Updates and transitions

So as we celebrate Mardi Gras this weekend, it's been a busy week for us to catch you up on. Since Braden is turning 3 soon, we transition out of our Early Steps program soon, which has been providing us with four home therapy sessions a month, and weekly speech therapy at the daycare. We first got to meet with two women from Capital Area Human Services, who provides some kinds of assistance and respite help for families like ours. Most families have to go through re-certification every six months to a year to keep your child in need on the list. Graciously, they have granted Braden lifetime status, which means we will not have to go through the recertification process ever again! Secondly, they said they were so inspired after meeting Braden and I, that they will try to put Braden at the top of the list the next time an emergency respite waiver comes open - this means if we get put on the list, we could finally get some help for respite care!

We then met with seven members of the EBR school board evaluation committee which helps determine what sort of schooling Braden will receive for the next few years before entering an actual school, and what sorts of things to work on with Braden development-wise. They were all very nice and seemed to really look at how Braden can best be served to possibly transition to school one day.

We then had a nail-biting appointment to get his mediport flushed, as two weeks ago after four sticks, it would not flush. So all our hopes were pegged on being able to flush the port this past week, or we would have to face some drastic measures in the near future and possible surgery to put in a new port. With a lot of prayer and fancy positioning of Braden, it worked! Of course, not without incident, he managed to get some subcutaneous swelling of the tissue around the port when he moved around as the saline was being flushed in. Next time we have decided to use a needle that's a little too big, so there's less chance of it accidentally backing it out.

Then mommy got a surprise when she felt a sharp pain trying to lift the not-so-little nearly 35-lb Braden out of his carseat in her shoulder. She thought it felt like it did when she tore her rotater cuff in '97, but the doc she saw doesn't think that's the case this time around. Seven x-rays and 2 injections still didn't produce any answers, so this week we will see if an MRI is necessary to find solutions. Daddy had to move Braden's car seat to the outside position so mommy doesn't have so far to pull him out of the car, which we hope will relieve some of the pressure on the shoulder in trying to get him out of the car.

And meanwhile, mommy and her friend Doris are working on the beginnings of a company they have named "Baby Bee Boutique" - which will sell baby/toddler blankets, burp cloths, decorative valances for windows and cribs... and will also be offering photography services and products too. So be looking for links to these excited products soon!

Lastly, we have received news that the last of the DNA tests, and the form of Leigh's Braden has does NOT have any genetic mutations at all. This is good news for mommy and daddy in order to make informed decisions about future family plans.

Thanks for the continued prayers. Braden's health has remained primarily good through what medical professionals have deemed a very difficult respiratory season, so we appreciate you keeping our son in your prayers. We believe he is suffering from increased seizure activity, and so we are headed back to rounds of neuro specialists again in the coming weeks.

Thanks for checking on us and finding the latest things to pray for specifically in Braden's care. We continue to thank you our friends, family, and silent supporters for your love.

Kodi, Brad & Braden Wilson