Lincoln's Deformational Plagiocephaly

I'm sure many of you have noticed Lincoln's helmet in our pictures over the last few months. I want to talk about this for a bit. I know I would have plenty of questions as to why he was wearing a helmet... so here's the story of Lincoln's Dinosaur helmet. 

During Lincoln's 4 month checkup in September I mentioned to our Pediatrician that Lincoln seemed to prefer holding his head to the right more often than the left. Our pediatrician said, yes he does have a little deformation- he'd be a good candidate for a helmet. So that was it. The doctors office set us up with an appointment at Children's hospital in St. Louis. So, off we went about a week later. Not having a clue what we were in for. 

The first visit consisted of Lincoln getting an x-ray of his lil noggin'. This confirmed that he had "Deformational Plagiocephaly"(Deformational (or positional) plagiocephaly refers to a misshapen (asymmetrical) shape of the head (cranium) from repeated pressure to the same area of the head. Plagiocephaly literally means "oblique head" (from the Greek words "plagio" for oblique and "cephale" for head).

The doctor gave me 2 options. 1) Do repositional exercises to help it correct on his own. 2) Go ahead and get fitted for the helmet. I opted to go ahead and get the helmet for 2 reasons. The first was our insurance covered it so we might as well and the other was we better play it on the safe side and get the helmet just in case.

So off we went, to the Center for Advanced Medicine which was connected to Children's Hospital. We saw the doctor there and he took measurements of Lincoln's. He said that it took about 1-2 months to get approved by the insurance because they typically like to see at least 2 months of measurements before approval. We got lucky and got approved the first month. So at our next appointment Lincoln got fitted for his helmet. They do this by plastering his little head. He actually did amazingly well during this part.  I got to pick out the design for the helmet, which obviously I chose the dinosaurs. 

We went back about 2 weeks later to get his helmet and to make the final adjustments. Lincoln looked so cute in his new head gear. His measurement came in at 15- which is considered severe. The doctor said that ideally he would like to see Lincoln's measurements get down between 5-7. He would more than likely have to wear it for 3-6 months. Obviously, we were aiming for 3 months. 

Well, here we are at month 3 of wearing the helmet. At his last appointment in December (month 2), Lincoln measured in at a 5! A 5!! He was perfect. But the doctor (not our normal one, he was gone for the day) suggested that we leave it on for one more month since his head is still growing and we didn't want him to regress in his progress. So, that's what we did. This past week we went back for his checkup. Lincoln measured in at 7. Really!? I couldn't believe it! But our doctor assured me that there is always room for error for a few different reasons. 1) Each doctor measures just a little bit different than the other. 2) Despite my best efforts to keep Lincoln still during measurements, he still moves. This can also cause differences. Anyway, we were still in the range that we wanted to be. I thought, YES! we're finally done! But no, our doctor wanted us to keep it on for one more month- just to be on the safe side. So that's what we're doing. And honestly, that's perfectly fine with me. I don't want him to regress in his progress and since he's crawling and standing more, I like that he has the helmet. It keeps his head safe! :) 

Now, I won't lie. Jesse and I both had a very hard time dealing with the helmet in the beginning. There was that initial thought of "What will people think of my child?" But we got used to it and Lincoln adjusted very well to it. And quite honestly, I'm glad we did it. I would rather my child have to wear a helmet for 3-6 months now than to get made fun of later in life for having a deformed head. I really couldn't tell that anything was wrong with his head when we first started this adventure, but now looking back through pictures I can see a difference. Now my little baby boy is going to have the most perfect shaped head ever! :) 

First Day with the helmet

8 months old

My baby boy is 8 months old! In fact, he was 8 months old on January 2nd! Where did the time go? And why is he growing up so fast?

I recently read a post about "letting go"'of your oldest child when a new one comes along. About how they always grow up despite our desperate attempts to make them stay our babies for just a whole longer. It's true- I sit and hold Lincoln and I look at Gabe and I see the young boy that he's becoming. It makes me remember those precious days of him in the hospital- so tiny and a miracle in his own right. I remember thinking that he's going to be so little forever and I'll have all this time to hold him. Then reality quickly set in and I realized that my dream of my tiny 2 pound boy staying little was just that- a dream. He's growing up on me.

