The Sunrise - Braylon from the Beginning

After trying for a while to have a baby with no success, we decided to see the fertility doctor.  I am pretty sure God was laughing the day we went to our appointment; little did we know, we were already pregnant!!  We would later find out we were having a boy, which scared me because I had know idea what to do with one!

The first 7 months of my pregnancy were perfect.  Then the blood pressure decided to put a quick stop to that.  At about 35 1/2 weeks we went in for my check-up and we were told we were having a baby that day!  So many emotions were flooding over me.  We frantically called our families, who were 8-9 hours away, and told them the news.  They literally threw things together and were on their way!

The next part gets a little fuzzy due to that not-so-wonderful thing called magnesium.  Boy, was that rough!!  After around 14 hours of trying, they came in and performed an emergency C-Section because Braylon's heart rate kept dropping.  He was born at 4:03 in the morning only weighing 4 lb 9 oz (he was so tiny).  We were worried about him having that "Wimpy White Boy" problem everyone refers to.  He proved us wrong from the start!

He was a fighter, even scoring a 9 out of 10 on his Apgar and never having to visit the NICU.  This little boy was born to beat the odds...I just know it!!  We brought him home only a few days later.  We did have to make several trips to the doctor in the following weeks for check-ups.  He never showed any need for concern!

When Braylon was about 3 months old he was hospitalized with RSV.  It wasn't too long after that we decided it was time to move home and be closer to family.  We are so glad we made that decision; we could not travel this road alone.  We moved home when he was around 6 months old.  We could tell he was a little behind with his milestones and at each monthly check-up we would talk to the doctor about his progress.

At his 8 month check-up we decided to start Physical Therapy with him.  We are so lucky to have been sent to some awesome people for this!!  By 9 months the doctor was a little concerned that he still was not meeting his milestones.  She referred us to a pediatric neurologist to do some further testing.  This of course was very scary for the entire family!  We met with him a couple weeks later and did not like the news.

After the neurologist spent some time with Braylon he used the term Cerebral Palsy for his symptoms and he scheduled a MRI to determine his findings.  We decided to get a second opinion just to "make sure."  Off we went to New Orleans to see a doctor there.  He too agreed with the first opinion.  It wasn't what we wanted to hear, but we knew we would do whatever it takes for him!!  His MRI was scheduled at home so we came back and prepared.  It was not fun to have a starving 11 month old waiting all morning, but we survived!! 

A week later we met with the doctor to go over the results.  This was a tough one...it definitely made the reality of everything set in.  He informed us that there are portions of Braylon's brain that did not form properly.  It had nothing to do with the prematurity, just something that can happen with no medical reason.  He explained how early on the brain starts developing to reassure us of this.  We left there with the diagnosis of Dandy-Walker Syndrome and so many unanswered questions.

The doctor said all babies are unique and there is no way to predict Braylon's future.  He did tell us we have an advantage because of his strong personality and ability to interact with others around him.  With that being said, we are keeping a positive outlook and praying for the best. The brain can train itself to do things a different way and avoid using those missing parts.  That is what we hope can happen for Braylon. 

He has a very special gift, as many of you know.  He can truly brighten anyone's day with just a smile.  We might be partial, as most are to their children, but I think there are plenty of people to back us up!   I have known for some time now we were meant to do something with this gift.  I hope that through this blog we can reach out to many people and inspire them in someway.  That is our calling and we are determine to adhere to it!!!