Ear Tubes for Braden

We've been struggling with a persistent ear infection with Braden for going on four months. We kept going to our Pediatrician who would give him antibiotics and for some reason Braden could not keep them down...it didn't matter what we tried (probably 4 different ones), he threw them all up. So finally after messing around with that for months, the Dr finally switched to giving him shots for the ear infection. The shot is supposed to sterilize the ear in 24 hours and all should be good after that. Rarely, a child will have to come back for a second to completely clear the infection. Well, after FIVE shots, yes, FIVE, our Dr told us there was nothing he could do for Braden anymore. He referred us to an ENT. So, mom called up Texas ENT and made an appointment for Friday, May 15th with Dr Newland. Dr Newland took one look in his ears and of course told us Braden needed tubes (no big surprise). We knew we really had no choice and although we were not thrilled, we made the appt for May 28th. Well, it is now May 28th and the surgery seems to have been a success. We had to arrive at Memorial Hermann in the Woodlands at 6:30am. We completed some paperwork and then went back to pre-op around 7:15ish. We had a great nurse and doctor's who made us feel very comfortable. As I am sure any other parent can imagine, as routine as this surgery is, it is still nerve-wracking, especially with a nine month old. They even gave Braden a little bear to hold onto...his name is Hermann :). They took Braden away around 7:25am and by 7:35am Dr Newland came back into the waiting room and told us everything went great. Braden still had an active ear infection, but he cleared all the gunk out. The meds they gave him to knock him out disoriented him, he was screaming when we went back to recovery, but were told this is normal. As soon as I gave him his bottle, everything was better. He drank 8 oz (he normally only drinks 4 oz). I think that was the hardest part for Braden, not getting his normal bottle (he did lose it a couple times waiting in the waiting area). But we got home before 9am and he has played all day long...you would have never guessed he just had surgery. I can already tell he hears much better. He reacts much quicker to my voice than he has in the past. We are so lucky this was such a great experience and that we will be dealing with far less ear infections!

Braden is Nine Months!

I don't know where the time has gone! We took Braden to his 9 month check-up Tuesday. He is 19.3 lbs and 28 inches long. He babbles all the time, he can crawl and pull himself up on everything! He is definitely on an eating schedule now- he eats solids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. His favorite is still pears. He doesn't want anything to do with meats, yet. He also loves to snack on puffs and yogurt melts! His newest obsession is daddy. Whenever Mike leaves the room, Braden just loses it. As soon as he is back in the room and back in daddy's arms, all is good again. Unfortunately, he has begun throwing temper tantrums, but with Mike and I not paying much attention to them, they have subsided quite a bit. We took Braden to Portrait Innovations for pictures at nine months and I've posted a couple below. Enjoy!

Braden Has Found the Dishwasher!

Well, I was unloading the dishwasher this morning and all of a sudden, Braden became very interested in what I was doing. So, he crawled on over to check it out. First he just kind of pulled himself up on the dishwasher door. Then, before I knew it, he crawled right up on top of the door! But it didn't stop there, he then stood up in the dishwasher...he definitely had to see what it was all about! I finally had to remove him from the dishwasher because not only was I done unloading the dishes, but I figured if Daddy caught us we would be in trouble (Calvin always gets in trouble for doing this..hey, maybe that is where Braden actually learned to do this!)! Of course, as soon as I took him down, he started screaming...Mommy ruined all his fun. We're in that stage where he screams at the top of his lungs when he doesn't get his way...I'm hoping it's a short-lived phase. :) Enjoy the new pictures of Braden's dishwashing adventures!

Krystal and Marc Finally Get Hitched!

Mike and I had the wonderful pleasure of traveling to Colorado May 8th to go to the wedding of our wonderful friend Krystal and her finance Marc. We got to know Krystal when we lived in Omaha...she and I started at Union Pacific together and quickly became great friends. We spent ALOT of time together for the short time Mike and I lived there. Then obviously, through her, we met her wonderful fiance, Marc! They were married in Allenspark, CO on May 9th in the most amazing church (as you can tell by the picture below!)!!!



She had her reception at the famous Stanley Hotel, in Estes Park CO.



If you know Krystal, then you know she has exquisite taste, so I knew the wedding would be beautiful...but I was still amazed at all the details. The cake was amazing (even after the "accident", in which a little kiddo stuck their hands in the cake), the flowers were the most beautiful colors, her dress was fantastic, she looked beautiful, and of course had a handsome groom by her side. They also had a great priest, who is a family friend of the Newell's perform the ceremony. He was so enthusiastic and genuinely happy for the couple! The whole time I was trying to take pictures, her photographer got in my way! Which of course is a good thing, because he captured so many wonderful shots. Of course, since I am sure they are copyrighted, I cannot repost them on my site, but do check them out at: http://daverussellphotography.com/blog/. She had the most amazing photographer, with great pictures. I say she is lucky to have all of these great pictures of her special day...but I know it's not luck- I am sure she did a ton of research to assure she would have these great pictures and memories.





Krystal also has two wonderful sisters who looked amazing and both gave very special and memorable toasts to their "Bissy" (the Wulff's loving term for "sister"). The night of the wedding, it even snowed in Estes Park! Mike has a fascination with cold and snow, so this suited him very well! It was cool to get to see Estes Park, spring-like, and then covered in snow...all in a weekend!



Mike was also kind enough to upgrade our room at the Stanley Hotel to a private villa with our own jacuzzi!! It was great to sit out in the mountains in a nice, warm jacuzzi! This was my Mother's Day Present. We wish Krystal and Marc the very best and were so happy to witness their special day!

Braden's First Tooth!

As of today, Braden officially has his first tooth! We again, had a bad night. I looked in his mouth and saw the tooth try so hard to push through! Eventually, with enough Orajel and teething tablets he was able to get a little bit of rest. We took him to daycare and then in the early afternoon, the daycare called saying he had a 101 fever and we needed to pick him up. When I picked him up, there was this shiny new tooth (it's the lower left tooth!)!! However, I was concerned that he had a high fever and even though the daycare was pretty sure it was just due to teething, I had Mike take him to the Dr. Unfortunately, Braden still has an ear infection. The infection has been around for about 3 months, so I am glad we took him in. After 3 shots that have not done a bit of good, we will be off to the ENT soon, trying to figure out our next steps to resolve the ear infection. Poor guys, teething AND an ear infection...I am not sure how he stays so happy, but he sure does! :)