I promise this time....

OK this time I mean it. I am going to stop being a lazy blogger and do a much better job keeping this thing up to date.

This spring has been a busy one with Dr. appointments. Bradyn has had a few check ups with his neurologist, neurosurgeon, dentist, and pediatrician. Other than some recurrent pneumonia, he has been really healthy this spring. It has been so nice to have him feeling well.

He is still loving school. He now rides the bus and loves that too. He often comes home with prizes for doing good at school. I could have never imagined him doing so well in school. What a blessing that is!!

Now we are gearing up for summer!! No big plans this year except for lots of swimming and fun! I have finally talked Jarrod into getting a small pool for the backyard!! I can't wait to play in it with Bradyn. He loves the water and it is great therapy for him.

Bradyn in his Easter best! We had a wonderful Easter with family!

Bradyn playing with Daddy! One of Bradyn's very favorite things to do is play on the bed before bedtime! This is his happiest time of day and my favorite too!

Bradyn still loves his swing! We have moved in to the backyard since our dogs are now staying in their pin full time. I love having a yard to play in.

This is what I found when I decided to clean out Bradyn's closet. A little ridiculous! It has been one of his favorite toys since he was only 4 months old. I kept all the old worn out ones. I decided we could keep the first one and let the rest go. Sorry Leap, we are out of room!


This is Bradyn's new big boy room! He has not slept in it yet, but we are hoping to make a transition soon. He still does not sleep much so I am not looking forward to shaking things up.

He loves his new bed!! To play on anyway!

This is Bradyn's new BFF Olivia! We have been waiting for her for a very long time and we love her very much!

Happy 100th day of school!

Today I got to go to Bradyn's school to help them celebrate the 100th day of school. We got to wear our PJ's for the special day! I was so happy to get to go to school with Bradyn to see for myself just how good he is doing. I was so amazed!!! He does so good!! He never once cried or fussed. He sat in his wheelchair like a big boy and sat in his tumble form chair for circle time and snack time. He was so happy! This is the biggest blessing to me to see him doing so well. I had been so nervous about sending him to school at 3 years, but it has been so good for him, and for me too. I spent the entire year from his 2nd to 3rd birthday preparing Bradyn and mostly myself for the transition to school. I never dreamed in such a short time that he would not only be adjusted, but actually enjoying it!! PRAISE GOD!

I told him that Grandpa was here to get this smile. Mean I know, but what a cute picture!
Bradyn got so excited when the months of the year song came on, and every song. At the start of each song he would get so happy and excited. Especially during the months song, he was so cute!

The Worst Blogger EVER!!!

So if there were an award for the worst blogger ever, I would win! There has been so much going on in the last few months I don't know where to start. I guess I will pick up where I left off. Bradyn was sick last time I updated. Well, he missed 2 whole weeks of school but he finally got over H1N1 and pneumonia! Once he finally kicked it, he was soooo happy and did great returning to school.

He has been doing so good in school. He has made it up to 2 and a half hours a day now!! He doesn't even cry when I drop him off AND he is not crying when I pick him up! This is a HUGE blessing for me. I am so happy that he is handling it so well!

We had a wonderful holiday season. We stayed in Perryton and spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas with our amazing families. Jarrod's family suffered a great loss on Thanksgiving day. His uncle Allen lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. He fought it for a very long 6 months.

Medically Bradyn has been keeping us very busy. He has not been sick so that is good, but it has been one thing after another since Thanksgiving. He has had trouble with his platelet count being very low, his blood sugar also being very low, his thyroid is "sluggish" (this is what the nurse said), and his most recent, a little trouble going weeee (and I don't mean on the swing). So he has had lab work done several times this last month and goes in next week to check his thyroid since starting his new med for that. They think most of this trouble is due to his seizure medication. It can be pretty harsh on his little body. I am hoping that we don't have to change meds because it can be really hard weaning him off of this one and getting the new one where it should be so he does not have any seizures. I guess we will deal with that when and if we have to. Oh, some great news... since he has had so much trouble with low blood sugar they started having us put flaxseed oil in his formula and he has chubbed up a bit. He now weighs a whopping 28 pounds and I am thinking I am going to have to find him a new winter wardrobe before winter is over!! At his 3rd birthday in October he was about 25 pounds (and was wearing mostly 24 month stuff) so he has really packed it on lately!

In spite of all this, Bradyn has had the best month of his entire life! He has been so happy and silly. He has been such a good little boy and is starting to entertain himself a little! He has been babbling a lot and really interacting with us! It is so fun to see him like this! He also had a very successful trip to the grocery store the other day! He rode in his wheelchair and did not cry or fuss the whole time. He was just happy and smiling and it was so cute! I was one proud momma! When people see us in public they ask how old he is and then say, "Oh, that is such a fun age". I usually just smile and agree, although I have not really been able to describe any age as "fun". Don't misunderstand me, Bradyn is the best thing on this earth and we love him more than anything. When he smiles I still smile too. When he laughs my heart melts like it is the first time I heard him laugh. This is the first time in Bradyn's life that I can say that we are having so much fun! I guess it is because he has been so happy and feeling so good. I thank God every night for days like today and pray that they continue each and every day of Bradyn's life!

PLEASE PRAY FOR BRADYN!!!

