It's Working! Plagiocephaly update....

We went last week for another check-up on our helmet progress.  After doing the measurements and calculations, we discovered that Henry's head shape has improved!  He had only had it for 3 weeks at that time, and it had shown some improvement.  Dustin and I had noticed it was looking less flat on the back side of his head.  I am glad to know that our perserverance is paying off!  It can be hard to wear something for 23 hours per day, and it can be hard to put that helmet back on after the hour break, when your baby seems so relieved to have a break.  We are diligent though, and I know this is for a short season of life. 
A tip we took two weeks to realize- an adult sized stocking hat will fit perfectly over the helmet.  We hadn't needed anything too warm, but temps here hit COLD with snow the past week, so he needed some extra warmth. 
The helmet does hold a lot of heat in though, so we are careful not to overdress him. 
We still get some stares when out and about, but I guess I've learned to ignore them because they seem like they are less and less.  I know that's not the case so I'm guessing I'm just used to it.  Yay!  It was a little annoying!  Haha.
We don't go back until February 20-a whole month between appointments-yay again!  It has been wearing us out, the break will be nice.  My personal goal is for Henry to be out of the helmet by the hot summer months, we'll see if that comes true! 
Well, I'm off to feed lunch to the crew.  More later.....

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Today is our fourth straight day of down pours!  Apparently, we may even get snow tonight which I knew nothing about.  Yes, I stay disconnected from the world.  By choice! :-)  Actually, the rain doesn't really bother me.  The hard part is keeping the kids occupies indoors for so many days.   The house definitely reflects the fact that we've been cooped up.  My kids are outside kids, even in the winter.  We bundle up, and we go out.  I think the fresh air is good for them.  Sometimes they even play in the rain, but it's just too cold for that right now.  

This morning we had one of our favorite breakfasts, smoothies and scrambled eggs.  The kids' choices.  They wanted a "groovy smoothie", which if you have ever watched "The Fresh Beat Band" you know exactly what I'm talking about.  I think it's a great way to get in some good stuff without them even realizing or thinking anything of it.  You can add almost anything and it still turns out yummy. 

Our basic smoothie is:

Frozen strawberries - I froze these from the strawberry patch this year, or you can buy at the store
Plain, vanilla yogurt- We use Stonyfield Organic Yogurt
Apple Juice-or whatever juice you have on hand. 

That's it.  You just play with the consistency until it's "smoothie" consistency.  So simple, and so delicious and refreshing.  I like to add a banana because I don't like the texture of a banana, so it's a good way to eat one. 

Just thought I'd share a simple, fun recipe.  I know they are selling ready-made smoothies now in the freezer section, but honestly it's so simple and cheap to make yourself.  You could even use cheaper ingredients than we do. 

