Fixin' My Flat!

We knew we definitely wanted to decorate Nolan's cranial band, but with so many options and designs to choose from, it made it SUPER hard to pick just one!  Most options are with vinyl stickers, which make adhering to and taking off the helmet pretty quick and easy.  You can also hand paint the cranial band, but neither Jason and I are very artistic, so we really wanted to avoid that route!  Another option we had (and still looking into) is getting his cranial band wrapped with vinyl, like they do for vehicles.  We are in the process of trying to work out some details with a local company, and we will see if it goes through or not.  It just depends on how long it takes as well as how long he's going to be in it for!  

In the meantime, I decided to get this cute decal from this awesome website that has a TON of designs!  If we keep to just the vinyl decals, I'd love to look into trying my own hand at cutting vinyl with my Cricut, especially for the holidays!  Except I have no idea how to create my own images to cut rather than using the pre-made cartridges.  Anyone that has experience in this, feel free to let me in on your secrets!! :)

Here is Nolan's new, decorated helmet debut!  Enjoy!

As you can see, Nolan loves wearing his helmet and still isn't bothered by it (Thank Goodness!)  He is such a good sport and we are so happy he's adjusted so well with the band!  Tomorrow we go for our first checkup!  Wish us luck!

Nolan's Seven Month Update

7 months, already!  Nolan easily experienced the most number of "firsts" this month, mostly due to our trip to Vermont with all the cool, new things he got to do.  He is still so happy and giggly, and we love being able to see him smile every single day and find new ways to make him laugh (still the best sound in the world)!  He continues to grow his vocabulary and has started with a variety of screams and screeches.  He loves his vowel sounds and will mimic "Aaaas" back and forth with you, as one of his favorite things to do.  

Nolan has become much more active and is constantly wanting to stand against furniture and with help.  He still loves to sit and still hates his belly.  He finally figured out how to roll from his back to his belly (July 22, 2014), and continues to do so regularly during playtime.  I encourage him to crawl by placing him or rolling him to his belly and enticing him with toys... but this stubborn boy wants nothing to do with it!  I'm almost positive he will go straight to walking since he has zero desire to learn to crawl!  He has also learned to creep forward while sitting into the belly position, and mostly does this when a toy is out of his reach.  Once he gets the toy and flops on his stomach, it's an instant roll back over to his back.  He fusses after being on his back for a while during playtime, since he would much rather be sitting up and gets frustrated because he can't get there himself.

He spent the majority of this month with his fingers, fists, and anything he could get his hands on in his mouth, so teething really picked up... and all for good reason, since he cut his first two teeth!  His firth tooth came just before we left for our trip to Vermont on July 28th (his bottom left tooth) and then his second tooth peaked through just as we returned from our trip, on August 7th (bottom right tooth).  He looks super adorable with his two little pearly whites when he smiles!

Nolan still has "stranger danger", but our trip to Vermont seemed to help a bit by forcing him to be around a ton of unfamiliar faces.  Although it was a bit much and overwhelming in the beginning, by the end of our trip he was content with everyone and wouldn't cry at all around family.  Now he has started nestling into Mommy's neck and playing "shy" when seeing people for the first time again, rather than just crying and being scared (although he does still cry, sometimes).  Even though he continues to have this stranger danger, it does seem like it is improving!

He has also learned to throw temper tantrums, and decided the best time to exhibit his very first one would be on our flight from JFK back home to Las Vegas!  He was completely exhausted from the trip and the delayed flight and just simply wanted to fall asleep.  Yet, Mommy's arms aren't nearly as comfy as his big crib (since big boy likes to sprawl out while he sleeps, or be strictly on his side!) and completely melted down for about fifteen minutes, thrashing his body, arms, legs, and developed the "tantrum cry".  He finally calmed down and fell asleep for the remainder of the flight, but his first tantrum has led to lots of tantrums now... which comes with the age, of course, and should be no surprise to us!  Most often, these tantrums happen when he is frustrated, such as being on his back and wanting to sit up, getting put in his carseat or highchair, and fighting to go to sleep.  I know this is only the beginning when it comes to temper tantrums, I just didn't realize they started so early!  Either way, we're ready for them!

