Braden in his glasses

We took Braden today to get fitted for his glasses. The did not have the color that we wanted or the right size so we will get them next saturday. Here are a few pictures of the style that he will wear.

Another answered prayer

Audrey went home!!!!!!!!!! To my surprise I look at her blog and see that she went home Monday June 3rd. We are so happy for her and her WHOLE family. Many people have been praying for her and we are so happy to prove that prayers work. To see pictures of that sweet girl go to http://spaces.msn.com/jennmillerblog/

First Ear Infection

Braden has been really fussy the last few days and last night I said enough I am taking him to the Doctor. So this morning MoMo and I took him to see Dr. Day and we have our first ear infection! We are really surprised that it took us 15 months to get one we are not happy he is not feeling good but happy that his body has been able to fight it off this long. So we have some medicine and hopefully we can get him through this quick!!

Braden's Eye Appointment

Well we took Braden for a second opinion on him having to get glasses and it looks like he will have to get them. We have called all over the metro plex for these special glasses and we found a place in Plano Dallas Youth Optical. We will go July 8th at 10:00 a.m. We will post pictures as soon as we can. Thanks for checking.

A year later......

A year ago today Steve and I got to be come parents. We finally got to walk out of Baylor with Braden. What a feeling that was to walk out of the doors and not feel like you are leaving your heart up on the 7th floor NICU. We were so happy that day and we cried tears of joy when we got him the car. Aunt Clara came to drive us home so that Steve and I would not fight about who got to sit with him in the back. Leigh one of Braden's nurses was our discharge nurse and we loved her like she was one of us. So it really meant a lot to us when she cried when we left with Braden. But I am sure that all the nurse feel that way when one of there babies leave, they are HAPPY!! So we get home and not a few hours later any family member that was within an hour drive was at hour house. It is weird to think that Braden has been with us a year today. I remember driving away from Baylor and looking back at it from the window and thinking there are still babies in there, and I want so bad for other parents to feel the way I felt taking my baby HOME!!

What a difference a year makes. Braden is walking, and talking, and doing more things all on his own . He is almost 22 pounds and 30 inches tall. We are so blessed to have Braden. He was well taken care of at Baylor and we would have not had him anywhere else. But this day was the day that I said BYE BAYLOR and ran out the doors with my baby!!!!!! We have gone back a few times to see the family that took such good care of Braden!! We will always have a special place for the staff at Baylor. Thanks to all of you who helped us get to this point your prayers and support have been amazing!!!

Well check back all summer long we are sure to have some great pictures for you all to see.......


Last family picture taken at Baylor,on the day we took him home one year ago today!!!



The Bunger family now!!!

TODAY

A year ago today Steve and I went to Baylor for the last time. This was the day that they wanted us to come and do what they call a "sleep in" where we stayed in a little room off the NICU just the 3 of us. For the first time it was just us 3. The purpose of this was to see if Braden could make it through the night with his very scared parents. We all did just fine. I woke up this morning to get ready for work and I looked at Braden sleeping in his crib just as sweet as can be. I thought of this day a year ago and I just can not believe it is here. I can remember sitting at Baylor that night thinking in one year I will be holding him at home rocking him to sleep and it is here. The second part of your journey with Braden was about to begin the very next day!!!!!

Happy Birthday Braden??

Yes you are reading that right!! Today is Braden's birthday "B". Today was he due date, that back in Feb. Of 2005 they wanted me to TRY to get to. Well we are very excited at how well Braden is doing he is growing so much. He is over 21 pounds and almost 30 inches tall. He is going to be tall like Steve. So happy birthday Braden we all love you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Mommy...Happy Fathers Day Dad

Tomorrow is my mommy's birthday. She keeps telling me that when I can talk and people ask how old she is to say she is 25!! So mommy is 25 on June 17th. I am spending the night with MoMo, PoPo, Aunt Connie, Uncle Chris and my cool cousins Jackson and Jonathan, so that dad can take mommy out for dinner and shopping tonight. We will all get together on Saturday for her Birthday and to celebrate Fathers Day!!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL YOU DADS OUT THERE.

So I hope that mommy has a good birthday she deserves it. I Love you Mommy.

Love Braden

Now on to Fathers Day...........Happy Fathers Day, Dad!! I am so lucky to have you as a dad. You take good care of mommy and me. I hope that you have a great day!! I love you Dad!!!

Love Braden On June 17, last year mommy and daddy moved into our new house......I was still at Baylor but little did they know I would be home in a few days!!!! So happy 1 year birthday to us in our house!!!

