THE DRESS!!!

Yesterday was such a fun day!  David & I have begun to treasure our Saturday mornings at home as a family.  Since David works downtown he usually leaves the house around 6:45. This means that Brayden very rarely gets to see his Daddy until he gets home.....EXCEPT on Saturdays. I usually bring Brayden downstairs to our bedroom and for the next hour we cuddle and play and laugh! It's is SO SO much fun. 

So that's how our day started yesterday and then it was up to try to put our house back together from the Christmas party we had the night before.  All the WyldLife Student Leaders gathered here Friday night to eat, play games, and hang out. I just LOVES those kids!!!  We did a few chores around the house and then Mimi (my mom) got here about 11:30 and it was off to meet Kaysi and Kristi for a fun afternoon of wedding stuff.  Kaysi found THE DRESS and it was absolutely beautiful!!!  It is perfect and looks JUST like her!  I am so happy for her! It was good to spend some time with our cousin Krisit, who lives in Waco, and for us to all be together again. 

Mimi stayed with us and so we went out last night do a little Christmas shopping for Brayden. It was fun to be out and just be together. We missed having Papa (my dad) with us but they will be back up here in 4 days to celebrate the birth of our King!!  Tonight is the YL staff Christmas Party so David is straightening up, Mimi is playing with Brayden, and I'm setting the table and getting food prepared. 

Yes, It's starting to FEEL a lot like Christmas......

K

Blessed

I am just so overwhelmed at the Grace and Mercy that the Father has showed us this year. Just reflecting the on the miracles that He has allowed us to be a part of this morning. I guess I am a little bit like David, this time of year just gets me all sentimental and gushy. But then again, WHAT part of the year am I not sentimental and gushy!  Just thinking about how amazing our little boy is...I wish you could see how hard he works and with such joy.  Our therapist says that she has been doing this for 13 years and Brayden is one of the hardest working little boys she has ever seen.  We teach him something new and just studies and works and works until he can do it. It's like he has his mind set that there is NOTHING that he is not going to do. I wish I had that spirit...unwilling to give up. How often do I give in to the voices in my head telling me I can't or I will never do this or that!  And he works so hard with joy and laughter. How often do I complain about having too much to do or something is too hard?  This little miracle has taught me so much. I am starting to understand what Jesus meant when he said "Let the Children come to me, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them." 

And to see how quickly The Father allowed our family to move through Dad's fight against Cancer.  Many of my close friends know how much I revere and treasure my Dad.  I have never met anyone on this earth that is as pure, kind, generous, unselfish, strong, and honorable as my Father.  His character is above rebuke and he is so very bold in sharing the good news with all that God brings into his path.  I am just so grateful for his health and continued healing.

Both of our mothers have just been such a blessing to us this year. I can't imagine how we would have managed through all the hospital trips and doctor visits and...LIFE without our Moms!  They have helped us so much with Brayden and just loving and supporting us.  Then to think...we have wedding coming up!! I am so very thankful and excited for my sisters engagement! To see her and Robbie just make me smile. I am so thankful that they have found each other and pray for their future.

Then for all of our friends.....knowing when to call and encourage or just let us sit and freak out a little! Having such great friends and family that will speak truth to us and love us...despite that fact that hardly EVER really have things together.

Just wanted to share my heart this morning...now it is off to spend the day with Kaysi, Mom, Kristi, & Mr. B doing all kinds of fun, girly wedding stuff!! Love you all...

K

What a Year It's Been...

Yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of bringing little man home from the hospital. If you've been reading our blog for any amount of time now, you probably know what our "rooming-in" experience was like at Cook Children's in Ft. Worth. What an amazing night that has led us on this roller coaster ride of raising a little boy with so many challenges laid out before him.

Over the past 12 months I have watched a little boy fight with all his being -- who was supposed to come home from the hospital on breathing machines, apnea monitors, feeding tubes; who may not see/hear/walk/talk/etc. Sometimes I feel like all we focus on is what he is/was not supposed to do instead of thanking Jesus for all the things He can do with those who have the desire to look defeat in the eye and overcome it. This baby boy has no clue that he isn't supposed to be doing these things. It is so much fun to watch him do things that Doctor's say he won't or can't do. He is very much an inspiration to me, as I like to put constraints on myself and then tell myself I can't do it. I'm not sure why I do that, but I just do. Brayden has opened my eyes to realize that without limitations, the human body (and brain) can do wonderful things. That's not to say that Bray J has no speed bumps ahead of him, but it gives me courage to stand beside him and fight with all my being to give him the best life possible. He will always have a "brain injury" as it will never heal (it's basically a "hole" in his brain, which is not fixable). He has a cyst on his spine that will more than likely need surgery as he gets older (a 15 hour surgery, no less). He has shown antibodies for Hep C...but we are hopeful that his body will "clear" (heal) this from his blood and he won't have to worry about all those things that come with Hepatitis C. So, again, these things would tend to put "limitations" on what he can and can't do as he gets older, but having seen him overcome so many things already...anyways, here I go again with all the things he won't be able to do or the challenges he has ahead of him.

