4th of July and an update

(Bringing you up to speed on what we were up to for the fourth!)
It's hard to believe that we're already so far into July--my, how the summer flies! We enjoyed another wonderful time in Virginia with my family as we celebrated July 4th weekend. On Friday we had a yummy breakfast at my grandparents' house followed later on by some dinner at Chili's and shopping around Winchester. I had a giftcard to Living Branches that mom & dad had bought me for Mother's Day so I enjoyed using that to buy several cds--Israel Houghton, Michael W. Smith, and Kari Jobe-- if you couldn't tell, I am currently in a praise & worship mode! The evening ended with an exciting game of "Apples to Apples" with my mom and dad.

Saturday we just chilled around the house while dad did some yard work and family came over in the late afternoon for dinner. Braeden was quite the little entertainer as he chased a ball around the porch and used some of his new words for the family. He also has moments where being confined to a highchair is sheer torture for him and it was that way for dinner on the 4th. We're in the process of teaching him that dinner "on the move" will not be the norm in the Estep household. :)
On Sunday morning we went to WCOG and, as always, enjoyed an awesome service! Lunch at Grandma and PopPop's followed and before we knew it, we were back on the road to PA. Of course, it wasn't the same without Ryan, Ashley, and Chanel! It was great to talk to you guys on the 4th and we hope you are loving GA! We miss you very much!
Here are some pics from the weekend:

Heidi carrying raw meat...yeah, those serving skills DO come in handy!

PopPop with his infamous camera...as always he's ready and waiting!

Grandma helping to set the table

Some grilling action!

With daddy...aww!

The fam on the porch

Our grillmaster...then, our entertainment for Braeden

Priceless...there's no doubt that he was most likely listening to a detailed story from grandma (while holding the hotdog buns!)

Proud mommy and daddy


(I think Braeden was almost doing his sign for "more" in the pic to the left!)

Cool new gift from great-grandma and poppop

Mom's traditional 4th of July cake! YUM!


So, I also wanted to take a minute to give an update on Braeden. We had the chance to go and meet with a pediatric neurologist. She was very thorough and took detailed notes on what Braeden has been experiencing and even watched our footage of him having one of his seizures (after which she shared it with a colleague in order to get his input.) In the end, we decided to go ahead and try to rule out what it's not so that we might find out what it is that's causing this. Braeden has already had blood work and though it was very unpleasant, it was also extremely beneficial. We learned that although his iron levels were fine his ferratin level (storage iron) was low and so his doctor put him on an iron supplement. This has been known to help reduce breath holding spells. It will take some time for the iron supplement to truly take effect but since he's started it he hasn't had any seizure episodes. He has a 24-hour EEG scheduled (he gets it put on, comes home and does his "normal" routine and then gets it taken off 24 hours later) for next week as well as an appointment with a cardiologist for an EKG and an Echocardiogram to rule out any heart condition. Later on, he may be referred for an MRI. So, we're taking steps forward and it feels good to be getting answers.
We hope that all is well where you are and that you're enjoying your summer! Have a wonderful rest of the week! Blessings!

Lack of posts

Hello, all! Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Things have been somewhat busy around here as summer has been steadily moving along. We are doing well but continue to ask for your prayers for Braeden with the breath-holding spells/seizure episodes as we've had a spike in their occurrence lately. Tomorrow we have his 15-month well-child appointment with the doctor and on Thursday we are traveling to visit a pediatric neurologist to hopefully get some answers about what is causing these episodes and what can be done for him. Through it all we've been so blessed to be surrounded by family and friends who give us the support and encouragement we have needed. We're also extremely thankful for Braeden's teacher, Mrs. Lisa, and the other teachers/staff at daycare who love on him while we're working and make sure we're aware of even the smallest details of his day so that we can be as informed and aware as possible.
I know that God's timing in all of this is greater than my understanding. Although at times I question God as to why He would allow these episodes to spike before my new health insurance kicks in, I'm beginning to understand the why of it all and am reminded that He is sovereign. It's better to be working through all of this before the school year starts, right? :)
The hardest thing, and I've shared this with some of you, is feeling so helpless as I watch this happen to our son. Everything I have read and been told has said that it doesn't "hurt" him or cause any damage but there's still a little part of me that aches every time it happens. Maybe I'm putting too much faith in this one appointment but at this point, I need more than a, "He's fine," or, "He'll grow out of it eventually." And maybe that's all I will get when all of this is said and done...fine...but give me tools to use so that I can 1)help Braeden pull through it as painlessly as possible and without harm and 2)Lord, give Matt and I the grace to persevere and cope with it.
Well, now that I've spilled my guts and poured out quite a bit for you, I will let you go and thank you in advance for the continued prayers. We will be sure to update you after these next few days/appointments. Take care and be blessed!

Daddy day!