Bradyn has been a sick little boy for almost 2 weeks. It all started with his last seizure on the 16th. He was pretty tired for the next few days, and really not himself. Then on Wednesday, the 21st he got a fever and started coughing. He was worse the next day so I got him in with the Dr first thing Friday morning. He tested postive for H1N1. Since then he has been up and down several times, getting fever and feeling really bad at times then alright at times. Today we took him to get a chest xray because he was really sounding bad. Now he has pneumonia too:( We have been doing breathing treatments and he still got it. To top it all off, the nurse forgot to call in Bradyn's prescriptions so when Jarrod got to the pharmacy at 5:30 they didnt have anything for Bradyn. Of course the office closes at 5 so when I called I got the answering service. By this time it was 5:45 and our pharmacy closes at 6 (really hate small towns at times like these). The on call Dr just called us back at 7:45 and after I told him everything he said he was very concerned about Bradyn. OK, so I am a little scared now. God, please watch over Bradyn tonight and help his lungs clear up quickly.

Another Emergency:(, Bradyn turns 3!!, and the First Day of School

Well, if there are any readers left out there, this is for you! WOW what a busy few weeks. I had been preparing Bradyn, and myself, for school for quite some time. He had another birthday, the big 3!! We have also unfortunately had a couple of "emergencies" as well. On September 27 (one year to the day since his last seizure) Bradyn had a bad seuzire. It lasted about an hour this time, which is much shorter than last time. We spent a few days in Northwest Hospital in Amarillo and found no reason for the seizure, other than a viral infection (probably). We got home just in time to get ready for the big birthday party! It was so much fun and Bradyn really enjoyed his party this year. I cant believe that he is 3 years old already.

On the next Monday, Bradyn started going to school. I was so nervous about this. I got to go with him for the first week and he did pretty good. He is now in his third week and he is getting a little better each day. It is so hard to wake him up in the mornings because he is still not sleeping good. His teachers are amazing and he is slowly getting used to them and the other children.

This past weekend (cant figure out why he does it on the weekends) Bradyn had another seizure. It is the scariest thing, seeing him unresponsive. I will NEVER get used to seeing him that way, no matter how often it happens.

Wake up Bradyn, you are 3 years old today!!

Bradyn's cake (made by mommy)


Bradyn painting his pumpkin at the party

He LOVED the cake, or should I say icing, he is allergic to wheat, so no cake for him

More please!

Bradyn's bat handprint ppumpkin!

The kids at the party

First day of school, he was not this happy at school

Such a big boy!

Its Been A Long Time Coming

I have been horrible at blogging this summer. I guess we have been a little busier than usual this summer swimming and spending time with family almost every evening. It has been a great summer and Bradyn had enjoyed it all. He REALLY loves being outside and I have noticed that every morning he is fussy until we go outside for our walk. He has also spent a lot of time in his swing.

I have been working with him on making decisions. It is hard because I have to watch him closely to see how he reacts to my questions. I will ask him if he wants to play with his stars and then I will ask him if he wants to play with his Leap. I have to watch for a reaction or watch his eyes to see if he actually looks at the toy he wants. He always smiles and gets excited for the toy he wants. We are also working on using different tones of voice to make sure he really knows what I am saying and not just reacting to how I am saying it. When I ask him if he wants to go swing I will use a very monotone voice and he still gets excited and kicks his legs and smiles. He is also starting to make several new letter sounds. He will also put 2 or 3 sounds together. This is very encouraging that maybe someday he will be able to communicate with us!!

It is now less than 2 months until Bradyn's third birthday! He will be going to school when he turns three. I am very nervous about sending my baby to school already, but I know it is just something we have to try. Please pray for Bradyn and for me during the next few months, first that I am able to work with him to get him better prepared for school (mainly getting over a little of the spoiled rottenness that we all are responsible for) and second that Bradyn's transition and adjustment to school will go smoothly. He does not do well with people he does not know, noises, and other children. This is going to be a rough adjustment for all of us. Also, could you all pray for Bradyn's teachers, that they may have the knowledge and patience to handle Bradyn.

Now some pictures:

I know I already blogged the link to these pictures, but they are so good I had to put them on again.

His eyes are NOT edited!! Aren't they beautiful!!

You can see the huge lymph node on Bradyn's neck. This is an indicator that he still has mono.

Can not decide which one of Bradyn and I that I like best.

Daddy was doin the hot diggity dog dance!! It is Bradyn's favorite!

Campin out with Mamaw (in the backyard)

Fun Day in the Pool

Oh, what a great day. Bradyn got up extra early so Jarrod got up with him so I could sleep in. I love it when I get to sleep in because it is usually the best sleep I get. We got a lot accomplished around the house this morning. It is great to have a long weekend and have Jarrod around an extra day. After naptime we went to Nesie's house to swim. Bradyn has especially enjoyed the pool this year and I am sad to say that this was actually the first time I took the camera. We all had a great day and can't wait until tomorrow when we get to do it all again!!

I can't believe my nephews are strong enough to hold me on their shoulders. Colton Shane- age 10

Hunter Dean- age 11 (almost 12)

Bradyn likes to chill on the floatie. Notice the crossed legs. He was relaxin!!

Bradyn loves to swim with Mamaw. He kicks his legs like he is running a race. He gets so excited. Unfortunately it does not wear him out enough to sleep better.

Beautiful Blue Eyes

Bradyn and Daddy rest after swimming.

Hunter showing off his strength. I was pretty impressed.