Let me tell you what I've learned:

1. I'm not a perfect dad, but I LOVE being a dad.
2. I want to find BJ a "sibling" -- don't care about the sex...just hoping to find/make a healthy baby. :)
3. I have loved watching our parents (the grandparents) handle Brayden. They have showered him with love and affection and I am so proud of them for that. If I'm honest I can say that I was worried about what they would think about this situation when we first mentioned it, but it has been a miracle of God to see them welcome BJ with open arms to our family.
4. I find myself saying, "I can't wait until Brayden can do..." while at the same time wishing I had my little baby back. He has gotten so big, and Kelli and I have caught ourselves talking about how much of a little boy our baby has turned into. To me, this is a weird dichotomy of being excited about the future, while "missing" (longing for) the past.
5. It melts my heart when he smiles at me, hugs me, or laughs at me. I could literally just watch him all day long...he does some of the funniest and cutest things. His laugh is contagious to all who hear it...he scrunches up his nose and mouth when he smiles (we call it his Flirty Face). He always has a rebuttal for when we tell him "no." (that could be interesting as he gets older)

We have such a wonderful little boy, even if I am a bit biased. He does so well around other people, he really doesn't cry all that much (unless he's hungry or sleepy). I can't wait to watch his continued growth and development, and am doing my best to log all our wonderful memories with him so I will always have them to fall back on.

I never want to be the Dad that stays at work longer because I dread coming home to my family. I've encountered a few dad's along the way that would rather not come home due to selfish reasons of wanting to have "me" time. To me that's selfish, and they are missing out on so much love, joy, and happiness. I hope Brayden never stops "lighting up" when I walk in the room, and I hope I never stop yearning to come home to him to play. Of course, I can't neglect the wife, but once BJ goes to bed I try to do what I can to help with the house. I hope Kelli agrees with that statement, but I'm sure there's always something more I could do to help.

Anywho, another long post, but with Christmas right around the corner it has gotten me a little gushy, and I hope to carry that thru the new year.

Thanks for stopping by,
DD

           Me and B at Paradise Canyon for T-giving!

                  We loved this outfit...had to show it off.   :)

Brayden on Nana and Pawpaw's ATV...he loves it!!

Somedays I look at Brayden and how big he has gotten, all the new things he is learning, and I think...my little baby is not a baby anymore! He is getting to be a Big Boy! He has a tooth on the top and bottom that you can clearly see when he wrinkles his nose and smiles at you. We also three more that we think will be visible by Christmas.

Then at night, when I place him in his crib and he flips on his tummy pulling his little knees up under him until his bottom is sticking up...I think, "There's my baby!" Nothing in the world like bedtime!

Catching Up...

So, it’s been a while – how y’all doing??? :)

Sometimes life gets in the way of the good ‘ol blog, but we’ll see what we can do to bring you up to speed…

Since the last post Brayden celebrated his 1st Birthday. I’ll try to get some pics of that up as we had 2 celebrations – 1 in Palestine with Kel’s parents and the other in Addison at Kelli’s Cousin’s house (Lucy D.). We loved being able to spend time with all our family and the fellowship with others we were able to experience was so heartwarming and fulfilling. We have been blessed with tremendous friends and family.

We still haven’t had Brayden’s MRI that got rescheduled for a later date due to the discovery of HCV RNA in his blood (Hepatitis C). We are going to have him re-tested to find out the “viral load” of the Hep C to see how much of it is in his system somewhere around March. This will give us a better knowledge of what we’re looking at as he gets older – treatments, warning signs, eating habits, etc. He’s had an eye appt since our last blog, and it came back GREAT!! At the last eye appt the Doc mentioned he may need to have glasses when he goes to school, but it appears that may not be the case as of this most recent appt. So, we’ll see and pray that glasses would be one inconvenience he can avoid. He’s also seen a holistic doctor to help us with some good things to get Brayden to combat and hold off the Hep C. That Doctor was VERY IMPRESSED with our “25 weeker.” Kel mentioned that when he walked into the room he saw Brayden and his jaw dropped and he just wanted to hold him and love on him – he just couldn’t believe B was doing so well. He gave some advice for us to get B “creeping” – hands and knees crawling, and he’s referred us to a Private PT to get us another opinion to go with our ECI therapist(s) that come every month. This new therapist he’s referred us to is a Therapist who specializes in brain injured children…so we’re hoping they can help us with B’s brain injury and the repercussions.

Kelli’s dad, Andrew, was diagnosed with Cancer (Melanoma) since the last time we blogged. He underwent 2 surgeries to take out over 70 lymph nodes to try to remove all the cancer and avoid treatments. It was a pretty aggressive way to do it, but it was SUCCESSFUL!!! We got a report yesterday that the results came back showing no cancer in the 66 lymph nodes they took out at his last surgery. WOO HOO!!!! So very thankful for Jesus who watched over Andrew and Patricia thru that whole process and for allowing the Doctor’s to know the right procedure to clear this cancer. The “C” word is always very scary and the Dowdney/Overton clans have defeated it TWICE!!!! (Kel had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when we lived in College Station).

Otherwise, we’ve just been living life and taking care of Bray J. He is such a great baby and has so much personality. He loves to laugh and is very ticklish. He does really well standing at his table that he can play music on, poke buttons, and light up lights. He is crawling, but doesn’t use his right leg as well as his left, so we are continually working on that, and he doesn’t like to “creep” – the hands and knees crawling I mentioned before. These are crucial stepping stones he needs to master before he moves to walking. We know he has a little more time as he’s technically only 11 months old, but we want to do the right things and get him on track.

Thanks for stopping by, and hopefully we can update more often to keep you coming back!
D

Brayden's MRI on Friday

Thank you ALL for lifting up our little man on Friday.

