melissa is the person behind the fundraiser for the March of Dimes at Taco Cabana in Denton. She did all the leg work for us and gave so much of her time for this fundraiser. We are so grateful and happy to have her in our life. At this time we feel that we need to make sure the the Dolan family feels the same support from us as they have shown us. We will pray that The Dolan family will get through this time with help of family and friends and the touch of God's hands on their hearts.

Grandpa Gary will be fine. We are hoping that he will released from the hospital today or tomorrow. We will pray that he will continue to recover quickly.

Thank you for keeping them in your hearts and in your prayers.

Can anyone believe it? Braden was born a year ago today!!! Steve and I can not believe all that went on day to day for the last year and look at him now. Almost 18 pounds over 27 inches long and still growing. We have so much to be thankful for and where do we start? Who do we start with? Our family? Friends? Staff at Baylor? Where? If God had not been with our little Braden this entire time, I am not sure where we would be. If God had not given the staff at Baylor the knowledge to help Braden, if we didn't have the support of family and friends, where would we be? We thank everyone for the interest and support, we couldn't have made it through this ordeal without it.

Well our little boy is a year old and we couldn't be prouder parents. BRADEN IS A YEAR OLD we could just scream that all day long!!!!! Steve and I decided to both take off work to spend time with Braden. Several family members are planning on coming up that day to spend time with the Braden.

We had a small family birthday party for Braden on Saturday the 25th which turned out great. Braden got a new walker and playpen. He received some new clothes and a instrument called Walking Wings to help him learn balance while trying to walk. He has received wonderful gifts from family & friends from toys, to Texas Longhorns outfits, to new car seats, everything we could hope for.

Braden will have another small birthday party at his daycare with his buddies: John, Sam, & Tristen. Amber, Johns mommy, is going to make Braden a homemade cake suitable for little babies!!!!!!!! We are going to serve the boys their favorite baby foods while the adults have some good pork chops cooked on the grill. Braden also gets his 1 year checkup on Thursday, so the only downer is he will be going to the party shortly after getting some shots. He is so resiliant, he handles his shots well.

Well we will leave you know with just a big THANK YOU for putting up with our happiness, sadness, forgetfullness, moods, tears, heartache, joy, love and finally CELEBRATION for a very challenging first year that turned out to be more than worth it!!!

Bathtime

Sitting Up

Here are a few pictures of the soon to be 1 year old sitting up on his own.

What a face!!

We took this picture after a feeding of sweet potatoes you can see some leftovers on this adorable face.

It's A Boy!!

A year ago today Steve and I found out that we were having a boy. We gave him the name Braden Wayne Bunger. We had the appointment at 1:30 p.m. and were very excited to call and tell everyone. We left the appointment and I looked at Steve's face and he had the best smile on his face,I knew he was very proud and happy to know he was having a son. We would have been happy either way. We get to the car and the first person we call is Grandbob. After all they have the same initials. He was very happy. We told family and friends all night that night and we both went to bed very happy.

The next day I got to work and my co-workers/dear friends Kim Mankin and Jan Hill had decorated my office with blue stuff and papers with his name on it and gave me presents. It was great.

Here is a picture of Braden that we got a year ago today. WOW this kid of ours is something else.

March Of Dimes

Last night I attended a meeting for the March of Dimes Walk America and WOW it was great. It was nice to talk to people who have been through everything that Steve and I have and learn from them how they deal with it. It is a wonderful thing that now that we have all gone through this that now we are giving back and this walk is the best way to do that. So sometime soon you will all be getting something via email, fax, or US mail about our pledge to March of Dimes for "Braden's Team"!!

I met up with my friend Lisa Lee, her son Palmer was a Baylor Baby as well he is now 5 and half and doing great!! Lisa has been a great help to me and my family that doing this with her just feels right. Thanks Lisa!!!

Well I just wanted to share this information with you and a few pictures of Braden. Aunt Clara got this for Braden and we could not help but to take some pictures. We are very happy to say that RSV season is on the down hill and soon we will be out of this time of year. Braden has made it through so far like a champ. Lets all hope and pray that will stick with him for a few more months.

