Is That Your Final Answer?

As many of you may know, we have been having Brayden tested periodically since he was born for Hepatitis C. His birth mother contracted HepC when she was carrying the twins, and although the transmittal rate is extremely low, Brayden was considered high risk becuase of his exposure.  See, during the pregnancy the twins underwent a placenta ablation surgery in order to correct the Twin-to-Twin Transfusion that was threatening their lives.  During this surgery they were exposed which leads to the high risk.

The first 3 test were negative and then last October, a day that I will never forget, the doctor called with some devastating news. Brayden's Hep C test had come back positive. David & I did a lot of research and I even contacted a hospital in Sydeny, Australia that specialized in Mother-to-Infant HepC transmissions.  We were told to wait and they would retest 6 months later for confirmation.  Our doctor told us that it was very unlikely that the test would change but there was a .006% chance.  GOD DEALS IN THE .006% MARGINS!!!

Early last spring we were tested again, another day I will not forget.  When Dr. Mazade walked in he had tears running down his face.  Of course, my heart sank and I expected the worse!  His voice cracked as he tried to mumble "It was negative."  He said that in all the years of his practice he had never seen a child test positive and then come back with a negative.  But it was definitely a negative.  However, he said that we still were not out of the clear until we received a test confirmation. The dr. wanted to wait another 6 months and we would retest again in October.  Last week, we got the results of his final test.  STILL NEGATIVE!

God's timing is so.....undeniably orchestrated.  I am a worrier! Yes, I know that is a lack of faith and I really struggle with the battling voices.  The Word grounds me and speaks over the voices of the enemy but sometimes i succumb to the anxiety of the unknown. Will Brayden be ok? Will he grow up and be happy? Will he be able to walk and run and play with his friends?  The unknown.  But then I remember that my obligation is not be sure Brayden grows up to be happy or to have friends but to grow up with the Word of God hidden in heart and a love for His Savior.  Then I see the visible hand of God moving in my little boys life. Protecting, providing, and healing!  It is amazing at how quiet the voice of the enemy grows in the shadow of The Almighty.  I am thankful, and humbled, that God has allowed me to see His Sovereignty and Providence!  We are completely overjoyed for this news and just wanted to share!!

David, Kelli, & Brayden Jackson

Hello

Just a quick update on some things since it's been awhile...

Made it to the G.I. Specialist, who ran a few tests and took a few images and found nothing of concern in Brayden's bowels. He said there is no tethered spine, so that is good, and he feels that Brayden is just one of those kids who will have some constipation.  We told him we give Brayden "half a cap" of Miralax everyday, and that seems to help things move thru, so he told us to keep doing that and we should be okay.  This was great to hear, as he said the laxative won't hurt his system, and as long as it works, we should be good to go.  We haven't heard from the Oncologist yet, so we probably need to follow up on that just to cover the bases.

Since our last post we've had a few things going on that we probably need to relay...

A few weeks ago we had a little accident where Brayden fell into some water and I had to revive him with CPR...we were rushed to the hospital in Palestine, and then ambulanced over to Dallas, where we were able to get stabilized and on the road to recovery.  I don't really want to relive all the details, but let's just say it was a traumatic day and one I hope to never experience again.  Thank you Jesus for gifting us our boy back that day, and please watch over him and keep him safe...in Jesus name.  This incident has caused us to take a step backwards in our progression with Brayden to get his right arm and leg to work "properly." Our neuro-therapist thinks this may have injured the brain some, and we will need to take extra care in our rehabilitation efforts moving forward.  Needless to say, my guilt has been overwhelming at times, but I have to remind myself to be thankful that we dodged a bullet, with Jesus as our ARMOR, and not consume myself with the "what migh've beens."  It's hard, and I told Kelli the other night -- this incident has left a scar on me that will never heal, and thankfully it is a scar that could've run deeper, but it will be there until Jesus takes me home.  Okay, so enough with the bad stuff...let's focus on the BLESSINGS we have been given.