Before all this stuff with HCV hit our radar, Brayden was scheduled to have an MRI done on his spinal chord. Brayden has a cyst that is growing on his spinal chord and we have it imaged in order to ensure that it is not putting any pressure or compression on the chord. This would decrease the amount of blood and oxygen carried to the brain and is extremely dangerous. We have had the cyst imaged twice, once in December right before we carried him home and then again last Spring. The MRIs did show that the cyst was developing and giving the spinal chord room to grow, without much compression. THAT IS GOOD!! We are needing this cyst to stay off that spinal chord until Brayden is late teens, due to the nature of the surgery.

When we arrived at the hospital, we were admitted due to the need for anestheia during the proceedure. If his heart rate or breathing fluctuated during the MRI they would keep him overnight for observance. A few hours after we arrived, the anesthiolgist came to talk to us about the proceedure. When she learned of B's recent blood work she said that she did not feel comfortable administering meds during this crucial time for his liver. Anesthesia alter the blood flow to the liver and is hard for the body to metabolize. She said that she would have to contact the Neuro Surgeon who ordered the MRI before she could cancel it and that she would try to contact him. PRAISE GOD..she was able to speak with Dr. Roberts and they did confirm that we were in a position to give his little liver some time before we proceeded with a MRI.

We were so very thankful that the Dr. was protective over our litle son's liver and agreed to give him some time to, LORD WILLING, clear this HCV. The Neuro Surgeon requested that we see him in clinic before we were able to leave and so we did have a very long wait to see him. After his exam of Brayden he discussed, at length, his concerns and projections regarding this cyst. He felt really good about the decision to postpone the MRI for 3 months and then we will see where B is with his blood work.

It was a double edged sword...we were so anxious to see how this cyst was developing however, so very thankful that we waited and gave B this opportunity to fight. So on the front of the spinal cyst, we will have to wait 3 months. In the meantime...that just give us all the time to lay this precious little one at the Father's feet and ask for healing. I would love for the cyst to just disappear! Wouldn't that be a fun conversation with the doctors?

David and I have come to remember one of our very first prayers for this little boy. We prayed that Brayden's life would point people to Christ and glorify the Father. We prayed that all that came into contact with him would hear of the healing, faithful, providing, and merciful Jesus that has worked miracles in this littles life and stand ready to do the same for all.

To God be the glory for all things He has done.....and will do yet again.

Kelli

Update on Mr. B

On September 20th Brayden went to see Dr. Mazade at Cook Children's. We go to see Dr. Mazade every 3-6 months for blood work. Since Brayden's birth mom was Hepatitis C positive, we have watched him relatively closely. He has always tested negative and so David & I had just kind of checked this off our list as CLEAR! Dr. Mazade even mentioned that he really didn't intend to find anything this time around but we would test one more time at 18 months, as protocol.

On Monday, September 27th, a week later I had a message from Dr. Mazade and it didn't sound good. When we talked, he informed me that Brayden had tested positive for HCP RNA. We would re-test in 3 months but it was likely that it looked as if Brayden had contracted the Hepatitis C virus. After the call, David & I started researching and reading everything we could get our hands on about Hep C. Neither of us knew very much about it. It seems that out of all the Heps, it's the bad one. There is so much conflicting information out there and seems to be very limited on case studies actually done on infants. Mose cases were on adults that had either contracted Hep c from a blood transfusion or from shared needle use. Either way, the informatoin we were gathering wasn't very comforting.

Later that afternoon we had another consult with the doctor becuase we both had so so many questions. What kind of test had been done? Seems there are several ones out there. We found that B had had HCV RNA qualatative test. This means that it was a detection test only. There is a quantative test that tells how much viral load is in him and which genome type he has. Seems there are a few different variations of Hep C and this is important when it comes to treatments and liver affects. This will be determined by a liver biopsy later down the road. We asked about current treatment, however, the treatments that are currently available are too harsh for infants and there is currently no cure.

We are seeing a specialist this week that will help us with diet and some possible natural supplements that we pray will help support his liver during this time. There have been some case studies that have shown that infants do carry the ability to "clear" themselves of the virus, however, it is a very very small possibility. We are praying for that Jesus Christ makes that small possibility a reality in our little son's life.

Please pray that Brayden will clear himself of all HCV RNA.
Please pray that God will give us wisdom in caring for him and make evident any threats that we can protect his liver from and known any remedies that will support his immune system during this time.
Please pray for Dr. Bain and Dr. Masade as they make decisions for his health.
Please pray that Brayden will not contract Hepatitis C.

Standing in Grace,

Kelli, David, & BrayJ

The Dowdney Summer Update...i know it's late

Our summer has been so busy! May started off the madness with Graduation activities. We had Prom, Baccalaureate, Graduation, and Graduation parties. Cameron finished his senior year strong and graduation was a very sweet time for us. Cameron has enlisted in the Army and will be going to Basic Training August 17, the day after his birthday.

In June, Cameron left for YL camp and we headed to the McCann family reunion. Then it was back in Dallas, as I prepared to take my Middle School friends to their camp. Camp is always a time of the year that I sincerely look forward to. I have seen God’s hand and lives changed at every camp I have gone to, whether it was for High Schoolers, Middle Schoolers, or teen moms. This year…..it was a lot harder for me to get into camp mode. I was excited bout all the wondrous ways I knew God would show up, but I also knew I would be leaving B for an entire week!! Thank goodness for family!! My precious cousin Valerie and her amazing daughter, we call her Nanny Savannah, came for Monday – Wednesday. Then, my mom took over Wed until I made it back home on Friday. I got all his food made and labeled and his routine written down…and I was off to camp with 25 kids and leaders!!