Updates Galore

• First of all- I messed up the "stats" from the 3 year check-up.  Carson is actually 10 pounds lighter than Emmy!  He weighs 33 pounds.  I added 5 to him.  Oops!  He is also 4 inches shorter.  I don't know how I got all that wrong.  Probably too much going on these days! 
• The twins had their dental check up yesterday.  Hard to believe it had been 6 months already-but it had.  My grandma was nice enough to go with us again.  We got there and she again kept Henry in the car while I took the twins in by myself.  I was a bit nervous because I knew Carson was going to put up a fight, which he did.  It was okay though, they are so good and geared to children and they expect it.  The dentist said, "oh, it might take up to 5 times or so before he's comfortable with us."  Hmmm...I don't know if he'll ever be okay with it but we'll see.  He's my one who fights everything, haircuts, nail clippings, baths, anything that involves his hygiene for some reason.   He just wants to be left alone!  It was funny because you get a small toy when you leave the office, and we had been telling them this to kind of make it sound more fun to go.  Well, when we got there, Emmy opens the door and says really loudly, "Do you have toys here?"  The receptionist cracked up.  She said "Yes, we have toys here."  I think Emmy wasn't going in if they didn't!!!  Both kids have no cavities and are good for 6 months.  Next time we go, Henry will get to go with us.  That should be even more interesting-3 at the dentist!!  Afterwards we went to Cracker Barrel and the kids chowed down!  Carson ate scrambled eggs and sausage.  Emmy ate a whole pancake, a slice of bacon, and a slice of ham.  My kids love to eat!!!!  Carson can go a while nibbling and grazing but then he hits a day where he eats everything in sight.  I don't know if we'll be able to feed these kids as teenagers!!!
• Henry had a helmet appointment last Wednesday.  We got holes drilled in the back for more ventilation.  We also had it tightened because it kept falling over his eyes.  It was driving me crazy!  We got back next week, so we get a break this week.  I'm glad for a break but filled it with the dentist appt. instead.  I'm just trying to keep everything and everyone caught up!  I don't want anything to get behind.  Henry's does great at his appointment, but I think he got tired of me and the orthodist messing with his helmet.  He eventually started fussing at us.  Here's how it goes down.  We sit him on the table in a Bumbo.  We talk, point, and crouch down to see how it's fitting over his eyes.  The orthodist goes out with the helmet, makes the changes, comes back.  We start over again- talking, pointing, crouching down just staring to get a good look.  I can't imagine what Henry thinks of us.  After a few times of this, he's had enough and gets mad.  I thought about it from his angle, and he must think we're nuts.  The twins and Papa went with me this time.  They waited in the car, then we had lunch and waited for Henry's pediatrician appointment.  Thank goodness he got an antibiotic for a sinus infection.  He's been suffering and the timing couldn't be worse with trying to adjust to his helmet.  It has helped him so much and he's doing better.  Not fully well, but better.  He's sleeping fine with the helmet now and doing great with it.  At his next appointment they will do measurements, which surprised me.  We'll already see if it's helping so far.  I'm excited about that, to see if all our hard work is paying off. 
• All 3 of the kiddos have been sick with colds.  Carson has probably been the worst.  He's had a cough that continues to linger.  It's frustrating because we've got family we haven't even seen for Christmas yet.  I don't like to take germs to our grandparents and get them sick.  I hope we will be well in the next week or so.  We've also missed church.  :-(  I went Sunday without the family at Dustin's suggestion to give me a break.  He's so thoughtful like that.  Emilynn missed dance Thursday.  She wasn't feeling good and actually fell asleep on the couch-which NEVER happens!  Yes, our perfect attendance streak was broken.  Oh well, what can you do?  She got perfect attendance last year and had it so far this year.  We've never missed a class since she started in the Fall of 2011!  I thought that was pretty good considering sickness, Henry's birth, etc.! 
• Oh, and we've been out with the helmet in public quite a bit now.  As I anticipated, we have gotten some stares.  I have ignored it for the most part and just kept doing what I was doing.  One man in Walmart really got upset and gasped, "that baby's had surgery."  I found myself comforting him explaining it was just for a misshapen head.  I really felt bad for the man because he was upset.  I understood because I've seen things out and about and as a mother they just affect you or upset you deeply.  He patted Henry and said something like "You're in God's hands." and went on.  Mostly people don't comment, they just stare.  I felt like in Walmart it was especially bad, Henry and I were just stared at the whole time.  I don't know why really, but they were super-busy that day.  Restaurants haven't been as bad.  Most people just say how cute he is-which he is so happy and grinning so much that you really do notice that.  You look at him and he gives the biggest, toothy smile with those little teeth.  Anyway, we'll just ignore the weird stares and if someone asks a question, I'm happy to answer it. 
• Well, that is all for now.  I still need to load pics and do updates from Christmas, Birthday, and the new year!!  I will try to do that soon.  I've been running ragged from all the appointments and just want to crash when the kids hit the bed.  

Helmet-Day 3 & 3 year check ups!

Helmet-Day 3.  Today has been a great "helmet day!"  We got up very early, we had to leave home by 8:20 to get going to our 3 year old check ups.  Henry wore his helmet all day, without incident.  Today we were supposed to do 4 hours on, 1 hour off.  We did 8 hours on, then 1 off!  You can always do more hours, so it was fine.  Tonight he will sleep in the helmet for the first time, so we'll see how that goes.  We went out in public last night and today for the first times, and I kind of wondered how that would go.  I just wasn't sure if we'd get stares, questions, etc.  The twins have not asked any questions about the helmet whatsoever.  They have been so accepting of Henry from the first day he walked in the door.  From the first moment, he was ours, through and through.  We've never had jealousy or any issues at all.  I wasn't sure what they would say or ask with the helmet,but when I brought him out of the orthodist's office, they were jumping up and down and very excited.  Emilynn exclaimed, "I want a purple one Momma, I want a purple one!"  It was cute.  Henry's helmet was just another accepted factor, no questions asked. 
We went out to our favorite Mexican restaurant last night and we got a couple looks.  No questions except from the girl checking us out, apparently her child almost got one, but then didn't.  It was fine though.  Honestly, I'd rather people ask than assume things.  I'd hate for someone to assume he's had some type of head surgery or something more serious than what it is. 
Today, my grandma, the twins, Henry, and I went to Cracker Barrel for lunch (but all got breakfast!).  We got quite a few looks there but no questions or comments.  The kids don't notice looks and they really don't bother me, so no big deal! I got used to stares when we first went out with the twins as babies.   My grandma said she had planned to smack anyone who said something to us about it!!!!  Glad no one did, huh?  :-)  Some very nice ladies beside us did stop to say how well behaved and darling my children were acting.  Boy they caught us on a good day!  :-)  Glad they weren't dining at Ruby Tuesday on Wednesday!!! 