Happy Birthday PoPo

Happy Birthday to PoPo!!!! June 11th was PoPo's birthday and we had a nice lunch for him in Denton. He is still going strong and still very much the life of the PARTY!!!!!!

Walking and pointing

Braden walking and showing his age "1"

Braden and the BELLY

This is Braden at the back door at Gramy and Grandbob's house!!!! Look at that belly.....

Gran & Aunt Hope

This Gran sitting the bar stool and her sister Aunt Hope sitting in the chair. This is Gramy's mom and Aunt. They both had the best time watching the kids play. The two people on the floor are the neighbors and there son Beck he is 8 months old.

Henry

This Braden's cousin Henry and you can see the back and arm of his older sister Kate. We had a great time with them in Memphis TN.

Braden & John

John's 1st birthday party!!!!!!

Memphis and Back

Well we made it!!! Braden, Steve and I got in the car on Wednesday May 31st and headed for Memphis TN. Braden did a great job in the car. He loved being able to look outside and see so many new things. As it got darker the closer we got to Memphis, he loved to see the big trucks with all the lights on them, that was his favorite part of the trip. We got to Gramy and Grandbob's house around 9:00 p.m. and Braden was ready to put on a show for them. I know he was tired but he still made a very good impression on his arrival. The trip was great we had a play date with Braden's cousin's Kate who is 3 and Henry who is 10 months. They had a great time, Libby their mom was brave to let them take over the house. Saturday night the WHOLE family came over and we had a fijita party. What a BLAST we had. Eating and drinking and just talking it was so much fun I could do it all over again tonight if it could happen......... Sunday morning we got up and start to pack to head home we got on the road around 11:30 or so and we were home by 7:30!!! Good driving Steve!!!!!!! Got home and we got ready for the next day and we were all in bed by 9:30.. THANK YOU to all our family in Memphis we had such a good time and we hope to see you in November. If all goes well with Braden of course. Not sure we will get in the car anytime soon with Braden on a long trip. It really took a lot out of him so we will have a while before we make that trip back to Tennessee. We will get some pictures up as soon as we get them downloaded. Thanks for checking in on us!!!

One more thing, will you please say and extra prayer for some friends of mine Dave and Amy. She is in the hospital doing what she can to keep their sweet baby girl in from entering this worlds to early. They are hoping she will last for at least 3 more weeks!!! We are praying for you guys everyday and we wish you the best!!!!!!

School Ending, Summer starts, 1st Family Vacation

Well it is that time of year again where kids are more excited about going to school because they know that there is an end in sight. I know that my nephews are very excited to be done with this school year as well as their parents, Connie & Chris. Mom is ready to relax this summer and I am pretty sure that most of that relaxing will have to do with a little boy about 22 pounds, just started walking and ready to eat!! This summer will be fun for the both of them. He will still go to day care but I have a good feeling that most days will just be half days.

With end of school starts summer break for most people. And Texas is already HOT HOT HOT! This past weekend was well into the 90's and steamy. Nothing like some good old Texas heat to make you want to get in pool grab some ice tea and sit outside with family and friends. Or for some people it is a sign to go to cool places. Many things are going on this Summer for us. Braden will have his 2nd birthday on June 20th his original due date. We have Father's Day, My birthday, PoPo's birthday, our 1 year birthday of being in our house, 4th of July and just good old family BBQ's. Aunt Connie has a pool at her house so I am pretty sure that we will spending a lot of time at her house this summer. Braden loves the water so that will be a lot of fun. So bring on heat, the sun screen and lets have a nice summer!

Along with summer comes VACATIONS and the Bunger family is going to take their first family trip!!!! That is right we are going to venture a trip with Braden. We are excited and nervous all at the same time. I know that Braden will do great but still have to worry about the sitting in a car seat for 7 to 8 hours. We plan to stop and let him get out and move those legs but I am sure we will have our moments. So wish us luck as we venture out.

So we wish everyone a Happy End to a School Year, and a very happy summer break.
Look back to see pictures of Braden though out the summer!!!

Mad Face

This was taken at the Cinco de Mayo parade when Aunt Clara took away his pacifier.

Happy Mothers Day

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL YOU MOMS OUT THERE!!!!! Being a mom is tough but nothing get you ready for a day in the NICU on Mothers day. Last year was my 1st Mothers day and I was in the NICU starring at Braden through plastic and praying that his surgery would be a success. This time last year Braden was going to have his first shunt surgery and May 16th was the day!!!!! My mothers day was spent at Baylor with that wonderful food that we can not forget to soon. My WHOLE family came to spend the day with me which was a blessing for me. I would have never left the NICU if they had not shown up like many days I had done just that.

