Sweet Times

We had some very sweet times with Brayden this weekend -- see the pics below.

Kel and I spent the majority of our weekend at the hospital since we are going to be out of town for 3 days for T-giving. 

Brayden is doing very well, and getting to be a BIG BOY!!  He is finally starting to pass his food which has been a big concern over the past 3 weeks or so.  It still isn't passing as often as we would like, but we are holding onto the progress he has made in just the last 4 days.  He has had an upper and lower GI over the past week, and those have all come back as "clear" - meaning he has no obstructions.  So, it appears that his intestines just need some more time to process food, so we just need to learn to be a little more patient.  :)

Because of the clear Upper and Lower GI's we were able to give him his FIRST BOTTLE!!!!  We were so excited that the Dr signed off on allowing us to let him start to bottle feed.  They are only giving him 10mL's every 3 hours, but he is taking it like a CHAMP!!!  He sucks that stuff down in no time, and the nurses have said he is doing very well there ... he has to be able to take a bottle before they let him come home.  Thank you JESUS!!!!


He had his monthly Brain Sonogram on the 19th, and it appears that he still has a cyst in the left side of his brain.  The good news there is that it doesn't appear to be getting any larger, so we are happy about that (if we can be happy about anything regarding the cyst).  There is also a bright white spot that is appearing and the Dr believes that to possibly be another cyst developing, but we probably won't know anymore on that until his next sonogram on Dec 19th.  At this point we aren't sure what the cysts mean, but being on the left side of his brain, the Dr said they could affect his motor skills on the right side of his body.  Our prayer is that Jesus will re-wire his brain and these cysts will have no negative effects on Brayden -- please join us in this prayer.

Otherwise, he is very well tempered, does not seem to be in any pain, and has really enjoyed the Kangaroo Care we have been giving him.  Kangaroo Care is "skin-on-skin" therapy that you can see in the pics below with Kelli.  We basically just strip him down to his diaper, and then we tuck him into our shirt and let him feel our skin.  The Dr's say that, of course, he should still be in his mother's womb, so the Kangaroo Care is the closest we can get to simulating that because it allows his body to feel our temperature, heartbeat, and hear our voice and breathing.  It also helps in keeping him warm.  The goal is 4 hours per day, so that is what we will shoot for from here on out.  Of course, that makes it hard for us to go out of town for T-giving, but we are excited to get to see some of Kelli's family on Andrew's side...but we will be anxious to get home too. 

Since it's the week of Thanksgiving -- I am so very thankful for Jesus who has blessed us with many things, but our most recent gift of Brayden has been truly a miracle -- in more ways than one.  I am thankful for the Lord putting Kelli in my life, to allow me to experience all of life's blessings and tribulations.  She is a rock and has been so great with Brayden, sacrificing so much time and energy and prayers.  I am also so thankful for our friends and family who have rallied around us to pray with us, cry with us, and rejoice with us in our most recent endeavor.  Obviously my focus is around Brayden, but we have always had immense support from our friends and family - even before Brayden was given to us. 

Please continue to pray for Brayden as he still has another month or so before they are looking to let him come home.  We are shooting for Dec 19th, and the Dr thinks we may even get to bring him home before that based on how well he is taking his bottles.  We still have some paperwork to get done with the Adoption Agency, so please pray we are able to get that completed and can get him home as soon as possible.

Thanks for stopping by
DD




Momma helping with his passy




Momma doing a little Kangaroo Caring (and fixing to steal a kiss!)





More Kangaroo Care




Brayden loves his Kangaroo Care time -- wide eyed here





Brayden getting a bottle -- Momma is so excited!!




WE STILL NEED TO SELL THIS THING!!!!!  --> $5,000

We need the money -- you need the EXPERIENCE!!!

We have to sell the ATV to raise funds and allow us to get Brayden home when that time comes -- SO COME BUY MY 4-WHEELER!!!!    :)

That's right folks -- we need the cash and you need the experience of riding an ATV with the wind in your hair, the hum of the engine, and the sweat dripping off your brow! 

