PICTURES COMING!!

Whirlwind Weekend

Last week, we drove to Kansas City to be with family before a big family event. We all caravaned to St. Louis on Friday morning. My dad had two walkie talkies and we thought we would try them out. They actually turned out to be a blast. We were talking back and forth all the way there and even in the hotel rooms! Uncle Gary was so kind and was able to get all of us rooms at the Ameristar hotel (which was beautiful, super nice, and big). We didn't have much time when we got there to get changed and ready for the Friday night service and dinner. Before we knew it, the evening flew by and we were headed back to the hotel. All of a sudden, Alyssa starts to throw up in the car (**This is in the Sienna that we are not allowed to eat or drink in!!) We are totally worried she doesn't feel well for the B'Not mitzvah tomorrow and that it is going to be a long night. So, we arrive back at the hotel and Jen starts to clean the mess up in the van. THE VAN SMELLED HORRIBLE on Saturday morning. So, next day, we party and have a great day with everyone. On our way back to the hotel.....David starts throwing up in the van now. We can't believe this!! So, once again, Jen tries to clean it up the best she can. We couldn't take the car in to a place to be cleaned, b/c we had no time and they weren't open on the weekends. So, we had to drive home on Sunday with a smelly van! Ugh.
We will not forget this road trip....EVER! Our first time to ride together and 2 sick kiddos is what we got.
All the kids had so much fun together. I really enjoyed seeing them all play.

Updates

We finally made it in to our pediatrician, Dr. Zomer's office for Braeden's 1 yr appointment last week. Braeden is doing fantastic!!! The stats are a little different from Dr. Gus's office. Here they are:

Weight: 19 lb 10 oz (with clothes on and full diaper 10 % normal chart)
Height: 28 3/4 in  (20 % normal chart) That's great!!
Head circumference: 42 cm (not on chart...never has been)

We got the okay to start whole milk if we choose and to continue doing physical therapy until he is walking. Braeden is doing fantastic cruising and standing along furniture and anything that he can grab. He actually LET GO and stood all by himself a few times this past week. On Tuesday, at physical therapy he stood for a long time (several seconds) and played with a toy. I think he did it longer this time, because I didn't gasp with excitement and scare him!!
We are so fortunate to have him here with us to celebrate the holidays and be a kid. Last year on Thanksgiving we were visiting him in room 532 in the NICU at St. Francis. That was not a very fun way to celebrate the holiday. So, we are eternally grateful for our health and Braeden's health this year. I can't even begin to express how happy I am to have my family home with me for the holidays.

1 yr check up

This week we had a few doctor's appointments for Braeden. Every few months we see Dr. Gus, a developmental specialist and his team. They evaluate Braeden and make sure we are doing everything to help him grow and progress to catch up to other babies his age. The appointment went really well. The physical therapist gave us more ideas and things to work on with Braeden. He is doing all the activities that a 10 month old is and some older. They evaluate Braeden based on his adjusted age which was 9 month 27 days for the appointment.

Braeden's 1 yrs stats: 
Weight:   18.7 pounds  (30 % on preemie chart)
Height: 27 3/4 inches (25% on preemie chart)
Head circumference: 16 1/2 inches  (not on chart )

Mike plotted Braeden's statistics on the regular chart and he is not quite at the 5th percentile. So, he's a little guy for now. He fits right into our family!! Braeden did a fabulous job showing off all his skills. We are so proud of him!

Birthday Bash!

This past weekend, we traveled to Kansas City to see the family. We had a BIG birthday celebration weekend. First we celebrated Braeden turning one...then we celebrated David turning 4 yrs old!! It was a busy, crazy, and FUN Saturday!

Braeden absolutely loves all the excitement of seeing his cousins. Summer is so cute playing with Braeden. They hold hands, she guides him where to go, she hugs him, sits by him, and loves him soooo much!! Alyssa is such a big help with Braeden. She reads to him, helps him climb the stairs, helps feed him, hold him, and plays all kinds of games with him...so sweet! David just loves having Braeden around to play with. He was so excited for Braeden to take him to school he showed him off! :)

Even with all the excitement going on, Braeden didn't shed a tear. Our boy is definitely NOT shy at all. He got right in there with all the other kids and plays, laughs, and has a ball! He opened his presents and loved the riding in a box and holding a paper towel roll....of course. Then came CAKE time!! He had his very own smash cake to eat. Braeden didn't just play with it, he devoured the cake. We even had to stop him so he didn't get sick! He definitely likes cake. Since he got soooo messy, we put him in the kitchen sink to clean him up!! SOO CUTE! I think this was the best 1st birthday ever!! We loved having family and friends around to celebrate this huge milestone in Braeden's life!!! Thank you everyone for the amazing and generous gifts for Braeden. We are very grateful for all the wonderful new things.

