Carter's 8 Week Before and After Photos

We went to Cranial Tech today and had digital photos taken for the insurance company. It helps explain to them why Carter needs treatment. Now we wait to see if they will cover the second DOC Band. The results are nothing short of amazing. I didn't expect to be so emotional when Amy showed them to me. But the images really spoke for themselves and let me know that all this worry and stress was worth it.

When you look at them look at Carter's front on photo and you will notice that he had one cheek larger than the other, his right eye and ear weren't in alignment and drooped lower than his left. Also, his temples were too wide for his head, the top of his head squared off and his forehead sloped. This was all a result from the flattening pushing his brain forward. The picture on the left is before and on the right is after. Look at the difference. I can't believe how symmetrical his face is in comparison to his before photo. I hope you can see the improvements. Also, the last 2 photos on the second page really illustrate how much of his flattening has disappeared. I can not explain to you the utter amazement I have felt every time I look at these. I have always known there was improvement, but really couldn't grasp it until Amy showed them to me side by side.

Please ask if you have any questions. I just feel that these images are a testament to what Cranial Tech can do for children. These changes occured over 8 weeks! That's it. Pediatrician's really need to get on board with this technology. It's so easy to do now and I know it's going to be the best thing for my son.

Coxsackie and Toy Story

Poor Carter John has a nasty nasty virus called Coxsackie. Funny name?! Evidentally, it's named after a town in New York on the Hudson, where it was first discovered. Who knew? Anyway, it presents with a fever, diahrea and blisters. OH, the blisters. Carter has one on the end of his cute little nose, on his chin and in his diaper area. His toushy looks like it hurts so bad, but he doesn't fuss much. He did before we had the 102 fever under control. Since it's a virus, there isn't a thing we can do for him, except make him comfortable. I just hope Nolan doesn't get it. It's not pretty.

On another note, Nolan went to his first ever movie today, we had a 'mommy date'. I took him to see Toy Story 3, which I have to say is kind of dark and a little scary...especially for a movie named TOY STORY! Regardless, Nolan was excited to go and had a great time. We got popcorn and a booster chair for Nolan so he could see. It took him until the lights went out to understand that we don't talk at the top of our lungs about everything we see. I think he entertained the family in front of us. But once the lights were out, he was really great! Eventually, he ended up sitting on my lap and during one section his heart was racing...like I said it's a little scary. At least I think so. All in all, it was a good experience. They only thing I regret is that he saw the preview for the Thomas movie. I hope he forgets, I don't think I can sit through that one!

How could I forget?!?!

Carter has had his first word a couple of days ago. It's Momma. YES! It's not Dadda (Nolan's first word), not ball (Nolan's second word), not Sophie, not bottle or Nolan. Nope. He is Momma's boy. He's been saying 'mamamamamamama', when he gets tired or hungry. So I started pointing to myself and saying 'momma'. One day he just said it. Like that. 'Momma.' Like he always knew who I was and it was on the tip of his tongue. 'Momma.' Now, he'll say it and grab my face, so the recognition is there. Ahhhh...What a love!!

USA! USA! USA!

A little pre-game chat hoping we go through. I will be keeping the kids in today to watch the matches. A friend of mine, who is English, is bringing her kids over for a play date. I'll have the USA match on the big TV in the living room and the England match on the other TV in the library...picture in picture on both mind you. If both England and USA win they go through. Passed that it's going to get complicated. Let's hope it's not 2 more draws and decided only on goal differential. I don't think I could handle that!! USA! USA! USA! And because I am an England fan (despite their obvious disfunction this year) ENGERLAND! ENGERLAND! ENGERLAND! I'm only adding one picture...you know where my loyalty really lies!!!

