Fixing My Flat!

     When Owen and McKenna went in for their 2 month checkup Dr. Waw mentioned that Owen had a very large flattening on the back of his head and if it didn't get better by 4-5 months we would need to discuss a cranial band AKA a helmet.  Well, I took him in for something else right after he hit 4 months and despite tummy time, tummy sleeping, and more holding and less laying down it was still very flat.  We scheduled a consultation for the next week and sure enough, when we went in he met the criteria for a "moderate to severe" head deformity.  I was really very shocked it was that bad...I knew it looked "off" but severe???  My poor baby....

   When he went for his consult they put a panty hose like cap on him so they could hold down his hair etc. and get a really accurate picture of his head.  I mean, he's still the cutest baby with a stocking cap on I have ever seen!!

  

    These pictures did help me to see the "deformity" a little better and he was approved for treatment with the Cranial Band. Our next step was going through insurance, which, thank the Lord Baby Jesus covered it at 80%.  We scheduled our fitting appointment for the 28th and the day arrived.

    They warned me it would take an hour for this appointment so I took a half day from work and he and I headed to Cranial Tech.  When we got there they had me put him up on the table on his belly and we tried it on him.  

  

Mommy's Handsome Boy!

  

Side Profile...Hey mom!!!!

  When they first placed it on him I held my breath...I was just WAITING for the screams and cries and irritation.  Absolutely.Nothing...he was completely unphased by the entire thing. They asked us to "play" for a little while...roll on the mat, lay on his belly etc. so they could see if it rubbed or needed to be trimmed up in any way. So we headed to the play mat...

   Clearly, he was not bothered by it.  He laid there and played and rolled and stared at me.  Not one tear.  Afterwards, we got back up on the table and he had a few red spots so they shaved a little of the foam off on the inside.  They told me he would really sweat in it for the next 3 days and that was normal and also that it would make him pretty hot most days because it will trap the heat that normally escapes through his head.  We have to clean it every day with Isopropyl Alcohol and he can only have it off for an hour at a time.  It calmed me so much to see how well he tolerated it and made me think this next 9-10 weeks may not be as bad as I built them up to be. Perfectly round coconut...HERE WE COME! 

152 Days

    …since you were born!!!  That’s 5 whole months since you turned our world upside down (in a good way)!  What a busy month you have had.  You started solids, rolling over like crazy, babbling and talking up a storm, blowing raspberries, and taking a bath in mommy’s tub!  You went to your first Farmer’s Market on the square, celebrated your Nana’s birthday, and finally had multi-night stretches of sleeping through the night.  You LOVE your exersaucers and have all but stopped using your bouncers and swing…you are growing up!  You have tried green beans, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, pears, peaches, oatmeal cereal, rice cereal, and your favorite things at dinnertime…MUM MUMS!!!  I give them to you in your high chairs while I get your baby food ready and you just gnaw and chew and gobble them up.  This month also marked mommy going back to work for the first time in your little lives and it was a difficult transition for us all…ok, just me really.  But we have found a wonderful lady, JuJu, who keeps you everyday and she loves you like you were her own.  This month was also a tough one in the illness department.  At one point all 4 of us were sick. Sister, you had a double ear infection, Bub had a bad cold and we think a sinus infection, Daddy had bronchitis, and Mommy had a sinus infection…it was a bad deal!  Then the stomach bug hit us and Sister you got the worst case of diaper rash I had ever seen.  You cried through every diaper change and mommy cried right along with you.  We must have spent over $100 trying different cream concoctions, prescriptions, special bath soaks etc. trying to make you more comfortable.  After a few days of letting you play without clothes on (oy) it finally passed and you were back to your happy, jolly self!  

    Owen and McKenna, you are getting to be so much fun!  When I open the car door to get you out in the mornings and I start talking to you, you both smile and coo back at me…makes going to work tough some mornings. On the way home from JuJu’s in the evenings you both just sit in your carseats and talk and make noises and shake whatever toy I have given you to play with.  I call out your names and I can see you turning your head trying to see where I am!  One of my favorite times of day now is after your baths at night.  Daddy bathes one of you and I bathe the other but then after you are both clean, dry, lotioned up, and in your PJ’s we lay you on our bed and you both roll and talk and touch each other and we tickle and kiss all over you.  Then we give kisses and put you in your beds.  It is the perfect ending to my day!