The biggest news and change this month for Nolan was the start of his helmet journey!  You can read all about Nolan's plagiocephaly in this blog post, but we started his treatment on August 13th, and have plans to be in the helmet for at least four weeks to a few months.  He has adjusted well to it so far even though it hasn't been too long since we've had it on.  We'll hope it stays that way!

Here's some more of what Nolan has been up to this month:

Height, Weight, and Sizes: 
No well-check this month, but we did make a trip to Dr. Reddy's office because Nolan had a little cold from our traveling on the airplane.  We wanted to make sure it wasn't anything more (it wasn't), but we did get a weight and height measurement, clocking him in at 18 pounds even and 27 1/2 inches long.  He definitely grew in length a TON since his last measurement, which was less than a month before.  He is currently wearing 9 month clothing in shirts and onesies, 6-9 month shorts, and 9-12 month pajamas, although getting snug (all same as last month).  His little waist seems to never grow, so his bottoms are less likely for him to outgrow (even though his belly sure does grow)!  He is also still in size 3 diapers, and now that he is regular on his solids diet, has stopped blowing out of most of them (thank God!).  Hopefully he stays that way with the big boy poop, cause I sure could do without those blowouts!

Feeding:

Nolan continues to eat all purees, but has moved from Stage 1 solids to Stage 2.  This makes the texture a bit thicker, the amount larger, and also introduces him to mixing purees, so we have a variety of new blends that we've tried!  His favorites are still pears, but also enjoys the mixture of Garden and Mixed Vegetables, Apple Blueberry, and Banana Carrot Mango.  He still loves Mum Mums and also is working hard on his pincher grasp, because he still gets pretty frustrated with eating Puffs.  

We introduced Nolan to the famous Creemee while in Vermont, which gave this little guy his first taste of something sweet and sugary!  I let him try my raspberry creemee, and he was just okay with it.  I was shocked!  I thought for sure he would go nuts over it... but apparently he likes his veggies and fruits better!  Good boy.

Also while in Vermont, we got rid of his dreamfeed which normally took place around 10:30PM-11:00PM.  Since we kept him on West Coast time, that would have meant waking him at 2:00AM (East Coast) to give him his dreamfeed, which we really didn't want to do.  We hoped it wouldn't affect his sleeping, especially since we were on vacation... and he did AMAZING with it!  He continued to sleep right through the night and didn't even miss it.  So now, he is down to 4 bottles of milk a day, following the same E.A.S.Y. schedule we've been on for the past few months.  His bottles usually total about 6-7 ounces each feed, so he is getting at least 24 ounces of milk daily, along with his consistent solids at breakfast and dinner.

Finally, another change I made during our trip to Vermont was switching my pumping sessions from 4 times a day to 3.  This was a perfect time to do it since I wanted more free time to spend with family, and my body adjusted well to it.  It feels SO great to get an extra half hour out of my day... it doesn't sound like much, but between the actual time pumping, washing parts and organizing bottles, it gives me just a little extra time to get other things done (or take a nap.. ha!)  

Sleeping:
Not too much has changed with Nolan's sleep schedule, as he still follows the same 4 hour E.A.S.Y. schedule as the past few months.  He has been lengthening his naps to about 2 hours every time, with some days taking a catnap  for 30 minutes, other days not needing one.  While in Vermont, everyone couldn't believe how well he slept and how great his sleeping habits are!  We are really lucky to have such a great little sleeper on our hands... hopefully he enjoys it forever!

Like stated above, we got rid of his dreamfeed at 10:30PM, so Nolan now sleeps through the night from about 7:30PM-6:30AM.  We do still move him into our room in the Pack N' Play when we go to bed.  This is strictly a "Mommy oops", as I know it will backfire for me later when he's older... but I just can't part with him from our room, still!  Plus, with his cranial band being put on this month, I wanted to monitor his sleep and be close to him while he's adjusting to it.

He continues to fight going down to sleep for about five to ten minutes, by either wiggling his body like crazy, making noises, spitting out his pacifier, or throwing a quick tantrum.  I think this is just his age and a developmental commodity, since he is becoming more active, he of course wants to stay up and play, and hates that he has to go to bed no matter how tired he may be.

