Tornado in Waterford?

Yesterday afternoon, the forecast was for thunderstorms but as time went on, the storms got stronger and stronger. I was looking outside, every was so still. Jeremy called to check on us and see if the storm was near the house. I assured him that things looked fine. Just moments after hanging up, the sky turned black and the wind was so loud, I could barely here anything. Massive amounts of rain came pounding down and the wind was whipping. I grabbed the boys and headed for the basement (thinking we may see the wicked witch of the west fly by).

The strong winds passed and we eventually came upstairs. Trees down every where, some pulled right out of the ground. Jeremy came home to find trees crushed our new fence in several places. The boys trampoline was smashed by a large tree. Our front porch furniture was on the front lawn. The deck furniture was all turned over and blown up against the railing. Amazingly, nothing hit the house or the barn. For what we can see, the neighbors houses are fine too. The other fun thing is that it was trash day and the recycle truck had not come yet. The lawns are covered with newspapers and trash (probably the biggest task to clean up). We have no power but we have the trusty generator. I have an extension cord running to the computer so I have contact with the outside world.

Singing in the Rain

Is there anything better than listening to children giggling and laughing?
Carter and Luke came home from soccer. The storms held off until the afternoon. The sky opened up and rain came pouring down. Carter and Luke stood in the garage watching the rain come down in buckets. We mentioned that they could run and play in the rain for a few minutes. They looked at us in disbelief. We said they could go and they went. They found it to be great fun. They ran in circles letting the rain cover them, giggling the entire time...at least until we said they had to come in.

How does your garden grow?

Jeremy, Jeremy quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

With little boys, lots of toys

and tomato plants in a row.

(like nursery rhyme Mary, Mary quite contrary)

Jeremy, Carter and Luke have a garden. It has been fenced, planted, watered and more. The garden is back by our little barn. This is the first garden for our family. Carter wants to check on the growth every day. Luke wants to turn on the sprinkler.

We will see how our garden grows!

Here comes the Bride. At least here comes the cutest ring bearer and flower girl!

This weekend Jeremy’s sister, Heather, got married. She and her husband Brian Smith had a beautiful outdoor wedding. The location and weather could not have been better. Everything was picture perfect, especially the ring bearer and flower girl, Carter and his cousin Anna. Of course I am partial but come on, they are adorable!

Rolling with My Homies

Brayden and I are "Rolling with My Homies" (from the classic 90s movie, Clueless; if you haven't seen it don't worry, you didn't miss much).

Brayden and I are rolling in style. Brayden has his new set of wheels and so do I! Brayden's stroller can now be retired and replaced with his KidKart. The stroller has been around since Carter was born. My car, the Land Cruiser can now be retired. We had the car for over 8 years and 160,000 miles. I am not sure how many miles we have on the stroller but it is probably about the same. The new car is ready to hold three boys and all of their gear. If we can only keep it this sparkly so we could keep on rolling in style! My homies are a bunch of messy kids.

School is out for Summer

Carter and Luke finished up preschool for the year at Purcellville Baptist. Carter will be heading to kindergarten. Luke will have two more years of preschool. They absolutely enjoyed every minute of it! Carter had preschool graduation last week. Of course, Luke wants to know when he will graduate and go to kindergarten.

Bullwinkle

It is a big day for Jeremy, the moose a.k.a Bullwinkle has arrived. He found a special place on the basement wall. If you would like to stop by and get acquainted with Bullwinkle, just let Jeremy know. I am sure he would be happy to introduce you.

Jeremy and Bullwinkle first met this past fall in Newfoundland, Canada. It was love at first site. Jeremy had to wait patiently for people to prepare the moose and ship to our home. The reunion of Jeremy and Bullwinkle was an exciting moment.

No Hands!

Is soccer Luke's calling? We do not know that yet but he is enjoying every minute of it. Luke started Mini Soccer for the first time. He smiles through the entire session. He knows the rule "No Hands!"...most of the time.

Carter has started another soccer season. I am not sure how many seasons now but it has been too many to count and he is only five. Carter likes to play soccer. He takes it quite seriously. He not only wants his team to win but he wants to score the most goals.

You can tell the difference in Carter and Luke just by the pictures. Carter is in it to win it and Luke is in it for the fun!

Awana Excitement

Carter, Luke and Jeremy finished up Awana for the year. Jeremy volunteered as a leader. This was Carter's first year and received an award for completing his first year in Cubbies. Luke received a "Cubbie in training award". Luke was not quite old enough to fully participate but Jeremy brought him long for the fun so Brayden and I could have some evenings alone...in quiet. They have been so excited every Sunday for Cubbies. I tagged along for the last Awana and experienced their excitement first hand in the car (thus the pictures).

Hook Him Up

Brayden is hooked up! April 23rd, Brayden went to Fairfax Hospital for surgery. The surgery was successful and he now has his G-tube. He looked so adorable in his little hospital gown with pants, we had to take a picture. Brayden stayed at the hospital for three days and the nurses made us practice feeding him through the G-tube. We are learning how to hook him up to everything. Right now it is quite a process but once we get the hang of things we should be able to do it with our eyes closed! He is still pretty sore but for the most part he is adjusting pretty well.

While we were at the hospital, the pediatric rheumatologist scheduled some blood work (done during the surgery) and stopped in to see Brayden. After the rheumatologist’s assessment, she found that he does not have Vasogenic edema and that the red hands/feet are probably related to his brain abnormalities; the brain’s difficulty to regulate blood and circulation. We will still see some more doctors to check on some additional possibilities for the red hands/feet.