     Mommy spent so much of the start of your life being sad and depressed.  Not because of you but because of all the changes that were happening.  But I feel like we are settling into that “new normal” everyone told us would happen.  I now look forward to the weekends because you are getting into a routine and take better naps.  I can’t WAIT to pick you up in the evenings!  Thank you for making me a mom…for helping me realize the capacity I have to love…and for being the most precious, adorable, happy babies on the planet!

                                                                                                              

                                                   XOXOXOXO

                                                               Mommy

   

Owen is helping daddy feed Sister!

Watching Mickey!!!!

Playing with Bubba's Nose! 

Bathtime in Mommy and Daddy's tub!!!

Our First Farmer's Market Trip!

(We were there for 10 minutes...it took us longer to get out of the car and in the stroller than it did to walk around)

Those eyelashes....

Happy, smiley, baby girl!!!!

Happy Birthday to Nana!!!!!

 

Daddy and his "Mini-Me"     Auntie Em and her McKenna!

Sister helped Nana blow out her candles...

1/2 of the Dynamic Duo...(he looks thrilled)!

My sleeping loves...this was "mid" nighttime bottle...didn't even make it all the way through!

 

This is what our living room looks like most of the time now...backs of heads fixated on Mickey!

Owen is mad he got stuck in the pink towel!!!

 

(I might have forgotten to turn off the flash...sorry Bub!)

And finally...the outttakes from our "We are 5 Months Old" photo shoot!!!...

(Could she be ANY jollier????)

 

This is the evolution of Owen's eventual meltdown!!!

4 Month Checkup

     Unfortunately, when the kids turned 4 months old they were both fighting ear infections and tummy issues and our amazing pediatrician doesn't like to do shots when they are on antibiotics. So, we had to reschedule their appointment for a few weeks later.  They were actually only 1 week shy of turning 5 months when we finally got in.  Dad meets us at all our appointments so he can be my extra pair of hands/console all of us through the shots.  Yes, the babies AND me...it is AWFUL to hear them cry like that so my daddy to the rescue!
     Dr. Waw was extremely impressed with them developmentally.  She said sometimes with multiples that they lag behind in some areas...well not my babies!  Right where they are supposed to be!  They got 4 shots and handled them like a champ (after screaming bloody murder while they were administered).  Here are their stats...

Owen:  

Weight: 17 1/2 pounds and 14 ounces
Height: 26 1/2 inches 

McKenna:

Weight: 14 pounds 4 ounces
Height: 24 1/2 inches

    They are drooling like CRAZY and she says their gums are swollen too.   McKenna is rolling both ways and is becoming so much more vocal these days.  Owen is rolling from tummy to back but he can't quite figure out how to do back to belly all the time.  He does it every now and then. They both love to eat their cereal and we have started baby purees also.  McKenna is less than enthused most days but Owen CHOWS DOWN...who is surprised?  We are working on being patient while mommy has to share the spoon with sister. They love to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and they are really not doing to badly sleeping.  We are up to taking an 8 ounce bottle in the evening before bed and 3, 8oz bottles during the day.  Growing like weeds!

My loves!

 

My girl!!  I would have taken a picture of Owen but he was busy playing with the paper on the table!

Our First Solids!

     I know, I know...wait until 6 months to start solid foods but have you looked at my kids???  They are big babies! And I am convinced they are still hungrier than just bottles.  Owen was reaching for a rib at 2 months old. So, I surveyed all my mom friends and asked them what they introduced and when.  The consensus was veggies first then fruits because if they get a "taste" for the sweet then they won't want to eat vegetables.  So, we started with green beans and they were a HIT!  You are also supposed to do the same food for 3-4 days to make sure no allergy pops up before you start a new food.  They were hysterical with the spoons and the high chair and the whole experience!  Owen, my little eater, has already mastered the swallow part, McKenna still pushes every other bite or so out of the front of her mouth but she sure enjoyed sitting there and "chatting" and blowing bubbles with us!

The SUPER clean "Before" picture!!!

 

The AFTER!!!

(I think they did pretty awesome personally!)