Nolan is quite the mover in bed now, and loves to sleep on his sides.  He will roll back and forth to find a comfy position and will move all over his crib during both naps and nighttime sleep.  He started throwing his paci out of his crib, and then moved to throwing his arms and legs out of the slats, so we thought it would be best to put the breathable bumper on.  Now he can't do either but doesn't seem to mind that it's on.  He also started rolling completely over to his stomach and sometimes sleeps with his face down, which freaked us out completely at first, and had us flipping him over every time.  Now, we just check on him a gazillion times to make sure he can still breathe, but it's definitely not worth moving him every.single.time we find him like that, it's just too often!  Sometimes I will find him on his belly, arms pushing his body up, with his head looking around the room when he wakes up.  He does a cute little booty shake of excitement when we come in to get him when he's in this position.  He still loves to wake up and talk to himself and can entertain himself for a while before we come to get him.

Firsts & Milestones:

-Rolled back to belly (July 22nd)

-First tooth (bottom left on July 28th)

-Playing in the rain

-Creeps from sitting to belly laying

-Makes silly smile (scrunching nose)

-Gives low fives (double)

-Can stand against furniture with no assistance for 30 seconds

-Airplane ride and trip across the country

-First time meeting family in Vermont

-International travel (Canada)

-Taste of ice cream (creemee)

-Visit to a farm, seeing and petting farm animals

-Celebrating and attending a birthday party for another baby (Everette's 1st birthday)

-Swinging 

-Seeing and touching leaves

-Taking a real bath (without a baby tub)

-Second tooth (bottom right on August 7th)

-Scan and fitted for his first cranial band (helmet) 

Likes:
-Baby Einstein aquarium crib toy
-eating solids and making messes on high chair
-cousin Everette and Milann
-leaves and grass
-tissue paper and exam table paper at the doctor's office
-MAM teether
-soft crinkle blocks (obsessed with these toys)
-stand up toys (Activity table, Sit-to-Stand at Everette's house)
-when Daddy snaps the board books closed 
-Still obsessed with Harley and always wants to pet him
-Taking big boy baths and splashing

Dislikes:
-Still has a bit of stranger danger

-Being stuck on his back or belly when he wants to sit

-Peaches (liked them at first, now he won't eat them)

-Being put to sleep, wants to stay up and play!

-Taking toys away or moving him away from something he has been doing

-Teething

Here's to another month of little man learning, growing, and warming our hearts SO much!  We love you, buddy!

Nolan's Helmet Adventure!

Hi friends and family!

I wanted to let you know about my cool new accessory my parents got for me!  You see, my noggin has a flat spot on account of being super smashed in my Mommy's tummy when I was tiny (it's way better on the outside, btw) and I love sleeping on just my right side (it's just so much more comfy)!  Mommy and Daddy tried everything to fix my spot, but, you know me... I'm stubborn just like them!

So, Mommy says I get to wear this band to fix my flat!  I will only have to wear this silly band for a few weeks to a couple months, no big deal!  So while I'm fixin' my melon, don't be afraid of the big white thing on my head!  I'm still the same me... goofy, smiley Nolan! Ask my Mommy if you have any questions and you can still love me and talk to me, too... I'll be sure to give you a big smile!!

xoxo, 

Nolan

_______________________________________________________________

As some of you may be aware, Nolan has a pretty flat head!  All kidding aside, he was diagnosed with plagiocephaly at 5 months.  Plagiocephaly, although scary sounding, is not as "medically concerning" as it may seem.  Basically, Nolan has a flat spot on his head.  Some babies are born with this, others get it from having a weak muscle in their neck (torticollis) and others from lying on their head too often (positional plagiocephaly... and not the parent's fault).  Nolan was born with his, most likely from being squished in my belly for far too long and having an undesirable position in the womb.  When he first arrived, we noticed his flat spot a tiny bit, but passed it off as it being one of those awkward newborn things that he would grow out of.  When his one month well check came around, we asked about his head and our pediatrician agreed to keep an eye on it for a few more months.  He favored his right side for the first months of his life, slept solely on his right side, and as a result, has some misalignment.  As the months passed and his spot didn't improve, we knew our pediatrician would be referring us out to a specialist, and sure enough, that's exactly what happened.