We are a bit sleep deprived but happy to be home.
Thank you for everyone’s prayers. It went as smoothly as it could go.

Party for Brayden

We celebrated Brayden's first birthday with family and friends. Brayden was loved on by everyone and was wiped out after the party. Jeremy rented a moonbounce for the big kids, who barely stopped jumping just to eat cake. It was a beautiful day!

Brayden is ONE, April 2008 email

Brayden’s 1st Birthday! Watch out this email is a long one (you may want to get a snack or go for a bathroom break); there is so much to say about Brayden!

If Brayden had a mascot it would be the turtle; slow and steady, eventually will get to where ever he is going and keeps a lot hidden in his shell. Our little turtle, Brayden, turned one today! Brayden is slowly developing in his own time. He is doing better with holding up his head. It is still work for him but he is trying. The seizures are doing better and mostly controlled with a couple of medications. His smiles come once in a while so this picture is quiet special. He truly is a sweet little guy. He is getting good at letting us know his likes and dislikes. He always lets his therapists know when he likes the exercise or if he has had enough.

One of the big questions of the year is his condition, handicap, label, etc…
Well, it all depends on which doctor we are seeing and what part of his body that particular doctor is looking at. Brayden has a lot of things going on and here is what we have figured out so far (don’t worry if you have no idea what the terms mean, you can google). We have learned that the doctors, therapists, and insurance use these fancy labels to get Brayden services, treatment or therapy but not one single term describes Brayden.
· To the neurologist: ACC, seizure disorder, cerebral dysgensis, microcephaly, pontocerebellar hypoplasia
· To the occupational and physical therapists: cerebral palsy, developmental delays, mixed muscle tone
· To the ophthalmologist and vision therapist: visual impairment, optic nerve hyplopasia
New ones to add to the list
· To the GI doctor and feeding therapist: feeding difficulties, G-tube
The past 3-4 months Brayden’s growth has really reached a plateau. He is always weighing in around 17 lbs. He may lose a few ounces, gain it back, and stay about the same but no significant growth. He has been going in for feeding therapy once a week and it is slow progress; just like the rest of his development. Brayden has always been successful at nursing but beyond that, nothing has worked really well. He has reached the point where he needs more nutrition. So next week, April 23rd, Brayden will be going to Fairfax Hospital for surgery to get a feeding tube, the G-tube. He will be there for a couple of days to make sure everything is working.
· To the Rheumatologist or Genetic Counseling – Vasogenic Edema or Riley Day Syndrome
Brayden’s hands and feet swell really bad and get very hot. This may also happen on his arms or legs. We are in the process of figuring out what this could mean. Allergies, heart conditions, circulation, among other things have been ruled out. After seeing the neurologist this week she and other neurologists suggested the he be tested to find the cause of this so that he may be treated. This may or may not be related to his apparent brain abnormalities. There are only three pediatric doctors in the area that have expertise in this area; two at NIH and one with INOVA. We are in the process of getting on the waiting list to see them.

Just looking at him, we would have no idea all of that is going on! Brayden has some amazing doctors and therapists that really incorporate all of his special needs. We have been blessed to have these experts that we trust and Brayden is starting to trust.

Are you overwhelmed with information yet? We definitely are and I only give you the watered down version in the emails. We have been overwhelmed with information and emotion this past year. For me, I have retained more information than I ever knew possible and found emotions that I did not even know existed. We are learning to really take things day by day. I am still waiting for all of this to feel “normal” and to get into a routine but Brayden always has more surprises in store.

One year ago today, we had no idea what road was ahead for Brayden and our family. That day we welcomed him with such joy and excitement. The next few days after his birth feel like a preface to a novel that is still be written (only the Lord knows the ending of the story). This is so different from anything I ever imagined for my family. Brayden’s life is changing and shaping our family. I think about what kind of impact this will have on Carter and Luke, they love Brayden so much and want to help in whatever way they can. Carter and Luke love to sing songs to Brayden, thankfully he enjoys it.
Brayden is an amazing gift in more ways than I can express. He is our little turtle; slowly moving ahead and slowly revealing more about himself day by day. We are so thankful for him, this past year and whatever lies ahead.
Thank you for everyone’s support and prayers.

Sincerely,
Carrie Jenkins for
Jeremy, Carter, Luke and Brayden

Prayer Requests:
For Brayden’s G-tube surgery to go well on April 23 and for us to be ready for this change.
For the doctors to figure out the swelling and redness in Brayden’s hands and feet.

White House Easter Egg Roll

The White House Easter Egg Roll is an amazing experience; lots of activities, lots of posing for pictures and lots of people. We had fun this year. Carter and Luke participated in the egg roll, face painting (a picture of the President's dog), watching shows and more. Brayden tolerated the whole experience with a not so smooth ride in the stroller and was pulled out for a few photo ops.

Press Release - President Carter Paxton Jenkins

A visit to the White House for the Easter Egg Roll provided Carter with an opportunity for his first press conference.

As Carter was getting dressed for Easter, he declared that his tie made him President; President Carter Jenkins. Passing through the West Wing lawn, there is the press room and outside is all of the press cameras and microphones, we had to seize the moment for Carter to make his first White House speech.

Lights Out

Living in Waterford provides opportunities for new adventures. We have found that bad weather brings along power outage, usually for several hours. Thankfully we have our trusty generator that supports a few important things in the house. Last night we lost power for over 10 hours. Jeremy built a large fire and the boys brought in sleeping bags to camp out in the family room. Luke was so excited about the "camping" that he couldn't go to sleep and ended up sleeping with me in bed.