He looks like a big boy in this outfit.

What a year...Already!!!!

Well of course the year could not start out better then Braden doing absolutely perfect. That kid is something else and he has a new trick. He does this screaming thing where he will get a good scream from deep down inside and let it go. Then if you do it back he will continue with different sounds. It is very cute. He knows his bottle and pacifier too. He can put it in his mouth and he is trying to hold his bottle. We have introduced him to the sippy cup but have not mastered that yet. We are working on it. But WOW this kid is doing great and we can not be happier. We had a nice family weekend. Just hung out at home and spent time with Braden. It was really nice. He had a rough night last night he got his Synagis on Monday so that made him a little uneasy for the rest of the day and evening. But Steve is such a good man he took care of Braden pretty much most of the night so that I could get some rest since I had to be back at work today. Things are good and we hope that they continue.

on to other news......

My Mom, Braden's MoMo, Aurora Jackson was named the Parent Teacher Liaison of the Year for medium based schools districts for the State of Texas. She beat out several other people from all over the State. She will receive her official award at the State Convention later this month. We are so proud of her.

My nephew, Jonathan L. Havis won Soaring Eagle at his school. This is an award that the class votes on for the 6 weeks and Jonathan won. He was very happy and got his award at the school assembly last Thursday. Way to go JoJo!!!!

My sister Connie and her family, Christopher, Jackson and Jonathan we named Family of the Year for Denton County! They were nominated several months back and have had several interviews and found out today at a luncheon. They will be receiving an award tonight at the City Council Meeting here in Denton. We are so excited about that.

So see things are turing around for us. We are all determined to make this year better then last year and make it a positive one. Not that we are not thrilled to have Braden and we would do it again if it meant having a healthy baby but we are glad that this year is starting off right!!

Braden relaxing in our jacuzzi tub!! What a life he has.......



Connie, Christopher, Jackson & Jonathan Havis, Denton Counties Family of the Year!!!!!!

Get Well Amber!!

Our dear friend Amber Parks was released from the hospital late last night after a Tuesday morning procedure. Amber is John's mommy, Braden's buddy. We are happy to report that she is doing well and we pray for her recovery to progress quickly and healthy. Lots of love to you Amber.


Amber feeding Braden during one of our photo shoots!!

Home For The Holidays !!

The Bunger family had their first Holiday season at home. We kicked it off with Thanksgiving. We had Steve's mom, my parents, my brother and sister and ALOT of food. We had a smoked turkey and a baked turkey and all the sides anyone could ask for. We ate way to much but enjoyed every minute of it. Braden had Gerber Sweet potatoes, Greenbeans and some apple sauce. We then watched some football and called it a day. Then we were gearing up for Christmas. My sister Clara and I hit the stores at 6:00 a.m. WOW that was fun!!!!! We were so busy with Braden that before we knew it Christmas Eve was a week away. Steve and I got the house in order and were ready for guests. My WHOLE family came over for Christmas Eve. All 13 of us were here and did we have a good time. We had our homemade tamales, beans, rice, chips and hot sauce and of course dessert!! We played games with kids watched movies and then it was time to get ready for Santa. Trying to get 4 kids ranging from the age of 6 months to 9 years to sleep early so that Santa could come, is a Christmas wish that I think all parents would ask for. The night passed and Christmas morning came with Braden waking up first, then our nephew Jonathan. We took a few pictures before our living room was covered with paper and bows. Braden had a great time eating the paper. Oh how he did enjoy tearing up the paper. He got alot of nice presents. I am pretty sure that he has all the Baby Einstein clothes that are out now. We think he has hopes of becoming a firefighter, with his first big red fire truck. He is sure to be a LONGHORNS fan for life. Braden received many wonderful things and we received the best gift of all that we were together for the Holidays. Steve's mom came up and we all had lunch. It was very nice to have everyone under the same roof for Braden's 1st Christmas. We have a great family and we truly could not have asked for anything more then what we got. Family here and far but still in our hearts. New Years eve at our house was very calm. Steve and I had dinner with my parents, and then we went to bed. I did manage to wake up for a few minutes before midnight gave Steve a kiss then went to bed. My friend Amber told me that what ever you do the first day of the year is what you will be doing all year long. So I did laundry and cleaned house - GREAT!!! Steve took a nap and Braden well lets just say he needed to pamper quick!! So the way I see the Bunger family will be cleaning house, cleaning Braden, doing laundry and sleeping. If that is all we do in 2006 THANK GOD!!! 2005 was a hard year for us and we thank you all for supporting us. Braden was truly the one thing out of last year that makes the year great. We are blessed to have him and would not give that up for anything. We pray that 2006 will continue to bring us and you many blessings. So from the Bunger family we wish you all the best in 2006. And keep looking at Braden's blog, it's sure to be a great year.