Nolan at 3 weeks

At 5 months, we were sent for an x-ray of Nolan's skull.  Our doctor wanted to rule out Craniosynostosis (condition when the joints/sutures of baby's skull close prematurely) and the x-ray was the best possible way to do this.  It was terrible having to hold his head down through the process, but it was quick and he was brave.  Our results came back great and Nolan had a normal, open skull that was on track for normal development. 

Nolan at 6.5 months

Nolan at 6.5 months

Nolan at 6.5  months

Nolan at 6.5 months

We were referred to a cranial orthotist, and had his first evaluation the first week of August.  He was measured by the doctor with a variety of tools and guidelines, and qualified as a moderate case of plagiocephaly.  On a scale of 0-30, Nolan's skull displacement is at a 15.  The orthotist told us it was completely our decision, as plagiocephaly isn't a dire "medical" condition and is looked at as simply cosmetic.  Nothing will hinder his mental capabilities because he has a flat head, and he certainly won't be labeled disabled because of it.  It does need to be treated quickly within the first year of life, because the skull can be easily molded now, and not so much past then.  She did disclose that some studies suggest that babies with plagiocephaly can be linked to migraine headaches, balance issues and TMJ, as well as helmets, hats, and glasses fitting incorrectly later in life.  He could also have slight misalignment of his facial features and ears, most likely not too noticeable, but still there.  She left the room and let us take a few moments to talk about what we had just learned.

Luckily, we did our research beforehand, and knew what our decision would be going into our evaluation.  If there was any type of "possible" symptom involved in not helmeting our son, we knew the best decision would be to eliminate that option completely.  We are choosing to helmet Nolan not based on our concerns, but strictly with his in mind.  I would never want him complaining of headaches or be embarrassed of his flat head when it was such an easy fix early on.  In the scheme of things, this treatment will be cake for him!

When we made our decision, we started the process ASAP!  Nolan had his head scanned the same day, and looked adorable with his head sock and pouty face.  He didn't cry at all, but made it known that he was not thrilled about having pictures of his head taken!  The scanner measured his skull and created an exact image on the computer screen.  This was then sent out to create his cranial band, where they molded his exact head, and also a "perfect version" of his head, as to what the helmet will soon develop.  

Head scan- Bottom is the front of his face

Fast forward one week later, and we were fitted for his helmet and started our treatment journey!  We took home his cranial band as well as his lovely little head model.  The model visual illustrates the area where fluid sits (the yellow) due to the misalignment.  The band will put pressure on these areas, while allowing space in the "flat spots" (the white) for the fluid to flow and fill... in turn rounding out his little noggin!

Checkin' out my skull model! 

He wore it home from the office and for two hours on the first day, and although we're only on Day 2, he hasn't had any issues with it at all.  He knows it's there, but isn't bothered by it and can do everything the same as before, just a little extra sweaty!  We don't know exactly how long he will be in it for.  It depends on when he hits his growth spurts and how the fluid fills in.  We're expected to be in it for at least 3 weeks full time (23 hours a day), and probably longer.  We're taking each day as we go, and are excited to bling this band out!  Stay tuned for design updates!

Leaving the orthotist's office

My first day in my cranial band!

If you have questions, please ask!  It's a learning process for us, too.  If you've been through this before or know someone who has, tell us how it went!  We're hoping for the best and know this is just another little bump Nolan will overcome.  

Here's to rockin' the helmet and spreading plagiocephaly awareness!!  And of course we had to document with a photoshoot!  Enjoy!

July Happenings

July was an exciting month for our family.  We had our first big trip across the country, lots of playdates and outings, celebrated holidays and birthdays, and experienced more firsts for Nolan.  Here's a look into our month!

Nolan continued trying new solids and enjoyed each and every one of them!  He completed all of the Stage 1 foods that I could find, and tried peas, peaches, green beans, apples, prunes and bananas.  He also started snacks, such as Mum Mums and Puffs, and likes those as well.  He is definitely not picky!

Big boy showed off his standing skills by leaning against some furniture:

We celebrated the Fourth of July and Nolan wore some sweet shades that Grandma gave him:

Nolan asked Mommy for a fun swimming pool for the backyard, so we bought him one and he enjoyed splashing around in it for the first time!  He was a little cold since it was overcast and the water was from the hose, so we didn't stay in it too long.  Harley watched from a distance and wasn't a fan of the water, much.  We can't wait to spend more time in it this summer!  Nolan loves to splash... and who can resist that adorable baby roll body in a swimsuit!?

