Happy Buddha

Brady was home from the Hospital on Saturday afternoon. This picture was taken Sunday afternoon. And from the look on his face, you would think that the ER scares where behind us...on the contrary. Brady slowly degraded back into the uneasy breathing on Monday and was admitted to the hospital in the afternoon. Once he got a treatment he was breathing easy and eating well.

Last night they prepped him for a procedure this morning that turned into this afternoon. The doctors did some scope analysis of his throat and airways and confirmed that he has some redundant tissues in his little throat that may require surgical removal or trimming. Shouldn't be too big of deal, especially if it lets the little guy breathe better. He and Jen will be staying at the hospital for the next several days so that they can continue to do tests and eventually come to a decision what to do next and when it is safe for him to come home.

No need to worry about him though, he handled the procedure very well and was awake and eating nicely this evening. Let's all hope that Brady and Jen get some good rest tonight.

Brady Drama

Mr. Brady decided to add a little more excitement to our lives on Thursday. Grammie Lou and I made our first trip to the ER, twice. Don't freak out, he is fine now. Brady was in acute respiratory distress and was having a few issues breathing. After a breathing treatment and a pretty invasive "suction" he was breathing normally again. I should say we all began breathing again. He showed major improvement and we were discharged with a neat machine called a nebulizer, with turtle mask and all. I did mention we went to the ER twice. After a few hours at home Brady returned to his old tricks and we were right back to where we started. We were off to the ER again. It had been such a short amount of time even the same nurses and doctors were on duty. This time we didn't get to make the trip home, instead they booked us a room at Hotel Childrens. Brady cozied in as all the nurses fused over his stylish hair do and killer good looks.

Thursday night was a bit rough, but by Friday he was making major improvements. We were finally sent home late Saturday afternoon with a stack of prescriptions and well wishes.

So here are the stats: Brady has Tracheal Malaysia, which is a fancy medical term for small floppy airways. This is common in babies with Down Syndrome. What caused this whole episode was the common cold. That little cold caused congestion, which then caused his tubes to clog up and therefore preventing easy breathing. He also has a case of bronchialitis compounding his breathing problems. And to top things off when he breathes he retracts and has strider, both which sound and look awful. I'm sure many of you have heard this yourselves.

The lesson: We are going to be as proactive and preventative as possible. The cold and flu season will be rough on Brady so we have enlisted a strict hand washing policy and minimal holding by people. So please don't be offended if we keep him to ourselves for a little while. We're not quite to the "baby in a bubble" stage, but a couple more trips to the ER might put us over the edge.

The good news: Brady will grow out of this...eventually.

The bad news: Brady will be sick an awful lot in the next year. He also has to have a scope of his "tubes" and bronchials in the next 10 days. Fortunately, they will sedate him for this procedure and he should have minimal discomfort. The doctors want to make sure that nothing is impeding his airways. He is also scheduled for a swallow study to decipher some reflux issues. Finally, he has a sleep study on the 30th. They have ruled out Apnea, but he does have some disruptions in his sleep pattern and they want to make sure they are not life threatening.

Jeff and I are doing fine. Its a bit stressful, but we feel strong overall. We have accepted what the future holds for our little guy and will continue to do the very best for Brady. Amazingly enough the last 3 months have made Jeff and I even closer and stronger than ever. They say babies with Down Syndrome bring more love and joy to their families and they are correct. Its amazing how bright his smile can be when we haven't seen it for a couple of days.

A big thanks to Grammie Lou for saving our little guy. Without you I think we would have all lost it!

Hollllaaa Ladies

Brady has been BUSY lately. He began his social life a bit earlier than I anticipated. In the last week he has gone to lunch and a walk with Lauren, dined at The Cheesecake Factory with Bella and Anna, had coffee with Alli, watched the Football game with Nicholas and celebrated Lily's 3rd birthday. It's enough to knock his little diaper off.

He tried to con his way into a free "birthday dessert" at the Cheesecake Factory, but our waitress couldn't be fooled. He even busted out the "melt your heart smile," but it was still a no go. Slightly bummed by his defeat he sufficed with some milk and a clean diaper.

Expression?

This video was our attempt to show Brady smiling. It turned out to be more of a harassment by two very excited parents. Brady does smile now and makes lots of little noises (besides crying). Some of the cooing are so cute they melt your heart in seconds. As parents it is exhilarating to finally get some feedback.

(please disregard Jeff's multi-tasking if you have the sound on)

Pulmonology Update

Brady met with the Pulmonologist yesterday and had a scope. All the Dr. had to say was "he has redundant tissue." Which means his tubes are a bit bulky. She prescribed an antacid and scheduled us for a sleep study last night. So Brady and I got to spend the night at Childrens Inn. :) The reason for the sleep study is to determine if Brady is having any interruptions in his sleep cycle or moments of sleep apnea, a condition common among babies with Down Syndrome. The results from the scope and sleep study will be back sometime this week. So for the time being Brady is going to continue to squeak through the night. My gut feeling as a Mom is that he will grow out of it.

On a less medical topic these are some pictures of Brady attempting to sit up on his own.

Buddy Walk

Today we participated in our first Buddy Walk, which is a fundraiser for the National Down Syndrome Society. They had a record turn out and raised almost $115,000. Pretty cool!! Though Brady cruised for the entire 1 mile walk he seemed to enjoy being a philanthropist.

Brady mentioned on the way home that he plans to ask his new friend Camille to the prom in 2026. He's got some time to work on his dance moves, but his electric slide is almost as good as Beth's.

10lbs 10oz

This is another picture from the Creighton soccer game. Now that he is 10lbs 10oz its amazing that Dad can manage a hold like this. Brady had is 2 month check up yesterday. He is doing well and measured an amazing 22 1/2" long! That is an impressive 2 1/2" growth since birth. He has been a busy boy. We are going to the Pulmonologist tomorrow. Brady seems to be a bit "squeakier" than normal, which means that his airways are slightly constricted. They will be doing a scope of his pipes. All should be fine and this is just an informative procedure. None the less, he's not going to like it. I'm sure to hear a pretty vocal protest. We'll post again with the results.