All 81 posts, oldest first
The Story
In the NICU
July 2008
Brady arrives at 28 weeks and 1 lb 7 oz; the hole in her heart closes, and Nikkie holds her for the first time.
Brady's First Blog
A few days after Brady's early birth, Erik starts this blog so family and friends can follow her health in one place.
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I'm going to be a what?...when?
Nikkie shares Brady's first days: medicine for a small hole in her heart, paused feedings, and why we changed her middle name to Faith.
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one whole hand old today!
At five days old, an ultrasound shows the hole in Brady's heart has closed, and her doctor lowers her Vapotherm and calls her "great."
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Easy Updates from BradyFaith.Com
A housekeeping note: Erik explains how to follow the blog by RSS feed or email alerts.
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More good news
Brady starts feedings after losing weight, and Nikkie takes her temperature and changes her first diapers through the isolette's arm holes.
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One Week Old
At one week, Brady comes off the jaundice light and her oxygen, gives us a smile, and Erik goes back to work.
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oh what a day
Still healing from surgery, Nikkie brings a crowd of family in to meet Brady, gives her first bath, and hears her head scan shows no brain bleed.
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Can't See My Little Girl
Erik loses his voice to a sore throat and has to stay out of the NICU so he won't pass germs to Brady.
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yet another day in the NICU
After two weeks of good news, Brady's heart rate starts dipping and a limb swells, but we learn we can hold her tomorrow; she's 1 lb 8 oz.
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Wonderful Day
Nearly two weeks after Brady's birth, Nikkie holds her skin to skin for the first time, for an hour, while the monitor still flashes.
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AAHHHHHH!
We spend 90 minutes with Brady with the isolette top lifted, and Erik catches her in a giant yawn on camera.
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August 2008
Erik holds Brady, she passes 2 pounds and tries bottles, then an infection and breathing scares bring our hardest days.
already having trouble coming up with new blog titles
Brady's feedings go from 5 cc to 7 cc, she starts smiling at visitors, and we have our first baby shower.
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Some are good, some are bad, some are in between
Nikkie answers a critical commenter: NICU parents are allowed hard feelings. Also, Brady comes off her IVs and gains another ounce.
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I Finally Held Her
Three weeks in, Erik holds Brady for the first time, and we take our first family photo.
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she's growing
Nikkie holds Brady for over an hour without one heart-rate dip, and we learn she's grown to 1 lb 11.5 oz and 13.5 inches.
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Nikkie's Birthday!
A quick note from Erik wishing Nikkie a happy birthday, with more to come that night.
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First Birthday as a mommy
Nikkie's 25th birthday is bittersweet, spent mostly apart from Brady, who now weighs 1 lb 14 oz and is up to 17 cc feedings.
Puttin Meat on Those Bones
Brady breaks the 2-pound mark at 2 lb 2 oz, and Nikkie goes back to work after five weeks as we figure out how to keep visiting.
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it's been a few days
Brady gains 3 ounces to 2 lb 5 oz; Nikkie visits on her lunch break while doctors watch whether Brady needs a blood transfusion.
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:(
Nikkie wakes up with a cough and can't visit Brady, and shares how much that hurts.
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Great News
Brady will move to the NICU's intermediate area and starts one bottle a day, though she won't suck yet; Nikkie is sick and can't visit.
New Pictures
Erik posts 14 new photos, holds Brady, tries a bottle she doesn't understand yet, and gets peed on for the first time.
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Big Girl Now
Brady wears her first clothes and gets her first bottle from Nikkie, but her oxygen dips while she's held and she needs a mask.
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Update on Weight and Stuff
After a scary night, Nikkie calls at 8 a.m.: most of Brady's oxygen dips corrected on their own, and she's gained an ounce to 2 lb 6 oz.
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beep free day :)
Four people hold Brady, including both grandmothers for the first time, without one monitor alarm, and she drinks 10 cc from a bottle.
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Good days and Bad days
After a great night at 2 lb 9 oz, Brady goes back on oxygen and turns blue during a feeding, and Nikkie calls it the worst moment of her life.
