Holiday weekend

Things are going well. Braden is getting bigger every day. He is now 11 lbs 12 ozs. He is gaining strength and really plays with many of his larger toys now. He is able to pick up the bigger rattles and even move his big teddy bears and other stuffed toys. His feedings are going really well. He will take his bottle at least 2 to 3 times per day. He takes from 15 to over 20 cc's at a time. It really depends on how much irritation he is having in his throat as to how much or if he will take his bottle. But we are making progress so that is good.

More pictures

Well today has been good. Braden was a bit cranky by the end of it due to his mild cold. He is so smiley in the morning but around 4 pm is exhausted. Last nite was a long nite. He was especially stuffy. Hopefully tonite will be a bit better. Nurse Rachel visited Braden today. He wasn't at his best but she enjoyed her visit anyway. Just when he was warming up to her she had to leave.

:-( We will see her again soon and maybe Braden will be well next time.

Playing with his ballon and watching TV

These were done on my phone so not so clear. But thought it would be nice to show a few videos. Maybe I'll get some downloaded off the camcorder one day soon.

Braden's watching the UT and Vandy football game. So he's not as interested in the ballon but he loves football.

Braden and his ballon

Saturday Pics

Thank you Matthew and Riley for my awesome ballon. I love it. Love Braden

Braden update

Braden is doing pretty good. He is doing well on his feeds and he has a slight cold but nothing serious. We had a visit with the Pediatrician on Wed.. all looks well. Braden is back up to 11 lbs 5 ozs and seems to be putting on a steady 1/2 oz per day. I don't like the continous feeds so I am having to get up every 3 hours during the nite to meet Braden's nutritional needs. It's been an adjustment but we are working thru it. I am slowly introducing bottle feeding back into Braden's routine. He is only taking about 10 cc's by mouth. We think his cold is holding him back.

Braden update

Today is a bit better. The meds are working and Braden's feeds are going well. Now we just have to work on advancing the amount of formula to meet his growing needs. Braden is still having some pain from the gagging. He is now down to just a dry cough but it'll take some time for that to go away. I am keeping him on the tylenol so he can at least have some pain relief. We are also trying to limit his sitting activities. His tummy is still healing and we don't want to work his middle to hard. This morning Braden looked well rested and enjoyed some play time and smiles. He got a nice bath and is now taking a nap.

Braden update

Well the miracle surgery turns out to not be a complete miracle. Oh darn. We put Braden back on meds. After several wonderful days Braden had two pretty rough ones. It seems he started having issues again and the surgery in combo with the meds is needed. Mostly he wasn't able to eat without repeated gagging. This wretching can cause the surgery to come undone and part of the process of healing involves some swelling which can add to the potential wretching or gagging. So we are tweeking his feeds, calories and putting him back on meds to get him thru the adjustment period after surgery. Today he is very tired from two sleepless nites but doing better. He gave me a few smiles this afternoon and the gagging is mostly gone. Apparently this is pretty common and to be somewhat expected. So we are not completely surprised. Thankfully the addition of the meds and healing time will relieve his issues.

Today's pics with NO MORE NG tube :-)

We are home

We are home. Braden is doing great. His feeds are going so well. This surgery is like a miracle. His heart rate is lower. He sats at 98-100% all the time. At this rate he will be off oxygen during the day in no time. Our surgeon was absolutely wonderful. She did a great job on Braden's surgery. I'll post pics over the next several days. It's so great to see Braden's little face again.

Sunday's Update

Sorry for not posting yesterday. Braden was scheduled to come home on Saturday but he didn't get to because his bowels weren't moving. They have tried a few different things and they are beginning to work. If everything goes well through tonight and tomorrow morning, he will likely come home on Monday. His pain seems to be getting better and he is starting to smile a little bit too.

Friday's Update

Braden is doing pretty good today. He has been much more alert and they have started feeding him again. He tolerated his first feed very well and he should be back up to his full amounts by the 3 a.m feed tonight/tomorrow morning. He is still having some pain but doesn't seem to be nearly as bad as yesterday. If everything goes well on Saturday he may get to go home Saturday afternoon. We will keep everyone updated as things change.

Update on Braden's Surgery

Braden's surgery went very well this morning. The Dr. was able to perform the surgery as a laparoscopic procedure which should really help Braden with his recovery. He is resting right now in recovery waiting for his room to be ready. He will probably be in the hospital for at least 2-3 days. They were also able to perform the circumcision so that Braden doesn't have to be put to sleep later. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate all of the support.

Tonight's Update
Vandy didn't have a room for Braden so he is still in recovery. Fortunately, they were able to get him in a room in recovery for the night. He is in quite a bit of pain but doing good. Thank you again for all of the prayers and support.

Braden and his stroller

Here are a few pics of Braden being a big boy without his carseat in his stroller. He loves his stroller rides in the neighborhood. He rarely goes to sleep because he is too busy taking in all the scenery. We will try to post tomorrow evening about Braden's surgery. Just think next set of photos no more nose tube. :-) More importantly we hope Braden will no longer feel bad after he eats.

Braden update

Braden has had a decent week. His reflux has really been bad the past few days. We are anxious to have his surgery. I really hope it helps him as much as they say it should. On a good note. Braden had a good weight jump. I had just weighed him a few days ago and he was 10lbs 14 1/2 ozs. Well this morning he weighs 11 lbs 2 ozs. He has slept alot over the past few days. I guess he was working on growing.