First Cast

The little fella's gotten his first cast. When he was first born, everyone was saying he had a "club foot," but when we first went to the orthopedic department, they said they did not think so, but that we should just stretch his foot out. Well, the other day he saw a specialist, who was sure that his foot would need corrective casting and bracing. So, he'll have a new cast every week for the next 5 or so weeks, and then he'll also get a series of leg braces. Lord willing, this will be a real help. We got groceries tonight, and I can't tell you how many people stopped us to ask what happened to the little fella. We keep praying for good opportunities to glorify God.





Last week we had a couple of really nice "family days." On one of the rainy days we went to a mall with a great play-place and an ice skating rink. Daddy did not fall once, and actually got pretty fast. Hannah started slow, but by the end was skating out in the middle with a lot of confidence. She can't wait 'till the next time.

Birthday Season

The beginning of the year is "birthday season" for half the BrayCrew. Paton's in January, Charis is February, and David's March. We had a great time celebrating with Charis and David. Enjoyed times with friends. Wish we were closer to our family. David was thrilled with his cake, as you can see in the video! Aunt Es made a gorgeous princess dress for Charis, which she SO willingly modeled for us. This week we're enjoying a little extra time together. God is so good.

On my back!

Good news!  The neurosurgeon said today that Paton can now lie on his back!  Now we can use the car seat instead of being strapped down face down in a car bed.  And it makes it much easier to hold him and do just about everything.  We are so happy.  It also helps that we don't have to put the protective covering on his back anymore.  That was about a 6-step process that had to be done every day.  The kids had a great time with Paton today.  We are so, so thankful.

All Well

All is well at home with little Paton.  We feel like we are beginning to get back into our "normal" schedules.  The routine has been good for the whole family.  Paton's shunt seems to be working well.  The swelling on his back is much diminished, although it may take some cosmetic surgery in the future to finish correcting it.  The kids are enjoying Paton.  He got to be home in time to celebrate Charis' 4th birthday.  We see the neurosurgeon this week, as well as Early Childhood Intervention.

Home at Last

We are home!  We went in this morning, expecting that Paton would be released around 2 or 3.  However, by the time the pediatric neurosurgeon came and gave us the green light, it was almost 8 PM.  We are so, so glad to be all home together.  The kids were very excited.  We came home to an absolutely beautiful house, thanks to a few of the church ladies!  And we are so thankful, too, to "Da" and "Aunt Terry" and others who've helped with the kids, and to all the many of you who've made such delicious meals for us.  Thank you also, many friends and family, for the many prayers that went up on Paton's behalf.  God has answered in some very specific ways.  We rest content in Him.  So, for now, good night.

Waiting

More waiting.  Paton was scheduled to be released today, but he developed some sort of bowel issue.  We are currently waiting for a pediatric surgeon to come take a look at it.  We still hope to go home tonight.  We'll see.  Also, we got a name for the fluid-filled sack that kept growing on Paton's back.  They call it a pseudo-myelomeningocele.  It is basically a "pop-off valve" for the spinal fluid that would have built up in the head.  Thankfully, since they placed the shunt the sack on the back has not continued to grow.  It might actually have been a blessing, since it kept any pressure from being put on the brain.

Well, hopefully we'll all be at home together tonight!

Going Home

Paton's going home on Monday!  We are so excited.  He's clear of infection, and his shunt seems to be functioning at this point.  The doctors are all pleased with his progress, and so are we.  The bulge at his surgery site on his back is much, much smaller, and isn't continually filling up with spinal fluid.

Hannah so much enjoys her new little brother.  She really wanted to stay with me at the hospital the other day to see him awake again and get to hold him, even though it meant sitting in the hospital ICU for about 5 hours.  She entertained herself by reading, but was thrilled when Pate woke up.  She really wanted to feed him and hold him.  Here are a couple of pictures.  She'll make a great mama some day.

God has been so good.  We hope to be all together again in about 3 days!