It's been a while.  

Our boy is now three (and almost a half) and 98% of the time he's thriving.

He's in a PreK class at the local public school and it's the perfect place for his extremely outgoing self. His cognitive development has sky-rocketed and it's fun to hear him talk about his friends at school. Speaking of talking, the boy LOVES to talk. He's chatty, loves to use his imagination, and is flat-out hilarious. He also has an opinion and will make it known; there's no question that he's three. He's a master of his wheelchair and is learning to walk with his braces and walker. He attends outpatient PT twice a week and has made so much progress in the 5 months he's been going. He rolls in like he owns the place and loves to show off for whoever will watch. He loves to be on the go and would spend all day outside if he could. He loves to travel to Kansas and Florida to see family but doesn't understand that we can't "just get on a plane" or drive there. He adores his big brother & is looking forward to becoming a big brother himself in October. 

The other 2% of the time, his medical difficulties do rear themselves to the forefront. Braxton was diagnosed with epilepsy in the Spring of 2021. His seizures remain controlled with medication most of the time, but sometimes he likes to keep us on his toes. A part of Braxton's life will always be monitoring him for neurological complications related to both his seizures as well as potential shunt issues. Braxton also has exhibited poor sleep patterns for the majority of his life. He's had several sleep studies that have revealed various sleep apnea issues. December 31, 2021, Braxton had his tonsils and adenoids removed to fix his obstructive apnea; however, his central apnea has persisted. His latest sleep study in January 2022 showed some new concerns, so Braxton was prescribed a bi-pap machine and neurosurgery also wanted to explore some potential causes of these issues. An MRI in late March showed that one of Braxton's upper vertebrae is pushing into his hindbrain. This causes concern for many potential issues so on May 20th, Braxton will be undergoing Chiari decompression surgery. Thankfully, the type of surgery he needs is the least invasive of all the options. We should hopefully only be in the hospital for a night or two, with about a week's recovery at home.  We're hopeful that this will relieve some of the current concerns, as well as prevent future issues. As Braxton's body grows, there is always a concern for tethering of his spinal cord. Braxton's latest MRI showed some signs of potential tethering, but not enough for intervention at this time, which we're thankful for as that's a very intensive surgery and recovery. Hopefully, this surgery at least delays those issues. I'm also hoping that the surgery will relieve some of the central apnea issues as it's been very difficult to get Braxton to even get near his bi-pap machine, let alone use it. 

We covet your prayers as we journey through the next couple of weeks. Please pray for protection over Braxton's body and mind. He's experienced so much medical trauma in his life and becomes quite fearful when he's about to receive some form of medical intervention. It's so hard on this mama's heart to watch as well. Please pray for Jackson's mind and heart as well. He's an amazing big brother, but understandably, his six-year-old self gets a little over it all. This year will be full of adjustments as we will be moving this year and then welcoming another baby boy into our family in the Fall.