Tuesday, July 7

Happy One Month Birthday & Baptism Bryce!

I'm so sorry I haven't updated the blog in a little while. These past days have been some of the hardest since we got here. And since they're all in a string they're that much harder.

Good news, though! Today our baby Bryce is one whole month old! It's hard to believe we've been here that long, but also hard to believe it's only been that long.

We continue to battle the immaturity of his lungs on a daily basis but we've made other accomplishments along the way. Bryce no longer has a PDA, and he now has a shunt to drain off excess cerebral spinal fluid from his brain, he's tolerating trophic feeds and gaining weight almost every day, his skin is like brand new, and boy parts too, his hair is longer and eyes are brighter every day. We have both now had the joy of holding him against our skin and smelling his unique Bryce smell. We have so many things to be grateful for on this day. We will try hard to hang on to all of these things in the midst of dealing with the daily reminders that nothing is certain and we have a long way yet to go.

Thanks to Dale, the chaplain here, for baptizing Bryce today. And thanks to our family for making the trip to join in the ceremony and celebration. It was a very special moment for Bryce as well as for us.

In celebration of Bryce's big day I thought I'd share some pictures with everyone.

G2 took this one today of me and Caleb trying to soothe Bryce a little:

And here's Bryce up close this morning, you can see both his body and his hair continue to grow:
And sorry this one is sideways but it's one of my favorites. It's from 6/30 of Caleb holding Bryce skin to fur, eh uh umm, I mean skin to skin...he hee...aren't they sweet together?! I'm pretty sure this is the longest Caleb has ever been still (you CANNOT move when holding because of all of the IVs and breathing tubes, etc) - he holds the current record for length of time holding Bryce. He beat my 2 1/2 hours by almost 30 minutes! I hope to challenge him soon.
Last, but not least, here is our baptism group from earlier this afternoon. From left to right that's Uncle Richie and Aunt Christi, Caleb's mom "MeeMaw", Caleb and I, my dad "Poppa" and Sharon "G2", my mom "Abuelita" and David Smith, Caleb's youth pastor and long time friend. And in front, crouching by the ventilator is our chaplain Dale, the master of ceremonies. Thanks guys for taking time out of our busy days to come celebrate Bryce with us!
Oh, and can't forget the hanging safari animals topping us all off! Those were a surprise from Bryce's primary night nurse, Ms Lisa. Bryce just loves Ms Lisa and it's so obvious why! Okay, okay, we love Ms Lisa too! She decorated Bryce's whole room with blow up safari animals and safari rubber duckies, she even "helped" Bryce make a sign for us saying how much he loves us!

More coming soon...thanks for checking in with us!

18 comments :

  1. Bryce and Fam,

    I'm so happy to hear that he is having a better day. I heard that you guys had a rough couple of days and have been thinking about you all a lot. I hope the positive trend continues.

    Kirby

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  2. Mrs. Mega-OpinionTue Jul 07, 04:35:00 PM

    CANNOT BELIEVE HOW BIG HE LOOKS! He looks like a lil man strong and mighty! I miss you guys so much! Glad to see some pics and good news!

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  3. Bryce.

    I was so happy to hear about you from your mom and see the pictures of you. You are such a big boy now. I have been worried about you during the last few days, but I talked to your grandpa and he said you were fighting. I am so happy that you are gaining weight. We miss all of you. I wake up thinking about you and think about you all the time. I like the picture of you and your dad-you guys look like great buddies already. You are an amazing baby and I am so glad to have you as a nephew. I pray each day that you will grow stronger. Timmy says that he wants to see you soon. Congratulations on your baptism and one month birthday. We love you.

    Aunt Gene, Uncle Lolo Andrea and Timothy

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  4. What a special day for you all! Love you and sending prayers and God's blessings your way!
    Montoya Family

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  5. What a blessed day! He is looking so handsome and strong. Happy one month Bryce! We are praying for you guys daily.

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  6. Glad to hear from you guys! We've been praying!

    Bristelle and Joel

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  7. Dear Mommy & Daddy,

    Wow I can not believe I am already a month old! I sure wish Aunt Megan could have snuck me in a cupcake....haha. I know this has been a trying month for the both of you but we have made it and we will continue to fight the fight togather. Our bond has a family is so strong, that is what will carry us through all the ups and downs of this journey. We all need to work on getting our rest so we have the strength to fight. Mommy you really need to get some extra rest and take some breaks here and there. I am in good hands. You and daddy should go on a date. I would be thrilled to see that. We all can think about the future when I have grown bigger and can have birthday cake all over my face and mommy will be saying oh Bryce.......!!!!!! That will be so much fun. I love you both so much!!!

    Love your little birthday boy,

    Bryce

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  8. Katrina,

    Looking at those pictures make me tear up. I must say the up close picture of Bryce mostly. I could just stare at his sweet little face all day. I can see a huge change in him from the day I went to see you all and the pictures of him now. You know when you look at something all the time you don't notice much change, but if you ask someone that hasn't seen the same exact thing everyday, they can see the change much easier. Bryce looks so much more mature to me. The progress is apparent. He's the cutest little boy I've ever seen. I can that for now and not feel too guilty, but once Cayd comes, well, I'll have to say "they" are the cutest. Lol. Remember how you said it was nice being able to see him? Well, with our boys gestation only being 2 weeks apart it's kind of neat to see what my son kind of looks like. Makes me even more eager to see him. I hope he has the same strength that Bryce has and will to live. I can't wait to introduce them to one another and watch them grow. Even watch them duke it out over toys. That day will come and I simply can't wait. So when you start to feel down, think about the future and how sweet it will be.

    I love you lots,

    Jen

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  9. Yeah, Congratulations from the Pokluda Family!
    The one month birthday is always the best and most incredible.

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  10. So glad to hear from you guys and Happy One Month Birthday to sweet little Bryce!

    You all are always in our hearts and on our minds.

    Love to you all!
    Weslea and Brian

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  11. HAPPY BIRTHDAY
    GO WITH GOD
    ALL MY LOVE
    TERESA

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  12. Happy one month Bryce!! You have come so far little guy!

    Still praying for y'all. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures with us.

    -Tami

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  13. Happy 1 month birthday Bryce!!

    It is amazing how quickly they grow. The pictures are great. Be a parent has a huge impact on a person. I mean for Caleb to sit still for nearly 3 hours!!! No, seriously. You two are stars in my eyes. We love you and are praying for you and Bryce daily.

    All Our Love,
    Mary and Jeff

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  14. Happy One Month Bryce! He's definitely got his daddy's hair.

    Jeremy

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  15. A month?! Already and that's it?! I also feel like he has been around for so much longer. I am so happy you were able to provide the most important of sacraments for him. How fortunate to have so much family 'on hand' to come and witness as well. Love, love, love you all.

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  16. What a great way to start my day!Seeing Bryce having a birthday celebration.And looking so good in the process.Such sweet pictures.Someday he will say to his mommy,"tell me about it again" when he sees the pic's.Days like this make me smile knowing God is in Bryce's room and all is well.May God's blessings continue to be with this sweet little family.Hugs and Prayers.
    Love to all.
    Granny Spriggs

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  17. Happy 1 month Bryce!!!

    Love the pictures! Thank you for sharing!

    Much love and prayers from the B-Sau's!!!

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