Now I look at Lincoln and I hope and pray that he will stay little for just a bit longer. I'm not ready for both of my boys to grow up and start running and not needing mommy as much. I'm just not ready for that. Sure Gabe still likes to cuddle and be held- but those times are becoming few and far between. Lincoln still likes to be cuddled too- but he's moving and playing a lot more and I can slowly see those cuddling times becoming few and far between too. They are both becoming more independent and I'm not sure I like it. Though, as a parent I want my children to be independent to a point but I also want them to need their mommy. I know, I know... I still have a few more years before their off to school and really become independent. So, I guess I better make these next few years count and get as many snuggles and kisses in as I can.

Well Lincoln is 8 months and here's and update.

Dear Lincoln,

I can't believe how fast these 8 moths have gone. It seems like not yesterday I was holding you in my arms wondering when I would see you crawl, stand and begin playing with your brother. And now that those days are here- I find myself wishing that you still needed mommy to hold you all of the time. But you're growing up and I see you learning something new everyday. I'm blessed to get to see you take on this great big world and just soak up all of the new experiences daily. I love watching you play with your brother and hearing you laugh when he does something funny. The smile on your face when you see me each morning coming to get you out of bed. I love our sweet cuddle times in the middle of the night when you wake up and need a bottle. I know I may complain about those late night wake up calls- but I do enjoy them because I know that one day - those wake up calls won't happen. You are SO SO SO FAST! Seriously! We call you our baby ninja because you literally crawl faster than some people walk. Since discovering that you can crawl out of the living room into different rooms you have kept us quite busy. I've had to fence you in to just the living room many times. Just the other day I went to the bathroom and came back just a minute later and you were already in the kitchen! I've moved your bed into the doorway of the living room to your room/dining room thinking that would keep you in. Well, it worked for a while until this week when you discovered that you can actually crawl under it and escape! Did I mention that your a ninja? Haha.

Here's some more news:

Favorite Food: Sweet potatoes and applesauce

Favorite snacks: yogurt bites, puffs, and Cheerios

Favorite show to watch with brother: Curious George

Favorite toys: Sophie the Giraffe and anything that makes noise

You LOVE bath time and climbing out of your tub

Everything goes straight to your mouth. Seriously you can find a piece of paper 29 feet away.

You love drinking out of your sippy cup.

Wearing 6-9 month clothes and some 9-12 months.

Size 3 diapers- just like your brother.

Holding your own bottle.

Sitting up and crawling everywhere!

Starting to stand hands-free more and more! (You're gonna be walking soon!)

You head straight to the dog food Everytime you come into the kitchen

You love to help mommy in the kitchen. And by that I mean you walk in your walker and listen to music with mommy!

You love to play with your brother and you think he's real funny! (He's going to be your best friend!)

We celebrated your FIRST Christmas last month and you had a great time!

You are sleeping thru the night (some nights you still wake up). From about 9:30 p.m. to 8:30 or 9:00 a.m.

You snore. :)

You fall asleep in the car a lot.

You weigh 17 pounds.

Well baby boy you are seriously growing up too fast! I know I say that allllll the time but it's true. I'm so happy that you are strong and healthy. You're such a good baby and we are so blessed to have you. I can't believe that in just 4 months you will be 1 year old! Ahh! Can we just freeze time? We love you sweet boy!

Mommy & Daddy

Projects 2014

Hey Friends!

We've been battling sickness in this house since Christmas. I took the boys urgent care last Thursday night since nothing was making them better. Thank God I did. They both had RSV and Lincoln had an ear infection! Thankfully, they're both getting better and acting like themselves. They still have a runny nose and cough, but their appetite is back up and they're playing like crazy.

So, I've made the decision to go back to Grad School! EEEKK!! I'm in the process of completing the application and getting all of my transcripts and recommendation letters in order. I'll keep you posted. I'm excited to go back but I'm going to miss being at home with my babies! But, this will be good. My boys need to know that anything is possible and that there's nothing they can't do. Hopefully Jesse and I are setting that example for them. 

SO, I've came up with several projects to do this year. I've been stalking Pinterest and coming up with decorating ideas for our house. I still haven't gotten all this house looking the way I want it to. You'd think that I would have done that when we moved in... but I was pregnant and tired and just didn't have the time. But now, I'm making it a mission to get this house the way I want it. It's going to take some time and I'm going to do room by room. That way I don't get overwhelmed and our bank account doesn't suffer too much in the process. I have all these ideas and I can't wait to make them come to life! 