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Update
A brief prayer request: Brady is having a blood transfusion today.
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But He is Strong
Brady gets worse: more oxygen, signs of infection, antibiotics, and her first blood transfusion. Erik leans on "Jesus Loves Me."
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better news
Brady responds to her medicine; she's back in the critical section on Vapotherm until she's weaned, and we can finally sleep a little.
September 2008
Brady recovers, leaves the NICU for the step-down nursery, nears 5 pounds, and struggles to learn the bottle.
Getting better
Nikkie explains Brady's skin infection, cellulitis, which caused her breathing trouble; she's improving after what we call the worst days of our lives.
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"Be still and Know I'm Here"
Brady needs another transfusion, an IV in her head after 7 tries, and more oxygen; a friend's song reminds Nikkie that God is still there.
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Just a Short Update
Brady is off antibiotics and back in the intermediate area, and a specialist is coming to help with bottles that sometimes turn her blue.
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2 pounds gained!
Eight weeks in, Brady weighs 3 lb 5 oz, is off all breathing support, and is still learning to breathe and swallow with the bottle.
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Moving on up!
Brady moves out of the NICU to the step-down nursery, drinks a whole one-ounce bottle, and a doctor checks her for a possible hernia.
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growing like a weed...finally
Brady gains 7 ounces in three days and gets her own crib, but still chokes on bottles and has stage one eye disease of prematurity.
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patiently waiting
Weigh-in Mondays become our favorite day; Brady finishes a whole bottle, gets her first immunization, and our pastor visits to pray.
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Another Update
At two months Brady weighs 3 lb 15.9 oz, so we round up to 4, but her vaccinations bring apnea and put her back on oxygen.
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2 steps forward and .9 ounces back
Brady loses 0.9 ounces after her shots and her first week in an open crib, but she comes off oxygen and drinks about half of each bottle.
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a specific prayer
Brady chokes on hospital nipples and refuses the slow-flow one, so we buy our own bottle at the mall and ask for prayer that she'll take it.
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long road ahead of us
Two months in, Brady drools out her bottles, may need a stomach tube, and will need hernia surgery, but her oxygen monitor comes off.
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More Pictures
Erik posts new photos to Flickr and describes Brady with her arms frozen like a little ninja.
chunky little baby
Brady gains about 7 ounces to 4 lb 6.3 oz, has neck rolls, and starts watching people who talk to her and lifting her head.
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Almost Five Pounds!
Brady is 4 ounces shy of 5 pounds, and Erik shares a one-minute video of her.
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still almost 5 pounds
Brady is 4 lb 15.3 oz; doctors blame reflux and float surgery, we push back, and a "ready, set, go home" card appears on her crib.
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October 2008
A g-tube is called off as Brady finally learns to drink from a bottle, and after 94 days we bring her home.
Specific Prayer
At 5 1/2 lb and nearly 85 days in, we're worn down, offered a g-tube for Brady's feeding, and ask for prayer to decide this week.
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short update on previous post
Brady takes a whole bottle at 5 a.m., and her doctor agrees to hold off on the g-tube while she keeps improving.
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Day 87 (new video)
On day 87, a breathing scare sends Brady back to the NICU for an upper GI and head MRI while we wait to see if bottles or a g-tube get her home.
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and... the surgeon's been called off!
Brady's upper GI and brain scan are normal, she starts draining 3 to 5 bottles a day, and the surgeons are called off.
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End in sight
A nurse tells Nikkie that Brady could go home Saturday if she gains weight, switches to a take-home formula, and passes her car seat challenge.
GOING HOME!!!!!
After 94 days, the doctor discharges Brady, and Erik shares the news that we're bringing her home this morning.
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Home at last
October 2008
A g-tube is called off as Brady finally learns to drink from a bottle, and after 94 days we bring her home.
November 2008
We move house, Brady has hernia surgery and starts laughing, and we become a March of Dimes Ambassador Family.
Still No Internet
A one-line note: we still have no internet at the new house, so updates are on hold.
back to the hospital we go...but not for long
Two and a half weeks after coming home, Brady has hernia repair surgery and is fussy but doing well, at about 6 lb 10 oz to 6 lb 14 oz.
