HOME SWEET HOME

~It is SO nice to be home!!! It has been pretty busy this past week of being home!!! First, let me start by saying Braxton is doing GREAT!!! He is eating A LOT!!! Which they (Omaha Dr's) said to feed him as often as he wants...he has a lot of catching up to do! They say babies know when to stop eating when they are full...wish I had that instinct! We met with a new pediatrician in Columbus this past Thursday...which we REALLY like!!! (thanks Preister's for sharing him with us!) Braxton is up to 9 pounds 5 ounces!!! When we left Omaha he was 8 12...so he's gaining!!! Dr said all looks well...we will do a follow up in Omaha in a few weeks as well!

~We also made a trip to Columbus earlier this week to run some errands. Braxton did GREAT!!! He didn't make a peep until we got back home and were pulling in the garage...I think we got a good little shopper on our hands(he doesn't get that trait from daddy!) Actually, thinking now...Braxton went to Columbus 3 times this week!!! We are just so excited to take him out and show him off! Brad took him Friday night to Carson's (our nephew) teeball game. I unfortunately worked...:( ...sounds like they all had a good time! Anyways, just wanted to update you all. Things really are going great. THANK YOU again to all of you for your prayers, the food, the visits, the phone calls, the text, the emails, the candles you lit for him, the cards that were sent, THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy the pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!

ready to smile!!!

Going to the ball game with daddy!!!
Asleep on daddy...(daddy doesn't know mommy took this!)

WE ARE HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Around 4pm this afternoon the Dr came in to weigh Braxton...he weighed 8 lbs 12 oz!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHH!!!!!!!!!!! WE GET TO COME HOME!!!!!!! With in 30 minutes, the Dr had his central line out, our discharge "walking papers" complete and helped us gather things and we were out the door!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't get us wrong, they took FANTASTIC care of us, we were just SO ready to come home!!! I will post more later, just wanted to let everyone know we are home!!! And doing GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"We know you want to visit,
and while we think it's GREAT,
letting us get our rest is something we'd appreciate!
Braxton can't wait to play,
but it will have to wait for another day!
Thank you for your understanding!!!
Love, Brad, Amanda & Baby Braxton

Waiting...

This morning at 4am he weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces...the magic number are looking for is 8 pounds 10 ounces...or more!!!!! They will do another weight this afternoon and if he's plump enough, we are headed home, otherwise we will wait and they will weigh him again tomorrow in the early am. So, keeping our fingers crossed for that one ounce!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dr just came in. Braxton hasn't gained enough weight yet to come home. While we have the central line put in, it's just easier to make sure he is to the weight they want. If need be, they have access to giving him the things he needs thru his IV...and since he went through hell to get the IV in, we would hate to take it out too soon. SO, now we are asking for another prayer that he GAINS GAINS GAINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We want a chunky baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6:50 am...Dr just came and gave us the report that the heart scan (echo) went GREAT!!! It shows the heart murmur is 'benign' which meeans it is nothing to worry aboout. :)

Our "Fighter"

Braxton received this Tuesday night from Grandma and Grandpa Preister...Brad thought he should wear it tonight....

All his feedings went well today!!! They did a heart scan today to look and see further into the heart murmur they may be hearing. We feel confident that we will get a good report back tomorrow from the Dr.

Sounds like we should know more in the morning.....I will post as soon as we know if we are homeward bound!!!!!!!!!!!!!................home...........seems like so long since we have been there.....it's been a long week away...Thanks again for all of you who are praying for us, it means so much to us to have all of you!

