Jeremy's mom, aka Mom Z, aka Gramz, came to visit and help us during the last week of April (Tues-Sat). It was perfect timing because I had a school performance to direct that week, and Tanner got his DOC Band, so we needed a lot of help.
On Tuesday night, we took Mom to the farmer's market on Main Street in Huntington Beach. It's one of our favorite things to do!
On Weds, Tanner got his DOC band.
So now a little about the band, aka baby helmet... Tanner was born with a moderate to severe case of plagiocephaly, which means asymmetrical head. The entire back-right side of his head was really flat, caused by limited space in the womb; his head was pressed up against my pelvic bone for about 2 months in utero. This is not uncommon. Babies can also get plagiocephaly after birth by sleeping too much on one side of their head.
Anyway, we waited to see how much his head would round out on its own. Things improved a little, but after 6 months, I still felt like there were major issues. Everyone else, including my pediatrician and Jeremy, felt like it wasn't a big deal. But it bugged me a lot, and I kept getting this nagging feeling that I needed to take him to a specialist. I prayed a lot to know if I was just being overly worried or if this was something that I should be legitimately concerned about. Well, it just so happened that my great friend Chelsea got her baby a DOC band for her flat spot. That was an answer to my prayers, and I was inspired to make an appointment with some specialists.
The cranial specialists said that I've did all I can to keep it from getting worse, but it won't completely improve unless we get a helmet. His right ear, eye and forehead are too far forward, his forehead is sloped, his back right side is flat. Brain, eyes and ears are all normal functioning, but he is at risk for TMJ when older. Also glasses, hats, helmets will never fit correctly unless we get the helmet. Luckily, our insurance covered it, so we got him his band!
He will wear it for 3 months, 23 hours a day, only taking it off for bathtime. I'm sooo glad that MomZ was here when he got the band. I didn't anticipate how much work the first few days would be. Tanner sweat profusely with the band on, so she had to continually clean the band with rubbing alcohol, keep Tanner cool, monitor redness, etc. Luckily, Tanner--once again-- proved to be a great sport with change to his life. Even though he sweat tons, it barely seemed to bug him. We were told the first few nights would be sleepless, but Tanner slept normally without any complaint! We're still getting used to what he looks like with it on. And it's still pretty loose on him (they said that's normal for the first while), so it falls in front of his eyes a lot. The poor guy has to sit back funny if he wants to see things above him. Thanks so much to Gramz for taking care of him those first few difficult days! She even watched him on Friday night while Jeremy and I went on a date to the temple!!
On Saturday, we all went to the LA Natural History Museum. Jeremy got in free for being a USC student. I got in free for being a teacher. Tanner got in free cuz he's a baby. Gramz ALMOST got in free for being a senior, but she still has 12 more years to reach their minimum age!
Tanner loved all the sights.
It was interesting to witness how people reacted to Tanner's helmet. Some people acted normal and said "what a cute baby", others just stared, some looked at us and then quickly looked away, and many kids passed us asking their parents about it. Some kids just flat out asked me "What's that thing on his head?" I love how children are so honest, it makes life easier. Without taking offense, I would tell them, "His head has a flat spot, so this helmet helps his head grow round." At church, everyone was worried it was a cast because his scull cracked open, haha.
Dinosaur footsteps!
My favorite was the rock exhibit!!
Out in the rose and flower garden.
Tanner had a blast with his Gramz all week. Not only did he play tons with her, he learned a lot from her, too. They played out on the grass everyday, went for walks, read books, sang songs and shopped at Target. Gramz taught him to say "uh-oh!" He now crawls around or eats toys while saying "AH-ohhh" and "UH-owe" over and over. She also taught Tanner how to play Peek-a-boo. The day after Mom left, I was changing Tanner's diaper. He grabbed a nearby blanket and slowly covered his eyes. Then he threw down his arms, ripping the blanket off his face. He quickly did this about 3 more times before I realized he was playing Peek-a-boo!
Here's my favorite picture of the two pals-- studying a piece of grass together.
We love, love, love you Gramz!! Thanks so much for playing with us and taking care of us!
1 comment:
He looks so cute with his helmet on! I am sorry that he has to have it, and from one mom-of-a-wearer to another, it's really not that bad. I can't tell you how many people I had tell me "I really wanted one for my child, because she was just so clumsy!" and things like that... obviously completely unaware of the real reason for them and thinking that it was really just like a strange bike helmet(: I'm glad your insurance covered it! I love hearing his updates - how he's playing peekaboo and saying uh-oh! That's too cute!
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