Baby Bretton...

This post has been a long time coming! I have needed to sit down and do an update all about Bretton for a while, but I haven't been able to make myself find the time. This morning, it's time!

 

Bretton is the happiest little baby and has such a fun and silly personality already. He is extremely laid back, pretty much goes with the flow, and laughs all the time!  He is as cute as a button, and he makes me smile all the time. I am so, so glad God chose me to be his mama.

Bretton is small, and I didn't realize that until his last well-check appointment. He is only in the 5th percentile for weight. That is SO foreign to me because Collier has still never dropped below the 95th percentile since his 4 month check-up. Ha! I may be out of luck for these two August babies to share very many clothes.

I've mentioned on here before, without any detail, that Bretton has a lot of needs and a lot going on. Nothing has changed in that department, but I feel ready to talk about it now. When we adopted Bretton, I didn't expect everything to be roses. However, compared to the time required to care for a fragile baby like Parke, I expected Bretton to be a breeze. I was kind of wrong. Bretton has many needs that require many appointments. Those are not easy with two other littles; my time has been stretched and I've had to give up some things that I really enjoy doing with the bigger kids to make everything come together. Thankfully, it is nothing serious, just time consuming.

 

So, in a nutshell...

-Bretton has severe eczema and has to visit the dermatologist regularly. He is has special bathing requirements daily, multiple creams and potions to be applied twice a day, and is a sensitive sally about anything that touches him.

 

-Bretton has something called torticollis (super tight muscles on one side of his neck causing him to prefer looking and facing only one direction), and is doing regular physical therapy sessions each week. Thankfully, we have found someone to come to our house to do those, so that is an extreme blessing! On top of his sessions with the therapist, I am supposed to stretch and massage him between 5 and 7 times each day. I also have to be very careful about how he lays and make sure that his neck is not stretching the wrong direction. So, he is watched and messed with constantly. :)

 

-He is having a developmental evaluation soon, and he will possibly start developmental and/or occupational therapy once or twice a week as well for some developmental delays.

 

-Bretton was referred to Arkansas Children's Hospital for a neurological evaluation that will be done in early February. The doctor was concerned about his muscle "tone" and the way he jerks around instead of moving smoothly. I'm not totally concerned about this like I was at one point because I feel like he is getting better in that area since the appointment was made. We are keeping the appointment just for peace of mind, but I feel pretty good about it.

 

-Because of the torticollis, Bretton's head is "severely" misshapen and is requiring a helmet. We have gone to a few appointments for measurements and sizing, and he will get his helmet next Friday. Within the first week, he will work up to wearing it 23 hours a day. We can take it off to bathe him and wash the helmet once a day for an hour, and then it will be back on. We will have an appointment once every week or two to resize and adjust the helmet as he grows. I know we will be glad we are doing it, it's just another obstacle and time consuming item on my checklist each day.

 

Here he is last week being sized. He will be the cutest little helmeted baby ever. :)

 

So, it's just stuff...lots of stuff going on. When I cuddle Bretton and he gives me a big grin, it makes it all worth the wild days. I am so thankful for him, and I'm so thankful that he is in our family and getting the care he needs. I know that his biological brother that turned one the same month Bretton was born was not crawling. He also had big open sores on his face from untreated eczema. I can't imagine what Bretton's sweet little life would be like without the blessing of doctors and therapists that really do care about him and his well being. I know we will get through all of this and I will look back and be so glad we took the steps we did. Right now, I'm just a little frazzled trying to do everything the right way, be the mama I want to be to all three of my babies, be the wife I want to be to Micah, and have any second for myself in the midst of all of that. My mom is amazingly helpful, and we have a great babysitter that is pretty flexible this semester...they are helping me keep all the wheels turning, and I am so thankful for them!

 

Thank you, God, for the blessing of sweet Bretton. He is teaching me so much about your love for us, helping me practice being patient, and blessing my heart each and every day!