Ollie's Helmet

So, this post is four months in the making.

When Oliver was born, both Scott and I noticed that his head had an odd shape.  No one said anything to us about it while we were in the hospital, and the pediatrician on call didn't seem to show any concern, so when we brought him home we just figured it would be one of those things that would fix it's self.

At his 2 week appointment, Dr. Fox, Our pediatrician, was concerned about the shape of his head.  He asked us to follow up with him in 2 weeks, and again in 4 weeks to see if it was getting better.  It was, but not at the rate he would like to see.  So he sent us to a pediatric plastic surgeon.  The concern was that the plates (fontanels) in Oliver's head had fused closed early.  

Oliver never had a soft spot when he was born. After meeting with Dr. Siddiqi at Primary Children Hospital he ordered a CT Scan.  By now Oliver was 2 months old, and the scan revealed good news, that his skull was still open.  He asked us to come back in 2 months to see the shape and how it was growing.  

At that appointment Dr. Siddiqi decided Oliver would need a helmet, which is a relief, the other option was surgery where they would go in and break his skull and place it correctly.  

Next, we met with Dr. Beavers to get fitted for a helmet.  This also involved a scan, and teaching me the formal name for Oliver's condition, Scaphocephaly.

Then it became a waiting game to see if insurance was going to cover the cost of the helmet.  Once that came through the helmet was ordered and shaped and is now being worn by my sweet little boy, who hates it.

Here's some pictures.

 tummy time at just  few days old

 few weeks old

 CT scan, this was pretty scary for me. My little baby being strapped down and x-rayed through this huge machine.  Mommy didn't like this.

 this is to show the ridge along his forehead

 Bump in the back

 First night in the helmet, he hates it!

 the idea of the helmet is to control the growth so it grows out from the ears, instead of front to back, if that makes sense.  He still hates it.

  And it has put a huge damper on our snuggles.

This has defiantly been a learning and growing process for me.  

I know that there are other babies that have bigger and more serious problems than my little Oliver has, but it still hasn't been easy.  I've had to change the way I hold and snuggle and comfort my baby.  He's so mad at me.  I know that this is only for a short time, and he will get used to it and we will both go on our merry way, but for now, for this moment in time it really blows. He's been a real trooper really.  I'm just grateful that we can fix this with out surgery.  Nothing is more scary than having your doctor going over concerns and possible complications related to surgery at such a young age.  The information and facts and things gets so overwhelming.  Plus the constant meeting with doctors and going to clinics and hospitals, it's not fun one bit.  

Plus side we get to keep the helmet, so I'm going to find fun ways to decorate it.  I need to show off his personality which is pretty awesome!

November 17

This date is important to me.

last year on November 17 I found out I was pregnant with my sweet little Oliver

On November 17 that sweet little boy will also be 4 months old (How?)

and finally on November 17, 2004 I entered the MTC.  I couldn't find any pictures of me from the MTC to post, because they are all actual photos, but I did serve a mission, which I loved.  NYUM forever!! All the good things in my life came from my decision to serve a mission.  I still have dreams every so often about getting a call from my mission president informing me that I'm needed to go back out and serve.  I pack up the kids and Scott and we head out into the field.  The details are often a little fuzzy as to why I'm being called with my whole family, but I go and we all love it.  

Happy November 17!

Creepy Kids

While doing my hair the other day Rivers carefully snuck up on me and said "Hello Mommy" while covered in our brown throw blanket.

It was actually pretty scary...

Halloween 2013

This is my favorite Holiday!  I love stretching it out for a few weeks.

Earlier this year we planned to be a family of pirates for Halloween, but I asked Rivers one day what he wanted to be, and he looked at me and said "A tater tot".  I thought, he's just being a silly little boy and brushed it off.  Then others asked, and I asked again, and Scott asked and the answer was always the same "A tater tot",  I was now faced with the challenge of making a tater tot costume.  I searched the web, and most of what I found was pictures of small children dressed at potatoes, hence, tater Tot.  This wasn't what I had in mind.  A friend of mine found a blog with a tutorial for her older daughter that also wanted to be a tater tot, I'll have to find it and post it, but it was just perfect!  

A tan pillow case, quilt batting, spray paint and a glue gun later, this is what I ended up with.  At our ward trunk or treat people thought he was cereal, but when I got it all finished I think he turned out pretty awesome.  I did have to tell people what he was, but that didn't matter, he loved that mom made him a tater tot costume.  To go with that, Oliver was corn on the cob.

My dear friend Merrilee gave this too me, it was perfect!

We also carved pumpkins, and went to the pumpkin patch.  

It was a lot of fun.  On Halloween night we planned on going trick or treating around our neighborhood, but due to my lack of cooking skills we ended up going down to Scott's folks house and went around their neighborhood.  Rivers had a blast!  By the second house he realized they had candy and suddenly it was a rush to get to the next house.  He also saw a group of older kids running across the street and told grandpa "Those boys are naughty, we don't run in the street."  Such is the life of a city kid.  I love this time of year, and it has been such a fun experience this year with my boys

Rivers turned 3

I am still in amazement that my little boy is 3!!

Last year, Rivers friend Jane had a birthday party, ever since then Rivers has wanted a birthday party of his own, and 

after Oliver was born, he kept asking "to party with Jane and Lucas". 

Scott and I talked about it and since having a new brother has been hard on him, we felt we could thrown Rivers a small party for his friends.  

The first person he wanted to invite was his cousin Emily.

He was so cute walking around the neighborhood delivering

the invites.

 We kept the party pretty simple.  I did a semi Monsters Inc. party, we decorated cookies to look like monsters, played pin the eye on Mike and ate PB&J and monster ice cream.

The kids had the most fun playing with balloons and toys, and of course eating the candy and frosting for the cookies.

Rivers wanted muffins instead cupcakes.

 Look at that guy!! crazy hair and all! I hope he knows how much he means to me, my world would be so sad without him.

Yes, I plan to take a picture like this every year.

 Happy Birthday Rivers McKean!  I love your huge head, crazy hair, fun personality, energy, imagination, skinny body, adventurous spirit, sensitivity, and big heart.