Monday, May 16, 2011
Oh Carter
I love having a kid. Yes there are many many trying times, but more times than not, its very rewarding. Its so fun to teach them new things and see the excitement on their face when they finally figure it out. Carter is at the age now where every day he is doing something new, learning something, and accomplishing it. It happens so fast. I feel like just the other day he turned 3 months old, and now he is almost 4 and a half months old. Its crazy! I really need to start doing better with keeping up with this blog because I have no idea what I have already written about. A few weeks ago, I spent about a week and a half really working with Carter to learn to put himself to sleep. It was much easier than I thought it would be. People always tell me that they had to use the Cry it out method, or waited till they were a year old to teach them to put themselves to sleep...or people feed them to put them to sleep. Nope, not my kid. I wrap him up, lay him in bed and he goes to sleep. Sometimes he gets a little fussy so I give him the paci, he will suck on it for a few minutes, spit it out and go to sleep. I pray he isn't one of those kids that ends up having to have the paci to sleep, but its not looking that way. Ever since he was born we had to make him take the paci and even then, he would spit it out after a while and didn't want it back. Thats my boy! Right now we are definitely going thru a growth spurt! He is sleeping so much! Night before last he slept over ten hours and then over 5 hours in naps. He was hardly awake! ha Last night, he only slept 6.5 hours and needed a bottle and then went back to sleep. SO slept a total of about 10 hours again. Looks lik we are slowly getting back on the road to sleeping all night. Oh how I have missed that. And I can tell Carter does to. Ever since he stopped sleeping thru the night, he hasn't been his excited, loud self. Just looked sleepy all the time. And now, he is starting to bust out of his swaddle more often. Last night he busted out COMPLETELY and was trying to roll over in the crip. Only problem is, he wont sleep without being swaddled..so... hmmm... yea looks like that will be our next lesson..sleeping without being wrapped up. AAHHH So this last week has been a very trying week for me. We have our appointment to have Carter's head looked like, which is good, but at the same time I still hate that this is happening. A lot of people understand what we are going thru and understand that its very normal for this to happen but then there are more people that dont understand, think we have done something wrong, think there is something wrong with Carter. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my child. He will grow up just like any other kid, and will be just as smart as any other kid. And we have done nothing wrong. Now that parents are supposed to put their kids on their backs to sleep, this is happening more often. And like I said in previous post, my kid is an amazing sleeper(which most parents can't say) and that is why his head is the way it is. But on the brighter side, Derrick and I have noticed that it is starting to look a lot better! We have been working really hard at keeping him off his head except to sleep. I hope we get to the clinic and the dr says that it doesn't look that bad, and lets give it one more month to see if it will correct itself. I just really dont want Carter to have to wear a helmet and THEY ARE REALLY EXPENSIVE!! And if he does have to get one, we will be driving to dallas like every other week to get it refit...and well that will add up too...and to be honest, we dont have that kind of money. So lets add that to my stress list. I know God is taking care of us, and he will make it all work. I am trying so hard not to worry or be upset about it all...but its hard. Also, now that Carter is sleeping longer during the day, I have so much free time. YOu can only clean your house so much! So, I am looking for something to do that can bring in a few bucks to help pay for all of these possible expenses...any ideas? Well this week will be a fun one, thats for sure. Today is Dad's birthday, so we are having a little party for him tonight. The rest of the week, there is no telling... But this weekend is my SIL Baby shower that me and Ashley are hosting. It should be a lot of fun! Oh and ASHLEY GOT ENGAGED! She is so excited, so I need to go see her ring at some point. WEdnesday, I am having blood work done to check my cholesterol. It has been extremely high in the past, so I want to see how it is now. Probably not good. I am trying to eat better, but its so hard. And then sunday...is THE BIG DAY! Our first trip with Carter. Pretty nervous about the trip in itself. I just have this feeling he is going to scream the whole two hours there. NO FUN! And our first stay at a hotel with a baby...hope they dont kick us out! ha And then the Appointment is Monday morning at 8:45. Hopefully I have good news after that. Well I am going to go enjoy the quiet while Carter naps. Yall have a great day
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Plagiocephaly
Plagiocephaly or also called "flat head syndrom". THis is something we are learning about right now.
