Braden's Baptism

Hello all,
Braden's first big road trip was a success! He was a very good boy during the entire 5.5 hr trip :-) He has also done well with the time change, schedule being out of wack, different bed/surroundings, and all of the new faces admiring his chubby cheeks and big, blue eyes. Today was another celebration in Braden's life. We celebrated the gift of life and of course the many hopes and promises God has planned for Braden's future. It was so nice to see many of the family and friends at Eden today who prayed for Braden's recovery and who continue to pray for his heart and health.

The pictures of the baptism show Braden with mom, dad, Uncle Nick and Aunt Marci (Godparents), and Pastor Lynn Hubbard. The other pics are of Braden with his roadie shirt and a great shot of him rockin' with G'pa Greg.

We're enjoying our time in the U.P., and G'ma Patsy and G'pa Greg are in their glory. It has been so nice for us to finally be able to share Braden with the many relatives he has not met yet...Cousin Jacob being one of them. Hopefully next week we'll have some pics of them two meeting.....too sweet!

Rich's and G'ma Lois's trip to CHW on Wednesday with Braden went well. Rich reported some neat things that speech, OT, and PT did to evaluate Braden. He's up to par with everything except speech. That may be because he talks with his mouth closed...as weird as it sounds, it's true. He could be a ventriloquist! We will probably continue to follow up with PT through our county's birth - 3 program just to work on tummy time and other tricks to get him stronger. Dr. Cava was pleased to see Braden's growth and progress. Braden is now 18.3 lbs, 28 inches. We are now on enalapril...no more captopril....this means a less amount of bp meds less often :-)

One last thing...Braden now has THREE teeth!

Well, that's all. Thanks again to everyone in the UP who came to celebrate Braden's baptism today.
Love and good night,
Steph, Rich, and Braden

7 months old...ALREADY???

So, here are some new and funny faces of our little man. First of all, the tooth has arrived! It FINALLY popped through on Wednesday and it's little side kick seems to be making its way on through as well. His newest face is coming in the form of an old man. He wrinkles his nose and scrunches his face up while breathing really fast through his nose - crazy kid! The last picture is a true face at dinner time. He seems to be a "fruit snob." He loves his veggies, but introduce him to a fruit and forget it! He stares down the spoon and starts grunting real loud telling us he'll be damned if that thing goes in his mouth. Oh how I wish I could just stop time and enjoy him at this age for a few years. Rich thinks I'm nuts, but I see how fast he's growing & changing, and I just want to savor every waking moment of him at this age!

This Wednesday it's off to see Dr. Baer for a developmental screening and a clinic check-up with Dr. Cava at CHW. This weekend we're off to the U.P. to visit the LaCombe family and have Braden baptized. I haven't been "home" since the 4th of July, so we're really excited to be heading up north. Braden will finally be able to meet the rest of his family :-)

Have a great week!

Love, Steph, Rich, and Braden

Is it spring yet?

Hello everyone,
I'm sure I can speak for all of the midwesterners when I say that I hope this spring weather is here to stay!!! We had quite a busy weekend. On Saturday, Braden ventured out with mom to get her haircut at the salon; next was a Target shopping pit stop; then it was off to a friend's house for lots of fun and a late night. Today, Aunt Joy and Uncle Bob came over to visit. We were also able to get a walk in with Braden to catch some of this nice weather. It was nice to get some more use out of his stroller now that winter is finally leaving us. We've only used it for clinic appointments/adventures, and to get us across the skywalk.

This past Wednesday, Braden was given a physical therapy evaluation through the birth - 3 program. She was impressed with everything Braden is able to do considering everything he has been through. She did give us some stretching exercises for his neck to loosen it up. She also gave us some creative ways to get more tummy-time in. His latest milestone has been sitting up unsupported. He still needs a smidge of support, but he's getting the balancing act down. AND, those darn teeth still haven't poked through. We have noticed that his gums (especially on the left front tooth) have swelled quite a bit. There looks to be a hole on the gum with the potential of a tooth to snap through...we're thinking any day now!

On March 21st, Rich and Braden will venture up to Children's for a full scale developmental screening. This is something Children's does for heart kiddos to monitor their overall progress and recovery after surgery. Dr. Cava will also see Braden for another clinic appointment. I have no time to take off from work, so I will not be going with :-( I'm not sure if many of you saw the CBS news special, "Matters of the Heart," that aired a few weeks ago. It was about a HLHS baby who was diagnosed in utero. They were able to balloon open the valve in the baby's heart while she was still in the womb. This ballooning procedure allowed the proper amount of blood to flow through the left ventricle, allowing the left ventricle to fully develop. It's being done at Boston Children's Hospital. The procedure is only 4 years old, and about 100 patients have underwent this procedure. I'm not sure what the statistical outcomes have been, but it blows my mind to see how far medical advancements have traveled. Who's to say what all will be new once Braden has his 3rd surgery???

Some of you have asked about our heart buddies, Sam and Carter. Both Sam and Carter are doing very well. We are so happy for them and their amazing families.

Well, it's that time....although with the time change, I'm not tired yet!
Have a great week!
Love, Steph, Rich, and Braden

6 Month Pics....