My next project is making photo books with all of the pictures that are stored on our computer. My plan is to do one for each of the boys' first year of life. I've already started on Gabe's and am almost done with it. Obviously, Lincoln isn't a year old yet, so we won't be ordering his any time soon. haha. I plan on making Gabe another book with pictures from his 1st birthday and up. It's taking me some time to get all of our pictures uploaded. I used Snapfish since most of my pics were already uploaded to it. My laptop is still Out of Order- so I'm going to have to wait until it gets fixed to completely finish the books. There are a lot of pictures on my computer that I need to upload still. I still have to order the book I made from our wedding. Man, it'll be 3 years this month and I still haven't ordered it. Fail. haha. 

Another project is converting this blog into a book to print for us to keep. As I've always said, I intend for this blog to primarily be for my kids- to be like a baby book for them. I want them to have their life and memories documented forever. So, I've started the process of converting the first year of this blog to a book. I still have A LOT of editing to do- to make sure all of the pictures look right and are in the right post. I plan on doing a year or so at a time for each made. I started this blog in April 2011. The first book will be April 2011-December 2012. The next will be Jan 2013-December 2013... and so on. As you can probably imagine, this isn't cheap to do. So, getting one at a time will be the best bet. haha. 

Well, it's about time for me to head to bed. My 2 little boys like to get up extra early!

Christmas, Birthday, Fitness & 2 1/2 Years Old!

Hey Friends! 

I realize that I haven't updated in quite some time. I could give you a million excuses but the truth of it is... I just don't find the time to sit down and blog. How sad is that? Life with 2 little boys is crazy... not to mention during this Holiday season! 

Speaking of my 2 little boys... big news now is that Lincoln is officially CRAWLING!! And when I say crawling... I mean he is crawling EVERYWHERE! He used to just stay in the living room. That is, until a few days ago when he discovered that there is life and room all throughout the house. Did I mention that everything goes into his mouth as well? I swear, there could be a tiny piece of paper 20 feet from him and he finds it! How do they do that? So, I've been CONSTANTLY vacuuming and cleaning to keep that little man safe. Oh & he's pulling up now too. Yeah, he thinks he's big stuff. I was prepared for this. I knew that he would catch on much faster since he has Gabriel to show him. But I wasn't prepared for him to go straight from crawling to standing. Tonight he even stood up and let go of the table and stood there for a few seconds on his own. MAN OH MAN! I've got a lot of work cut out for me. 

The past few weeks have been crazy busy for us. Jesse turned 24 on December 20th! We had his side of the family over on the 21st to celebrate and we also did Christmas with his Brother & Sister's families as well. It was fun and we had a house full of kids to entertain us as well. Gabriel Lee was also officially 2 1/2 years old on the 20th! Where does the time go? I know, I know... I say that all the time. But seriously? My tiny, precious baby boy is growing up on me. And I DO NOT LIKE it at all! Can we just pause time and let him be my baby boy for a while longer? Please!? 

I can't even begin to explain how excited I was for Christmas this year. I've been buying things here and there for a while now and I couldn't wait for Gabe to see all of his presents. Not to mention the fact that I LOVE decorating for Christmas. Heck, Christmas is my favorite Holiday in general. This year was the first time we've had a mantle to decorate and let me tell you... I was super pumped and super excited on how it turned out. See the pics below! 

Here's how our Christmas Holiday went: 

On Christmas Eve we headed up to Jesse's mom's to celebrate and have dinner with them. We picked up some Fried Chicken and his mom and stepdad made the sides. It was delish. Then we exchanged gifts and just hung out while the kids played. Gabe got the new Go GO Smart Wheels and he absolutely loved it. That boy sure does love his cars. Lincoln just had a great time crawling all around and getting attention, as always. 

