Better Late than Never

Caleb had his second evaluation with the orthotic specialist about 2 weeks ago (I know, I should have posted this earlier).


The doctor did another scan of Caleb's head and he had more good news. Caleb's measurements have improved 30% in one month without a helmet! The best the doctors can expect with a helmet is 10% in one month. That was great news to us!


The doctor is concerned about one spot still and wants to do another scan on December 1st. Hopefully we will see some more improvements!

Caleb's First Haircut

Caleb got his first haircut today. He really needed it and he did such a great job! Thank goodness for Jackie and her iPad!

Caleb's before picture

Caleb getting his hair cut

Caleb's after picture

(He looks like a little boy now instead of a baby)

Videos, Videos, and More Videos!

It seems like every day Caleb is doing something new. I took a lot of videos this past week. Here are some of them:



This one is short but sweet. Caleb started clapping his hands and will even do it if you ask him to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BCRCBnAFio



In this one, Caleb decides to attack Mommy and camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3UAm-8HFxM">



Daddy just finished reading Caleb his bedtime story. Now it is Caleb's turn to read. Amaya even listens to the story. (The lighting is pretty bad but Caleb was getting ready for bed.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHc0WYsyfa8



Caleb crawls like a big boy to his table to play but is distracted by Amaya.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsJ2tJpi2AM



Caleb thinks he is older than what he is and decides to crawl up the steps on the porch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAFfXy3g-vQ

Good News!

We took Caleb to see the orthotic specialist yesterday. He went to Midwest Orthotics in South Bend.


He had to have a Cranial Vault Assymetry scan done on his head. It measures a spot on the front of the head to a spot on the back of the head in a diagonal and does this all around his head. The farther apart the measurements are the more likely it is that he would need a Cranial Remolding Helmet. The biggest difference in measurements was 9 mm. That put him on the high end of having moderate Positional Plagiocephaly (which is a big term for meaning he has a flat spot on his head).


The doctor that we saw said that if Caleb were his child he would not put him in a helmet (and he does have a son a little older than Caleb). He doesn't think the measurements are that bad. He does want to do another scan next month to make sure that the measurements are not getting farther apart. If the scan is the same or better he will not need a helmet. That was a relief to hear. He told us to make sure that he is not laying on the side that is flat, which is his right side. This should be pretty easy since he always sleeps on his tummy now and when he is awake he is crawling around or standing up.


If Caleb's measurements were in the severe category we probably would have gone ahead and went with the helmet. The helmet is mostly for cosmetic purposes, so the head looks more symmetrical, but medical problems can also develop if the helmet is not used to correct the plagiocephaly. Some problems the doctor discussed were sinus issues, TMJ, vision problems, and speech problems.


Please pray that Caleb's head does not get worse over the next month and continues to correct itself. I would hate for him to have to wear a helmet for 23 hours a day for 6 months (that is how long the doctor said he would have to wear it if he did get it. The later you catch plagiocephaly the longer it takes to correct it.) Also, because his measurements were not in the severe category insurance would not pay for anything.


All in all we had some pretty good news. We will be praying quite a bit in the next month before his appointment on October 27th.

9 Months!

Caleb is now 9 months old! I can't believe this little guy will be a year old soon. He is growing up too fast.

He just had his 9 month check up. He was 29 1/4 inches and weighed 22 pounds and 14 ounces (pretty much 23 pounds). He is starting to level off and is now in the 75th percentile instead of the 90th. He didn't have to get any vaccines but we did opt for the flu vaccine. He has to go back next month to get the second dose. He also had has hemoglobin checked and the level was normal. Overall, he is a pretty healthy baby! The doctor is concerned about how flat the back of his head is still and referred us to an Orthotic specialist. I am praying his head continues to round out on its own without any help but the doctor was not hopeful.

He is getting around a lot better (and faster!). He is still army crawling but the doctor said that is considered crawling and is not worried about it. He is starting to pull himself up on everything and we got an "Ouch Report" from daycare this week because he fell and bumped his head. Caleb is also waving bye-bye but only when he feels like it. I can't get him to do it every time.

Here are a couple of videos that we have taken recently:

In this one he is army crawling. I took this at the beginning of August but forgot to post it. He is still army crawling but a lot faster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AQ2GbmwxBY

In this one he pulled himself up on his knees to play with his toy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yquKThQIibU

Baby Proofing

Now that Caleb is 7 and 1/2 months old he is getting to be more and more active each day. He is rolling all over the place. He is also scooting around (mostly backwards and sideways.) He is still not crawling yet but he is working on it.

Due to his mobility we have started to baby proof everything. The baby gates are up on the stairs, electrical outlets are covered, and the pads are on the corners of the coffe table. Our next step is to put the locks on the cabinets and safety straps on the back of the TVs so they don't topple over.

Caleb has also gotten his bottom two front teeth! I will take a picture when they are more visible. Right now you can feel them but not see them very well.

Up on his hands and knees.

Doing sit-ups.

Doing push-ups instead of napping.

Playing with Amaya (trying to at least).

Our Little Fish

Caleb just finished his two week long swimming lessons. He did a great job! He was even swimming underwater on the first day. He really seemed to like it (at least there were no tears) and we will sign him up again next summer. Mom and Dad aslo had a good time swimming with Caleb. Here are a couple pictures and videos from his lessons:

Having fun with Daddy.
Doing a good job floating on his back.

Caleb jumping into the pool with Daddy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnvuNGGoydw

Caleb swimming to Daddy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seqCHfLrdOg

Caleb swimming with Mommy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75P37O3aQDA