I have it listed right now on Craigslist for $5500...but will sell it to YOU for the low low price of just $5,000 if you so choose to step out on that limb and enjoy the ride of your life!

I have LOVED having this ATV and I HATE having to sell it (just as Kelli hated selling the boat), but the time has come for me to grow up and sell some of our toys so we can pay for this adoption and the ensuing Dr. Bills that will begin to pile up shortly. 

I have more pics than this if you're interested, and would love it if you want to come test drive it as it's so much fun! 

Call me 214-802-5605 or email me if you or someone you know may be interested!!!!


2008 Polaris Sportsman H.O. 4X4 ATV 500
It is green with several upgrades -- push button wench, push button AWD, hand guards, tow rope in back, reverse override system, parking brake, front storage, rear storage box (removable), among others.  It has almost 40 hours on it with 311 miles -- not even broken in yet!!

Big Week for Brayden

Hello friends!

 We have a big week with Brayden this week.  Tomorrow morning they are going to run another contrast that they will be looking at his motility of the stomach in different areas. Since he is still not pooping, they are back to ensuring we are not looking at any obstructions.  They he has another brain sonogram on Nov 19th that they will be looking at the cyst to see what has occured with it's developoment over the past month. 

 I will report as we progress through the week. Please pray for Jesus's healing to radiate through Brayden's life this week. We love you.

Kelli

Prayin' for Poop

Yesterday Brayden's tummy looked much better when I got to the hospital and he was sleeping very comfortablly! The nurses told me right when I walked in "WE GOT HIM TO POOP!" and were super excited with me to finally see some things moving.  I got some bedside time with Dr. Lawrence and the Physical Therapist yesterday so I was able to get alot of questions and additional informatoin.  Dr. Lawrence ordered some contrast tests, upper/lower GIs, in order to see why we seem to be having this back up issue.  He said that, unlike the last time, didn't look like we were looking at an infection this round so we needed to see why little man wasn't doing-the-do! 

I got to Kangaroo Kare him from about 8:30 yesterday morning until they came to get him for his tests at noon.  IT WAS SO AWESOME!!  He weighed 3lbs 4 oz yesterday morning, so it was good to see him putting on weight.

I headed back to the house for an afternoon of work and David headed to the hospital after he was finished wiht his workday around 4:445.  Brayden got a night of more Kangaroo Kare with Big Daddy and absolutely loved it. The nurses and PTs have really stressed the important of Kangaroo Kare- skin on skin- for Brayden right now.  It is very calming and supports healing, considering he really should still be in the womb.  At this time in the pregnancy he would be rolling into a tight little ball with his hands and legs all tucked in. So having the skin on skin, while keeping his legs and arms tucked to the center of his body is really important for the new few weeks. 

Praise God...all the test results came back normal from his tummy tests!  YEAH..thank God for hearing our prayers and laying your healing hands on our little son. I am so thankful that God's hand has remained so evident and powerful in Brayden's journey and I know that He will continue to protect him. I sometime sit and wonder when I am holding him what kind of big plans God must have for this little creation for God to have put together such and amazing start to his journey.  I am so so so so ready to get him home with us! 

Thank you all to our precious friends and family who is ready and praying.  Please leave a post or send an email as we are creating a book for Brayden to see when he gets older of all the people who love and have prayed for him! We love you guys!!

Kelli Dowdney

Two Steps Forward...One Step Back

It's a shame that happens to be the a Paula Abdul song...but I'll let it slide this time.  :)

Brayden was taken off his breast milk feeds 3 days ago, due to his tummy just not processing it the right way.  The nurses are worried there may be some kind of obstruction, which in turn gets us a little freaked out.  His primary Dr is out of town, so today and tomorrow the nurses will be running tests to see if they can figure out what's going on. 

Kelli spent pretty much all day at the Hospital yesterday, as she wasn't able to see him Friday and Saturday.  She said that she got to hold him for a lot of that time, which was good for her, but we both find it hard to leave. 

This is really disappointing as he appeared to have gotten over the infection in his intestines, but now the nurses aren't sure if it's come back or not.  I guess it's the "not knowing" that really gets to us. 

