A Couple More Pics from Nate's 1st B-Day

Nate's 1st Birthday

Since Owen just turned 1, I went back to look at Nate's 1st b-day pictures. It brought back so many memories. I hadn't looked at these pictures in a long time. Since we started this blog long after Nate's 1st birthday, I thought I would share some of these pictures. He's come a long way! What a big boy he is now!

Jennifer

Nate in his Stander (YouTube)

This video is a little long (8 minutes). It shows us getting Nate into the stander with the lift, going into the living room and then him in the stander for awhile without his bi-pap on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh1X-aCASAI

Owen's 1st Birthday

Our baby is ONE! Unbelieveable how the time flies! We had a great weekend and celebrated with Nana, Grandpa Wayne, Gammy, Grandpa, Grandma Judy and Uncle Jeff. Nate came out into the living room to watch Owen open presents and was a good boy! He was so tired from being up a lot the night before, but he didn't complain and didn't seem to get jealous that Owen was getting all the presents. He seemed to enjoy just hanging out with us. It was a really fun day! There's tons of pics to follow!

Owen Playing With and Feeding Me Birthday Cake

Owen Eating Pizza

We had pizza for lunch and Owen got to taste it for the first time. He LOVED it! Weird thing is, when we gave him a piece of his cake to eat, he HATED it! And even more he HATED ice cream! The faces he made were too funny! However, he did love playing with the cake and icing, throwing it on the floor and feeding it to me.

More B-day Pics

He got the Radio Flyer Wagon from Nana & Grandpa Wayne and it was a hit! By far, his favorite present - because he can walk behind it! He smiles and laughs and acts so proud the minute he starts pushing it - too cute!

Group B-day Pics

Owen Random B-day Pics

Long Update and Pics Coming Soon

Owen will be ONE YEAR OLD tomorrow! We are so excited! We will post new pics and videos that we take over the weekend in the next couple of days. Sorry it's been so long since a recent post, but we've had our hands full. Nursing issues, nursing issues and more nursing issues. It looks like things are going to work out and we might have FULL coverage (first time in I don't know how long) but it's been crazy around here with either no nursing or me training nurses and having Owen (who's becoming a little wild one!).

Jennifer

Nate in His Portable Lift (YouTube)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8NngfngCCU

Nate Back in the Stander

Finally! It took forever to get his new splints and then when we got them, they didn't fit him right in certain places. That was taken care of and he's been back in the stander for a couple of weeks now and doing great! The stander is so important because it is good for his bones, posture and spine. It also helps with circulation and respiratory issues. He usually can be in the stander without his bi-pap but because we are just starting to stand up again after a long time off, he has it on. This stander is great because it has wheels so we can take him around the house. He's in the living room here watching Spongebob (of course!).

Owen's Favorite Thing To Do

Nate Blowing Out Candles and Tasting His Cake

Nate Opening Presents

Nathan is 5 YEARS OLD!!!!

We are so proud of our little (big) boy! What a blessing to celebrate 5 years with him! Although Nate has had some rough times throughout his five years (he's a fighter and the toughest kid I know!), he's lived a HAPPY, HAPPY life and is loved by so many people! To the neurologist who told us when Nate was first diagnosed at five months old - "I know of a great hospice; there's nothing you can do; just take him home and love him; and he won't live to be 2 years old" - YOU WERE WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!!! And thank you Lord for leading us in a different direction and not listening to him! These five years with Nate have been the hardest but yet the HAPPIEST time of my life. Trey and I are completely and totally blessed that God chose us to be Nate's parents and love him more than words can say!

Nate had a great birthday weekend and seemed to enjoy this one more than the previous ones. He loved all of his presents and cards. We had a small family celebration which was perfect. It was a four day event. Friday, Trey and I took him to the aquarium which he really enjoyed (it was a little too crowded, but that seemed to bother me and Trey more than Nate). Saturday we all got in the pool and had a nice family day. Sunday was the little party with presents and cake. Monday Trey and I took him to see the Veggie Tales movie and I think this was his favorite! There were problems with the sound at first, so it was like we were watching a Veggie Tales silent movie, but Nate didn't care if there was sound - he was smiling so big! They finally got it fixed and it was a great movie and a treat for Nathan!

So get ready for picture overload. We'll post a video of Nate in his portable lift later this evening or tomorrow.

Thanks for checking in!

Jennifer

Nate B-Day Update and Pics Coming Later Today!!!

We've been very busy and haven't had time to post and there's a ton of pics and a video to download. Hopefully all will be posted by this evening.

No Pics/No Youtube, Just a Short Update

As you can tell from all the previous posts, mostly pics and videos, Nate and Owen have been in the pool a lot. The rainy weather has passed and hot summer has arrived! Mostly, because it has been so hot, other than the pool, we've been staying inside, going out for drives, going to the movies, running errands and driving his power chair at school. Next week we will take Nate to our church and he will drive in the gym there. I think that will work better - it will be cleaner, cooler and just a nicer place for him to drive. (Plus, we can stop and say a prayer on the way out!)

Nate got some new foot/ankle splints, which he didn't tolerate very well at first, but after some adjustments and wearing them a couple of times, he's doing much better in them. He hasn't been in the stander in a long time because we've been waiting for the splints to arrive and then for him to get used to them. Hopefully, this week he will get in his stander again.

Nate also got a haircut - it was so long! I saved some of his hair, which I haven't done since his very first haircut. I love the longer curls, but Trey prefers the military cut. Either way, he's our handsome redhead!

For some reason, Nate has been struggling some in the mornings. He has really thick secretions and we've had some scary times with him right when he wakes up. We have to cough, do the vest, breathing treatment right away (which is not normal). Then once we get him settled, he's fine the rest of the day - no temp, lungs clear, etc. We think it might be allergies??

Owen is standing on his own, well for about three seconds anyway. He crawls so fast! We are so happy and blessed that we have a child who is healthy and will be able to walk! I'm preparing myself for never sitting down and watching his every move! YIKES!

Thanks for checking in everyone!

Jennifer

Smiling Nate in a Hat

Family Pic in the Pool