New growth

Braden is almost 32 lbs if not already. His new feeding plan of 1300-1500 calories per day is packing on the pounds. In fact he isn't meeting that goal daily. He gets 1200 to 1300. I haven't pushed for more because this time last month he was 30 lbs 4 oz. A significant jump for not being on a push for maximum growth. So I have emailed his nutritionist to see if she wants to make any adjustments. I am still unable to get Braden to drink anything but water and I am still having trouble with new foods. But we are making great progress with using a fork. Braden is also brushing his teeth by himself. Of course as all Mom's do I go behind him to make sure it's a good enough job but we are very proud of him. He has made huge strides towards independence. He has never been as I call Grayson a go getter. He usually needs prompting for task and has been hesitant to follow directions. However lately he has exploded with motivation. He climbs into his bed consistently by himself. He is actually helping get in and out of his carseat. He runs down the hill when we walk out of the house. He comes to you when you ask him too. He actually strategically plans to get to what he wants by climbing counters, chairs, shelves. He has learned some from his brother but also I think he has just had another one of his bursts of development. We love those times because it's so sudden and encouraging to see him just a little closer to catching up with his peers. He has also been asking daily to watch his Elmo potty time video. So I thought I would do a trial run this week. I have his charts, stickers, potty seats, big boy pants and M&M's ready to begin. I do not have any expectations as I totally don't expect to accomplish anything but awareness and some new level of understanding. The real training will begin this summer when we can train more outside. But I do have towels couch covers and things in place to keep accidents from ruining our house. Our carpets have already seen one family with young kids so they really won't look any worse from us. I know for sure Grayson is not ready so we won't be working with him just yet. I would love for Braden to be trained before G. I just think it would be easier on us. This trial run will help me especially to know if I have a good plan in place and if Braden gets excited about the reward system. It will also help me figure out how his schedule works. Tube fed kiddos are a lot different to work with than non tube fed. They pee a lot more is one difference and that in itself complicates things.

Grayson is doing good too. He loves to dance and is a big fan of music. He will crawl in your lap and clap when he wants you to sing "when your happy and you know it". He likes to stump his feet and march in circles. He loves big knob puzzles and he loves the fridge magnets from leap frog that are the alphabet. He plays with them on the art easel. He also does really well drawing his up and down lines on the chalkboard. We have enjoyed two gifts that the boys love. Their animal baby mags and their high five mags. Both have short stories and activities. We read stories before bed and we have done several of the activities during the day. We have enjoyed activities like soaring like an eagle and imitating motions like a kite.

I will be mentioning March of dimes in every post till the walk. We really encourage your support and thank you for the continued support you've given Braden for the past 4 years. Please see the previous post for information on how to participate and a link to our March for babies web page.