Braden with his Gramy and Grandbob from Memphis, TN.













Braden with his MoMo and PoPo from Denton, TX.

Braden with Mom and Dad in McKinney, TX.

Happy Birthday Steve

Today is Steve's birthday!!! We had a very nice dinner with his mom on January 1st and will have lunch with my family sometime this weekend. Steve is a great husband but more then that he is a great Dad. So join me in wishing Steve a Happy Birthday....
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday DEAR STEVE Happy Birthday to you!!!
Lots of love Annie & Braden

Happy New Year

Braden and his whole family would like to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
This year has been hard for our family but we made it through and Braden can not be better considering all that he went through in 2005. So with a heavy heart we say good bye to 2005 and WELCOME 2006. We hope it brings you and yours the very best!! We are praying that God will contiue to watch and heal our little Braden and he contuines to grow and surprises us all everyday!! Lots of love from McKinney Texas
Steve, Annie and Braden Bunger

Braden got this Texas Longhorns jacket from his Uncle Junior, GOOOOO LONGHORNS!!!!!
Braden with his cousins, Elizabeth, Jackson Michelle & Jonathan

Braden's CT Scan Results

Well we have had Dec 15 marked on our calendar for quite a while. This was Braden's scheduled cat scan appointment and our first chance to really see how things were going since his last surgery. So, we had all been a little nervous awaiting the outcome. We felt really confident since Braden has shown no signs of anything out of the ordinary. Just shortly after noon, the CT scan was complete and we just had to wait for the neurosurgeon to analyze them. Our appointment was at 2pm so we has some anticipation building. Finally they call us in and tell us to have a seat, Dr. Weprin will be right in. The doctor walked in with a huge smile on his face and told us he couldn't believe how great things looked. The ventricles in his brain were recessed to normal size and the shunt was working well. He told us his brain looked like it was developing perfectly normal. I think he was as excited as we were, he told us this outcome made his day. He may or may not have known, but it made our Christmas, our holiday season, it made our year. We are in no way out of the woods yet, but for now all is good. We go back for another CT Scan in 3 months, if the results are similar, he doesn't need to see us but on a yearly basis. What a great Christmas gift. We tried to make as many calls as possible to spread the word, but we wanted to post here as well for those who didn't get word.

It was very sad to see the other kids in the waiting room. Many were preemies with similar conditions as Braden has. It made us even more thankful for how healthy Braden is, it obviously could be a lot worse. On a lighter note, Annie and I will be volunteering at Parkland Hospital, on behalf of Newborns in Need, on December 24th. We are going to be handing out gifts and hand sewn blankets and clothes to some of the sick and less fortunate kids. We may interact with some of the families of the preemies. We plan to take some pictures of Braden with us to hopefully help lift spirits. Thanks for checking in and Merry Christmas to everyone.

Visits & Birthdays, fun fun fun!!!