Brayden is getting to be such a big boy...see the pictures below.  He is saying more and more words everyday, and he loves to be outside and he loves being around other kids.  He has never really been shy, but he really seems to come out of his shell when he gets around kids his own age.  We are so excited about that, as social skills are one of those things I think each parent worries a little about.  He has finally begun to say "hi" and it's so cute -- he says it really high pitched, and I guess I need to capture it on video and post it so you can appreciate it.  He says "thank you" anytime you give him something...which is alot, so he says it alot.  He was taught by another little boy (Justin) how to say "yee-haw" and the "yee" part he also says really high pitched, so that's been fun, but he hasn't seen Justin in a while, so he isn't saying it nearly as often as he used to.  Otherwise, B is doing all the things B normally does...he plays like a champ (as I'm sure most 2 year olds do), goes thru phases of good eating and bad eating, he sleeps so good (usually), and he loves to be outside and explore. He still has some delays, and we are still working on straightening out his right arm and leg, but all in all, this little boy is a trooper and has been such a blessing to me and my family -- g'parents included...he has his Mimi and Nana wrapped around his little finger...and I am so happy for that.  I love that our whole family has come together around this little boy and loved on him from the word "go."

By the way...BRAYDEN TURNED 2!!!  On Sept 19, Mr. B had his 2nd Birthday, but due to Daddy having to be in Detroit for close to a month now, we haven't had a chance to get his Bday Party put together.  So, I will be in town this weekend and will try to get that put together. 

Kelli, Patricia (Kel's Mom) and I got to take a quick vacation to NYC.  I was there for work, but Kel and Tricia came up the last weekend I was there and we had a great time checking out a lot of the things NYC has to offer.  We stayed at Hotel Mela, which was a block away from Times Square. We saw the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, Billy Elliott (on Broadway), Central Park, Freedom Tower, the largest retail store (Macy's), Coney Island (in the rain), and just about every square inch of Times Square...I'll try to find some pics to post as soon as possible.

Lastly...Kaysi and Robbie are getting married this weekend (Oct. 2)!!!!!  I am honored and humbled they asked me to perform the ceremony, and I am nervous and excited all at the same time.  I am just praying the Lord would allow me to remember all my lines and "cues" so it runs smoothly, but at the end of the day -- they will be married and that's all that matters...screw up or not.  :)

That's pretty much it...enjoy our most recent pics of Mr. B:

Brayden loves to be outside, and this is a pic on our deck in the backyard...and yes -- Boys will be boys!

This is Brayden as he's out to dinner with Kelli and Patricia (Mimi) -- he loves chocolate pudding!!!

This is Brayden and his new buddy -- Justin.  Justin is the one who taught Brayden to "Yee-Haw!!"

We got B a Monkey Backpack that uses his tail as a "leash" ... B loves it and wears it all the time.

Okay, so isn't this the cutest pic ever!!  He doesn't normally get to bang around on our "gadgets," but Momma relented and he is one super excited boy -- LOOK AT THAT FACE!!!!   :)

Mr. B ... just being Mr. B

Another dinner pic...but you can see we are trying to teach him to eat with a spoon (or fork)...he loves to "dip, dip"

 

MRI Results

We got our MRI results on Friday and it was a mixed bag of good and not so good results. 

As far as the cyst on his spinal cord is concerned, it has not grown any larger and is not constricting the growth of his spine.  So, that's good as we don't want to see the cyst grow, nor do we want it to contrict his growth.

However, (and I'm laying it all out here...so just be warned you may not want to know some of this) he did see that Brayden is constipated and his kidneys and bladder were pretty distended, so he's concerned about how Brayden passes "waste."  We have been referred to a Gastro-Intestinal (GI) Specialist and a Urologist to have his kidneys, liver, bladder, intestines, etc. checked out to see what's going on in there. This has pretty much been a problem with B since he was born.  If any of you have seen his pics from birth, there are a few with him that his belly is really distended and this is from him not passing his food the right way.  The good news is that we have him on a pretty steady regimen of Flax Seed Oil and Laxatives that as long as we continue to put those in his food, he will have a bowel movement everyday.  The problem the Dr. wants to find out more about is to see if this is a result of the cyst on his spine and the hole in his brain not allowing for proper communication to occur between B's brain and his other organs to process his food.  So, please lift this up in prayer...as we are back to praying for his bowel system (we used to pray that he would poop, as it was so hard for him, now we just need to pray for his entire system, that Jesus would set it straight). 

Going forward, the concern is that B may not have control of his bowels, to include bladder control, which at his age is very tough to determine.  This could lead to any number of things, from just having to maintain the laxative/flax seed regimen, to him having to wear diapers into adulthood...not fun.  So, again, we will hope to see these 2 Dr's as soon as we can, and we'll update you as to how this progresses.

All in all, the Neurologist said he was pleased with the results and is hoping for good news from the GI and Urologist.  He said he doesn't feel like he needs to see for another 12 months, which is a good sign.  Of course, he said if we see any negative developments to get in immediately, but at this point, he thinks things are going well. 