BUT this year has been great. Steve had to work today so yesterday we went OUT!!!!! We went to the Dallas Farmers Market I LOVE that place and bought all the fruit and veggies I could eat in about a week. Then we went and look at some furniture . Steve has been wanting an entertainment center and we had been eyeing this piece downtown....WELL we talked to guy and made some offers but told him we would have to think about it. We then headed to Plano for lunch at Black Eyed Pea and then a trip to Barnes and Nobles. On the way home we talked about the entertainment center and guess what..............................It is in my living room!!!! We have been piecing our house together room by room and trying to get the stuff we want and not just settle so that we can have furniture in our home. Steve and I are very happy with it but I think Braden likes it more. He walks around it holding on to the knobs and handles. It is very cute. We watched the Mavs win over San Antonio and then off to bed. This morning I got up and Braden and I came to Denton where I had breakfast with mom , dad and sister Clara and then had lunch with MoMo, PoPo Connie, Chris, Jackson, Jonathan and my brother Leroy.

We had a very nice by and can not wait for another year to go by so that I can share more of my high lights of being mom till then I will leave with these 5:

5: Seeing Braden sleep
4: Hearing him call Steve "Dada"
3: Seeing him smile when he sees me
2: Seeing him trying to walk
1: Rocking him to sleep at the end of everyday!!!!!!


WE WOULD LIKE TO WISH HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
Braden's Uncle Junior in Galveston TX May 15th
Braden's Gramy in Memphis TN May 16th
Braden's Greatgrandmother in Hereford TX May 16th

And HE WALKS

Yes Braden took his first steps on Tuesday!!!!! Shirley and Gary got to see it. I was kinda sad that I missed it but hey I have to work to be able to afford that kid. But I am so happy that people who care for him got to share that moment with him. That made me feel really good. So Amber calls me and is like "B is walking" I was like "WHAT and I MISSED IT!" Everyone was so happy and I could not be happier about it. It makes Steve and I feel like all that we have gone through with Braden the little milestones like this make it all worth it and then some...................As soon as we get some pictures of the newest 2 legged creature I will post them......Thanks for checking

Power of Prayer

Just wanted to let you all know that Audrey surgery this morning to reconstruct al her organs back into place and things are starting to look very well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They were able to get the organs in place they did not have to use a patch on her diaphragm and the best news ever...........SHE HAS A LEFT LUNG......................... It is small but functional to grow. The power of prayer is alive and we must all take note at these little miracles that are running around in our crazy world. I called a friend of mine to share the news and she has had a pretty bad day and this news of a baby that she has never meet just touched her to the point to where her day is 100 times better. Audrey you sweet baby girl you have no idea how much you mean to so many people. Thank you Jen and Nate for sharing her will all of us.

Now like with NICU babies she is still not out of the woods yet. She still has a lot to over come but it looks a little brighter now. I know that when Braden came out of his surgery we felt a sense of peace, relief, and uneasy all at the same time. Uneasy because of the unknown after the surgery. But like Braden, Audrey is a fighter and she will prove them all wrong. And we will once again have proof that the power of prayer is like no other.

To follow Audrey please visit http://spaces.msn.com/jennmillerblog/

i am sure her family would love to hear from you..............

TOOOO Cute

Sorry this is a late entry of Braden's easter pictures. He is way toooooo cute for words.

Prayers are needed

Please link on to the following web site http://spaces.msn.com/jennmillerblog/blog/ this little girl is needing some prayers fast. She is fighting for her life as I type this. I know that we ask so much of Braden's supporters but we need this little girl to have the healing touch of God. So please just when you can link on say a little prayer and keep her family in your heart.

Baby Audrey

Day Care

Have you ever wondered what your kids do at daycare when you are not there? Well Amber, who is John's mom, went home to peek in on the boys and this is what she saw...........

Tristen, Braden, Sam and John

want to see more??? keep looking

What are you reading?

Braden and Sam

Come on we can over take this place.......

John and Braden

Trying to Escape

Busted

As you know, Braden's Team participated in Walk America 2006 for The March of Dimes. We met very early on Saturday morning even though it was misty and drizzling. We got to White Rock Lake and got ready for our walk. We set off and found a good pace. There were various turn around points on the walk. One turn around point would have been a 4-mile walk, the second turn around point would have been a 7-mile walk, and the final turn around point was a 10 mile walk. Braden's team had some walkers in each range. We walked a total of 182 miles all together. But we all ended up at the family tent at about the same time. Then we enjoyed the nice lunch that was provided for the family teams. The weather was typically Texas that day - it went from drizzly to sunny to pouring rain in the span of 3 hours. But we were all happy to be there together. We saw many family teams and corporate teams all walking together for this wonderful cause. Together we raised $2,380 for Braden's Team! This could not have been done without the help and support of our friends and families. Thank you for always showing just how loving and considerate you are. Thank you for walking and working for Braden's Team. WE DID IT! :)

Please see the attached pictures of the Braden's Team!!!