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Let There Be Internet!
Our internet is finally connected at the new house, and we promise new pictures and video soon.
amazing little baby girl
Brady starts laughing and can't get enough to eat, and we're chosen as the March of Dimes Ambassador Family for Savannah.
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Our Cutie
Erik shares phone snapshots of Brady's funny expressions from playtime before dinner.
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New Video!
Erik catches Brady on video flashing him a huge smile while he works at his computer.
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December 2008
At home Brady passes 8, 9, and 10 pounds, sleeps through the night, and celebrates her first Christmas.
she's growing :)
Brady reaches 8 lb 4 oz, sleeps 7 hours straight, and a high-risk follow-up finds her on track; Nikkie thanks Brady's NICU nurses.
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she's such a little darling
At almost 5 months, Brady has gained nearly 8 pounds and 8 inches, grabs a toy duck, and opens and closes her hand back at Nikkie.
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Nine Pounds
Brady reaches 9 lb and 19 inches, comes off Reglan, eats 4 to 5 ounces a feeding, and sleeps until 5 or 6 a.m.; we've all stayed healthy.
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Double Digits!!!
Brady weighs 10 pounds at her Synagis shot, and we share her first Christmas: books, noisy toys, and a singing teddy bear.
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The first two years
January 2009
Brady rolls over, has been home longer than she was in the hospital, and comes off her apnea monitor.
Happy New Year!!!
Looking back on 2008, Nikkie writes that Brady's lungs have caught up, and Brady rolls over for the first time on New Year's Day.
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3 months and 3 days and March for Babies
Brady has now been home longer than she was in the hospital; Nikkie grieves a missed church dedication, and we set a $1,000 March for Babies goal.
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she weighs how much?
Brady weighs 13 lb 10 oz at her RSV shot, comes off her apnea monitor after no episodes at home, and may start going to church in March.
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February 2009
Brady gets through a stomach bug and an ear infection, starts solids, and Nikkie braces for NICU follow-up.
Poor little baby
A stomach bug, then a cough we get checked quickly because of RSV risk; it's an ear infection, and Brady actually weighs 11 lb 1 oz.
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Doing better :)
Brady recovers and starts solids, while Nikkie dreads going back to the NICU for follow-up clinic and thinks about donating Brady's preemie clothes.
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March 2009
A respiratory infection means a long night holding Brady upright, and she starts sleeping in her crib.
April 2009
Brady's NICU follow-up goes well, she sits up, and her first big outing is the six-mile March for Babies.
Happy Easter
Brady's NICU follow-up goes well and she sits up on her own, but being sick keeps her home from Easter family visits.
March for Babies
Erik explains how to donate to or walk with our March for Babies team as the local March of Dimes Ambassador Family.
off the subject of Brady
Nikkie describes the online preemie-parent community she leans on and asks for prayer for Kayleigh, a 1-pound baby who may not wake up.
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We walked for babies
On Brady's first big outing she rides six miles in her stroller at March for Babies; we double our $1,000 goal and see her NICU nurses again.
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May 2009
We go to church as a family for the first time to dedicate Brady, and celebrate Nikkie's first Mother's Day.
Dedication at Church
We attend church as a family for the first time and dedicate Brady, and share an 8-minute video of her journey for NICU families who need hope.
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Happy Mother's Day!
Erik celebrates Nikkie's first Mother's Day, and we visit her family's farm for the first time since her grandfather passed away.
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July 2009
Brady turns one at about 17 pounds, crawling and pulling up, and Nikkie looks back on the day she was born.
October 2009
Brady is talking, takes her first steps, and her NICU follow-up finds her on track for her adjusted age.
November 2009
On Prematurity Awareness Day, Nikkie shares facts about early birth and urges pregnant women to speak up.
January 2010
Nikkie recaps Brady's 2009 milestones and a November hospital stay for RSV and pneumonia.
July 2010
Brady turns two, and Erik shares what two years as a preemie dad have taught him.
November 2010
Nikkie tells how pre-eclampsia caused Brady's early birth and lists the warning signs she missed.