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Braxton's feedings have been going SO well!!! He has been eating 2 ounce bottles every 3 hours. There were a few times in the middle of the night that we actually had to wake him up to feed him! He is so exhausted! I am glad to say that for the first time in a week and a half, the 3 of us actually all layed down and slept at the same time!!! From 4:30 til 6:30 this morning, Braxton layed asleep in his crib, while Brad and I shared a couch that is totally made for one person...but we made it work!!! The Dr gave us the go ahead this morning to feed him as much and as often as Braxton thinks he needs it:) What we need now, is the feedings to continue to go well, and he needs to start gaining some weight. They have removed the wires that were hooked to monitors, and at noon he will get his 'cheeseburger and fries' IV taken away...they call it that because it is basically an IV that pumps him full of fat!(the same as a cheeseburger and fries would do:) SO, as of noon, he will have no cords, wires,tubes, IV's or anything hooked to him. His central line (IV) will obviously still be in, and they will hook him to antibiotics every 6 hours for a half hour, but we will be able to move around with him. Right now we are on a pretty tight leash with all the tubes. So, as it is looking right now if things keep going in the right direction, we may be able to bring him home possibly tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brad and I cannot thank all of you enough for the prayers, phone calls, visits, EVERYTHING that all of you have been doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The power of prayer and faith is amazing!!!!! I will continue to keep you updated...we know how hard it is to sit and wait and not hear things...so thank you for being patient with these posts!

Keep fingers crossed...

The 1pm feeding of pedialyte went good...the 4pm of pedialyte went great as well. At 7pm the Dr gave us the go ahead and start the formula...daddy gave him 2 ounces and got good burps out of him :) :) :) (while mommy headed for a nap....) and again around 10:15pm he got another 2 ounces...he is taking is good...no spit up, and doesn't appear to have an upset stomach...it is 12:40am right now, and he will get his next feeding at 1am...
He for the first time since Thursday, is actually out of our arms and laying in a crib! He has CONSTANTLY been held by someone for the past 6 days...we are well aware that this precious baby is going to be spoiled!!!!! He is taking to the crib like a champ!!!!!! Better go get ready for feeding. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of you that are praying for him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Update