Braden's Team

Walking, talking and clapping

There was lost of talking going on but mostly encouragement that we could make it and Annie sure did her part.

Backs

We all had signs on our back of before and after pictures of Braden. Just to give people an idea of who they are walking for.

HERE WE GOOOOOO

Walking Proud

Chris and Melissa hold up the teams banner.

Tristen

Tristen, Braden's buddy, ready to get pushed around the lake.

John

This is John, Braden's Buddy, and he was ready to get the walk going. Well more like stroll for him.

The Reason we walked

Aunt Connie and Braden doing what they do best!!

Connie and Braden were having a nice quite afternoon on one of the many days that they go get Braden early from Daycare!!

MY COOKIE

Braden was making it very clear that we are not to touch his cookie.

Jackson and Jonathan

We had a scavenger hunt for the boys to find their baskets. They were very happy to find all the good stuff.

Braden with his 1st Easter Basket

Look at those feet!!!!!

FULL????

Braden got really full after the second or third round not sure not how many servings he had.

Shells and CHEESE!!!!!!

Braden eating his first round of shells and cheese.

Daddy help me

Braden looking up at Steve hoping he would save him from this hair cut.

First Hair Cut

Braden getting his first hair cut from MoMo on Easter Sunday. We had to give him a cookie to keep him calm for this, you can see that all over his face.

What's this?

Braden was trying to figure out what was making the noise inside the egg!

Where oh Where can those eggs BE?

Cousins Jackson and Jonathan join in the fun!!

Hunting for Easter Eggs!!

Mommy and Braden hunting for Easter eggs........this one has money in it!!!

Happy Easter-Results of CT Scan-Hair Cut & TEETH

I think that we need to start with the best news we've had in a long time. We had Braden's CT-Scan Thursday and the results were great! Braden's surgeon, Dr. Weprin told us that results from this scan were extremely better than any from the past. The shunt is doing it's job and the brain is developing normally. There is some still some minor scar tissue, but he did not seem overly concerned with it. Dr.Weprin was elated and couldn't wait to tell us the news. He seemed almost as pleased as we were, although we doubt that is possible, but you could tell it meant a lot to him. This says a lot about him as a Doctor and a person. We will be forever indebted to him and his staff. So thanks for all the prayers and well wishes - THEY WORKED! The power of prayer is truely amazing and we are very blessed!

Oh yeah, and HAPPY EASTER!!!! What a difference this year was. Last year we celebrated Easter at Baylor Hospital and spent most of the day staring at Braden through plastic. NOT this year. Braden started his Easter weekend with a day out with mom and dad. We went to McKinney Trade Days and had so much fun. Braden slept for most of that but we still had a good time just walking around and enjoying the morning. After that we ran some errands including Braden's first trip to HOME DEPOT. We bought some stuff for the yard and for the grill for our Easter cook out. Steve then took Braden and me to Jason's Deli for lunch. WOW Braden ate so much. He had a little bit of everything and enjoyed it all. I think his tummy hurt just a little bit but he took a good nap after all that food. Aunt Clara came by for a sleep over with Braden, so that Steve and I could get prepared for Sunday.

On Easter, MoMo and PoPo were the first to arrive. We had to get the yard prepared for the kid's Egg and Scavenger hunt. Grandma Lynda soon arrived followed by the Havis family and uncle Leroy. The kids had a great time. It was really fun to see them out side and enjoyng the sun. After the hunt it was time to start cooking. The guys fired up the grill and the food went on. We had SOOOOOOOOOO much food - steaks, chicken, sausage, hot dogs, hot links, beef ribs, potato salad, corn on the cob, and a wonderful spinach dip that Connie made. We all ate so much that everyone was pretty much useless after that.

After we settled in it was time for MoMo to give Braden his first hair cut. We had been putting it off, but his fly away curls were getting out of hand on the sides. So we wet the hair gave him a cookie and MoMo got the the scissors. He did ok for a few minutes until he realized that someone was messing with him. But he got a trim and we were able to save his first locks.