I also had a much needed and overdue visit from my amazing friend from OKC, Amy Trent and her little Garrett! Amy’s husband, Jim, was David’s roommate in the Fraternity house at OU and they had started dating a little bit before Dave & I. Jim & Amy were really our bestest friends during the first two years of our marriage, while we lived in OKC. We dearly missed them when we moved from Norman to College Station and we love to get in extended visits whenever we can! Having a true friend that you know you can just be yourself around, and they will still love you, is such a rare gift. I loved visiting with Amy and having time. One night we got the boys bathed and in bed, and while David kept watch, we left and had some girl time! We went to see SITC 2, had a nice adult beverage, and just relaxed. It is also nice to have a friend that you know you can count on for Godly advice, but that will still sit down and have a glass of wine with you!! Loved our time with Amy & Garrett!!!

In July, we had a precious time out at Sisterdale with my Aunt Nette and the entire Dixon/Overton family for an entire weekend. My aunt has two boys, Patrick & Paul and they each have just precious, precious families!! We loved hanging out with their kids and just being together as a family.

August brought the business of life back again. Young Life was starting back up and we were recruiting leaders and planning for our semester clubs. We had a great “Going Away luncheon” for Cameron and sent him off to Basic Training. I was also truly blessed to have had the opportunity to take care of my cousin Lucy’s son, Grant, during the summer. Grant & I had so much fun teaching Brayden how to swim, playing games, going to the circus, and enjoying each other’s company. Grant was a HUGE help with Brayden and I was sad that our summer was coming to a close. Thankfully, I still get to see him a few times a week when I pick him up from school and tutor him with his homework.

Other than that…that brings us to the start of September! It will be a fun month as B will be turning 1! That also means lots of trips to Cook Children’s as we have doctor follow up appointments. We will keep everyone in the loop. Love to all…..
David, Kelli, & Super B

Confessions of an Inferior Mom

from my journal about 2 months ago.......

Well, it’s been a while since I have confessed. And I really hate to even get started but here it goes. …ATTENTION: No children or babies were harmed during any of the incidents below. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

So since we have started introducing solids to Brayden, I had started to notice he was a little more constipated than normal and my pediatrician had warned me that it might occur. He had also given me a little home remedy that would help “the process.” The remedy…I will spare you the details….but it did involve a Q Tip and some Vaseline. So, yesterday I decided that my little man needed a little help and so we proceeded with the home remedy. Only…..I must have grabbed a defective Q Tip because went I pulled it out….the cotton tip was missing!!! What kind of mother…well, I can’t even finish that sentence. So…..wouldn’t you know it, David just happened to be standing right there for the whole thing. When I looked up at him the only thing he said was “ Well, you got it stuck in there so you have to get it out!” GREAT!!! How do you go about getting a small cotton ball out from you baby’s bottom. Answer: You don’t. You wait! This morning, after 4 days of no Poop, Brayden grunted and pushed….and first out came a little brown ball (the Q Tip)..and then A LOT of poop. Thank goodness for gravity…and the body’s inability to absorb cotton. Won’t be trying that home remedy again.

Praying we make it to next week...KD :)

Organics???

Ok..so I am not one of those people that you would look and say "I bet she is one of those "organic, all natural, tree huggin" type people. I mean, I really don't pay that close attention to preservatives or pesticides or ingredients..although I SHOULD! Well, that has changed since Brayden arrived on the scene! I have only bought organics for all his food and I watch the labels for sugras and preservatives, ect. So I was thinking...if I love him enough to do that for him, I should be doing the same thing for my husband, and my own body. Here is a link I found today that I printed off and put in my purse to help me with "organic" decisions. I just wanted to share.

http://static.foodnews.org/pdf/EWG-shoppers-guide.pdf

Much Love,

Kelli

Adventures in Baby Food

For the past month we have been giving Brayden rice cereal in the evenings, getting him use to the texture and spoon. The last week or so he has been eating everything in the bowl, and a few times I had to make a little extra. So this week we desiganted to start introducing solids. I knew that I wanted to make my own organic, baby food so yesterday I went and bought sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and bannans. This morning I baked my Sweet Potatoes, pureed, and then froze a portion. Brayden loved his Sweet potatoes for lunch so I was super excited. I'll keep him on just the sweet potatoes for another 4 days and then we'll go to bannans. Our little boy is getting so big! We are so proud of him.

1st Blow Out

No, I didn't say Blow Up...BLOW OUT! As in...blowing out from the bottom region! We have heard from many of our dear friends their funny "Blow Out" stories. In fact, some of our good friends from OKC, Jim & Amy, and a pretty good blow out with their cute little sone, Garret, on their way back home from a weekend visit with us. As of this morning, we didn't have any fun "Blow Out" stories to share. In fact, for most of the time since Brayden has been here, we have just been praying for normal, regular POOPS! That was until this morning.

Today I have been running like crazy trying to get ready for my very last WyldLife Club of the semester. When David came home for lunch, I was passing Brayden off to run out the door and try to pick up a few things while David was here to watch little man. When I picked him up...I smelled it! THen I saw it...out the sides and up his back. Yep, we needed a water hose! Then when I took him upstairs to change him it got all over his clothes, changing table, shoes..it was a mess! I just laughed becuase everyone warned me that it would happen when I was in a hurry or in a public place.