When we took carter to his two month check up we told the dr we were concered about a flat spot on the back right side of his head. Yes, this is common since now we are told to put babies on their backs to sleep. The dr didn't seem to be too concerned since it is more common now. She just told us to make sure we do more tummy time and try to keep him off of it as much as possible. Also to make sure that it wasnt a neck related problem, make sure he can turn his head to both sides. He could turn his head with no problem, its just that he is a little stubborn and likes to sleep on the right side of his head. So of course, being the person that I am...I researched. Now, one in five babies have some form of this problem and is more common in babies who are good sleepers. Well that was Carter! After his two month check up, we did everything we could to keep him off his head. We propped him up in bed to try to make him sleep on the other side of his head. That actually worked and now we dont prop him up, but he sleeps on both sides equally. So that should help. But shortly after his two month birthday, he started sleeping in his crib thru the night, in his crib during naps instead of me holding him (so glad we broke that habit) so really he ended up being on his head more than he was before. So we saw that his head started getting worse. Since he was holding his head up pretty good now, we basically put him on his tummy as much as we could. The only time we didn't put him on his tummy was after he ate, and even then, we would hold him in our laps so that his head would't be touching anything, or if we absolutely had to, we would put him in his bouncy chair, even then, most the time he wouldhn't sit back because he was so excited that he could almost sit up. And alot of the time we would put him in his bouncer. He really seemed to like being able to jump every where. But with all of our efforts to try and correct his head...it wasn't working. So at his four month appt we told the dr we were still concerned and after looking at his head, she agreed it would probably be best for us to be referred to a specialist. She did say that it looked like it was trying to fill out some on its own, but better for us to be safe and have it looked at. Basically around 6 months, his head will more than likely start correcting itself since by then he will be sitting up and off his head more. And normally by a year old its completely corrected, on its own. But sometimes it doesn't work out that well and if you wait too long it cant be corrected. So we all agreed it was best to have a specialist look at him to see if it was a severe enough problem to correct it now, by wearing a helmet. We were referred to Star Cranial Center in Dallas. We have our first appt May 23. I am actually really nervous, mainly because, yes i will admit it, I am a vain person, I get my feelings hurt easily, and well...I dont want Carter to have to wear a helmet. I feel like I should have caught this earlier and worked harder on making sure it didn't get worse. But at the same time I know its not my fault and its a very common problem now, and its all because carter is a good sleeper...who would be upset that their infant is a good sleeper?! NOT ME! So now...we take our first step into seeing what we can do to fix this. Who knows, maybe we will get tehre and the dr will say that its not that bad and that it will correct itself. I just didnt' want to NOT do something about it and later in life it didnt fix itself and then its too late, or if it was a serious problem and we didn't look into it when we should have. Better to be safe than sorry. So I ask, those of you that read this blog,be in prayer for my little family. One that we have a safe trip to dallas, two that carter does ok in the car (he has only been to wichita and back), and three that we learn what we can do about his head. :)
Also, I am trying to keep updated pictures to see if his head is getting worse and hopefully later, better. These pictures are hard to tell...but atleast its something.
Getting a flat spot on one side of a baby's head can cause the opposite side (front left) to also get flat. Dr described it as a balloon. You push on one side, it gets kind of oblong in shape. It can also cause the ears to be uneven. One of carters ears is closer to the front of his face than the other. In very severe cases, it can also cause the face to basically start sliding and be uneven. This has not happened to Carter, he has a perfect face.
March 15, 2011
April 1, 2011
May 5, 2011
May 6, 2011
May 6, 2011
May 7, 2011
When we took carter to his two month check up we told the dr we were concered about a flat spot on the back right side of his head. Yes, this is common since now we are told to put babies on their backs to sleep. The dr didn't seem to be too concerned since it is more common now. She just told us to make sure we do more tummy time and try to keep him off of it as much as possible. Also to make sure that it wasnt a neck related problem, make sure he can turn his head to both sides. He could turn his head with no problem, its just that he is a little stubborn and likes to sleep on the right side of his head. So of course, being the person that I am...I researched. Now, one in five babies have some form of this problem and is more common in babies who are good sleepers. Well that was Carter! After his two month check up, we did everything we could to keep him off his head. We propped him up in bed to try to make him sleep on the other side of his head. That actually worked and now we dont prop him up, but he sleeps on both sides equally. So that should help. But shortly after his two month birthday, he started sleeping in his crib thru the night, in his crib during naps instead of me holding him (so glad we broke that habit) so really he ended up being on his head more than he was before. So we saw that his head started getting worse. Since he was holding his head up pretty good now, we basically put him on his tummy as much as we could. The only time we didn't put him on his tummy was after he ate, and even then, we would hold him in our laps so that his head would't be touching anything, or if we absolutely had to, we would put him in his bouncy chair, even then, most the time he wouldhn't sit back because he was so excited that he could almost sit up. And alot of the time we would put him in his bouncer. He really seemed to like being able to jump every where. But with all of our efforts to try and correct his head...it wasn't working. So at his four month appt we told the dr we were still concerned and after looking at his head, she agreed it would probably be best for us to be referred to a specialist. She did say that it looked like it was trying to fill out some on its own, but better for us to be safe and have it looked at. Basically around 6 months, his head will more than likely start correcting itself since by then he will be sitting up and off his head more. And normally by a year old its completely corrected, on its own. But sometimes it doesn't work out that well and if you wait too long it cant be corrected. So we all agreed it was best to have a specialist look at him to see if it was a severe enough problem to correct it now, by wearing a helmet. We were referred to Star Cranial Center in Dallas. We have our first appt May 23. I am actually really nervous, mainly because, yes i will admit it, I am a vain person, I get my feelings hurt easily, and well...I dont want Carter to have to wear a helmet. I feel like I should have caught this earlier and worked harder on making sure it didn't get worse. But at the same time I know its not my fault and its a very common problem now, and its all because carter is a good sleeper...who would be upset that their infant is a good sleeper?! NOT ME! So now...we take our first step into seeing what we can do to fix this. Who knows, maybe we will get tehre and the dr will say that its not that bad and that it will correct itself. I just didnt' want to NOT do something about it and later in life it didnt fix itself and then its too late, or if it was a serious problem and we didn't look into it when we should have. Better to be safe than sorry. So I ask, those of you that read this blog,be in prayer for my little family. One that we have a safe trip to dallas, two that carter does ok in the car (he has only been to wichita and back), and three that we learn what we can do about his head. :)
Also, I am trying to keep updated pictures to see if his head is getting worse and hopefully later, better. These pictures are hard to tell...but atleast its something.
