Better than expected

BB got her doc band today and I was so suprised at how well she did. I was soooo happy about it. She didn't even seem to notice. I hope that the next 6-8 weeks goes by quickly and she is comfortable. I decorated the band with butterflies and flowers so it looks really cute. She wore it in the office for about 15 minutes and her head was soaked with sweat. It is supposed to get better as she adjusts to it but holy cow!

I'm exhausted, lots going on but no time to blog right now. Hope
you are ok!

Wordless Saturday

Little Bank Robber

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BB had her DOC band fitting this week. She had to wear this stocking over her head to capture a 3D image. Then they put her on this stool and had her look at a computer monitor with cool videos to try and capture her attention to take a photograph. Very sophisticated! She just smiled the entire time. Such a sweet, good baby girl.

We go in next Thursday to pick it up.  The more I am involved, the less freaked out I am.  I actually bought scrap book stickers to decorate. Flowers and butterflies and dragonflies. We have to make it look pretty for her! I feel better about putting her in the band. When looking at the 3D image of the top of her head, I could really see how misshapen it is. How did we miss that all this time?  I wouldn't hesitate to put braces on her teeth if they are crooked. Why would I not fix her head?  I'll post photos as soon as we get her in it. Hopefully she'll only have to wear it for 6 weeks.

On a different note, AB is sooo excited about his adoption. We are going to visit his foster mom and some old friends that day. It's hard to believe it's already here. I had class last night, and hubby gets him ready for school, so I didn't see him all day. I really did not like that one bit. So, I got up this morning and we talked for a while and I walked him to the bus stop. Such a sweet boy. I'm so very blessed!

My friends did a photo shoot of BB and I just had to share a couple of amazing photos! These are the proofs....they are doing touch ups on a bunch! Can't wait to see how amazing those turn out!

She LOVED this fabric...it was soft and fuzzy and she wiggled and laughed the entire time she was on it!

P.S. I just saw that this is my 200th post! Wow...who knew I had so much to say?!

Gotcha Day!

We will officially welcome AB into our family on February 17! We couldn't be more excited! He is just the sweetest boy and I can't wait until I can officially share him with you here. Last night I was browsing the internet about doc bands and he could tell I was sad. He came up to me, put his arm around me, kissed me on the head and said, "Mom, don't be sad. It's gonna be ok..."  Seriously? I could squeeze him til his head pops off! But I won't. =)   I can't even believe how quickly the past 6 months have passed. He has grown and matured so much and we have bonded and fallen in love with him. He is my son..and I love him more than anything. And he loves his baby sister...and I love her more than anything. Wow...just wow.

Plagiocephaly

This is an email that I sent to family...it was easier just to copy and paste it.

"As you know, we have been concerned with BB's right cheek being bigger than her left. Her pediatrician noticed it at her 4 month check up and we have been trying to figure out what's going on since. We saw a physical therapist who said that she seemed to be fine, no muscular issues, and to just do neck stretches during the day. The pediatrician wanted us to see a craniofacial plastic surgeon but we couldn't get an appointment until February 26. I wasn't satisfied with that so I started researching what could be going on. There is a condition called plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) and it causes facial assymetry, specifically one cheek being larger than the other. I found a website that all but confirmed what I had been suspecting.

http://www.cranialtech.com/

We scheduled an evaluation and they saw us 2 days later. They were amazing. They took photos of BB from all angles and took detailed measurements of her head. From front to back, top to bottom, ear to eye, diagonal, etc. The average assymetry of a normal head is between 2-4 mm. BB's is 16 mm. The notes state this: "BB is a 5 month old female referred for treatment of her plagiocephaly. She presents with right occipital flattening, left frontal flattening and associate facial asymmetry. She has an ear shift with the right ear anterior to the left. Right parietal occipital flattening, left frontal flattening, right eye and cheek anterior to the left."

So, why is this happening? Well, since we put babies on their backs to sleep, there is lots of pressure on the back of the head. Since the skull is soft, it flattens out. BB has always preferred to look to her right as well as sleep with the right side of her head down. We noticed that she had this preference but every one said that babies just do that. So, when the doctor said something we really started to notice it. We can wait it out and see what happens. Or we can have her wear a DOC band for about 2 months to even out the shape of her head. The physical therapist we saw says that the surgeon we are scheduled to go see often plays the waiting game. But the longer we wait to treat it, the longer it will take to fix it. It goes from 2 months of treatment up to 5-6 months. You can check out that website for more details about the DOC band.  She will have to wear it 23 hours a day.

I am very sad that she has to go through this, but I am grateful that it is nothing serious. I dare anyone to say something unkind about her. From what I've been told, the parents have a much harder time that the babies do. I hope that's the case. She is just such a happy girl and I don't want to give her reason not to be.

This is actually more than a cosmetic thing too. If we don't fix it, her eye socket and forehead will continue to protrude and could possibly lead to issues with her vision as well as a misaligned jaw."

So...I am freaking out and I can't quite figure out why. It just makes me soo very sad that BB has to go through this. I KNOW it could be so much worse and this is really nothing in the grand scheme of things. But it breaks my heart. I have just cried and cried and felt so bad for her. I KNOW 8 weeks is really no time at all...especially considering how quickly the last 5 months have passed. I don't want to have to deal with stupid people saying stupid things. I will not be nice if anyone says something mean or hateful. People are always coming up to me saying how pretty she is and what beautiful eyes she has. Today in Target a lady told me "she's' perfect!". I imagine that people will not say nice things about her with the band on. And that just infuriates me! Hopefully I'm wrong and am getting worked up for no reason. At least she is too young to know what people are saying and she won't remember this.  I just HATE it! I will do it for her...but I HATE it!

Anybody had to deal with something like this? I need some love!

Oh, and did I mention that it costs $4000. And that insurance will not cover it? Yeah...nice, huh?

I thought I would include a photo that they took of her. Not the best pic of my girl, they slicked her hair down with water...but she's still a cutie.
They took several photos but I'll just share this one.

In this photo, you can clearly see that the top of her head is uneven and the left side (right side on photo) protrudes out towards the back. Her ears are also uneven.  She has a Hemangioma over her left ear...she was born with it...in case you were wondering.
 

Dripping with Sweetness...

She was sooo sleepy...

p.s. Isn't that ruffle on her butt the cutest thing ever?!

Thanks!!

My bloggy friend Amy is awesome! Her mom makes her daughter the most adorable hats! Well, guess what?!

She sent me one! Thanks Amy!! I LOVE it!

Oh, and I finally found a bow that will stay in her hair. It actually has a little piece of the stuff you put under rugs to keep them from sliding around attached to it. Too cute! She's only worn it in photos, but I will take her out on the town with it soon! As long as she's not wearing her awesome hat!

This baby girl loooovvvves her daddy!

P.S. Watching Super Nanny. Ever watch that show? I can't even believe how some of the kids and parents act! Geez!