So....Brayden Blow Outs 1...Mama 0! For now! Just wanted to share! :0 Now I'm off to spend my last club with my junior high kids. I just love them to peices!

kd

Breathing

Spring….I feel as if the last few weeks I have been learning how to breathe. It seems that when we first brought Brayden home I spent many moments holding my breath! Holding my breath during the many doctor appointments, therapy sessions, and Balance Due letters from the Adoption Agency. Yes, our lives have dramatically changed and I have been literally holding my breath for the last 4 months. The Lord has been teaching me, especially over the last 4 weeks, to let go….laugh…..love….and breath. We have continued to see divine intervention…to the point that if I blogged about it everyday people might think we are crazy.
We have continued to receive excellent reports regarding Brayden’s development. He is much like any other 4 month old (his actual age is 7 months, but we track him from when his due date was. They refer to that as his Corrected age = 4 months.) He has mastered the art of rolling over both ways and last week he discovered his toes. Last month we heard his first out loud belly-laugh and there have been many to follow. He did AMAZING with the initial sleep training! He will soothe himself to sleep when placed in his crib for a nap or bedtime and usually wakes us babbling instead of crying now. However, we have heard that this will all change around 9 months and we will have to have sleep training….ROUND 2! He is growing like a weed….really. He has already outgrown three sizes of clothes; Preemie, Newborn, & 0-3 Months. Last night David and I even had to pack up some of his 3 Mo & 3-6 Mo sizes. He is a good eater. Right now, he is taking 6-7 oz every 4 hours and we have started him on rice cereal with his dinner. It’s kind of funny…because some nights he just gobbles his rice dinner up and other nights…..well, it mostly ends up everywhere else BUT in his tummy. It’s fun watching him learn and everyday I am so thankful for the daily miracles The Father allows us to touch, feel, kiss, & hug.
When we first brought Brayden home, we were anticipating that I would be able to continue doing some contract work for my previous owner. However, that door shut due to Fanny Mae’s inability to….well let’s just say due their inability! However, we have realized that too just may have been God’s providence. This has allowed me to solely concentrate on Brayden & David. As you can imagine, we had A LOT to do after bringing Brayden home. Most couples are allowed 9 months to nest, make room for a nursery, and gather the necessities. Well, we only got 3 months…and most of that time was spent at the hospital with Brayden because he was already here. So since December, we have finished his nursery and built a deck onto the back of the house. I will be sure to get nursery pictures up soon.
That’s mostly what has been happening with us. This month will be crazy busy trying to get Cameron ready for Graduation. We have had a really great semester with him, and I have to say, I am surprised that the thought of him leaving is a little bittersweet. I fear he has taught us way more than we have him. When I think of everything his life has been filled with and yet what a love for the Lord he truly does have, I admire him greatly. He will be graduating from Creekview in June, then to a few summer camps before heading into the ARMY.
Thanks for reading…..it's nice to get to a point that you don't have to hold your breath. When you realize that The Creator is holding your every moment, really it's pointless. We will get some new pictures up soon. We love you all….please leave us a comment or email us. Our family and friends have been such an encouragement to us. We love you…Kel

Time Flies

Well, sorry its been so long since we've updated. I'll try to bring you up to speed on the last month or so...

The major thing we had happen was an MRI for Brayden that took more pictures of the cyst on his spine. We found out that the cyst is still there and appears to be the same size as before. However, it appears that it is putting less pressure on his spine than before, so we are excited about that. It is letting his spinal cord and backbone develop and is not squeezing on it as much as it was. So, the Dr. is very hopeful we won't have to do any kind of surgery until he gets older -- hopefully his teenage years (if at all). Of course, our prayer is that Jesus would step in and remove this cyst on his own and we won't have to worry about surgery. The cyst in his brain is there and will always be there as it's more just a lack of development of the brain tissue, so there is no "cure" for that one. We'll just have to see how he develops as he begins to crawl, walk, talk, etc.

Otherwise, in playing with the little stinker you wouldn't know he has a cyst at all. He is very active and smiles, coo's, laughs, and loves to stick out his tongue (thanks Mimi)! He is now eating rice cereal, so of course more of it generally gets on him than goes in his mouth. It's fun, and Kelli is loving every minute of her being able to stay home with him. He is still not crawling yet, but he can scoot around on his mats in the floor, or in his crib...so we expect him to start army crawling any time now. What's better is that if you hold him by his arms on your lap, he'll try to walk all over you...so he may even walk before he crawls...he just needs to get better balance.

We also had a baby shower thrown by some of the mother's of Kelli's WyldLife kids. We had a great time and the spread of food and cake was amazing!! We got some needed clothes, toys, and stuffed animals -- all of which we have already been able to play with. We are so thankful for the friends we have made thru YoungLife/Wyldlife, they have been a big blessing in our lives.

Two weeks ago we painted the nursery, and last week we put a deck up in the back yard. The Overton's came over and helped get our front lawn under control too as we needed some help in a couple flower beds to get some shrubs back up and growing. So, we've done a lot of stuff in and out of the house that we have really enjoyed.
Brayden's Room is now a light green with an accent wall we painted brown -- to match the bedding we have for him. The girls got that done with finishing touches put on by the guys who were able to reach a little farther with their paint brushes.
The yard and deck were welcome additions to the yard that has needed some upgrades since last summer. We were so thankful for all the help we received, as Andrew was the supervisor for both projects. He is a man on a mission when it comes to working in the yard and we love the new additions he made.

That is the most recent update on the Dowdney household, but we will try not to wait so long for the next one.

