Long Needed Update

Sorry it has taken me so long to update everyone on Naters. Things have been so crazy, and there is just not enough time in a day to get things done. Nathan is doing very well. Where do I start? Nathan has added another word to his vocabulary. He said Bryan. I was shocked and amazed. So was Bryan and my mom. They were there when he said it.

He had his GI appointment on August 27th, and they are VERY pleased with how far he has come. The dietitian said since he is just about at the 25th percentile we can cut out one of his feeds during the day. In hopes he will get to know the hunger feeling, and want to eat. So far it is working pretty well. We still have a hard time with feeding him, but if I can put on his favorite country songs, I can get him to eat some. He is also eating more things without gagging. OT is very impressed with how far he has come in such a short period of time. He has been working on eating mashed potatoes, & mac n' cheese. He has only gagged maybe twice. He also LOVES McDonald's french fries. He does so well with them, and barely gags at all.

His pulmonary appointment was on August 31st. They are so happy with how well he is doing. His stats were at 96% when we were there. And he hasn't needed oxygen in over a month. She did an x-ray and said it doesn't look to different than his last. She said they would LOVE to do a biopsy, because he is such a mystery and they can get a better idea of what is going on, but since he is doing better they wouldn't have a biopsy done. I agreed, they are not using our lil man as a guinea pig~Lol. I asked if we needed to send back all the oxygen supplies, and she stated to keep them for a while longer. She stated that when he gets a cold, not to be surpirsed but he may need it. She said it's not a set back or anything, but colds can be hard on the lungs. His next appointment is not until Jan.

He is still crawling all over the place, and now he is working on standing unassisted, and walking unassisted. He will stand up holding on to the couch or toys and then let go. He is trying to hard to get his balance down. He is also taking a few steps without holding onto anything. He can take about 2 or 3 unassisted. I am sure it will not be long now before he starts walking. He can also climb up the stairs. He brushes his teeth all by himself. (Well I have to go over it when he is done~Lol) He can wash his own face, and feed himself. He is not great with the spoon, but he does get some food in his mouth. He amazes us everyday. We are truly blessed to have him.

Nathan's first hair cut

Nathan had his hair cut for the first time today. He really needed it. He was fine up until she put the cover over him. He knew something was up. He cried the entire time. It was actually very funny. No matter what we did, he was not having it. Below are before and after shots.

Nathan's first time Standing

He finally stood unassisted.

Time is really flying by

Time is really flying by. Nathan is doing amazing. He is crawling everywhere, and pulling himself up on everything. He also gets on all fours and tries to stand. Not much longer now before he starts walking unassisted. Believe it or not, I can't wait. He is almost in the 25th percentile for his weight. He has an appointment with GI on the 27th, and if he hits the 25th percentile, they will back off his feeds at night some. He is still doing OT twice a week, and making great progress. This is a slow process, but he is doing quite well. We are so very proud of him.

Last week we took Nathan to Tawas City to GGma's place for the first time. We all had a blast. We left on July 31st after Nathan's therapy. He did this most of the way up there:

He woke up about 30 minutes before we got there. Once we made it, I was a little nervous about how he would be in a strange place. We went inside and I sat him on the floor. He had ZERO issues. He crawled around and checked everything out. We let him stay up while we unpacked the car. I think we ended up putting Nathan to bed about 11:30pm. He slept fine through the night. In fact he didn't have any issues up there at all. The next day it rained so we pretty much stayed home, except to run into town to Walmart to get some supplies. Most of the vacation was spent at the house, relaxing or playing games. On the 4th, we took Nathan to the beach for the first time. He LOVED it.

The only thing he didn't like was the waves pushing him around. It was really choppy so he couldn't really sit and play for any length of time. He did look so cute in his life jacket though.

The following day we went back to the beach and took a bunch of pictures. We took pictures by statues, and on the pier. They turned out so cute. (Please view them in the photo section) After that we headed to Hubbies. We love that putt putt place. It is SO big, and very fun. Nathan even took a crack at it.

We left on the 7th and headed for home. I wish we could of stayed up longer. I didn't want this vacation to end, we had a blast. Thank you, Kevin, Nathan, Pops, Mom, Bryan, Lindsay, and Gma for a wonderful vacation.

On the oxygen front Nathan has not needed oxygen in 2 weeks. We are thrilled. He is still hooked up to the pulse ox machine to monitor it. His next appointment with Pulmonary is the 31st. I am hoping he can be oxygen free until then. Maybe they will give him the clearance and we can send all the machines back. That would be nice to have another cord off of him a night.
We also have a new word to add to Nathan's vocabulary. He said Bubba yesterday. Bubba is Uncle Bryan's nickname. It was so sweet, and mom and I heard it as clear as day. I texted Bryan right away, and he was so excited to hear that. I just can't wait until see gets to hear it first hand. He can now say 7 words: Momma, Dadda, Grandma, Hi, Night Night, Kitty, & Bubba.
That's about it for now. I have uploaded a video, and also new pictures. Take a look. I will update again soon.
Love you all!!!!

Nathan's first time pulling himself up on everything

Nathan can now pull himself up on anything to get into the standing position. He can pull himself to stand from the stairs, baby gate, and couch. I give it another couple of weeks, and he will be walking everywhere.

To see him stand using the stairs, please visit:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/video/video.php?v=121310455806

Nathan's first time playing on the beach

Nathan went to the beach for the first time. We were in Tawas City for a week, and Nathan experienced the beach for the first time. I think he had a lot of fun. He loved the water, but didn't like that the water was so choppy. They kept pushing him around.

Also his first time in a life jacket.

Just relaxing!!!

He is such a water baby!

Nathan's first steps

They were assisted, but he walked with is toy. It was SO cute. He has been cruising the couch for a little while now, but this is the first time with a moving object. He will be walking in no time.