Where do we start with this month? Braden's MoMo, his cousin Jackson, his great Aunt Candy and his GrandBob all have birthdays this month. Happy Birthday to you all. This month has started out with some good news for us. Braden went to the doctor on Thursday Dec. 1st for his 9 month check up and things went very well. He is at 15.5 pounds and 26 and a half inches long. He is doing very well. The doctor said if he did not know Braden and his story he would have no idea he was a preemie. He also told us Braden's muscle tone was excellent, he was very limber, and his hemoglobin counts were great! When they pricked his little finger to take blood, he didn't even bat an eye. With all that he has been through, it is amazing to see his resiliency and just how tough this baby is. He is still eating very well and we cannot be happier about that. He is being spoon fed baby veggies and eating cereal in every formula bottle. This child of ours contuines to impress us everyday.

Braden will have a CT-Scan on December 15th and we will see at that time if his shunt revision he had back in September is working the way it should be. We pray for the best and hope for the best, but we also have to understand that it is not in our control. We have many times tried to understand why things happen the way they do, but we just have to understand there are powers greater than us, and we must accept God's will.

Braden's grandparents from Memphis, TN, came to stay with us this weekend. We had Christmas with them a little early. They got Braden some really neat stuff including his high chair & Baby Einstein DVD set. Braden is already sweetly spoiled but with his grandparents from Tennesse, it's even more so. But to tell you the truth Grandbob and Gramy spoil all of us - They got us a new LCD flat screen monitor for our computer and a new diaper bag to name a few things!!!! Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Gary will have their hands full with Braden this week.

Grandma Shirley is having surgery on Monday December 12th. We are sure that all will go well and she will be back with the boys in no time. We are thinking of her and wish her a speedy recovery. Many prayers are with you Grandma Shirley!!!

Jackson L. Havis, Braden's cousin, had his birthday party Saturday night. He had a few friends spend the night and they ate pizza, popcorn, candy, pickles, cake and anything else they could find. They watched movies and had a great time. HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY JACKSON!!!!!

Well Sam and John, Braden's buddies have cut some teeth. So watch out McDonald's, you have some new future customers heading your way. Both boys are 6 months and doing great. Baby Tristan, as we call him, is as cute as can be. He is smiling and Grandpa Gary has him babbling a little bit now, but soon he will be talking up a storm.

We took some family pictures and some pictures of Braden for the holidays... enjoy!

Sweet Braden in his Santa hat!


The Bunger Family


Braden in his "First Christmas" shirt


Braden in his Santa Suit!


Braden can't wait for Santa to visit!

Busy Busy Busy

Braden has had a lot of stuff going on this month. He is eating veggies now and loving them. He went to the doctor to get his second shot for synagis and on that day, Nov. 17, he weighed 15 pounds 9 ounces. It seems to me like the veggies and ceral are staring to take effect on him. He is drinking 4 ounces of fruit juice everyday now and he drinks that so fast that he has to stop to breathe. He is doing great, he is talking up a storm and he almost can say "dada." i am a little upset about that but hey, what ever he wants to say is ok with me.

Braden went to his first motorcross this weekend. Well he did not stay outside, he stayed in a big motor home with none other than Grandma Shirley, Aunt Amber and Big Bad John, one of his best buddies. They had a great time and I was relived that he was with them.

Steve and I went to my sisters 30th birthday party Saturday night (HAPPY 30TH AUNT CLARA) and Braden went with Grandma Shirley. This was the first time since last October 2004 that Steve and I had been OUT with ADULTS for a party. I swear we have not smiled and laughed as much as we did in a long time. We danced and talked and had a great time for once since our lives had been turned upside down we were husband and wife again, we were together and it felt great to have that feeling back. Or course I called a few times to call and check on Braden but I knew he was in good hands!

Braden' great grandma had a birthday on November 18 HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAN!! We wished we could have been there to celebrate with you. But we will have plenty of time for that.

Braden also has a new cousin. Stephanie, Steve's sister, and her husband John had a baby on Nov. 16. Jude was born in Thailand where they are living to do missonary work. Mom and baby are both fine and at home. Welcome Jude!! We cannot wait to see him.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving and boy do we have alot to be thankful for this year. We will be at home where our familes will come and eat with us and of course watch the Dallas Cowboys play. But on this Thanksgiving we will have a heavy heart for the babies and their families at NICU at Baylor in Dallas... and all babies in NICU's across the world. We will give thanks to the staff at Baylor, just as we do everyday, but more on this day, we will thank all of you reading this. If not for your thoughts, prayers, cards, phone calls and all other wonderful things you have done for us, we would not have made it this far. So with that we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you are all safe and with the ones you love.

