Braden Update

Well we have had a great time over the holiday. Braden is now 13 lbs 13 ozs according to Vandy's scale and 14 lbs according to our home scale. He is 24 1/4 inches long. He is still below on the growth chart for his full term group. But he is in the 75 percentile of his height and weight group which is really good. They were extremely pleased at Vandy today with his growth. We are now working on evaluations for Speech (for eating purees and solids), a NICU follow up with the team at Vandy and trying to get Braden set up for Physical Therapy. We are going to be very busy. It is so exciting to see Braden progress into new territory. We expect many new adventures ahead as Braden continues to grow.

Here are some photos to show you all just how much Braden has grown. These were taken during Pop John and Nana's latest visit.

Braden getting ready for bed

Braden's new outfits

Look at Braden in his big boy clothes. These are 3-6 month but he also wears 6 month. We are so proud of him.

A few pictures and Video from today

Braden's been a little tired today so not much action but thought I'd share anyway. Braden loves chewing his hands right now. Also he is fitting into some of his 6 month clothing. I noticed his pajamas were a little snug and sure enough he is going up in size. :-)

This week

Braden has had a good week. So has Mommy now that the Sun has come out. It makes such a big difference for both of us. Braden has learned something new. He can play peek a boo with a blanket. I can put a blanket over his head and he will stretch his neck and pull the cover down. It is so cute. I couldn't believe it. I have to make sure his hands are under the blanket but he does a pretty good job. Braden is still drooling up a storm but we haven't seen a tooth just yet. He is still growing at about an ounce a day. So he is up to 13 lbs 5 ozs as of Friday. I think he is finally starting to out grow his 3 month clothing. Maybe he will get into some of his 3-6 month clothes over the next few weeks.

Cabin fever

Well the past few weeks of gloomy weather has been a little tough. But we are still having good days. I just had to share these pics from earlier today. Braden is now 13 lbs 3 ozs. Yipee!

G-tube trouble

Friday Dec. 12 I woke up to Braden having pulled out his G-tube. Oh joy. Good thing Nana was still here. Literally rolled out of bed threw on my clothes and headed to the ER. I had given Braden meds at 8 am and went back to sleep. By 9 am the G-tube was out. He pulled it out with his pajamas on. We arrived at the ER around 9:45. To my surprise the G-tube went back in fairly easily. When I looked at the stoma it appeared to have filled in so I thought for sure it wouldn't go back. One good thing is he didn't pull out his trach. Which is probably in our future. :-( Another good thing is now I know exactly how to get the tube or a temporary tubing in. In two more months Braden's stoma should be healed and if it comes out then I can just put it back in without a trip to the ER. That is if I catch it in time. I am now putting mittens back on Braden's hands while we sleep. Otherwise it's been a good week. Braden and I went shopping as Nana drove us around. I would go in the stores while Nana watched Braden in the car. He is such a good boy and didn't have an issue with it at all. It was so nice to get out of the house. I actually think Braden enjoys going for car rides that don't involve the Dr.s office.

Family photos

Some of our new family photos are on my sisters blog. Please visit www.momentsbypaula.blogspot.com to view them.

This past week

Well we had a few Dr. visits this week. Also, Pop John was here visiting. We went to Pulmonary and things are staying the same for now. They thought Braden looked great and are happy with his growth. Braden is now 12 lbs 3 ozs. We went for a hearing test but Braden had some fluid in his ears that gave them false info.. So they will test him in the Spring when he gets scoped again for his trach. We know he can hear because he responds to our voices even across a room. We also saw the nurses who work with the surgery team. They checked Braden's G-tube and it is healing properly. They also assisted us with some steps in case of an emergency. In two more months Braden can have all the tummy time he wants. That's how long it'll be before the stoma is completely healed.

Overall this was a good week. We should be sharing some new family pictures soon.