More good news (kindof?) - Braden cut his first two teeth. His bottom middle teeth are just starting to peek though. He gets uncomfortable at times, but has done well with it. So watch out, if you feed him you might get a bite. Braden is also standing more by himself and crawling everywhere. So we finally are starting to feel like we can take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy having a baby in the house. Thanks for continuing to share our experiences and we plan on having many, many more - so feel free to join us or check back in at any time!! We will post pictures soon.

CT Scan

Thursday April, 13th Braden will have a CT Scan done at Children's Medical Center. This CT Scan is VERY important. If we get good results like we did in December we will not have to have another CT Scan or MRI for at least a year. And that makes us feel so good knowing that things are working the way it should be. Braden is doing so well that we will be really surprised if something is wrong. But like always we will take whatever news we get and we will make sure that Braden gets whatever treatment he needs. If we get news that everything is great then we will feel like we have done all we could to get him to this point. We will post results as soon as we can.

On another note Braden will not have to see his lung doctor until July or August. I know to some people that seems like only a few months but for us a few months with one less Doctor to see is like a year. Braden made it through RSV season and now we just wait and see if we will have to do shots again for this years round.

Thanks for checking on us.

Going AWAY

Steve and I are going away for the weekend!!!!! This will be our first trip alone since May 2004!!! We are very excited to go and relax and enjoy time with each other BUT we will miss Braden like crazy. This weekend leads into our 2 year Wedding Annivasery. So what a good time to go. Braden will be staying with MoMo and PoPo for part of the evenings on Friday then he will go to Aunt Connie and Uncle Chris' house where he will have a sleep over with cousins Jackson and Jonathan. Saturday morning Uncle Junior will be in town for NASCAR so Braden will be spending family day in Denton. Saturday mid afternoon he and Aunt Clara will make their way back to McKinney where they along with MoMo and PoPo will spend the night and await our arrival on Sunday afternoon sometime. Braden will have to go through detox when we get home I am sure of that but well worth it. Braden will be in good hands so that will make it a little easier for us to relax this weekend.

As for our plans we are headed towards Waco. Steve really wants to go to the Dr.Pepper museum and go to Cameron Park. There are some really neat little towns around there so I am sure that we will venture out some and just drive. More like a road trip and just see what we can see. We do not want to go away to far just in case something comes up with Braden.

We are getting ready for Easter. I am sure that we will have family over and have a great time. We will be sure to get pictures up as soon as we can.

Braden is crawling now and he is pulling up on everything . I am thinking that Braden will be walking in no time at all. He is very mobile now and gets into everything. He is really a joy to watch and to see him discover something new is the best feeling ever. His eyes lights up and you can tell that he is very excited about what he just learned.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Family Day

Saturday was the perfect day! Steve and I took Braden out for day of fun in the sun!! We started the day by making sure that Braden got a good nap in the morning and then off we went. We picked up Aunt Clara in Plano and headed for the Farmers Market in Downtown Dallas. We had lunch at this Mexican restaurant that is in the middle of the market and lets just say that Braden will have no problems with his tummy when eating Mexican food. He had a little of everything. Then we head off to the Dallas Arboretum. WOW what a beautiful place. I must say that if you live in the Dallas Fort Worth Area or come to visit YOU must go there. What a magical place. You just feel a calm come about you and you feel so relax. This place had areas of open space where people can picnic or read books or just lay down and relax. Brides were there taking Bridal pictures and the best thing about it is that no one bothers you. People are there to relax and enjoy the flowers and trees and the water. It opens up to Whiterock Lake, where we are doing the March of Dimes Walk American April 29th, and WOW what a view. We took so many pictures but thought that we would share the best of what we think we got. We hope you look at all 10 of them they are really worth it. Thanks for checking in on us........................


Braden and Aunt Clara discussing the day!

ONE more thing.....GOOD LUCK to Jonathan, Braden's cousin, who will be at the district science fair this saturday!!!!

The Bunger Family

Picture Perfect

The picture speaks for it's self!!

Touch

Braden is touching everything now and learing differnt textures. He loved the feel of the tulips bulbs. Look at that little fat hand!!!

Shoulder rides already

Steve is carring Braden on his shoulders as we walk through this walk way full of tress that have yet to see there leaves but what a scene.

Steve & Annie

Steve & Annie enjoying eachother and the beautiful day!!!

Posing

Braden took time to pose for Aunt Clara for this picture.

Annie & Braden

Annie & Braden looking at the tulips. Tulips are Annie's favorite flower so she was in heaven with her son and a park full of tulips. Braden said "Mama" for the first time on Sunday, Annie could not be happier about that.