Where to start??? I'm going to back track from my last email to keep you all updated in order! I know there are many stories going around, so those of you who read this, please inform all the others that this site will be the truth!!!
On Monday in the middle of the night, Braxton had made this cry that we had never heard before. I told Brad that it sounded like a 'hurt cry'. He agreed. Something did not sound right. It was the first time he actually acted fussy! So, we undo all the blankets, search him head to toe and call in the nurses to check his IV, but they say all is fine. On Tuesday morning we are told that the whole they thought was there is probably gone...but they would confirm it with an xray. Also during that time, they realized that his IV had come out!!!!!!! Gee...maybe mom and dad were right when they said something was hurting him! It showed that the IV was still in his skin, but the fluids were going in his tissue causing it to burn and hurt him...hmmm...maybe that's why he had the 'hurt cry'!?!?! So, they decided to leave his IV out while they did the xray, because if the xray showed the whole was shut, then we would head home and obviously an IV would not be needed!!! So, down to xray we go...unfortunately, the radiologist saw the whole yet he said. So, back up to the room, he remained on suction so no fluids would get to his stomach, and back in the IV must go. They poked and poked and poked and poked and poked and poked and that is no exaggeration. They tried in his hands, wrists, elbows, feet, legs...pretty much everywhere but his head. They then told us he would need a pic-line put in. Which didn't seem like a big deal to us...Norfolk made it seem like it was a common procedure although not common enough for them to perform it in Norfolk. We aren't sure why, but they do not do pic-lines in Norfolk. So, the next step was that we would have to go to another facility. So, then they come in and tell us we are going to Omaha to Children's Hospital. Sounded so scary to hear that, but by this point we are thinking that will be the best place for him!(and us) So, still thinking it isn't a big deal, they tell us that we can take him by car, or the ambulance will take him, then a bit later, we've got social workers in the room, case workers, drs, anesthesiaologist, nurses, the vice president of the hospital, (oh my goodness!) and they are telling us he is going by life net. Sounded so scary, but almost made me feel better...at least we knew he would be getting there quicker. So, during all this, I just kept saying that I thought Norfolk knew more than what they were telling us...they reassured us that they didn't know anything else....
So, then we are told life net is coming from Omaha to Norfolk to get him, that way they have their own team in the helicopter if need be...so by this point we were getting a little more scared than we already were...when life net did get to Norfolk, they were told they could not leave ground until they got the IV line put in. This was ordered by the Omaha Dr. At this time we did not understand why, but later I will explain that... So, needless to say, he got poked and poked and poked some more...the arms, legs, head :( and still no luck. At this point we are so frustrated!!! Although we had all the faith in the Omaha paramedics, it was frustrating to hear Braxton so sad from all the pokes...we finally got to the point where we could've been in Omaha a long time ago. The paramedics agreed and called the Omaha Dr. They were to try once more in the neck and if no luck, then they were to take off...well, no such luck...so at 5:15 Braxton headed for his first helicopter ride:( It felt like at that point that was the worst possible feeling ever...seeing your child go in a life net helicopter...
At 6:15 we received a call from the paramedics that he was there, checked in, and in the ER room. We got there by 6:45(thanks Neil for speeding a tad bit) and thanks to Tammy for comforting him til we got there!!!(family is AMAZING!!!) So, we get into the ER room to find them trying to put in an IV. WHAT?!?!? The whole point was to go to Omaha to get a pic-line put in...why are they messing with an IV? Well, this is where the truth all starts to come!!! Turns out, the only time you would want a pic-line put in is for long term use! Norfolk requested to Omaha a pic-line with the thoughts that he would need to be hospitalized for a long period of time! That was very upsetting to us! When Norfolk talked to us, they made it seem like a pic-line was no big deal and yet when Norfolk talked to Omaha, they made Omaha believe he was so sick!!! UGH!!! Anyways, they got a machine in and anesthsia came in to see if they could see veins to put the IV in, they tried a few times, but since it wasn't working they felt no need to keep poking him, they decided to just go in and put in a central line. They prepped him and did (what I call a small) surgery. They went in thru the side of his neck and put in 2 lines. One will be for the IV fluids and the next will be to take blood. This way they can STOP poking our son! He is bruised EVERYWHERE...I think they thought he was a pin cushion :( The surgery went well, we were back up in the room with him by midnight. They also at the time of surgery took out his ng tube. This tube was the one that was the suction tube getting everything out of his stomach. So, already he was looking better in appearance!
Also, back tracking, before they did do his surgery, they redid his xrays. They did revieew everything Norfolk did, but still felt it was in the best need to redo things and we TOTALLY agree!!! What Omaha was thinking is that the pin head size whole Norfolk was seeing was actually there since surgery. All the xrays Norfolk took, they sent to Omaha, and it showed that the leaking fluids were actually there since the first xray after surgery...it was just that Norfolk didn't see the leaking fluid til Sunday....SO, that basically is telling us that the whole was put there during surgery. We understand that everyone is human, and we all make mistakes. There is no reason to be upset, it obviously wasn't done on purpose. More than likely, something somehow pinched him and it made the perforation (whole). No point in dwelling on it, what was done is done. So, it appeared that the perforation healed itself. Omaha is seeing no signs of a perforation anymore. We had to wait until 1pm this afternoon to feed him. Braxton is SO tough!!! He did not get fed absolutely anything for over a day...and he wasn't even fussy or crying!!! Just really attached to his pacifier!!! In Norfolk he was able to get 10ml of pedialyte, but the ng tube was suctioning it right back out...so technically, he had not been fed since Friday. POOR THING!!! If I go for more than an hour I think I'm starving!!! Well, we fed him almost 2 ounces of pedialyte at 1, and they are just about to let us feed him again!!! If everything stays down and goes good we will then switch to formula and hope that goes good and then we are on the fast track to recovery!!! They have prepared us that he may get sick though. Which we totally understand. The poor little guy hasn't had anything in his stomach for so long... if he would get sick and remain sick then they would discuss surgery to figure out what is causing it...could mean a few things. Could mean the surgery in Norfolk wasn't done properly, or maybe there is a perforation somewhere...but they honestly do not think there is anything wrong!!! The Dr's here think that he looks healthy...actually when we got to Omaha, the Dr kind of gave us this weird look, like what are you doing here, your child is healthy! Which is good news!!! We have learned a lot also...Norfolk told the Omaha Dr's that Braxton has been throwing up for the past 5 days...which is NOT true! He got sick Friday night after surgery and that was the last time! It is so frustrating. A lot of what went on in Norfolk we are learning was either a lie or they just really don't have a clue!!! We have been informed that he did not have pnemonia, and possibly does not have a heart murmur!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Which is FANTASTIC news, but is frustrating that we were told that!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know there is a lot I am probably forgetting, but this is what I can remember right now...
As for why Omaha Dr's would not let paramedics take flight without a IV line in, we learned once we got here, that Omaha was told by the Norfolk Dr's that he was so sick...so Omaha actually wanted him prepped for surgery. They were under the impression that he was so very sick, he was going to get here and need surgery! Nice that Norfolk told Omaha this, but we weren't aware of it!!!!!!! So it's been the things like this that are so very frustrating to us!!! But, it doesn't matter, we are in EXCELLENT hands here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, as of right now, things are really truly looking great! I will post as soon as we know more. THANK YOU to ALL of you who have been here, and those of you who have been praying!!!!!!!!!!! We KNOW how lucky we are to have all of you!!! Thank you for all of your continued prayers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bright Eyes