More pics coming...

BIG BOY FOOD!

Braeden is trying all kinds of table food these days. He tried a stage 3 beef and veggie lasagna the other night. Here is a picture of the mess he made! He loved every bit of it.

He is also finally starting to drink from a sippy cup. He doesn't drink a lot but he knows how and can do it now! YAY! We are so proud of him.

Fall Fun!

Braeden has been so much fun these days. I went on a run around La Fortune Park and he was so cute all bundled up. Afterwards, I played with him and helped him walk around. He discovered a leaf and looked adorable, so I started snapping some shots.

Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy 1st birthday Braeden! This morning we went and took our one year pictures. Here are just a few from the photo shoot! He's such a cutie!!

First Halloween

Braeden got to enjoyall kinds of fall festivities the whole month of October. Halloween was supposed to be a lot of fun and the end of a fantastic month. We had fun getting Braeden dressed up and ready to go trick or treating. However, I don't think everyone else in the neighborhood was ready for us. We knocked on door after door and several people opened up the doors and said they have no candy! Boo! Plus the neighborhood was vacant...and it appeared we were the only ones out.

Even with some negative feedback, we kept going in hopes of a positive and happy experience for Braeden. By the end of the time we were out, people were finally on the streets and joining us to trick or treat. We called it quits by 6:45pm. Braeden rang his cow bell and was our delicious little baby the whole time!!

I think Braeden and Daddy had more fun after halloween was all over!

Birthday party numero UNO!

Saturday was Braeden's birthday party for friends in Tulsa. We enjoyed having our friends come over and getting to celebrate our little man's 1st birthday! He absolutely LOVED the cupcake that he got to eat. He devoured every bite that he could. He is definitely a sweets and candy lover, but what kiddo is not.

After the delicious cupcake, we helped Braeden open some presents. He loved everything he got!

**Thank you everyone for your wonderful birthday gifts for Braeden!!

After party clean up duty!! Braeden was all over sweeping the kitchen.  We all rested for a little bit and got ready for party number 2 of the day. We headed over to our friends Heather and Jeff's house. Their son Dominic had his 1st birthday party. Braeden and Dominic loved playing in the house and going in the bounce house. This afternoon was full of firsts for Braeden and he had a BLAST!!

Hallowmarine

Friday night we went to Hallowmarine at the Tulsa Aquarium. Mike got us in for free because he was going to pass out flyers and hand out candy at an OSU booth. We dressed Braeden up as a duck and had a great time. Braeden loved seeing all the kids and their costumes. First we went around trick or treating while Daddy was busy. Then we all went around and saw all the different fishes, turtles, sharks, and much much more. We had a great night and Braeden seemed to really enjoy all the craziness.

Vacation NEWS part 2

Next stop: Florida

On Tuesday morning, we headed to Florida to see some family and have fun. While we were there, we saw Nana, Aunt Grace and Uncle Dave, Aunt Debby and Uncle Bob (who flew down from Conneticut), Aunt Janet (who flew down from Boston), Cousins Chelsea and baby Savannah and Tara. Wednesday morning we went to the beach with Braeden. He loved eating the sand and seaweed. We had a great time in the sun and enjoying the weather. We went out to a fun seafood place for dinner with the family and spent the evening hanging out at Nana's house.

Thursday we checked out the famous Saw Grass Mills mall shopped around. Braeden loves to be around people and explore everything. Rainforest cafe was in mall and we took Braeden inside to see all the different fishes and animals. He loved every minute of it.

Friday we went down to Fort Lauderdale to go on a boat ride. We got to see all kinds of yachts and boats, millionaires homes, port everglades and so much more. Unfortunately, by this time of the trip Braeden had gotten sick and didn't enjoy anything. He slept in his car seat where ever we went and was as delicious as you could expect a baby with a cold. He even threw up on me 3 times, YES three times throughout the trip! Thankful he was a great sport and the fever went away after one day. We had a blast in Florida and look forward to making this a yearly trip for a while.