NATHAN IS A BIG BROTHER!

Owen Bennett Russell arrived Thursday afternoon at 3:55PM. He weighed in at 9 lbs. 2 ozs., is 21 inches long and has red hair just like his older brother! Here are a few pictures:

Moments like this make it all worthwhile...

More pictures of Nate & Owen on Friday!

Trey

Nate & the Catoosa Cheerleaders

Greetings from HOT, HOT Tulsa!

Here is a quick update and a few pictures since it has been a while since we posted! Nate is doing well...he has two upper teeth breaking through the gum line so he has been a little fussy off & on over the last week or so. His appointment with Dr. Carey went well and the culture came back with "rare/very few pseudomonas" which means that it is suppressed right now. He will probably always have some of it in his lungs and our best approach is to keep it suppressed.

Jen is hanging in there and in the next 7 to 8 days, Nate will be a big brother! If she does not go into labor before next Thursday, we'll do an inducement on August 23rd at 7:30AM. I really believe that Nate understands what is going on and that he does look forward to a baby around the house.

Earlier this summer, Nate became a sponsor for the Catoosa High School Varsity Cheerleaders. Last week, five members of the squad came over to get their pictures with him and Cassidy, Jenni's grand-daughter, made a poster for his room. Nate's picture will be in the 2007 Football Program and if he is doing well, we'll be able to go to one of the games and he will be introduced as an "Official Sponsor". As you can tell from the following pictures, Nate really enjoyed the having the cheerleaders around...

Group photo for the Program:

Check out his smile...

Nate & Cassidy:

Cassidy shows Nate his Thank You Poster:

Thanks for checkng in on Nate!

B-day Pictures (Cake)

B-day Pics (Opening Presents)

B-Day Pics (Aquarium)

Nathan is 4 YEARS OLD!!!!!!

What a blessing - 4 years with our Nate! He had such a great birthday yesterday. He loved the Aquarium and seemed to enjoy it much more than the previous visits. He seems to be at the perfect age to really take it all in and was much more interested in all the fish and exhibits. He also enjoyed opening presents more this year and tasting his homemade cake. He was so into it! It was the perfect day.

With each birthday Nathan has, we celebrate. We celebrate him beating the odds and we admire his diligent fight against the devastating disorder of SMA. Throughout the year, we enjoy every single day with Nathan. We realize how precious Life is and realize what a special and strong person Nathan is. Nathan is such a happy boy, which makes us happy. Sure, Nathan is different and has a horrible disorder, but we don't focus on that. We enjoy Life & Nathan and the fact that he has SMA is secondary.

The pictures will be coming. We have so many good ones to share!!!

Thanks for checking in on Nate and for all the birthday wishes!

Jen & Trey

The beauty of a hospital bed...

One of the great things about having a hospital bed for Nate is the ability to raise, lower, tilt and adjust it to suit Nate's needs. During his doctor's appointment this afternoon, we talked about putting him in different positions to see if some worked better for him in regards to his breathing. While he is in his stander, he is able to be off the BiPAP for longer periods of time than when he is laying down.

So tonight, we raised the head of the bed way up so we could get him in a reclined sitting position without the BiPAP for a while. He did really well and was off the BiPAP for about 15 minutes...

Nate and Daddy coming in after swinging outside

Nate and Miss Sue

Sue came to visit Nate and, as you can tell from the picture, they were both very happy to see each other again!!!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Not much new around our house, which is a good thing sometimes. Nate has been enjoying the pool a lot, since the rain has finally stopped! He seems to be doing really well medically, and in great spirits, as always. I continue to get bigger and bigger and more uncomfortable. It has been an adjustment and unfortunately, I'm limited on how much I can handle Nate. So, mostly I wait for Trey to get home in the evenings, and then we will get Nate up and about (in the pool, in the swing, getting out of the house, etc.). The weekends are always full since Trey is home and we have nursing. Our nursing situation has improved some, but we still don't have coverage on Saturday nights. Hopefully before the baby comes, we can get that covered. We have tentatively scheduled an induction for Thursday, August 23rd. I originally didn't want to induce, but the more we thought about it, it really makes sense in our situation. We can make sure we have a nurse, Trey can actually be there for the birth (VERY IMPORTANT!!!), and we'll know Nate is taken care of. So, we're just counting the days (actually I'm counting hours and minutes) and looking forward to our new addition! I'm so happy and excited, especially for Nate to have a sibling!

Nate's 4th birthday is coming up very soon!!! We aren't having a big party this year since I'm in really no shape to plan anything right now! But, Nancy and Wayne are coming up and we will be going to the aquarium and opening presents that evening and letting Nate taste some b-day cake. I'm also hoping to get the Nelsons and the Gundys over soon for a swim play date. They are the other families with children with SMA. I can't believe he's going to be 4!!! What a big boy! We are so blessed!

We go see Dr. Carey the first week of August and we'll be sure to update after the appointment. And, of course, we'll update after his birthday with pictures!

Thanks for checking in!!!

Jennifer

Nate With His New "Blanket4SMA"

Nate Having Fun In the Tub

FIREWORKS!!!!

Nate, Gammy & Uncle Jeff watch the show...

Uncle Jeff directs the plane to the jet bridge...

July 4th Update

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

Our neighborhood had a Fourth of July Parade this morning and Nate participated in his decorative Kid Kart. Here are some pictures from the event...