We had to post this picture for Grandpa Bob and Uncle Chad! His hospital jammas are so cute...they just may make it in the diaper bag home....:) Maybe he could wear these when he comes to work with ya Grandpa...ya know, when you drive around all day...and he sits in the back seat and watches that dvd player you got for him! ---Still no news to report. We will wait for the xray results tomorrow morning and hope for good news!

Update

As of Sunday night things started looking great! Braxton started having bowel movements and things were looking good. He was more awake and looking around and seemed more like 'Braxton'. So, this morning, we were under the understanding that we would be taking the tube out, we would get to be feeding him more and soon we would be on our way home. Well, routine, they did an xray this morning, and the results showed that he now has a tiny (pin sized) whole in his stomach. :( So, the next steps we need to be taking we are told: is that he is to not be fed because that will cause pressure on the stomach and possibly enlarge the whole. Their goal is to let it heal on it's own. And with it being so small, they think over the next hours-days it should heal over. They do still have the tube down to his stomach and it will remain there for now. That is to suck out any fluids, so this way his stomach can be left alone to heal. Waking up today, this is not the news we were hoping for, but we are learning to take each day one day at a time. It is just a lot longer of a process than we ever thought. So, once again, we are told to HAVE PATIENCE...Please keep Braxton in your prayers.

Prayers for Braxton

OUR TOUGH LITTLE MAN!!!