Thanks for stopping by
D

Cute Video

Spring is here....

Thank goodness for a little sunshine!  All that rain and gloom was starting to get on my nerves!  February was fast and furious and we are about to be done with most of the madness!  It's been a great semester of YoungLife/WyldLife but I am ready for Spring Break!!  I have been working on the North Texas YL Family Ski Trip and I will be nice when I can close the books on that project. It's been really fun to get to know alot of our families on a more personal level and to be able to serve them....but it has been a little more work that I had anticipated. Well, maybe it just feels like a little more work since I have a 10 week old at home! 

On that note, it is has been interesting as we have started to get Brayden out a little more, how we explain his age when people ask. Sometimes, if I'm in a hurry and don't have time for the 20 min story, when strangers ask how old is our baby I'll just give them the corrected age...."oh, he's 10 weeks."  Corrected age is a medical term for preemies stating how old they would be IF they had been born around their due date.  What really gets people is when we respons with his Actual Age.  You can see some people trying to compute....then it's fun to share with how the Lord truly blessed our little man! 

I'm sure that several people have considered calling the authorities on us a few times.  It get's funny when David responds with his Actual Age and I respons with this Corrected Age. You can almost hear them think..."These crazy people don't know how old their baby is!"  LOL.... It hasn't happened that many times, though!

Brayden is doing really well! We have seen his PT and Dietician this month, and scheduling a session with OT soon. He seems to have a little tightness in his muscle tone that we are hoping to correct with some therapy.  This month he has learned to stand up on our lap, push up on his little hands, and is starting to chew on everything.  The dietician said that we can start trying Rice Cereal but not to expect great results the first month!  I want David to be here for our first feeding so we think we will try it this weekend sometimes!  He also got his activity center this past weekend when Mimi and Aunt Kaysi were here.  It took a few times, but he is finally starting to have fun with it. I think at first, it was a little sensory overload! David said "It's like Las Vegas for a baby!"  He just learned how to bang on the keys to make the sound himself this morning. Here are some picture....

We have the follow up appointment with the Neuro Surgeon and Neurologist this month.  I have found that just knowing those are coming up, I am really having to fight off the anxiety!  We will be imaging the cycst on his spine and following the development of his brain.  It's funny how God gently speaks to us sometimes. Yesterday morning during our playtime, I had a cd playing of Children's Bible School songs.  "My God is big, so strong and so mighty! There's nothing my God can not do!" came through the speakers as we played under his floor gym.  How much more peaceful I would be if truly claimed this promise in my life.  God has delivered Brayden from so many things, do I really think that he has stoped caring for him at this point? I feel like the children of Israel sometimes? Have I told you that before?  I tend to forget all the mighty, marvelous things God has done in the past and question His sovereignty. Lest I forget..... there is nothing that our God can not do. May we not fail to approach His throne with boldness.

Kelli

Reminiscing

The past few days I have been really focused on trying to get some of the books read that I have been referred. We are at the initial stages of some very basic sleep training and need all the advice and counseling that we can get! TRUST ME…..we (I) have absolutely no idea what we (I) are doing!!! And it just got me to thinking and wishing..longing for my grandmothers!!! My mother’s mom was known as Granny and my dad’s mom went affectionately by Momma Mae. Granny raised 11 kids, two of those being a set of twins, and managed just perfectly without all the Parenting books, advice chat rooms and websites, and certainly without all the modern day MUST HAVES that you can find down the 101 isles at Babies R US! HOW IN THE WORLD DID SHE DO IT? I mean…she didn’t have a Boppy or a Bumbo and didn’t have any Dr. Brown bottles! What did she do without the Night and Day Bottle Warmer or the Eddie Bauer Soothe & Sway Play Yard? I wish I could just sit down with her for 1 day and have her pour into me all her parenting knowledge. How did she know what to do when?



This morning I was sitting in my breakfast nook and I have a very old wooden curio cabinet that we have used to store some of our favorite heirlooms on. My eye first caught a smallish 5 tier, silver candelabra that was placed at the front of the 2nd shelf. It’s funny how just a glimpse of some object can bring a wave of emotions. When David & I got engaged, my Granny was bound to a wheel chair and had not been getting around very well. Since most of my family is from a small town in East Texas, Palestine, we had chosen a little local store to register in for our home-town shower. I remember my mother telling me how cute my grandmother was. She insisted that my mom come get her and take her so that she could pick something out herself for me & David. My grandmother came from an extremely humble background and had always had limited resources. My mom said as she pushed my grandmother through the store she inspected all the items very carefully! When she came to the candelabra, she knew right this was it. My mom cautioned her that it was a little pricey but Granny dug through her purse and purchased the gift with love! I miss her so very much! I wonder what she would think of Brayden, what advice she would give.


Two shelves down is a shelf that has a set of a very old Sliver Tea Pot and Serving Set. This is from Momma Mae. It reminds me of what a servant she was her entire life. It was very rare to go for a visit that she wouldn’t be loading your arms up with things as you were walking out the door. Seriously, she would have you walk through her house and she would say “Now sweet, don’t you need this mirror at your house? Well, what about this little crystal squirrel. I found this at Tuesday Morning’s and I would love for you to have it!” I have never met anyone in my entire life that put others before themselves like Momma Mae.


These two women gave me such beautiful examples of the selflessness that Christ calls us to. There are so many other vital attributes that these two women taught me as a young lady. I pray that as Brayden grows up, I won’t be so caught up in the latest Baby-Must-Have or the Parenting-Must-Do that I forget to teach him the things that I learned from my grandmothers.