As for our 3 year check ups-  Emilynn is off the charts as we expected.  She grew 8 inches in the past year!!!  She is 8 inches taller- she's 3 foot 8 inches tall and 43 pounds.  She gained 10 pounds since last year.   The dr. made the nurse re-check her height because it seemed unbelievable! 
Carson weighed 38 pounds.  He is 5 pounds lighter and 3 inches shorter than his sister.  It sure seems likes more difference than that, but I guess the numbers don't lie! 
It went really well, I was nervous because I took them both in by myself while my grandma kept Henry in the car. 

It was a great day overall-the kids were angels all day.  They must have had mercy on me because it's been a long week of appointments and such.  I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend at home and hope to clean the house!!!! 

Helmet-Day 2

We are on Day 2 of our helmet wear.  It is going okay.  Henry still has a little bit of a cold, so I guess that doesn't help a whole lot.  For the first two days, you basically do 1 hour on, 1 hour off.  You can do more if the child isn't bothered, and we have been able to do a couple hour stretches here and there.  It's not been all that bad, but at certain times he will tug at it and cry for it to come off.  Most of the time though, he pays it no mind. 
Yesterday, Day 1, was a long, tiring day.  We (as in, myself, Henry, Dustin, Carson, and Emilynn) all left at 8:15 yesterday morning.  It is a 1 hr 15 min- 1 hr 30 min drive to the appointment, depending on traffic.  Dustin's Dad got really sick and wasn't able to go, so we had to regroup last minute.  Dustin decided to just ride with me, because he didn't want me going so far alone, in not the best section of town by myself.  You never when you could have car trouble (like my flat tire a few weeks ago), and he just really likes to go with me.  So, I packed up lots of movies, snacks, a small bag of toys for each twin, and our travel potty...and away we went.  We had to wake the kids up- Emilynn said, "You woke us up!" very grouchily when we stirred her!  It was 1 hr. 30 min appointment, and at the end of it Henry was done.  He was tired of being fiddled with I guess.  We then got lunch at Ruby Tuesday- a disaster because I think all 3 kids were done by this point, then headed home.  We were all exhausted!!!  Henry cried until I laid him in his bed for a late nap.  He just wanted some alone time to himself I think! 
We will keep plugging along with the on/off times today and the next few days.  He is supposed to be on the 23 hours per day by the 5th day, Sunday.  We'll see how that goes.  We go next Wednesday for a follow up to re-adjust the helmet and make more cuts to fit it better, depending on how it wore this week. 
Tonight we start dance back up for Emilynn, I hope to get the Christmas decorations down today.  Tomorrow is the twins' 3 year check up!  I can't believe they are 3.   That is closer to a big kid than I think I'm comfortable with!  Two was kind of still towards the "baby" side of things.  My baby, Henry will be 1 next month!  My how times flies! 
Next week is the helmet appt, then week after that will be the twins dental check up, then I have a dental appointment.   Lots of appointments going on!  How DO people work and have kids?  I'll never know!!! 
I think we'll go every week for a few weeks until we get the fit and adjustments right. 
Will try to post a pic soon, I have had no time to upload any pics.  I want to upload some from the kids' digital cameras-their pics are hilarious.  We got one of our waitress at the Mexican restuarant!  You never know what those kiddos are snapping pics of!!!! 

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013!  It's always fun to start a new year, with a fresh slate and new goals! 

I am contemplating my goals for the year, so I'll have to share those later.  I like to call them goals because resolutions just seem to get broken.  As long as you're working towards a goal, you are making progress, I think!  

We have been off the radar a bit because we had a round of Adenovirus run through the kids.  It basically is respiratory-bad cold, cough, runny noses, fever.  Also bloodshot eyes-which was how the pediatrician knew that's what they had.  Carson had it first and worst.   He is doing a bit better by today, but still coughing some.  He is fully active again though.  Emmy had it just one day, and that was that.  She's so tough!  She rarely is affected, if at all by sickness around here.  (knock on wood!)  Henry is still snotty and coughing.  We haven't taken him out at all, except today to go get our milk.  I finally let the twins outside yesterday because they HAD to go out.  I had kept them in a week.  It was freezing but I caved.  They weren't out too long, thank goodness. 
I feel bad for Henry because he is still sick, but he gets his helmet tomorrow.  Poor guy.  He's still happy though, and his appetite is back as of yesterday, so I hope he's on the mend. 

The helmet appointment is 1 1/2 hours long.  As of right now, I have no babysitter for the twins.  My father-in-law was going to do it, but then got sick.  We'll figure something out I guess. 

More later, Henry is up from nap, so that's my cue!  :-)  I will update on how our fitting goes tomorrow.  I'm kind of dreading the drive alone....seems to take about 1 1/2 hours to get there, because of traffic and where it's located.  Oh well, it's just a short season of life, I know.  I'll put dinner in the crockpot before we go, so I can just chill when we return.