There is not an easy way to start explaining things...so I will try and start from the beginning. When we first had Braxton, he was doing everything he was supposed to...eating great, burping with only one little tap on the back, pooping regularly, sleeping great...we were headed home 2 days later with this PERFECT little man! When we took him to his 1 week appointment, he had gained a half a pound and all checked out good. I did mention to the Dr that he seemed to be becoming a hard burper for me...but not for Brad. He told me to try putting him on my lap, this and that...and it was no big deal. The very next day (May 5th) he first 'spit up', which babies do. No big deal. I would put him over my shoulder, over my lap, bend down to the ground and back up, put him in the air, I did EVERYTHING to make him burp. Sometimes he would, sometimes he wouldn't. It seemed that the times he burped he was good, the times I couldn't get a burp out, he would tend to 'spit up' quite a bit. I wasn't too alarmed yet, just sad that I 'sucked' at burping my child. It continued on and off, maybe once a day he tended to 'spit up' and it got to be more and more coming out. On the 9th of May, we excitedly went to Great Grandma's to visit. After being there for a half hour he projectile vomitted all over himself, me, the floor, the rug...it was horrible! I was bawling trying to clean him up and not sure what to do. It wasn't the typical 'spit up' we were seeing prior. That afternoon I remember telling Brad for the first time, something is 'wrong'! Then, after that, it seemed like every other bottle he would 'projectile vomit'. Still, he wasn't doing it for Brad. It made us think that once again, I 'suck' at burping, but then the more we talked about it, I was the one feeding Braxton for the most part. It just happened that the times Brad fed him, he kept the bottle down. Then, we were noticing that we would feed him, and within the hour he would get a funny face and up came the formula...after every single bottle. I called the pediatrician, and they told me over and over that I was trying too hard to burp him and I was shaking things up in his belly...so now, I'm the one making him throw up. Every time I said 'throw up', they followed by correcting me with 'spit up'. I know the difference between 'spit up' and 'throw up' I kept telling them. Anyways, by the 11th of May it just got worse and worse. I continued to call in and they continued to tell me the typical 'you're a first time mom' and etc. ( NOT what I wanted to hear!) By Thursday, the 14th I called and demanded they see him. He hadn't had a bowel movement for a few days so I made them think that I thought he was constipated...because then I knew I could get in and hopefully get some questions answered. Well, we get there and Braxton filled and I mean FILLED a dirty diaper!!! So, of course the Dr is ready to send us on our way. He gained from 8lbs 4 oz to 9 lbs. Sounds great, but the nurse weighed him with him fully clothed, diapered, paci, and blanket...so, I'm telling the Dr I think something is wrong that he 'projectile vomits', again he corrects me with telling me 'spit up' ...so he gives us different formula to try and tells up to do some bottles of pedialyte and all will be well. SO, we head home, but first Braxton 'projectile vomits' on me as we are walking out the Dr's office. I seen no point in going back in to show him the puke, figured he would tell me again, that babies 'spit up'. So, we get home, I give him the bottle of pedialyte, he takes it, keeps it down...give him a bottle 4 hours later...he keeps it down, ready to give his next bottle and he 'projectile vomits' all over Grandma. (sorry grandma) By this time we KNOW something is wrong...I call over and over to the Dr office, leave message after message...no call back. I just didnt' think it was normal to throw up pedialyte...so as for thinking we needed to change formulas wasn't really an option in my mind. Thursday night I gave him a bottle at 11:30...he fell asleep on me til 1, gave him another bottle, he slept on me til 4, Brad gave him a bottle and he slept on him til 8am. So, now we are thinking, Oh My, he's better!!! Brad walks out the door to work and I start to give a bottle and BLAH!!! Here is the 'projectile vomit' again. I want to also add that from the day he started spitting up and vomitting, he never cried once! He didn't get fussy or crabby or anything! He was PERFECT!!! He is such a good baby we kept saying...but just felt the throwing up was not right...poor little guy! So, Brad comes back, I call the Dr AGAIN and DEMAND that the nurse tell him I WANT A CALL BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and he is PROJECTILE VOMITTING and NOT spitting up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I swore if they corrected me one more time, I was going thru the phone!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, 45 minutes later (which felt like hours) the dr calls back. In the mean time, I called a great client/friend of mine who helped us out SO much!!!!!!!! She told me how to word things and how to speak to the dr to get it across to him that I truly felt something was wrong! THANK YOU so much Kelsey!!! With out her telling me what to do, I feel like we would still be sitting at home and not being taken seriuos! So, I demanded I wanted tests done to rule things out...after some (not so nice words) I got thru to the dr that I wasn't settling till they did tests. By 11:30 we were in the hospital getting an upper G I test done...I think that's what it's called...by now they have done so many tests I can't recall what's what...anyways, it did show that he had pyloric stenosis. Which, the previous night, Grandma Sheri was up and researching in our books and on line and she actually made comments that this is what she thought he had, and all symptoms appeared and Brad and I were really believing this too. Now, we are aware that you don't believe everything you read on line, and what not, but we were so set that this is what it was! Yep...by noonish they had him diagnosed. What they did was had him drink a bottle of 'something starting with a b'..boram??? I don't recall, but, as he drank this dye type stuff, they did xrays and it showed it traveling thru the esaphagus, and down to the stomach, and from the stomach on, it should shoot thru an opening the size and width of your pinky finger...his did nothing...and when it finally did try and go, it was the size of a pinhead...so, by 2pm Friday he was in surgery. The surgery would consist of them going in about 2 inches above his belly button and a tad off to the side and making a 2 inch incision...they would then cut the muscle, and that would open up then to the size of the pinky finger like it should be, and that's it! All will be fine, we should head home Saturday with the perfect baby we knew we had. Well, not so much luck there...Friday at 11:30 pm he projectile vomits again...which we were not ready to see. So, by Saturday morning they had to put a tube down his nose thru his throat into his belly to suck out and fluids he may have. It appeared his stomach was compressed large. So, by using this tube, it would bring it back down to normal size. They have been keeping up with xrays and watching things closely. We are waiting for him to have a bowel movement as well. I never thought I would be praying for my child to go poop! Today is Sunday, and he still has the tube. He did take down an ounce yesterday afternoon, which is a great thing. But, this morning they discovered he has a touch of pneumonia now. They also informed us that he does have acid reflux and a heart murmur. With the touch of pneumonia, that will cause his bowels to slow down, and that is probably why there has been no bowel movement. So, as we are told over and over, have PATIENCE. As for all of you that know me, you very well know that Amanda DOES NOT have patience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, this is very hard and stressful. Brad has been very strong thru this all, thank good ness because I am not the strong one. I cannot explain how hard it is to see my baby going thru so much. This is the worst feeling ever...but I have to keep telling myself it will get better. It's just been a long few weeks thru all this..... So, please keep Braxton in your prayers. I will try and update as often as I can. ~

