SUMMER RECAP

Braden is turning 10 months old in just days---so much to report! He started crawling several weeks ago and is super proud of himself. FREEDOM!!!! He is eating finger foods and enjoys them much better than yucky baby food. Currently Braden weighs somewhere between 16-17 pounds, continuing to be on the small side weight-wise, but comes in more on the average side in the length category. Just this past week, he has been pulling himself up on EVERYTHING, actually getting "stuck" standing in his crib, crying, because he should actually be sleeping. "How do I get down?!" Teeth! The bottom two are in and the top ones should be breaking through any time. "The better to bite you with, my dear . . . "

Personality wise, Braden is still a happy camper, quick to smile and laugh, very content and mellow. He is such an easy baby. Right now we are working with him on sleeping through the night and he is showing great tenacity for how long he will fight to wear us down. We are confident he will get it, but we miss sleep. At least I think we do . . . I seem to remember feeling rested at some point in my life . . .

A sad first to report: Braden got his first bee sting several weeks ago. He was in his stroller and all we can figure out is the bee landed on the stroller tray and Braden grabbed it. The bee was gone, but the stinger still in. SAD!!!! No allergic reaction though, thankfully. His finger got pretty swollen, but even with the discomfort I was amazed at how he "took it like a (little) man". What a trooper!

This summer Braden went to the beach, the water park, the water slides, both grandparents' houses, Orcas Island, my brother's wedding, a petting farm, and Leavenworth. It was a "let's stay close to home and do little short trips" kind of summer. We enjoyed celebrating life together as a family of six, all the while being especially thankful for our healthy, thriving baby boy.

As we approach the fall, we are gearing up for how to keep the family and specifically little guy healthy. Looking forward to those flu shots . . . A scoop of ice cream for every shot seems to work as a great motivator for little girls. It works better than "let's do it for Braden", though that will come into play. Baskin Robbins anyone?! We hate being paranoid about germs but it is a definite reality with all the fun bugs going around. This is an area where we have to do our best and just trust the Lord with every day. Some things we can control and some we can't, but we do have to LIVE LIFE and not be completely house bound! This would be an area to pray for our family and especially Braden: a healthy fall and winter, spring for that matter too!

Thank you for your continued prayers, well wishes, and interest in Braden progress. We are amazed by our miracle baby and our amazing, loving God. His mercies to our family still awe us. Concerns for the future all filter through the Lord's faithfulness of the past. He was with us then, and will be with us today and tomorrow. It is good to live with that peace of mind.

-Jenni and family

Summertime!

Okay, so most of you have realized that Braden must be doing well and we are back to our crazy, busy "normal", since there are NO blog entries for the entire month of June! And you are correct. Braden is doing just wonderful. He now weighs over 14 pounds, is sitting up, clapping, blowing raspberries, and working on a very interesting crawl. It involves hiking his bottom into the air, while his head and chest are down and scooping forward on his face. (?) We will be working on that. He is eating simple foods, his favorites being sweet potatoes, peas with olive oil (recommended by the pediatrician for extra calories), and pureed fruits. Braden will turn 8 months old on the eighth of this month. He is finally into 6-9 month clothes! His next appointment is a phone-in pacer check, which happens every two months. He doesn't see the cardiologist again until November. Wow!

The girls are out of school for summer break and the house is very noisy these days. Braden's naps aren't as long due to the constant action. He is well entertained however. I can't believe the sisters haven't developed major bald patches on the sides of their heads. He pulls our handfuls of hair all the time. Thankfully they have hair to spare, but the vacuum is getting a work out.

This is an interesting season for us. It was just one year ago that we found out about Braden's heart defects and our world changed forever. We are feeling rather emotional---emotions of gratitude, and yet at the same time, remembering is bringing back emotions we were feeling then but were too in shock to deal with.

Today we can say we have a beautiful little boy who is a miracle. He is the happiest little guy, it just amazes us how joyful he is. Our girls have grown so much over the past year as well, and the power of prayer has really been cemented into their little minds. They know Jesus healed their brother.

We have been taking oodles of pictures but are not organized enough to manage to post them, so feel free to check out Braden's latest photo shoot, with cameo appearances of the Creek girls, http://www.mkcphotography.phanfare.com/. Thank you for your continued interest in our son and your prayers for him and our family. We serve a mighty God and anything is possible with Him.

Warmly,
Jenni and family

More Good News

On Thursday May 21, Braden had another physical therapy session. The PT was very impressed with how well he was doing with his fine and gross motor development. Braden is sitting independently now, doing amazingly well with balance, toppling over periodically when reaching for a toy. During the appointment the PT said that skill, sitting without support, puts baby Braden right at age-appropriate development, even a bit ahead! (I hadn't even realized he could balance by himself until the girls had pointed it out to me a few days earlier. Way to go mom!) Braden doesn't have to see the PT every month now. She will just check in, see if we have any concerns, and then take it from there. (happy sigh...)

Braden has been off heart meds for nearly two weeks. He had an appointment today for a non-heart related issue, but I asked the pediatrician to check for any concerns that might show a negative reaction to being off the diuretics. None! His weight was 13 lbs. 4 oz. We go back in a month for another check, but other than that it looks like our calendar won't be full of doctor appointments anymore. No tears shed on that point. We are quickly approaching the end of the school year and all the fun and busyness that follows. We treasure every day. God is good.

