The nutritionist

Well much to my surprise the Nutritionist is happy with Braden's weight gain. She said I do not have to increase from 20 ozs per day to 24. I only need to add an extra bottle if Braden doesn't eat good by mouth. Which over the past several days has not been a problem. He has been eating 6 ozs per day and I am very happy about it. The goal is for Braden to gain no more than 5 grams per day. On a few occassions I have tried new foods (other than cheesy puffs) without success. His gagging and sensory issues are just too strong right now. I tried giving him a french fry the other nite. He grabs it and then feels it's icky so drops it. If he doesn't like the way something feels it'll never make it to his mouth. I have to say this may not just be a preemie issue. When I was young I hated for my hands to be dirty. Apparently, his cousin Matthew and Pop John have the same issue. The gagging problem is also in the family. His Daddy has it and so does his Aunt Leslie. I'm sure being a preemie has intensified the already inherited so it may be a while before Braden will eat chunky foods. I do have a another preemie Mom friend who's little boy is about the same age as Braden. She listed several foods she has gotten her son to eat. I will be attempting to introduce some of these to Braden. With the cheesy puffs I had to give them at every meal till he got over touching them. Once he got use to the way they felt he progressed to attempting to eat them. So that'll be the plan for the other items. One at a time till he gets use to them and they make it to his mouth.:-) Hope you enjoy the new pics.

On the move...

Well Braden is busier than ever lately. He seems to have found more energy. So he is trying harder than ever to go places. He can cruise backwards pretty well but still hasn't figured out how to go forward. He also seems to want to pull up on things even though he can't. We don't allow him to stand since the Dr. isn't letting him without the brace. We would really like him to crawl first so we try to keep him focused on that instead. I've increased his feedings again this week to try and get his weight up. Braden is eating by mouth again. I had started feeding him in the kitchen during meal time. Guess that was a bad idea. Now he's back in front of the TV and eats like a champ. Therapy has not been going well. Between sickness on the therapist side and Braden's new found crying and refusing to look at his therapist we aren't getting much done. He has been clinging to me and wanting the therapist to hold him instead of making him work. It's really very funny and sad at the same time. Not to mention a little surprising. Afterall, he seemed to love their visits until now. Guess he figured out what they are doing and realized it's work and not really play. Today I had put Braden at his special table his Daddy and Pop John made and went into the kitchen. As I glanced over Braden was actually pushing the big table onto two legs. Wow he was strapped in but still I couldn't believe he could do it. That table is pretty heavy. Guess I can't leave him there anymore. Not that he was out of my site the kitchen and Den are open to each other. But I use to place him there so I could see him and cook or fix his meals. The pack n play is about the only place I can safely put him to do anything anymore. Not complaining just happy with his progress and adjusting to the new obstacles.

New pictures

Not much is new this week. Braden has gained back some of his weight. yeah!!! So the new feeding schedule is working. We had a nice visit with Pop John and Nana. These photos are off their camera.

New Videos

Trip to the Pediatrician

Well today was our first long trip out of the house by ourselves. Braden's eczema is awful. He has scratched it so badly that it's become infected. Which has caused the eczema to spread and his poor skin looks horrible. So his pediatrician gave him an antibiotic to help clear it up. I am so proud of Braden for making this trip so easy. We didn't have to stop not even once for suctioning. I have to admit he wasn't having teething issues today. So that really helped. We found out that Braden has lost a little weight. He is now 20 lbs 12 ozs. The pediatrician wasn't surprised since he has been so active. It's not uncommon for toddlers to lose a little. I asked her if he looked healthy enough and she said yes. I'm sure you can tell from his pics that he is doing just fine. My only concern is if Pulmonary will agree. Therapy is going great and Braden is really working hard. He can now get into the sitting position from the floor. No support from a boppy or pillow. He can also pivot in a half circle in the sitting position. He was taught how on Monday and has been doing it ever since. :-) He has made several attempts at crawling however he is still in the brace most of the time. So I feel that is hendering his progress. He can't really get his knees up under him in the brace. He actually stays on his belly more and more each week. Seems he isn't bothered by it so much anymore. Which is great. He has been pushing up and just really working hard towards moving.

New pics as promised

This week has been good. Braden has done very well in therapy despite being a bit tired. Teething is off and on and this week it's ON. He woke up at 4:30 am this morning and it took an hour to get him back to sleep. Then he woke up to stay up at 6:30 am. Right now I need to be in bed but I am posting instead. Will go to sleep as soon as I'm done. Hope you all enjoy the new pics.