Camping!

We recently went camping at Leo Carillo State Beach near Malibu. It is just a few hundred yards from the beach. It was fun to have a fire and sleep in a tent. We hadn't been camping for a year or since we were in Provo. Braden had a tough time during the night though, being fussy and not sleeping. I guess he's just a city boy, born and raised in Los Angeles. We all packed in to our 4 man tent with plenty of room, and Braden slept in his pack and play crib.

In the morning we walked over the beach and spent a few hours in the morning fog watching the waves and enjoying the serenity. The beach was beautiful with a rocky shore and a few large rocks out in the surf. We enjoyed watching surfers on longboards ride the waves (we even saw one hang five - getting all five toes over the front edge of the surfboard).

Intergalactic Baby!

This week we met a new life form. He spoke to us in a language foreign to our ears, and he stole our hearts while he did it! This was right after his bath. Braden is always in a good mood after his bath, so when the opportunity presented itself, we couldn't resist catching it on video!

Ophthalmologist Visit

Yesterday we went to the Pediatric Ophthalmologist about Braden's Nystagmus. He confirmed that he does, indeed, have Nystagmus. He said a lot of other things, so hopefully I get it all straight. Braden doesn't seem to have as good of visual acuity as other babies his age. He didn't follow lights and objects as well as the doctor thinks he should. At home, he seems to follow things pretty well, though, so we hope that it was just because he only looked at him for a few minutes. The doctor thinks he may have delayed visual maturity and that maybe the connection between the eyes and the brain hasn't totally "turned on" yet.

He also said that his retinas look normal except for the outer rim, which has less pigmentation. This can be normal in fair skinned babies, which Braden is, but can also denote a problem. Since he does have less pigmentation, the doctor wants Braden to get a test called the Electro-retinal Gram (ERG). This will measure the electric movements in the retinas and tell us if there are the right number of cones and rods in his retinas. If there are too few cones and rods, that could be the reason why he has Nystagmus. If the number of cones and rods are normal, then he could have Idiopathic Nystagmus, which basically means the reason for it is unknown.

Sometimes an MRI is done to help determine the cause of Nystagmus, since it can be a neurological problem that causes it, but since Braden is developing normally other than his Nystagmus, the doctor doesn't think that an MRI is necessary at this point. The doctor also told us that Braden has some nearsightedness. He said it isn't a problem right now, though, since babies are only interested in what is going on right in front of them anyway. He will follow up with that at his next appointment to see if he needs eyeglasses.

I am relieved that the doctor doesn't seem to think it is a neurological problem. At the same time, I am overwhelmed with the ambiguity of this problem. I really would like to know what to expect in the future, but Nystagmus is different for every person and it always changes, so it is hard to know what to expect.

But, when I look at Braden, and he looks into my eyes and smiles and coos, none of this really even matters because he is my baby boy and the amount of love I have for him is inexpressible.

Braden is 3 Months Old!

The 26th of August also marked Braden's 3 month birthday! Boy, how time has flown! It seems like yesterday that we were heading to the hospital to meet our new little guy!

Here is the latest in the life of Braden. He has a jumparoo, which was given to us. He loves to play in it, however, as you can tell by the huge book underneath, he isn't quite tall enough to bounce in it:

He likes to nap on the couch, just like mom!:

He likes to hold his head up and see. And, he also loves to drool:

Last, but not least, he loves to hear his voice:

We love you Braden and we are glad you came to live with us 3 months ago!

Anniversary: 08/26/08

On the 26th of August, we celebrated our 2 year anniversary! It was my (Jen) turn to plan our anniversary this year (we trade off), so I planned a romantic, yummy dinner out at Lawry's: The Prime Rib. Yes, this is the same Lawry's as the seasonings, and yes their specialty is Prime Rib. Brian dared to get the Diamond Jim Brady Cut (their biggest cut of Prime Rib). Here is a picture for you to understand just how big this is:

Yes, it almost took up the entire plate! Needless to say, there were lots of leftovers. It was a lot of fun. Here we are, 2 years married and we are still smiling!

Lastly, I just wanted to say how much I love my hubby! This anniversary was so great. I am so glad that I was led to meet you and that we were married 2 years ago. Thank you for always taking such good care of me, especially this past year when you painted my toenails, went on ice cream runs, and cooked me breakfast, lunch, and dinner so that I didn't have to enter the kitchen for nine nauseous months! You are my best friend, and I am so glad that I was lucky enough to find and keep you.