A quick family photo before heading out...


An old time fire truck lead the parade...

Nate, Dad & Miss Ollie rollin' along...

This picture is from Saturday, June 23rd...our 6th Anniversary! Jennie and her daughter, Tracey, came to the house and took care of Nate while we went out to dinner to celebrate. We had a great time and Nate really enjoyed seeing other faces during the evening hours...THANK YOU Jennie & Tracey!!

Father's Day

We had a great Father's Day yesterday. My dad and Judy came in town and my brother Jeff came over. We cooked out steaks and got in the pool. Poor Trey had to cook his own dinner on Father's Day, but he is a MASTER at filets on the grill!

I just have to say that Nate has the BEST dad in the whole world! He is so "hands on" and takes such good care of Nate. His love, commitment and devotion continue to amaze me every day. Nate and I appreciate him and everything he does more than he will ever know! I am so blessed to have him as my husband and Nate's father (and the father of baby #2!)!

Jennifer

June 14, 2007

Well, not much is new around here. Nate's enjoying the summer so far. He's been in the pool a couple of times and LOVED it! We've had so much rain (I guess spring isn't wanting to leave just yet) so we've been limited on pool time! I'm sure the hot sunny steamy days will be here in no time. Being 7 mos pregnant, I'm not in any hurry!

Nate's summer school starts today. The teacher and speech therapist will come to the house on Thursdays until late July. We will go to the school the next couple of weeks also, for zoo day and safari day. Hopefully, they will have some big animals for Nate to check out!

We found out Nate still has pseudomonas. He went through his three month treatment of Cipro and Colymicin, but it is still showing up in his culture. We knew this bacteria was VERY hard to get rid of, but we've been through this before when he was a year old, and after the treatment, his cultures were clear for two years. But the nasty thing is back and looks like it might be here to stay. Apparently, it's not uncommon for children in Nate's situation to get this. He will be monitored closely (if the bacteria grows, it can be life threatening), cultures taken frequently, and will be on Colymicin every other month to keep the bacteria at bay. He has been doing very well and isn't showing any signs of being sick or that the pseudomonas is growing, so we will continue to pray and be happy he's doing so great and feeling good!

The new nursing company has worked out well. It's a much better operation and they are really trying to fill all of the shifts. The nurses (for the most part) have all been great and Nate seems to approve of them. We will hopefully get 24 hour coverage around the time the baby is born, which will be a big help! We wouldn't want Trey to miss out on his child being born if I go into labor when a nurse isn't here, so we're working on getting that approved by insurance. Hopefully, the nursing company will be able to fill all the shifts. It's getting closer - only a couple more months and Nate will meet his little brother or sister!

Thanks for checking in!

Jennifer

More School Pics - Blowing Bubbles

Nate's Last Day AT School

Nate went to his last day at school today. Dad even took off work to join us! Nathan did so great and had so much fun (as you can see from the pictures!). The kids are all so sweet. They helped Nathan color and play with his toys. His girl "friend" read him some books and was by his side most of the day. They all blew bubbles (including Nathan!) and the kids helped Nate pop the bubbles. Then they had circle time and Nathan was chosen to pick the day of the week by color (which was pink) and he picked the correct one by nodding - what a smart little boy! Then we sang cute, funny songs which Nathan always loves.

I'm sure Nate will miss going to school this summer, but at least he will see his teacher here at the house once a week. We are going to look into Sunday School to keep him socialized.

Our special little boy is growing up SO FAST!

Enjoy all the pics!

Jennifer

Nate Smiling In His Stander

May 21, 2007

It's been busy around here. Just having fun and enjoying spring! Nate has been doing well and feeling good. We've been trying to get him out as much as possible as we know the hot summer months are coming soon. He loves going for walks and getting in his swing.

He's still enjoying school and has a girl "friend" named Kendyl, who won't leave his side. It's too cute! Unfortunately, next week is the last week of school. The teacher will still come to the house over the summer. So, we'll have to find other ways to socialize. We have a lot of kids in the neighborhood and I'm sure they will jump at the opportunity to come swim with Nathan. We've already been in the pool and had our neighbors over. Nathan LOVED that!


Nate's also learning more computer stuff. We just had a new program called Intellitools installed on his laptop and it's great! It's an educational program, but is "fun" learning. All Nate has to do is touch a switch to operate the program. It has different games and books and scanning techniques for cause and effect and simple learning such as choice making. Pretty soon he'll be a whiz!


We had a great Mother's Day. Nana and Grandpa Wayne came up for a visit and my mom came over. I've attached some pics.


As for me, I continue to get bigger and bigger, but I'm feeling pretty good. I'm feeling a lot of movement and kicks, much more so than with Nathan, and that is encouraging. We continue to pray for an SMA-free baby. But, we will be blessed either way!!!!! We are so excited!!! Just a little over three months and Nate will be a big brother!!!!

Thanks for checking in and hope everyone is doing well!!!

Jennifer

A new look...

We have a new look for Nate's blog!

Blogger has made some changes to their templates and features so I felt it was time to upgrade Nate's page....I hope that you enjoy the new look!

Trey

Sittin' on the dock of the bay...

OK, it's not an accurate title but it sounds better than

SITTIN' ON THE SIDE OF THE BED...