Good News, Bad News

Well, I don't know if you would call it BAD news, just 'not what I wanted to hear' news. Having said that, the bad news first. Looks like Carter will need a second round of treatment. Meaning, once our 12 weeks (we are currently in our 6th week) in this band are up we will have to get a second one. *insert big sigh here* So, in 2 weeks at our next appointment, Carter will need to have more digital photos like the ones I posted here. Those will show how far he has come and how much farther we have yet to go. Then we start the whole process of getting insurance approval. Looks like we will be waiting to hear back from the insurance company while we are in Oklahoma over the July 4th holiday. The new photos have to be taken 4 weeks before the end of this initial treatment because it usually takes the insurance company a week to 2 weeks to come back with approval. As soon as that is sorted out we have to get a new DSI (3-D digital imaging of Carter's head) and then it takes 2 weeks to get a new DOC Band made for him. I'm not sure I can do the decorating myself the second time. I was stressed about it the first time and as cute as it turned out, I'm not sure I can do that again. I know it sounds silly, but I assigned a lot of weight to it turning out cute. Silly, I know.

Now, the good news. We are seeing a LOT good growth. The bottom half of his skull is rounding out nicely. You can actually see suture marks where the growth starts and that's great. His asymmetry is improving as well. Carter has a sloping forehead. It still slopes but the initial point of the slope has moved forward. I see an improvement in his right ear, which always curled out more than the left. I had always thought it was a birth defect, but the plagiocephaly had pushed one ear forward of the other and was causing his 'Stephen Colbert ear' as I liked to call it. Now, it looks so much more even. We are going into a second band because we want to see more rounding throughout his entire head and the height of his head at the crown is still abnormally high. So, we are going in the right direction! Now, there is a possibility that we won't have to spend another 12 weeks in the second band. It might be shorter than the first. Let's cross our fingers and hope for that!

Cute Photos of the Boys (and Sophie too!)

Poconos and Crawling

This weekend we had an invite from Justin & Destiny to join them at their parent's lake house in the Poconos. It was a last minute trip, but a great one. We were so fortunate that the drive was only 2 1/2 hours away and the boys were so good. They are great little travelers. This adventure was more for Nolan than Carter. They have access to a great little beach with a kids pool. Nolan spent hours in the sand and running into the water. He loved splashing around with his feet. At first he was timid, but the more he was in the water the farther in he went. He wears a 'tortoise shell' which helps him swim. It's not a flotation aid, but keeps him upright and on top of the water, so he has to do the work. He really seemed to enjoy himself. Nolan has been having a tough time at swim class. He's timid in the water, scared to jump in or even swim sometimes. So, we've stopped going. It's an actual regression and Chris and I felt that he was assigning some kind of negative stigma to the JCC pool and class in particular. So we have been looking for ways to get into the water where it's a completely fun experience. I just want him to be a kid and enjoy summer. Maybe we'll pick up swimming classes again later.
In the meantime, Carter was doing a great job hanging out at the beach. He got a little extra time out of his DOC band in order to avoid a heat rash, but this was just one morning. He wasn't sure what to make of the kiddie pool. I held him the entire time. He loved observing what was going on around him, but seemed petrified if he got in past his waist. While at the Lake house, we discovered Carter's new favorite toy. An empty water bottle. You buy them all kinds of things you think will be stimulating or interesting, but no. What do they like? Water bottles and cardboard boxes. Touche. While playing with his water bottle, Carter crawled for the first time at the lake house in the Poconos. It wasn't far, maybe 6 feet, but Carter REALLY wanted that water bottle and worked his way over on his hands and knees. I'm not ready to have two mobile children, but it looks like I don't have a choice. Congratulations Carter!!

4 weeks in the DOC Band

We've been in the DOC Band for 4 weeks now. We had an appointment yesterday and we are showing positive results. Amy said that the lower shelf on the back of his skull is really starting pop out. It's definitely noticeable. With that moving out the highest point of his skull has moved forward, which is what we want to see. When we went for our initial appointment Gina said we might need to go through 2 treatments. I asked Amy if she thought this might be the case, but she didn't want to speculate this early. We will have at least another two months in this particular band and if we still need more adjustment we will then have to go to another band. I'm really hoping to be done by the end of July. I'd prefer not to spend the entire summer in it. Chris has gifted both boys with super sensitive skin. So Carter is prone to heat rash while wearing the helmet. Not only will he get it on his head, he will get prickly heat on his chest too. So this is something we have to watch out for. Another mom on Facebook has found a dog bed that you wet down and it stays cool for several hours. She uses it on her child's stroller and finds that it really helps. I think I'll invest in the same thing for Oklahoma. As you have gathered, I'm pretty concerned about the heat and humidity there. I think I'll go online shopping now!