Lots of News from Annie

Hello and thanks for stopping by here to check on my son, Braden. He's having a great morning. His nurse, Erica, gave him a bath and he loved every minute of it. Of course, I would be loving life if someone gave me a bath and washed my hair! Braden is at a whopping 3 pounds 8 ounces! Braden's weight does fluctuate because of fluids, bowel movements, and other factors. So his actual weight may be off my an ounce or so. But the fact remains that he is gaining weight and that is fantastic news! Right now he is receiving 20 CCs of formula every 3 hours and he is digesting it all very well. I have changed plenty of dirty diapers to prove it! He did have a head scan on Wednesday and we have not received the results yet. As soon as we hear something, we'll post it here.

In other news, Steve's sister and her husband are expecting their second child. Right now they are in Thailand doing missionary work, so their baby will be born there in November. Congratulations to Stephanie and John and to big brother Josiah! We'll be praying for a healthy baby!

Unfortunately, we got some bad news from my relatives. My cousin, Ray, passed away with liver cancer. He was 32 years old and will be buried in Donna, TX. As much as we would love to pay our respects to my cousin, we simply cannot leave Braden. Our thoughts and prayers are with my father's family as they grieve this unimaginable loss.

I just want to say thank you to our families for giving us such tremendous support. We are blessed to have such a caring, tight-knit family. We feel surrounded by love and we couldn't ask for anything more. But God has truly smiled upon us and has blessed us with great friends, also. It's such a great feeling to know that our friends are sticking beside us and love Braden the way his family does. I had the great opportunity to meet a lady named Lisa Lee. Her son, Palmer, was born 5 years ago weighing less than Braden did at birth. We have been so grateful for her support because she has been through this whole thing before. She has been with me to visit Braden and seeing Palmer has given us such hope. We no longer panic or worry about Braden, we just have the strong hope of bringing him home. She and Palmer have taught us that things will go bad in the NICU and not every day will be a good day. But it's not the end of the world. These babies have such a strong drive to survive! They have also taught us that even though there are tubes, cords, machines and IVs connected to Braden, we don't have to focus on them. We just need to focus on that sweet child and how blessed we are to have him. Palmer has given Braden a copy of his very favorite book "Time for Bed." That story was read to Palmer when he was in the NICU and it is still read to him now. It's so sweet to see this little boy who is almost 5 be so loving towards Braden. Palmer has been where Braden is now and that alone gives us such hope!

My older sister, Connie, has 2 sons. Jackson is 8 and Jonathan is 6. They talk about Braden and they intuitively ask about him. The power of children and what they know and understand is amazing to me. Jackson and Jonathan cannot wait for Braden to come to their house. Jackson says he is going to teach Braden how to play Pac-Man on his Game Cube and Jonathan would like to teach Braden karate! As I think about the number of children that are praying for Braden, I realize that their hearts are so pure and so full of love. They have such hope and optimism. If they can do it, then so can we! When I hear news from the nurses that isn't so great, I know I can handle it now.

Sometimes I catch myself crying and I stop and wonder why. I have a loving, supportive husband and a sweet baby that will be 2 months old on April 28. I have a wonderful family that spoils us with love and the best friends anyone could ask for. Then suddenly I realized that I'm crying tears of joy. Those tears came because it feels so good to know that so many people care - even those who do not know us. I finally felt that everything is going to be ok and the tears just started coming. Knowing why we cry is something that each person has to figure out on their own, I'm just so grateful to have finally figured it out. Steve tells me that everything will be ok with Braden and he can't wait to take his son to baseball games. He is anxious for the days when he can play basketball with Braden and teach him how to ride a skateboard. I know my family is whole, even though our baby is at Baylor. And I doubt anyone could love Steve and Braden more than me.

Being an NICU Mom is tough work but it's also very rewarding. My sister, Connie, went through it with her son, Jackson. She and her husband went through such pain and I am now realizing what agony they must have felt. Jackson was not premature, but we honestly thought we'd lose him shortly after he was born. He's the first miracle baby in our family. This experience has taught us a lot and we hope to continue learning. Thanks again for stopping by. Knowing that you read this blog and pray for Braden means the world to us. We pray for you, too! Everytime we see our son's sweet face we are reminded of how many people helped to get him to that point.

Love,
Annie
a.k.a. Braden's Mom