Prayer Request for Madison

Hello friends! We're writing today to ask for your prayers for sweet Madison Crowder. She is 6 months old today and lives with her mom, dad and 2-year-old brother. She has been seriously ill since she was 2 weeks old and has been in and out of ICU most of her life.

Madison has a dangerous form of pneumonia that can lead to meningitis in infants. This form of meningitis is deadly. They have already drained fluid off her brain and today they will do an MRI on her spine. They are putting her on a form of life support, not to keep her breathing, but to assist her in breathing. Her breathing is very labored and her heart rate is very high. The support system will assist her heart so it doesn't have to work so hard to ease her breathing.

The Crowder family lives in Utah with no family or close friends up there to help them. They depend solely on our prayers and the grace of God to give them strength and hope to get through this very heart-wrenching time. We are all pleading with you today to please say a prayer for Madison and tell your friends and family to pray for her as well. We've attached a photo of that beautiful girl below. This sweet angel needs us, please pray for her and her family.

Thanks!

Braden being Braden

November has started and like every other family with small kids we are trying to avoid colds! Well, it's not so easy. Braden got a small cold and passed it to me. Then over the weekend he shared it with my mother, his MoMo. We were both sick as dogs, and little Braden was fine after a day or so. Just like a kid to bounce back like that. But with Braden we except nothing else. Which brings me to my next topic.

Braden had an eye appointment Thursday Nov. 3rd and although the doctor said that the surgery he had while at Baylor looks great, he is very near sighted and will probably require glasses sometime early next year. Now I know you are thinking, "Glasses? That's it? Oh we handle that," and true we can. But when you are his mother and on a day to day basis you are dealing with every need for this baby it hurts like nothing else to hear that he has to have one more thing to deal with. He has been through so much this year and now the start of next year will start with glasses. And yes we can handle it but that does not mean I have to like it. My nephew Jackson was another baby who battled for his life at birth and he will be 9 in December. He wears hearing aids, and we are all used to them but it hurts every time I see them. Just knowing that there our kids out there who are going through this stuff kills me. And until it happens to you or someone you know and you see it every day it is not the same. Talking to someone on the phone or through email about their special needs baby or child is nothing compared to living with that person.

We lived through it with my sister and her husband we saw it on their faces, in their body language and now Steve and I are going through the same thing. People who are living it with us hurt with us. Yes, it is just glasses but to us it is more than just glasses. Being around Steve and I -day in and day out- you can see how hard it is for us to make it one day at a time. Sleep is here and there, dinner is catch it if you can, clean clothes are a maybe. Thank goodness for dishwashers or we would drink with our hands. Steve and I have not had a night of rest where we did not have Braden to deal with. NOT THAT WE ARE COMPLAINING. But we can not tell you the last time we slept in the same bed for more the 4 hours without having to get up for Braden. We love to do this for him, we strive to do this. We are doing what every parent in the world has done and will do. BUT when you add up all that he has been through and then you put glasses on top of that mountain that he is so trying to climb, he falls back on his mommy and daddy and we are there to pick him up and try again.

We will climb many more mountains and we will fall many more times but for our little family we would like a small hill for once. Something we can just get over, sit down, and enjoy the ride... without doctors or medicine or oxygen or Sleep Study Tests. But like all the other stuff we have been through in our short time as a family, we will be just fine with whatever life brings. Glasses, compared to other things that could have happened, are not that bad. But as a mom speaking from my heart and all the love that I have for my son, it hurts like nothing else knowing one more battle for my little guy to overcome. And I know he will be fine and then I will wonder what was I so worried about. He will live to prove me wrong. Jackson proves us wrong everyday!!

