Little B Today

The comments I get most about B when we are out:

He has beautiful eyes
He is so big
He is very alert

Yep, all of the above are true but the big thing kinda gets me...he is only in the 50% for weight right now so I'm curious what the babies in the 90% are like. I also just wonder if people don't have a ton of experience with babies and they think 6 month olds are still newborns. He is not a newborn in my eyes anymore. He is a smart baby who knows what he wants and will let me know it.

Today I am savoring the time I have kissing his sweet little head and snuggling close because tomorrow he gets his doc band and we won't be able to do those things 23 out of the 24 hours in each day. Pictures will be forthcoming.

That's what's on my mind today : )

Flexibility = Becoming a Better Mom

If you know me well you know flexibility and spontaneity are things I don't deal with too well. This past week has tested me as a mom and person in both of these areas.

I'll explain: My parents are renovating our house on Kiawah Island and they were going to be driving there to start to put the house back together (furniture and decorations). They were driving so they could fill up my dad's truck with furnishings for the house that my mom has bought here in Austin. Long story short...I decided to go with them. One major part of me going with them is that I would see my grandparents and other family members. I know everyone would love to see B and I couldn't pass up that opportunity. The downside to this trip is that it was a looonnnggg car ride. We had to drive about the same distance at Christmas becuase of the blizzard in NYC and I wasn't too excited about doing it again, but it was free and with my parents so I decided to go for it. I questioned my decision many times before we left but I'm SO glad I went in the end.

The week was full of things we didn't expect and I didn't have my usual comforts of home (the house was still a little chaotic at the 1st of the week). I had to be super organized with formula and bottles for the car ride and all of Bennett's things once we arrived. It was a lot of prep work. All of this to say that I had to be flexible and so did B. He slept in a different room almost every night and napped in random places through the day (thanks for the P&P Colleen!). I couldn't depend on my glider to put his down for his nap so we had to get creative. I also didn't have the support of Dave and although my parents were helpful it just wasn't the same. I have no idea how single parents do it all! Overall the week was a chance for us to be out of our comforts of home and live in the moment as my mom would say. I'm so thankful for this trip because it showed me that I can trust myself and B more with things I was nervous to do before. I know we can adapt to different situations and I don't have to rely so heavily on our "schedule."

Here are some pictures from the week...who wouldn't have wanted to go!?

take 2

This should be more centered if you're reading it on the blog and not in reader.

6 months

Boo Bear (your daddy’s nickname for you),

You are 6 months old today! Where have the months gone? You are such a big boy and your personality shines brighter everyday. You love to sit up and play with your toys. You would much rather be on your bottom than on your back or tummy these days. It’s so neat to see you pick up your toys and make noises with them, switch hands, throw them, and of course put them in your mouth. This month you have started to sit in the BOB stroller without your car seat. You love looking out at the sights and are enjoying our walks even more now. Another favorite “toy” is the bathroom counter and mirror. You love to stand up on the counter and make silly faces in the mirror. This brings out your smiles quicker than most real toys. You have also started blowing raspberries and still “talk” up a storm when you are in the mood. You have started stretching out your eating and naptimes to go longer between both. I’ve enjoyed this change. You have just recently started formula and you have 6, 6 ounce bottles each day and you take 3-4 short naps each day. You are going to bed so much better and you only wake up one time at night for a feeding then you don’t wake back up again until the morning (usually around 6:30). I’m so glad we bit the bullet and did some sleep training because all of us are getting much better sleep now which makes for much better days. This month you have started sitting in high chairs are restaurants. You’ve done well sitting up while we eat and playing with your toys. This is a nice change from sitting on our laps and grabbing everything on our plates : ).
This next month will bring some changes for you. You will be getting your DOC band and working on stretching out your neck. I know you will do great with both of these things and I’m not worried at all. You will also be getting a taste of fruits and veggies soon. I’m excited to see you eat different foods.
Looking forward to your 7th month! Love you Boo.

Update

We went to the specialist yesterday to evaluate B's head shape. It was a very informative appointment! They took pictures of him in many different positions to get different views of his neck and head, and then we meet with a physical therapist to discuss the recommendations.

The biggest issue we talked about was the tilt of B's neck. This picture makes it a little easier to explain...


See how his head is tilted to his left? This is a common position for his head to be in when he is looking straight ahead. The medical name for this is Torticollis ( a twisted neck in which the head is tipped to one side, while the chin is turned to the other). This was something we noticed when he was younger but we thought it had corrected itself. Apparently not : ( Her recommendation was for him to start physical therapy to stretch out the neck muscles. She said that this is common in babies, but easily corrected with proper treatment.

They also recommended that he wear a doc band for 10-12 weeks. She said that the band in combo with the PT would be the best combination for him. His main flat spot is at the base of his skull which is the hardest spot to correct, but there are other more noticeable parts of his skull that are uneven.

We got a lot of information yesterday, but it was all very helpful. We will see his pedi next week for his 6 month appointment and make all of our decisions about the PT and band at that point.

So if you want to google it he has Torticollis and Plagiocephaly.

Open Mouth, Enter Foot

B's newest trick.

"Under Construction"

On Tuesday we have an appointment for B to go see a specialist in town who deals with flat spots on babies heads. At 2 months old B was diagnosed with a mild case of plagiocephaly. This simply means a flat spot on his head. You can see in the picture above that the right side of his head is further forward than the left side. We have done as much as we can at home to even out his head, but as the pedi told us at his 4 month appointment...we've just stopped it from getting worse.

The treatment for this is what the call a doc band. B would have to wear a band (or helmet) on his head for 23 hours a day from anywhere from 3 to 6 months.

I have mixed emotions about this appointment. I know that it is mainly a cosmetic procedure and he would be fine with an uneven head, but at the same time I don't want to look at him at 2 years old and think we did the wrong thing by not fixing it. Of course I'm jumping the gun a little bit because we haven't even had his appointment yet.

I'll keep the blog posted!