Getting a flat spot on one side of a baby's head can cause the opposite side (front left) to also get flat. Dr described it as a balloon. You push on one side, it gets kind of oblong in shape. It can also cause the ears to be uneven. One of carters ears is closer to the front of his face than the other. In very severe cases, it can also cause the face to basically start sliding and be uneven. This has not happened to Carter, he has a perfect face.
March 15, 2011See how the front left and back right look flat while the front right and back left look kind of pointy.
April 1, 2011
May 5, 2011It can also cause, the top part of the head, (the crown) to stick out some. Almost cone head like
May 6, 2011
May 6, 2011THe lump on the back part of his head is where the dr said it is starting to fill out on its own. Good sign
May 7, 2011Top angle. Can see the flat spot pretty good here.
For those of you that read this and have negative thoughts on this matter. Like how in the world could parents let this happen to their child, believe me, I felt the same way. But after lookign into it, its a very common problem and there really wasnt much we could have done to prevent it. God blessed us with a good sleeper and thats that.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. I am happy to share what we are going thru and what we are learning.
This in no way is effecting carters growth or learning ability. He is actually doing things right now that are at a 6 month old range. So he is actually ahead of the pack, it is basically all cosmetic. But if you could help your kid look better, woudln't you? I mean later in life when he goes bald (because he will) he will hate us if he has a funky shaped head! haha
Now we just wait for our appointment, see what the dr says, and go from there. Hopefully he will say he is positive it will correct itself and we wont have to get a helmet, but if we do have to get a helmet, then that is for the best. I just wish the darn things weren't so expensive! They told us that they are a little over $3800.00 if insurance wont cover it. Yea, my jaw dropped too!
Well that is all I have to say about that. :)
If you want to learn more about Plagiocephaly or want to see what the helmets look like, this is the place we will be going to.
http://www.starcranialcenter.com/
If you want to learn more about Plagiocephaly or want to see what the helmets look like, this is the place we will be going to.
http://www.starcranialcenter.com/
Life Updated
Wow, its been a while since I have updated. LIfe has just been crazy lately. I dont even know where to start to catch up. Um..Carter can now roll over from front to back and back to front. Not everytime, but he has done it a few times now. The times he can't remember how to do it he starts getting upset, i guess upset at himself for not remembering. poor kid. ha He also holds hit head up completely on his own, talks like crazy...and has a very very strong personality. We have experienced the dreaded 4 month wakeful period and just waiting for it to end. He slept thru the night, atleast 10 hours a night from 2 months to 4 months and then all of a sudden started waking up again atleast once a night.. no fun! Reminds me how NOT fun a newborn is! haha Sorry for those of you that have a newborn or about to have one..but its no fun! what else, what else...
Carter had his first Easter. Didn't mean anything to him of course, but I totally got him an Easter basket. I was so excited! Derrick even got something from the easter bunny.
Church that morning, carter did great. We fed him during church and he kept quiet the whole time. And of course the thomas trio had matching outfits!
Then came mothers day. I was so excited for my first official mothers day. LAst year on mothers day is when we announced we were pregnant... :)
Carter did such a good job at shopping for his mommy. We got matching mommy and baby shirts, a few books and a mommy and baby figurine. LOVED IT ALL!
Oh and more on Carter, he can now officially put himself to sleep. Without having to use the cry it out method... YAY! That saves my back from so much pain.
Well...thats about it for this blog.
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