Braydon Jacob Pratt - The Nursery!!!

So last week I went to the doctor and he said that Braydon was measuring small. They did a sonogram and everything looked fine, the reason for him measuring small was that he has already dropped. Soooo...I kind of freaked out because we had NOTHING done in the nursery yet! That day we went home and got started in the nursery! I am very proud of how the nursery turned out...so I figured I give you a picture walk to see how it all came together!!! Each of my boys had an adorable nursery, but I never attempted stripes before now...and I love em'!!!

Mason and I started with the first coat of primer. He was so excited and such a BIG help!!

The primer was finished, but we had to do a second coat after this! Brian wanted me to use an older gallon of primer that we had left over from a paint job we did several months ago. Of course that wasn't enough, so we opened the new gallon...and WALLA...we had two different shades of primer on the wall...hence the blotchy look!!!

Brian was so proud that he was being such a big help!!! He really stepped up and did most all of the painting and he made me relax and not worry about what was going on in the nursery! This is one of the reasons I love him with all of my heart!!!

Friday night, Ryan and Shana Kriechbaum came over to help us with the stripes! THANK GOODNESS for Ryan and his mathematical talents! He did all the math and the measuring for the lines! I couldn't decide how I wanted to lines to look and I kept changing my mind...with Shana's help! Ryan was extremely patient and reworked the numbers each time we changed our minds!!!! Thanks friends!


As soon as the boys got the stripes taped off, Shana and I got started painting! We made sure to paint the 1st coat extremely thick so that we didn't have to go over it again...it was close to 11pm on Friday and we were all exhausted!

ME...looking quite rough...but doing some touch ups after we already took the tape off!!!

I was so anxious to start getting everything out and organized...I had to see how the comforter looked with the wall!!! Also, for the record, this furniture in this room is the furniture I had when I was a baby! It was used for my younger sister, two of my cousins, Mason and Canon and now Braydon!! They just don't make furniture the same as they used to!!!

Mason was posing because he said that he LOVES his baby's room!!!

Getting all the crib stuff out...and I couldn't decide where I wanted to put ANYTHING!!!

Okay, so an hour later...the mess was obviously bigger, but I just decided to dive in!! I was having a blast doing it too!!! Even though I was doing it by myself...this is when Brian said he was OUT!!!

The finished product - Braydon's bed!!!

The picture wall - with no pictures in the frame!!

The bed in centered on the stripe wall!!! I also chose to take the poles off...I like it better like this!

Crib to changing table view!!! Brian actually hung the curtains yesterday...all by himself! It was a surprise to me!!! Thanks hun!

Dresser and closet and door!!!

I hope you enjoyed our journey to putting Bray's room together! I had fun doing it and now I am ready to put my precious boy in here!!!

Mason's 3rd Surgery

So, our journey for Surgery #3 began!!! We found out in February that Mason would be having his 3rd surgery this summer. He would have a nasal reconstruction and cheiloplasty (reconstruction to his upper lip). We have been taking Mason to the International Craniofacial Institute with Dr. Genecov since he was born. I made our first phone call to Dr. Genecov on the day that Mason was born. We have been very blessed to have such an amazing Dr. and his staff be with us through everything.

On June 2, 2009...Brian, my mom, and I took the day off to take Mason through all of his pre-operation appointments. Our first appointment was at Raintree Pediatrics with Amber. We have been going to see Amber since Mason was born. We Love her!

Mimi went through this with us 100% of the way! On our way to the doctor this day, Mason was worried that he was going to get a shot. Brian and I assured him there would be NO SHOTS! Well, what we didn't think about was that they would have to take some blood by pricking his finger. OOPS!!! Poor baby!

While we were waiting to see Dr. Genecov, our 5th appointment of the day, Mason was getting a little restless! He is such a good kiddo and we are extremely blessed that the Lord has given him to us.

ON THE DAY OF SURGERY:

Mason's before picture! This was taken in the car on the way to the hospital the day of the surgery.

Mommy, Daddy, and Mason! We were in the waiting room at Forest Park Medical Center. This is the new hospital that Dr. Genecov is part owner in. His surgical group joined a number of other doctors and opened this facility.

Of course Mimi and Papa were there with us! Mason was patiently waiting to be taken back to get prepped for surgery!

Getting his temperature taken!

It was right after he changed into his gown that Mason started getting extremely nervous. He was crying and wanted his Mommy. The nurses gave him some coloring sheets and a little box of crayons, stickers, and goodies! We were trying desperatly to distract him and cheer him up...it was a hard job to do!

The three of us! Mason, we love you with all of our hearts!

This is nurse Kelley, she was Mason's nurse in recovery. She came in to meet Mason! She gave him some "happy juice" to help calm him down. That stuff worked fantastic!!! He acted a little umm...intoxicated! He cheered up really quickly!

Mason begged Daddy and Mimi to put their "glasses" on! He was acting sooooo silly!

He even shoved tissue paper in his ears and he was laughing hysterically!

After SURGERY:

The nurses came and got me and Brian as soon as Mason was taken to recovery and they made sure that he was stable. He was still sleeping when we went back to see him. They had him on oxygen to help him come out of the anesthesia.

After Brian and I were able to hold his hands and give him kisses, I went and got Mimi and Grandma. I was trying to explain to them everything that Dr. Genecov and the nurses had been over with us. It's all kind of a blur now!! There was so much to take in!

He woke up!!! This is his after shot!!! He looks so great!

It didn't take long for Mason to ask for juice and pudding! He drank so many fluids we were nervous he was taking too much in too quickly, but he held it all in and did great!

Mason got to ride in a "TRANSFORMER" wheel chair on our way out of the hospital! He thought that he was so BIG and COOL! Nurse Kelley was awesome the entire time we were there!

AFTER THOUGHTS:

Through each step of our lives, we grow as parents, as a family, and as children of God. We have been extremely fortunate to live in an area that provides such amazing technology and medicine to children. Our family and friends have been a HUGE support system for us and we are fortunate to have each and every one of them. God gave Mason to us for a reason and we take each and every day as a blessing and we thank Christ for everything he has done for our family.

Please check out the following website:

http://www.operationsmile.com/

There is a lot of information provided on this site that explains a lot about cleft lips and palates. This is an organization the send doctors and other medical staff around the world to provide their services free of charge to children who are in need of correctional procedures for their cleft lips and palates. They are currently running a "Match Your Donation Challenge." They have a donor who has agreed to match any donation given to the organization. For only $240, a child in a third world country will be given an operation to fix their cleft lip/palate. This is something very close to our hearts and we adore this organization! There is also a website (http://www.smiletrain.com/), they do the same thing!