Jonathan Cooper Update

Let me share with you what has happened here these past few days. Last week, of course, we were thrilled to learn that the insurance would pay 100% of Jonathan's braces. We had therapy on Wednesday last week so that we could have the therapist that Jonathan will see while Mrs. Dana is on maternity leave. Before we went in the afternoon, we took a bike ride with the therapy bike in the morning. Jonathan gets better and better with that, but his feet still shake by the time he gets finished riding. When we went to therapy later in the afternoon, she worked him really hard and did a lot of different exercises with him. She worked with him for almost an hour instead of just 45 minutes. About halfway through his workout, this upper legs began to shake pretty badly. That concerned me a bit since I don't recall that ever happening before. He did an awesome job despite the shaking legs. Ms. Heather did a lot of different exercises with Jonathan including his regular exercises on the ball, jumping, squats, balance beam, balance board, steps up and down, walking backward, side to side, doing the grapevine step, and bouncing on the ball. He worked really hard. Because of the shaking in his legs, I was concerned that maybe we have regressed a little because we haven't been able to wear his braces. I also have begun to see a little more hyperextension in his legs that I would like to admit, so as soon as we got home on Wednesday, I called and made an appointment to get started on his braces. Unfortunately, our appointment to just get the mold done to make the braces is not until tomorrow (Wednesday) and it could take at least two weeks beyond that to get them made. After therapy, Jonathan and I went to visit a chiropractor to get an adjustment. Both of us really needed one for various reasons. For Jonathan, getting in alignment will help his legs to gain strength. For me, it will help me feel better and sleep better, which is something I have been struggling with for the last month. We both went three days in a row. Jonathan continues to grow stronger, and at times his feet seem a little straighter. I have felt better and been able to sleep better since the adjustment. We were suppose to go camping over the weekend, but had to cancel our trip, so we just stayed home and did things at home together. We had an uneventful weekend, but a good one. Jonathan continues to do well at church on his own. He went back to Sunday School on his own again and added going back to choir and CIA, a missions class that the children have on Sunday nights. He has done a good job of handling these changes on his own. We are very proud of how well he is doing. Yesterday, the kids and I went with our Aunt Keby and Uncle Tim to Six Flags. Aunt Keby was able to get free tickets, so we spent the day out there together. We had a great time. Jonathan is a very cautious child; he always has been. He loves to go to Six Flags, but usually hates all the rides. There were only a few rides that he could go on, but instead of fretting over riding them, he got on the rides and completely enjoyed every minute. He even rode a couple of the rides more than once. He was very proud of himself! We were very proud of him and enjoyed watching him enjoy himself as much as he did. We also began using the bed wetting alarm last night. For the last couple of weeks, he has been waking up on his own at least once during the night to use the bathroom. Last night, he was able to get up and go each time before the alarm went off and he woke up dry this morning. We continue to work around our house to get things in order so that we can start back to school in a week or so. We have therapy this afternoon and tomorrow we will go to have the mold done to make Jonathan's braces. Overall, we are blessed to be doing so well.
Please continue to pray for Jonathan. Pray that we will continue to have success as we use this bed wetting alarm. Pray that he will continued to gain strength in his legs and that we will be able to get his braces soon to help straighten his feet. Pray that we will be able to settle into a good routine for school and exercise at home and that Mom will be able to handle everything that goes along with all of that. Pray that we will be able to receive the information and tools to help make this school year successful for Jonathan. Continue to pray for Jonathan's complete healing of his brain, vision and diabetes. You can also continue to pray for our entire family as we wait for God's leading in some decisions our family is facing. Pray that we will feed on the Lord's faithfulness that we have experienced through Jonathan's illness, wait patiently for His leading and trust in Him with all of our hearts. Thank you so much for your faithfulness to pray for us. The power of your prayers are evident in our lives every day.