Brayden & Blue Jeans

Brayden wore blue jeans for the first time EVER today. We have had several pair that we have been itching to get him into but they have all been way too big for him. UNTIL TODAY.... Yeah! He looks so adorable! Of course I grabbed my camera to get some adorable pictures...and my battery is dead. Since it is snowing outside like crazy, Brayden & I have opted to spend a quiet, cozy day at home near the fire. I'll have to get a camera battery another day and record his 2nd day in blue jeans!!

This week has been great! He has done really well adjusting to life in his room! He seems to like his crib and loves to play on his floor gym. He loves to nap on his tummy but oddly enough doesn't like to play on his tummy. We have also started the early early stages of sleep training. Right now we are just focusing on established a sleep, eat, play routine. This has been challenging because he likes to sleep, eat, play, eat..... uh-huh! The boy is eating alot!! Last night we got him down an hour earlier than we ever have and he stayed down for 5 1/2 hours. Monday night he was down from 11 pm - 5:30 am. Hopefully, we are heading in the direction of sleeping through the night. Regardless, our PT says that we are way ahead of schedule for a preemie in regards to scheduling, eating, and sleep patterns. This is a VERY good thing to for a momma to hear!

Week before last we went to our 1 month appointment with the Pedi and he was so pleased with Brayden's weight that he put us on regular formula!! Dr. Coco said that since we had brought him home at 6 lbs 1 oz he was hoping to have him at 8 lbs 6 oz by month 1. Well, considering we weighed over 10 lbs....this graduated us to regular formula! And honestly, I think this is the reason that for the past week and half he has been wanting to eat ever hour and a half! We were preparing our previous formula at a higher calorie count than this regular formula mixes at. I think that we are on the tail end of that now though, as he is curving back at eating every 3-4 hours.

Other than that....we are just plugging along! Adjusting to a "new normal" as my cousin to eloquently stated. I will get my battery replaced and post some new pictures soon! Love to all...

Kelli

Be careful what you pray (wish) for???

After the last 6 months, I am beginning to understand why I should never be careful what I pray for, as if I wasn't expecting God to answer the prayer in the first place.  I think the Bible talks about being "luke warm" with our faith (and subsequently our prayers) and many of you know what it says about that.  Thus, I am doing all I can to be very blatant in my daily prayers.

With that said, I must also mention that I think the "honeymoon" is over.  The first month with Brayden was, shall we say, accomplished on adrenaline.  Kel and I were sooooo happy to finally have him home from the hospital that we floated thru December and into January riding the ecstatic emotions of having a baby.  The first month is behind us (sadly) and we are moving on and up.

Now, don't get me wrong...we still are so overjoyed for this little miracle that Jesus dropped in our laps...and every day is full of new things that he is able to do that are WAY beyond his "development stage."  However, I think for me personally, the lack of sleep has begun to catch up with me, and I know Kelli gets more and more excited when I get home from work so she can have a little more "me time" to catch up on whatever she needs to. 

All this to say that, again, we spent the last 9 years in fervent prayer over being able to have children of our own...whether naturally or thru adoption.  Now that that prayer has been answered, I have to look back and say that I must be very deliberate in what I pray for from here on out.  I serve a God, and His Son Jesus, who are in the "business" of meeting our needs, but not always our wants.  He wants to do what is best for us, in HIS TIMING, that will further His kingdom.  So, I now am trying to step back and, while holding this little spitfire of a baby, look at what Jesus has in store for him and his future.  Is he going to be a Pastor?  Will he be an athlete?  Will he be a doctor/lawyer/teacher...or heaven forbid...a banker.  :) 

You know... I have to say -- I give him to You, Father.  Whatever Your will is for his life, allow me to be your instrument that gets him there.  That raises him to be a child of Jesus, that loves You dearly, and that is open and available to your calling.  I feel that is what Kelli and I tried to do in our marriage -- even thru the hard times of infertility and it led us on a path directly to Brayden.

So, Jesus, do your work thru me and Kel as your instruments in molding this little guy into the MAN you want him to be.  Well rounded, polite, disciplined, and on fire for Jesus -- the rest will take care of itself. 

I'll end with this... Luke 18:2-8 says ..."He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'  "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

So, again, Jesus will not keep putting us off...those who cry out to Him day and night -- so be very blatant in the desires of your heart, and know that steady plodding with Jesus will get you the answer that is wrapped in His will for your life. 

Side Note -->  Anyone else make it to the last phrase there???  "...will he find faith on the earth?"  Where are we as a society?  Is anyone else fearful for the future of our country...marinate on that for a little while 

Thanks for stopping by...DD

BIG BOY!!

Went to Brayden's Pedi today for vaccines and checkup. WE ARE UP TO 10 LBS!! WHOO HOO! AND...we have had some first over the last few days. Last Thursday he laughed for the first time. It's so cute and ever since I have been walking around trying to get it on film...of course I haven't yet! But hopeully soon!  On Monday he also played by himself on his floor gym for about 45 minutes before he got fussy!  AND....he is FINALLY swinging in his swing.  The first few times he cried and then he got to where he was ok being in it only if I was sitting beside him. So..we are making progress. The doctor also is so please with his weight gain that we are off the special formula! Dr. C said he was hoping that BD would be around 8.5 lbs and to see he is at 10 lbs.... he was pretty proud of him! 

Here are some new pictures....