He tried holding as many balls as he could, and then enjoyed eating them (all while looking so adorable)!

Mommy and Nolan took a catnap together in his rocking chair one afternoon.

I took a bajillion pictures of little man, because he looked SO cute in his bear bib, man tank, melange shorts and moccs!  I wanted to eat him up he looked so yummy!

The boys spent the afternoon in our blanket fort on the couch since Harley was terrified of the thunderstorms.

Nolan likes to dance when he hears music, especially from his Scout toy.  He showed off some moves:

Nolan beat the heat by spending some time in just his diaper around the house:

Harley is always right by our side, wherever we are in the house during the day.  He loves to lay next to Nolan's crib when he's napping, and in this particular picture, I got caught with his laser eyes!

Since my mom has the month of July off of work, we decided to take one day and visit the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.  I knew Nolan would love going because he really enjoyed the aquarium tank and hippos at the San Diego Zoo when we visited the month before.  I couldn't have been more right, and Nolan loved watching all the fish swim around in the tanks!  He liked the tiny fish the best because they were fast and close to the glass.  He also liked the lion fish since they had cool fins and looked fluffy!  The tunnels were another favorite, since he could look straight up and see fish, sharks, turtles and stingrays swim right above us!  We will definitely be making many more trips back to the Shark Reef since he liked it so much!

We spent the afternoon at Grandma's house after the shark reef, and Nolan had a blast playing with her fun toys. 

Our good friend, Wade, visited and stayed with us for the weekend, and the boys had a big golfing outing, playing lots of rounds.  Nolan enjoyed meeting Uncle Wade for the first time and thought his beard was cool!

Nolan celebrated his half birthday and we documented with a fun and cute photoshoot!

He also got to open one big present for his half birthday; a new walker!  He loves to play with the toys on the "dash" but hasn't quite mastered getting around in it, yet!  Plenty of practice and he'll be moving in no time!

We spent the day hanging out at the Luks' house and played with our friends!  

Nolan loves playing with his chicken house toy, and led me to teach him a chicken noise.  He loves that even more and cracks up every time I do it. 

Nolan took a break from bouncing around in his jumper for a serious picture!

I couldn't get over how big my baby looked after snapping this picture... Slow down, time!

Big boy showed how he can hold his own bottle now... Mr. Independent!

Nolan made a HUGE mess during dinner one evening, which I had to document because I rarely let it get this messy... my OCD self just can't take it!  Every once in a while, it's fun for him to squish and smear around some peas... so why not!

I found Nolan with his legs out of his crib and his pacifier behind the crib on multiple occasions, so I knew it was time to put the breathable bumper on.  No more escape artist or paci-slinging for this guy!

Teething hit again and this finger has spent a lot of time in this little guy's mouth:

Harley got in some pictures with the babe, and Nolan loved that he was so close, for once:

All those fingers in his mouth paid off, because Nolan cut his first tooth on July 28th!  

It was another rainy, thunderstorm-y afternoon, and I brought Nolan out to feel the rain.  He wasn't quite sure what to do with it, but once we got back inside, he had some awesome rain hair to show off!  Harley wasn't as thrilled and hid under more blankets since he was scared of the thunder.  

Nolan started a new, cheesy smile... that looks like this:

ADORABLE.

Jason's birthday fell during our trip to Vermont, so I decided to celebrate the weekend before we left.  He is super hard to buy gifts for, so I decided to make a fun little activity of opening small gifts every hour!  At first I thought he might be annoyed by it, but I was surprised when he kept watching the clock and telling me every hour, "Time for another gift!"  It was unique and a really fun way to celebrate his birthday, and even though they were smaller gifts, it was still meaningful and allowed us to spend his birthday together before we left for our trip.

We took our trip to Vermont, where we got to visit with all of our family, celebrated Jason, Neva and Everette's birthday, took a day trip to Canada, journeyed to the family farm, and had an amazing time with Chelsea, Allen & Everette!  Read all about our trip here!

We had such a fun-filled July with lots going on.  August will probably be a little more relaxed as we wrap up summer and get ready to welcome fall, my favorite time of the year!  Yay!  Until then!