Celebration Time, Come On!

Well, today was Braden's cardiology check-up. To get right to the point, it was the shortest appointment we have had for him EVER. After the normal check-in by the nurse, the doctor came in, listened to his heart and said it sounded "boring"! (Boring is good.) No echo or EKG needed today. Braden doesn't have to be seen again for six months AND gets to discontinue his medications. Wah-hoo! The chest x-ray showed the diaphragm still slightly elevated beyond normal, but lung expansion was good, no signs of decompression.

Thank you Lord for your faithfulness. Thank you for your healing touch on our precious boy. We praise your Name! All glory to Jesus! Our hearts are full of gratitude and tomorrow, as we celebrate our youngest daughter's sixth birthday with our family members, we will be celebrating LIFE and the goodness of God. There's a party goin' on right here. . . !

Six Month Check-up

Braden had his 6 month check up yesterday. This had been his longest stretch of time between appointments and I was eager to know his weight. He was 12 lbs. 10 oz. and I have to admit to being surprised and initially disappointed. (I really need to quit asking other people how much their baby weighs. Duh, they are ALL bigger and heavier and Braden's "normal" is just that, Braden's! Asking just causes me to compare him and feel anxious about something I really don't need to worry about.) I guess I just am concerned that the nursing is too hard for him and burning off too many calories or that he needs a higher caloric intake or more fluids. I was all ready to head to "guilt land" and the good doctor helped me ground myself with reality. I am so grateful for a pediatrician who loves the Lord. He was so reassuring about Braden's growth, noting his bright eyes and inquisitive manner. He showed me that baby Braden's weight gain is following the curve, it's just underneath it! His length, however, was actually in the 19th percentile and his head was somewhere in that area too. So, overall great appointment, Braden took his shots like a trooper and that was that. We just keep on keeping on!

Mother's Day was a treat, celebrating with my wonderful husband and FOUR kids. We ate out at our favorite Mexican restaurant and then I opened sweet cards and gifts from all. (Braden is a great little shopper! ) It was an emotional day as a mommy to count my blessings, especially the little baby boy one.

Braden started cereal last week and isn't too wild about it, gags on it actually. Watching him eat is great big sister entertainment, by the way. Who needs TV?! He has also started something that we affectionately call his "war cry". It is like he has discovered he has a big voice and can make a BIG noise that is louder than all the other noises put together. Its really hideous, kind of a grating half shriek, half yell. If you're lucky, you may even get to hear it for yourself. Hopefully not during prayer time during church service, but maybe!

May Update

May is finally here. Braden turns 6 months old this upcoming Friday. He is turning into a roly-poly with gotta-pinch-'em cheeks. I can't believe a tooth hasn't pushed through yet. He is working hard and really taking teething like a little man.

The girls have each taken a turn dressing Braden lately, with a lot of mommy supervision, and it is hilarious. I should hope they appreciate my baby dressing skills after trying to get clothes on their wiggly brother. It is good entertainment for sisters and brother because they giggle their way through it and he just can't get enough of watching them. So sweet.

Braden went to his first Apple Blossom parade on Saturday. He did great but was unimpressed overall. His teething toys were more interesting and he even took a cat nap. I had placed ear plugs in his ears so the noise didn't bother him. He did look especially cute in his Mariners baseball cap. Another successful family outing.

His first over the phone pacemaker check is coming up in mid-May. It is so easy to forget he has a pacemaker. It hit me again right out of the blue the other day and I found myself struggling with trust and acceptance of God's plan over mine. The whole pacer issue still doesn't make sense but I know Christ is so in control of this crazy life thing. Braden is just so little to have a pacemaker for heaven's sake! BUT, we continue to pray that his heart will begin to function again without the unit and will continue to do so until Jesus tells us otherwise! Please pray with us about this. Our girls pray with sincere hearts every night for their brother to not need his pacemaker anymore. It is a beautiful thing, the faith of a child, the faith God wants me to have and I fight against with my "reasons". If anything this experience has done for our family, it is definitely a much bigger understanding of the goodness of God and that we can trust Him. Even just this week He came through once again in providing the exact amount of money we needed for a repair on our heat pump. Amazing!

-Jenni

New Accomplishments

Since Braden's appointments are really starting to lessen, we are actually forgetting to update on his progress. He is doing so well! His newest accomplishments are sitting with support, flipping from tummy to back, and discovering how to make a noisy slurping sound by sucking his bottom lip. He keeps practicing that last one, so he won't forget how to do it. Our little girls think this is especially hilarious.

Last week Braden had his monthly physical therapy session. The therapist was pleased with his progress and gave us some activities to work with him on, like encouraging exploration of toys that make sound (cause and effect, curiosity). She also wants him to build his core muscles while supported sitting and to work on going from back to tummy.

We don't know Braden's current weight, but he is sure eating a lot. His appetite has grown. He has started grabbing whoever is holding him by the hair, whiskers, neck skin, whatever!, with both hands and sucking on their face. Kind of like a slimy kiss but it really means "Feed me now!"