Anywho...Kelli had to go to Lubbock for work this week, so we shipped B over to Mimi and Papa's...here are a few pics of their first evening together, playing in the sprinkler!!

MRI

Yesterday was Brayden's MRI to image the cyst on his spine.  We checked into the hospital at 8:30am and we left at close to 3pm.  It was a tough morning and resulted in a long day, but he made it through like a champ and by about 5:30pm we had our little boy back.  Anytime you put a 21 month old under anesthesia, it's a scary process.  His momma was in the room while they put him under (they only let 1 person in the room), and that whole thing shook her up pretty good.  It's tough watching your baby go limp as he's crying because he's scared.  The above pic was before he knew what was going to happen and you can see him cheese it up for the camera behind his pacifier.  Anywho, he made it through okay, and the nurse said he did a great job, so we are proud of our little man.  He had a hard time coming out from the anesthesia, but we got some juice down him and got him home to "sleep it off."  Not sure he slept too much, but resting in his crib did him some good and by dinner time he was back to his old self. 

We sure do love that little guy and watching him experience pain and fear is not fun for us, but we are hoping his results come back with good news and that our Lord has removed his cyst for us...but only His will be done in our lives.

Thanks!
DD

New Pics

Hi...wanted to get out a couple new pics of Brayden, on the day before we go to the Dr for his next MRI. Please pray we get great results, and that his cyst has been taken away!!  We trust in the One who can do that on His own...Jesus.

Thanks!!

:)

Yeah, we know...

We aren't very good at keeping this thing up to date anymore, mainly because we're so busy trying to keep up with Brayden!

In the past month this little man has decided he wants to walk, so he is up and around and getting into everything he can get into!  Hopefully in some succeeding posts I'll figure out how to post video's 'cuz this little guy is blowing and going.

Since our last post we have been getting acclimated to Kelli going back to work part-time.  This was an adjustment at first, but many THANKS go out to my mom, "Nana," for helping to watch Brayden for 2 days of the week, and we have Christy from Wyldlife babysit for the other day Kel is at work.  We are also looking into some programs that could allow Brayden to get some "teaching" during the day, even prior to going to preschool.  Given his low birth rate and prematurity the State allows for him to qualify for educational access as early as 3 years old, so we are trying to get on the ball before that time so he, and we, can be ready when that time comes.  We also feel that he is a little behind the ball when it comes to social skills with other kids as the only time he is really around other kids is at Church, when he is in the nursery.  So, we're exploring a few options to see how we can help develop those skills necessary to transition to a school setting as he gets older. 

On a side note, I had to travel to Chicago for a class at work, and while I was there Kelli was able to come up for an extended weekend that we used as our Anniversary Trip since we couldn't get away in January.  This past January we celebrated 10 years of marriage and delayed our "trip" to February where we had a really good time together in Chicago.  We were able to see the Blue Man Group and Les Miserables as "shows" while we there.  We explored the Shedd Aquarium and Millennium Park as some local attractions, and we even made it out for dinner and a movie the first night Kel was in town to allow us a little date before we got into the meat of the weekend.  We also ventured out to Giordano's with a co-worker of mine to enjoy some deep dish pizza famous in Chicago, and we met a fraternity brother of mine to enjoy Piece, another pizza place, and Hot Chocolate which is a really swanky restaurant and hot chocolate bar...that's right...they serve many "flavors" of hot chocolate - really neat place.  Needless to say, we were both pretty exhausted from our Chicago trip, but we had a blast and got to do a bunch of fun things.

This is my last semester in graduate school, and it couldn't get here sooner!!  I'm ready to be through with this experience, as it's been good, but very taxing on my free time.  Counting down the days until May when I can finally say I'm a "Master" of something.   :)

Anywho, that's all I can come up with for now, but hopefully we'll have more extensive updates in the NEAR future.

Thanks for stopping by,
DD


Mr. Man got a swing for Christmas and we have just recently been able to get outside and enjoy it.  Thanks to Papa and Mimi for helping us get it up in the tree, as Brayden loves to get outside whenever he can and swing!!

Kel and I ventured out to Carter's to get Brayden some 18 month clothes as he's right in the middle of 12 month and 18 month clothes, but we don't have enough 18 month clothes.  So, while we were there they had this table that let Brayden play with Lego's and he LOVED IT!!!  You can see the sheer joy on his face as he get to play with the Lego's.  We sure do love our sweet and smiley little boy.  

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