Best Mom EVER......

Sometimes I have to wonder....did the nurses and doctor's really know what they were doing when they sent a helpless little baby home with me?  Seriously!!!!!

Last week I took the opportunity to take a cat nap while Brayden was down.  I was on the couch and he was in the bedroom.  I laid down and was almost asleep and thought "I should really put the dogs outside so if they bark, they will not wake us up."  What seemed like just seconds later ( 45 minutes), one of the dogs had barked a few times and woke me up. I raced to the back door half asleep to put them outside before they woke up BD. I opened the door and began calling them...but none of them came.  I heard the dog bark again and got upset becuase it sounded like the dogs were in the bedroom! HOW DID THEY GET IN THERE? They aren't even allowed in the bedroom. I raced to the bedroom and opened the door.....only to realize that it wasn't a dog barking at all!!! Brayden had waken up and was randomly jabbering in his crib!  The dogs were all napping themselves in the laundry room!

Again BD was napping in his bassinett just a few weeks after we brought him home. He hadn't really gotten into a schedule yet so I was still unsure as to how long he would go down for a nap.  I had just put him down and went to the kitchen to clean some bottles for the next feeding.  I turned on the sink water for it to get how and started to dissemble the bottle parts to wash.  Through the baby monitor I heard BD start to cry and immediately rushed in. ( This was before I started to read Baby Wise and realized that they usually will settle themselves back down.)  His pacifyer had fallen out so I tried to put that back in but that didn't work. I re- swaddled him, I checked his diaper, I bounced him, rocked him, and burped him.  About 25 minutes later he fell back asleep and I laid him down.  Upon returning to the kitchen I realized that I had left the water running becuase I thought I would be RIGHT BACK!  One of the bottles had fallen down into the drain and stopped the sink up. THANK YOU LORD...we have the inset sink with the overspill guard.  The water was only running over to the other side of the sink and had not flooding the counters! 

Lessons I have learned this month:

1) Never assume you will "Be right back."
2) Everytime BD cries it does NOT warrant putting a bottle in his mouth.
3) The better BD naps during the day, the better he sleeps at night.
4) Borrowed and gently used clothes are truly a finanical blessing.
5) Friends who send you gently used clothes are truly a financial blessing.
6) Don't jump up at the first whimper or cry.
7) Showers are a daily highlight.
8) Trips to Chick-Fil-A for a Large Sweet Tea followed by Wal-Mart are a weekly highlight
9)  Don't wait at the door with the baby when your husband comes home from work. He's had a long day too.
10) Some kids poop twice a day, and some poop every other day! IT'S OKAY!
11) Morning times are the sweetest times for cuddling and playing
12) Even a baby boy has some amazing trajectory.... from both ends.
12) We are thankful that we didn't buy that new couch.
13) Having a baby and a new puppy at the same time is not suggested.
14) AND....not matter how much baby baggage you have to get out of the car..always make sure you get your wallet and purse out! EVEN IF IT REQUIRES A SECOND TRIP!

See you  next month for BEST MOM EVER!!!

Life at Home....

This morning when I was changing Brayden's diaper, I was looking and looking and I really couldn't even find the scars from his hernia surgery back at the beginning of the month. I made me think how God has used this little life to heal so many scars in our own lives, not mention the healing he has begun in Brayden's. Praise to God Almighty for the power and life found in the name of Jesus.

January has flown by, as many of you have already told me that time will fly faster than ever. Brayden is up to 9 lbs now and settling into his new home and routine well. David went back to work on the 4th and we sure have missed having him at home! The first week and half was challenging, which is something that really caught me by surprise. I have been waiting to have a baby at home for 8 ½ long years and while my heart was so full of joy, change is something that takes me a while to welcome. For the past 10 + years I have been up in the morning and at the office working in the Multi-Family sector of Real Estate. By 10 am I have usually have at least 2 conference calls, 4 cups of coffee, 10 phone calls, and turned in multiple performance reports. I think the word that reflects the last 10 years would be..Productivity. How much can I get done in 1 day? Can I get done today more that I did yesterday? And while this motivation had served me well in the business realm, my focus and purpose has now shifted! Now, I am lucky if I can get a shower and brush my teeth before David gets home. The laundry and house work are not exactly getting done on a weekly basis and when I look around….well, it is hard for me not to feel like I am completely UNPRODUCTIVE!
I have gently been reminded that my “job description” has changed my daily goals and “to do” lists have been re-hauled. I must remember that my duties just got bumped up the totem pole of importance. I have this little life that solely depends on me. I am his food and security, love and shelter, comfort, warmth, teacher and protector. I have often heard acquaintances remark how difficult it was switching from the board room to the nursery. I believe that the enemy tries to deceive us by diverting our eyes to anything other than the path that the Lord has called us to. For if we do indeed follow the individual calling, according to His will, the path that the Almighty has called us to, His Kingdome will be glorified.

Enough preaching..I will leave that to David because he is so much more eloquent with words. I LOVE being at home with Brayden and I pray that we will financially be able keep me at home.  One of our frieds told me the sweetest poem the other day and I must share;

 Cobwebs be slient

and dust go to sleep.

Becuase I'm rocking my baby

and babies don't keep!

We have so many things to be thankful for that I pray that I don't let the enemy distract and overshadow the joy that the Lord has so graciously given to our family!
Psalm 107:6-9

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

And he saved them from their distress.

He led them by a straight way

To a city where they could settle.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love

And his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty

And fills the hungry with good things.