My new arm....

We picked up Brady's arm this afternoon. I think we went into the appointment a little worried about how it would look. After all, we have gotten used to the 1 1/2 armed baby. The prosthetic looks good (maybe a little large) but he will need room to grow since he will have this arm for atleast 6 months. He wore it for about 3 hours before letting us know he needed a break.

The arm will bring some challenges-he will have to learn how to rebalance himself with the extra weight. Rolling may also be difficult because the arm can come loose if knocked in the wrong direction. Phyiscal Therapists cautioned us he may never crawl because without a moving elbow it is hard to get in the correct position. We will just take the challenges as they come-he has showed us already he has no limitations.

Tub

Moment we realized Brady was ready for the big tub...

Playdate

Today Nicole & Luke (almost 1) were nice enough to make the drive down for a playdate.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the boys with their matching pacifiers.

Sitting

Brady tried prunes this week-loved them! Only problem is that Mommy doesn't so much love the diapers that come after them.

Brady has his moments of fussiness so we have to get creative to keep him distracted...laundry did the trick this week.

6 Months

It's no secret our child has been blessed with Grandpa B's head size, but his six month stats made me laugh...

Weight - 15 lbs. 12 oz (20%)
Height - 26" (8%)

Head -44.7 cm (77%)!!!!

I am totally lovin the 6 month age-he sits unsupported, recognizes his toys, and says "Bah, Bah, Bah". Last night he blessed us with a full night of sleep-7:30PM to 7:08AM. Troy was holding him at church last weekend and I swear he reached out his arm to go to Mama-broke my heart. He snuggles into my shoulder for little squeezes and grabs my neck when I try to set him down. He loves to laugh especially when he's on his changing table-Troy and Brady have giggle time every night before bed.

Prosthetic Casting

Brady had his first prosthetic casting yesterday and handled it like a trooper. After waiting almost 3 hours in the waiting room, he had every right to be a crabby baby. To be honest, we were starting to be crabby parents, but were then quickly reminded how lucky we are to be patients at this awesome hospital. Some of the other families in the waiting room had driven as far as 12 hours for their appointments. We had lots of opportunities to take pictures of the big day-

Playing in the waiting room

Prosthetic Casting

This process consisted of casting his shoulder and short arm so they can create a sleeve for his passive prosthetic. I was amazed he didn't cry because the casting material was wet and sticky. His pacifier served as a great distraction. We go back in 3 weeks for the fitting. We were lucky enough to be introduced to a little girl named Lilly who has the same limb deficiency as Brady. She is 4 and was happy to show us how her prosthetic works. Her mom mentioned they take her picture with the Shriner's statue every time they visit as a reminder of how she's grown. We thought that was a great idea....

I can not stress enough what a great organization this is. There are so many children in need of prosthetics and Shriner's provides them with great love and care.

If you are interested in learning more about Shriner's or would like to make a donation you can follow the link below.

https://secure2.convio.net/shfc/site/Donation2?idb=1629257853&df_id=2880&2880.donation=form1