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

We hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! My first Mother's Day was SO special!!! It started off a little early...Brad ended up getting up with Braxton throughout the night...so I got lots of sleep...
Brad and Braxton each got me a card (if you know me, you know how I LOVE cards!) and they also got me a mother/child figurine! And, the corsage that you can probably see in the picture!!! The picture was taken at the New World Inn in Columbus. Chad, Brenda, & Charli invited us down to brunch! It was DELICIOUS!!! All you can eat buffet...SO yummy!!! I think I'm still full a day later!!! Then, for supper we ate at Brad's parents! I was pampered and spoiled all day! And to end the night so perfectly, I layed on the couch for 3 hours with Braxton asleep on me!!! Ahh...the perfect 1st Mother's Day! Thanks to Chad, Brenda, & Charli for a wonderful outting! And thank you to my wonderful husband!!!(who probably never reads this blog:)

First Trip to Work!

Today Braxton and I ventured out to visit daddy at work! Braxton was very wide awake and ready to go, but the stroller ride (the whole block away) rocked him to sleep! We made it back home just in time before the rain set in!!!

Bringing Braxton Home!!!

Daddy and Braxton anxiously waiting to head home! We came home on Wednesday, April 29th. Grandma and Grandpa Busselman, and Grandpa Bob were there shortly after to greet us! Although the nurses took great care of us, it was nice to come home!!! We are all doing great!!! It's crazy that tomorrow Braxton is already a week old!!! "Time flies by when you are having fun!" A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who have come over with food, goodies, presents, and just your visiting us means so much! We are SO lucky to have SO many friends and family around that love us and our little boy! THANK YOU~ Keep posted for picture overload...I'm a nut with this picture taking.....