We are very happy about the holiday season coming up. We will be spending it at home and I am sure family will be coming around. Braden is still to small to grasp Santa and all that fun stuff but we are still going to do milk and cookies, and writing a letter.

Braden watch his first Mav's game with his daddy and loved it. Below is a picture of him getting pumped for the big game. He also watches the Cowboys with his PoPo, Uncle Chris and Uncle Leroy and he is always ready for a good football game.

So with this I will try to get myself back in order before I see my son and just hide my emotions in front of him and cry later, just like every other good mother in world does!

Happy Halloween

Braden is celebrating his first Halloween today! His first Halloween costume is Superman - and he certainly is our man of steel! We wanted to share some photos of him with his friends and his mommy. We wish you all a safe and happy Halloween!

Also, check out the websites of Braden's best friends.
Parks Family http://www.livejournal.com/users/aparks14/
Guerrero Family http://www.livejournal.com/users/chanda1/


It's a bird, it's a plane...no it's Braden!


Sam, the ice cream cone. John, the chicken. Tristen, the lion. These four boys are too cute!


Braden getting a smooch from his mommy.


Braden and Annie hanging out.

Family on the Oprah Show

Besure to watch Oprah Friday October 28th. Braden's aunts, Connie and Clara were in audience for that taping. In the metro-plex channel 8 at 4:00 p.m.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weekend Pics

Here is Braden enjoying his cousin Jonathan's birthday party!


After all that excitement, he needed a nap!


One of Braden's best friends, Sam, snuck a piece of cake!


Soon, his other best friend, John, snuck some cake also.


The day after the party was a sleepy day as well!

Hungry, Shots, Football, Birthday and more........

Braden went Friday for a follow up appointment and to get his first round of Synagis shots today. Braden is now 14 pounds 8 ounces. He will have to get one shot every month through RSV season. This is a shot to help premature babies and at risk babies from getting RSV which can cause serious breathing problems. Braden is a real trooper when it comes to shots. I think all those months of being in the NICU and getting poked several times a day has prepared him for the future. Braden received a flu shot Oct.4th and it happened that he received another one today as well. Well our concern was very high but after talking to the doctor's he said the side effects are going to be the same. It will not hurt him that he got two within two weeks, becaue he was going to have to get another one a month after his first one. So now we are just waiting to see if he will have to get a third one. Most preemie babies who receive a flu shot always get another one a month later so we will wait and see. He may get a fever, upset tummy and get very fussy, but if any of you know Braden it does not take long for him to get that way!! He will have to go back to get another shot in a month and continue this cycle till April or May 2006.

Braden is such a big boy now! He is eating rice cereal 2 to 3 times a day now and he had banana's for the first time on Sunday. His babysitter said that he will eat his 4 to 6 ounces of just formula and fall to sleep and then wake up after maybe an hour or so starving to death!!! They will feed him some more and he is happy and will sleep better. That is a good sign that he is ready to eat more and that formula is just not working out for him anymore. He is sleeping MUCH better through the night with a full belly of rice cereal and formula mixture. He will fall to sleep around 9:00 p.m. and sleep till around 2:00 a.m eat and go back to bed. Now he does have his nights where he wants to be up and talking and those nights as cute as they are can be very hard and mom and dad. But we are doing the best we can.

This weekend Braden attended his first football game. Braden's cousin Jackson L. Havis, plays on a youth team, The Kansas City Chiefs, and they had a game on Saturday Oct.22. The weather was nice enough that took Braden for one quarter and then head to my moms house. Braden's Uncle from Galveston will be in town and we will all be together for the first time in at least 3 months. Braden and him had some alone time on Friday afternoon and got a Houston Astros outfit!! Just in time for the World Series GOOOOO ASTROS!!!!!!!!!

On Saturday we also celebrated Bradens cousins birthday , Jonathan L. Havis 7th birthday!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONATHAN!!!!!!!!!He had a party at his house with family and friends, Braden of course will only be there for a short amount of time. Braden is still very small and we need to make sure that whatever he does is for a short time and that he does not get to exposure to much of the elements that can cause him to get sick. We know that Braden is going to get colds, and we know that he will get sick but if we can help prevent that in anyway we will....