Then again -- went to the Bible last night and my "daily reading" was Matthew 8.  In verses 23-26 Jesus calmed the storm -- "Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.  Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.  But Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"  He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"  Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm."

The first part of that Chapter showed Jesus' Healing Power -- which in our case would be deeply desired, but I felt led to share the calming of the storm story.  Why?  Well, I know right now Kelli is experiencing a storm.  I too am worried about the little guy, but have found some very calming peace knowing that Jesus is in total control of this situation.  Not to say Kelli doesn't have peace, but I just know that she is so in love with Brayden that she loathes seeing him in pain.

What we have to remember is that Jesus already knows the outcome of this story.  He knows why Brayden is going thru this, and He won't put more on Brayden than he can handle.  It would be my joy to look back on this situation to see all the wonderful works Jesus will have worked through it.  My first thought is -- what if this swollen belly leads the Dr's and nurses to something more severe...maybe that's why it isn't going away.  Maybe there is a larger problem that the Dr hasn't discovered yet, but thru these tests and cultures being examined, maybe they are able to catch something soon enough that will save him from further complications. 

Jesus can calm the storm, He can heal the wounded, He has this all under control.  Am I still nervous about it -- in my "humanness" ...sure, I'm still worried about Brayden.  However, I have to do all I can to let that go, and trust that Jesus has our best interests at heart. 

Please continue to pray, as we continue down this path with Brayden with Jesus as our guide. 

Thanks for stopping by...DD

Chugging Along

Well, Brayden seems to have pushed thru the infection, he is breathing completely on his own (no more tubes - AT ALL), and he is back on regular feeds (breast milk).  He is also beginning to suck on his pacifier, and the nurse mentioned that if he keeps it up he may be able to start bottle feeding soon. 

His intestines are still a little distended (swollen), which does not allow him to process his food properly.  We haven't heard any news about his brain because he won't have another sonogram until Nov 19th.  He also had an eye test just two or three days ago and they found a ridge on his eye that is abnormal -- at this point they are going to see if it will heal on its own, but if not they will initiate drops to help.

So, right now we are taking the good with the bad and we are focusing on the fact that he seems to be progressing more than he is digressing.  He is an active baby and the nurses have taken a liking to him.  That's good because we need as many of them caring about him (and for him) as we can get.  Kel and I have been able to spend some good time with him the last couple days.  During the week, I get to see him on Tues Nights, so we went on Tuesday and the pics below are from that visit.  Then, today (Thurs) MiMi was in town and got to see Brayden and was able to hold him for the first time.  She was a smitten kitten, but we already knew that.   :)

We are so thankful for those of you who have sent well wishes and encouraging words.  We hold onto those dearly, and know that the prayers are making a difference.  We know his infection went away because God willed it to happen, and we are now continuously in prayer over his brain, eye, and intestines. 

Sorry -- no sermon tonight, but I wanted to get this update out along with a few pics. 

We are excited for his progress, but we know he still has a few hurdles he needs to overcome, but we are relying on the One who created him and know that He will mold and shape Brayden in Perfection.  (whether we as the world consider it "perfect" or not, which to me really doesn't matter)

We are also counting the days until we can get him home.  Kelli has been "nesting" recently and trying to find a crib, bedding, playpen, and all the other things you need (or want) when you bring a baby home.  We have registered for a few things, but what an overwhelming process that is -- we still can't figure out the right pattern for the bedding, but it will come (hopefully!).

Thanks for stopping by, we love you all, and know that we want to hear from you.  Email, call, or respond to this blog.  We would love to hear from you, and find out what's going on in your world -- as we feel like we only get to talk about us, but we want to hear about you too. 

Sincerely...DD

Here he is sucking on his passy



Momma likes him in a beanie




This one is just too cute not to post...

"Hey everybody...thanks for stopping by!"



He has always got this arm in the air!!  It's pretty funny



Cute pic, but we're glad he doesn't have the breathing tube anymore.



He's sucking his thumb in this one...needed to capture it on film.




He's a squirmer...and we think it's hilarious!!




Our sweet boy