skull cap

The Boy had a head scan this week to see if he needs a helmet. Looks like he does. He has a pretty classic case of Symmetrical Brachycephaly, which means the back of his head is mega flat and the sides are squashed out to be extra wide. Normally, the width of a head is less than 90% of the length, but The Boy's width and length are almost even steven. Here are some pictures of him in his head sock pre-scan. This fancy eye-safe laser created a 3D rendering of his head, which will also be used to make his helmet, so he won't have to do a plaster cast. Hurray for technology!

For all kinds of details about head deformations, helmets, etc., check out Orthomerica's website. They even have a little video that shows how they do the scan.

If producing ear wax was a super power, I'd buy a cape for The Boy. It took a nurse and three doctors to clear out his ears. He does have super teeny tiny ear canals... maybe he's earned a cape after all.

The weird thing was, after he had his ears cleaned, he ate better than he ever has. He had almost no coughing, sputtering or any indications that he was overwhelmed by the milk. A day later, we were back to the same business, along with gassiness and fussiness coming back. Weird, huh?

And, I learned a new use for laxatives: Drop "Pedia-Lax" in each ear weekly to help break-up the wax. I hope his darling little ears appreciate the Fruit Punch flavor. (double weird...)

Actually, the biggest thing lately (worry-wise) is that the back of his head is still really flat. Next comes a head scan or two to see if his head is technically 'abnormal' and if he needs a helmet. I think if he needs a helmet, I'll buy a mini skateboard to carry around with him.

In other news, he's totally starting to grow hair. Tummy-time is at an all time high, to the point that he's rolling out of it almost as soon as he's put in and pushing up on his hands a little. The Boy is King of The Tummy! Maybe I'll get him a crown to go with his cape, helmet and skateboard. Babies are all about the accessories, right?

The Boy

After careful consideration of various heroes from mythology and Irish lore, we have decided on a new name for Lizard Loaf. He will now be known on the blogosphere as The Boy.

The Boy is on top of the world right now. He's terminally cute, as you can see. He's got amazing head control. He's reaching for objects and eventually bats at them or grabs them. He tracks objects with his head, and with his eyes alone. And the big change that I forgot to mention is he's breast-feeding! That's right. The Boy is no longer aspirating, and he's been breast-feeding for a month now. He's become something of a connoisseur, actually. Now he won't take a bottle. Ever. That's okay by me.

Her Nibs is even more taken with him, if that's possible. She thinks he's the most beautiful creature of all. She said "I wish I had slanted eyes...*sigh*..." And she figures he doesn't even have Down syndrome anymore since he isn't aspirating. I love that girl.

New skills

I am happy to report that Mermaid is having a banner quarter. We have just reduced her seizure meds for the last time and if she's doing well after two weeks, she should be done. (fingers crossed) Her latest milestones and skills include:
*two teeth- four more on the way surprisingly coming in the right order and locations
*blowing raspberries-first seen at 3 months, but never since the seizures until now
*reaching
*grasping
*solo sitting for two minutes or more
*legs bearing weight upwards of six minutes at a time
*laughing at funny noises
*laughing when tickled
*increased communication of displeasure, for example fussing if I'm not there even if she doesn't need anything else
*bearing weight on one hand in crawling position
*rocking back and forth in crawling position
**plus-I've seen her pull up to crawling position 4 times, but only on carpet. She's a smartie, that one!

Our Kids Rock

Mermaid Birthday

Shout out to Mermaid. My little one is one! My camera batter is dead, but when Grandma sends her shots, I'll upload.
Happy Birthday, M. Thanks for an amazing year of growth for all of us.

So Thankful

I'm completely overwhelmed, but I'm still alive. My bathrooms haven't been cleaned in 2 months and my shelves are dusty enough to make even me cringe, and I get new medical bills pretty much every week. I'm baffled by the medicaid application I'm trying to fill out, way behind in getting my home-made Christmas stuff put together, and usually end up letting my daughter watch about 4 hours of TV a day. I was below my pre-pregnancy weight two weeks after birth, but now I'm gaining again. I'm trying to figure out how long I can get by wearing just one pair of pants and a nursing bra that has to be pinned to fit properly. Even so, whenever anyone asks how I'm doing I can't help but smile and say "Wonderful!" I'm so happy to have LL for my son. I'm so happy to have Her Nibs for my daughter. And marrying Turtar was definitely the best thing I've ever done in my life.

LL came off oxygen a week ago and finally met Mermaid face to face at Thanksgiving (pictures to follow :D). He has hypothyroidism, but there's a pill for that. Other than needing his blood drawn periodically to check his TSH levels, it doesn't seem like a very big deal. We're still dealing with eating issues (thickening milk to prevent aspiration, supporting his cheeks, trying to get him to eat enough...), constipation, and hemorrhoids, but today he passed his hearing exam!!! Finally. He has normal hearing. Hurrah!

Eventually I'll find my center, but for now I flip between 'brink of disaster' and total elation. Usually the elation wins out, so that's okay by me.