Here are some pictures of Braden in his Astros onesie!

Happy Birthday Jonathan

Jonathan Lynn Havis is 7 today!!!
Braden's cousin

He is having a class lunch birthday party today and will celebrate with family and friends Saturday!!

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear JONATHAN
Happy birthday to you
Love Braden

Getting Cold

Well as the days in October start to roll through we are getting some cold days but it is staying warm for the most part. Braden had his first outing in the cold and it was a shock for him. His eyes got big and he did not know what to think. He has known nothing but warm since he got out of Baylor. But we make sure he is well covered every morning when we leave the house. Braden has been going through some difficult adjustments after his surgery. Being on several different medications has been hard for his tummy. His babysitters, Gammy and Pawpaw are paying very close attention to him and they can tell when something is bothering him, so we like knowing that he is cared for so well. Braden is going to the doctor today for a post operation visit then he will have his first Synagis shot October 20th. This is to help him from not getting RSV this winter. He got a flu shot last week we are trying to do whatever we can to make sure that Braden does not get sick this winter season. We have been so happy with Braden and all his mile stones. He is giggling more and he is talking much more, he gets that from Annie, he is focusing more and he is starting to want to hold his bottle and play with his feet. He is such a strong baby that nothing will get in his way.

We would like to thank everyone again for looking at Braden's blog and keeping him in your thoughts. It makes us feel good knowing that we have people who care so much for our little guy!

Check back around Halloween and see Braden in his secret costume!!

Here are few pictures we would like to share with you all.


Braden is wearing his Janie and Jack jacket he got from Aunt Clara's friends at work!

Braden is checking out his clothes to make sure that he matches.

Braden having his first taste of Rice Cereal, YUMMIE!!!!!

Braden dressed and ready to go to church.

Back Home At Last

Braden is back home again. This latest episode was tough to take, just mainly because we had all gotten comfortable and felt the worst was behind us. We tend to forget how early he was born and the complications we may face down the road. We have both good and bad news...I guess we'll start with the bad first...Braden does have 4 fresh scars on his head, one was already there - just reopened, to go along with a existing scar. Good thing is they will heal, just painful to look at right now. We think he is in some pain, which is to be expected. There was two-thirds of an ounce of fluid drained from his rear ventricle of his brain. That pressure relieved has caused everything to kind of shift back into its original place. That can't be comfortable. Braden is taking baby tylenol and ibuprofen, but mainly he just needs to comforted by loved ones. That always seems to work best.

Now for the good news....Within 24 hours of his surgery we started noticing changes for the better. First off, his soft spot on the top of his head was just that, soft again. As you may have noticed in many of his pictures, Braden is very often looking to one side or the other. Now he is looking straight ahead and focusing on what or who is in front of him more. Not being doctors, only speculating, it seems like maybe some of that pressure build up was affecting his eyes. He will stare you in the eyes now and this just started, hard to imagine its just a coincidence. Also, he is laughing and smiling more, again seems unlikely to just be a fluke. We think that pressure being relieved helped almost instantly. Now, as long as the shunt continues to perform it's duties, we can move past this and just continue to get better and better.

We want to thank everyone for their continued interest in Braden's condition. Without the consideration and support of family and friends, this would be a near impossible hurdle t face alone. Braden is so lucky to have such loving family who have traveled from Denton, Plano, Galveston, Sherman, and even the state of Tennessee to be with him. I know they would say all the trips and calls were no problem and they wanted to do it, but we know it can be a strain, physically and financially. Long distance calls and gas aren't cheap, so again we are very lucky. Also, we can't say enough about Braden's newest family member - Gammy. Shirley watches Braden during the week along with 2 other babies (Braden's best friends Sam & John). Her and her family have went out of their way to come to Braden's Baptism, visit him in the hospital and at home. We got very lucky to have crossed paths with them.

Thanks again,
Steve, Annie, & Braden