I had another one of those parenting moments where the memory, though very simple, will definitely stand out in my mind as Braeden grows up. This morning for some reason Braeden decided that 6 would be a great time to wake up rather than his usual 7:30/8:00 wake time. I woke up to find that my husband was gone and Braeden's monitor was turned down (a sure sign that the 2 men in my life are up and having fun without me!) I came down the steps and found my hubby and son sitting on the couch together watching cartoons on the Disney Channel. It was SO precious! (Aside from the fact that this was not a lazy Saturday but actually a weekday which meant that there would be no lying around all day but instead a work day would follow...) Why is it during these special moments that I never seem to have my camera handy? Braeden is not the biggest fan of just chilling on the couch with us and is much more of an active little boy, always has been! So it made this moment all the more precious for us. Eventually, we fed Braeden his breakfast and daddy went back to sleep for another hour or so.
This story was a great example of what an awesome daddy Matt is to Braeden. He is always going out of his way to give Braeden time, attention, and love. This comes in the form of changing messy diapers without any complaint, playing "ball" outside, getting his things together for meals, trips, and daycare, and that's just the beginning! He definitely goes the extra mile and never gives a complaint. I am so thankful for such a great example for our son. Among the many things that my family just raves about with Matt is how hard-working he is and how incredibly well he treats Braeden and I. I am spoiled to have such a giving husband who counts it more than just his "job" to take care of Braeden and I...he loves being a husband and father. This just shines through all that he is.

And just as an aside...as a good college friend used to say, "Let me tell you somethin'..." Before Braeden was born we had the opportunity to go to a marriage seminar and during that time we received some materials that talked about developing a Christian home and family. As we went through this pregnancy with Braeden we spent time going through these materials and really looking at what it means to be a godly husband and wife/father and mother. I feel so blessed to be able to share this journey with someone who believes as strongly as I do that this foundation that we've built our marriage on (our faith) is vital in bringing up our children and sustaining our marriage. (Okay, off of my soap box...)

I hope and pray that Braeden turns out to be just like his daddy. We love you and thank you for being exactly who you are! Happy 2nd Father's Day, Matty!



This picture just makes me smile so I had to add it! :)

Okay...so it's that time again. Time for the rare and mysterious co-blogger to make an appearance--"Da-DA!" Hey everybody! It's me, Matt.

I just wanted to take a minute and say how WONDERFUL and incredible my lovely wife has been these last couple months for our family--she's been a rock. Not only has she kept all of you folks out there in cyberspace up to date with her diligent blogging, but she has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help our family, which most of you never get to see.

From the minute we got here, she went straight to work finalizing her plans to go back to the classroom to substitute. The very next week she began working full-time and didn't stop till the school year was over. But by then she was at home every night busily updating her portfolio so that she could finish the REAL work she had been doing for 2 months--putting herself in position to land a full-time job for the fall. (And I don't need to tell you how hard that is these days...)

And now that she's done that (which I am SO proud of her for...I can't even express it), she's gone the EXTRA mile to get a summer job to carry us through till then. Not only that, she still cooks, cleans, takes care of Braeden every afternoon by herself, and well, I could go on. She is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Basically, she's my hero. And I know this week is FATHER'S day and all, but well, I'm slow. So this is my salute to my princess. She is still as amazing and beautiful as the day I met her. We're just OLD now! Ha...okay, I'M old. But I love her with all my heart and always will. Here's to you, baby!

Keeping you up to speed

(Trying to knock out all of the exciting times we've been having so this may be somewhat long!)

With the weather sometimes drastically changing from day to day, we have made a point to spend time outside with Braeden whenever it is nice out. He is definitely an outdoor boy and his favorite place at Grandma and Grandpa's house is on the deck. When he finishes his afternoon snack, it is almost a guarantee that he will walk to the sliding doors and start banging on the glass and saying, "Ball! Ball!" We have interpreted this to mean, "Let me outside on the deck so I can throw the ball!" Several years ago, they decided to redo the deck and enlarge it. What great planning! Who knew that one day they would have a grandson whose greatest joy is to chase his Little Einstein's ball across this huge deck!



Although Matt's mom & dad have a very nice pool, the weather hasn't been quite warm enough for the water to warm up to a comfortable temperature yet. So, we bought a cheap inflatable baby pool for Braeden to use on the deck. The last time we filled it up, rather than getting in it, he sat outside of it and played with the toys floating in the water. Most recently he has enjoyed sitting in it and stepping in and out when it is not filled with water. Isn't it amazing what entertains our little ones??



Bocce (sp?) ball is a fun game that Matt's family introduced me to during my first summer visits to PA. I've heard it called "lawn bowling" as well. You throw a white ball somewhere in the yard and stand a certain distance away while taking turns throwing balls to see who can get the closest. It has been a fun family tradition that we play and on Memorial Day Matt & I spent time playing the game with Adam (Matt's bro), Josh (Matt's cousin), and Braeden helped, too! :) He was so good about standing with us while we took our turns throwing and then when we all started walking to see who won, he walked right along with us. He also loved being the one to throw the white ball for us.

This is such a Braeden stance...hands behind his back, really thinking about his next move. Already so analytical.

Lastly, I had the opportunity to visit Braeden at school for his Luau day. He seemed to have a good time but did get pretty clingy by the end. However, once they brought out his food, I was the last thing on his mind! :)
I'm really excited for him because they have some fun things planned for the kids this summer. Just yesterday they had their first weekly water day and his teacher told me that he absolutely loved it! The funny thing is that after both Luau day on Monday and water play on Tuesday, he got in the longest naps ever at school! On both days the entire class slept for more than 2 hours!


Come here, ducky!




Not happy, mommy!