That night, Jesse and I brought down all of the presents after the boys went to bed. We had a ball pit to blow up- sadly, it took both of us to get it done. That thing takes A LOT of air. haha. Santa brought the boys their very own "Santa" bags with their names on them. I bought these last year after Christmas at Walmart and couldn't wait to use them this year. We stuffed some of their smaller presents in them to make them look nice and full. Then we stuffed their stockings and relaxed on our NEW couch while watching "It's A Wonderful Life." Apparently watching this movie is a tradition for Jesse. I can't say that I've ever watched the movie in its entirety so I was excited to see it. Sadly, I fell asleep after the 2nd hour. I was exhausted... and I can never make it through a movie late at night...especially when I'm wrapped in a blanket on the couch. :) 

Christmas morning Gabriel woke Jesse and I up around 9:00. That sweet boy let us sleep in just a little bit. Lincoln wasn't even awake yet, so we had to get him up so we could all do Christmas together. Gabe was super excited... but not as excited as I thought he would be. We started with the stockings and Gabe LOVED it. He got a stuffed "Horton" from "Horton Hears a Who" (one of his faves) and like 5 trucks plus some candy. He LOVED the trucks and was perfectly satisfied with those. So satisfied that we had to MAKE him open the rest of his gifts. That boy made out with the jackpot! He got tons and tons of cars plus a stuffed "Sully" from "Monsters, Inc." (another fave). Lincoln of course didn't really know what was going on...but he did have a good time watching and playing with some new toys. My favorite toy that we got for both of them was an activity cube box made by B. Brand from Target. It was probably our most expensive purchase but the boys LOVE playing with it! I especially love this brand of toys and was super excited that we got it for them. 

That afternoon we headed over to my parent's house for lunch. As always, it was a blast. We did our annual Christmas Exchange (which is always fun and interesting), played some games, ate A LOT of good food, and that night we did gifts with my parents. Gabe got a barn set that had a "cow" and "goat" so he was set. That boy loves his animals. The boys also got several of their favorite movies... Monsters University, Despicable Me & UP! We've already watched them all several times. Even though we have all but Monsters U recorded on the tv. haha. 

The next day we headed over to my brothers house to do another round of Christmas. We had Fried FISH (which I LOVE)! The boys got some more gifts and we played some ping pong and had YUMMY Margaritas!

Overall, we had a fabulous Christmas. I hate that it's over. I love this Holiday Season. 

Well, this sickness bug has been going around like crazy. I thought that we had gotten lucky and it skipped us... but nope, it's come on full force. 2 days ago, Jesse woke up in the morning throwing up. I kept the boys away from him all day, praying that neither of them would catch it. That night, Gabriel started throwing up. I hate when my husband is sick (I lose my wing man) but I hate it even more when my babies are sick. It scared Gabriel and I could tell that he was miserable. He threw up again that night and then went straight to sleep without hesitation. He woke up yesterday morning feeling good and acting somewhat like his normal self. Jesse felt better too...just not 100%. I got my hopes up thinking that Lincoln and I got lucky. But NO! Tonight, my precious baby boy started throwing up as well. I hate it! He's miserable and not sleeping well at all tonight. My poor baby. I'm the only one that hasn't caught it yet, but I can tell that I'm not feeling well. I'm praying that it'll go away and I won't get the brunt of it. Jesse goes back to work tomorrow so I can not afford to be sick. 

So, New years = New Year Resolutions, right? I won't lie, I'm not going to set a goal for the new year because we all know that resolutions last about a week. But, I will tell you that I'm bound and determined to become healthier in 2014- just because I need to. I really took a break from working out over the past week because of Christmas and I can really tell that I feel worse. I feel bloated and don't have as much energy as I did when I was running at the gym. So, starting tomorrow is time to get back on track. I'm cutting out sweet drinks, AGAIN, and going back to strictly water. My membership is up so until I renew it again I will be doing my workout videos here at home. I'm also planning on doing the Advocare 24 day challenge sometime in the next month or so. It's kind of pricey, so I'm going to wait a bit. However, I figured I'd kick start this and start by eating healthier and drinking lots and lots of water. I HAVE to get healthier. I want to be a healthy wife and mother. I don't want to be that mom that sits on the bench because I'm too fat and tired to do anything. I want to be the mom that can run around with her kids and not run out of breath. I want to feel better about myself and not wear stretchy pants all the time. I just want to feel like my normal self again. And let's face it, I haven't felt like that in quite some time. I had gotten back down to my pre-pregnancy weight after Gabe- plus I lost about 10 extra pounds. Then came the pregnancy with Lincoln. Silly me, I thought- Oh, the weight will come off after this one too. Boy, was I WRONG! I only lost about 10 pounds the weeks after having Lincoln and since then I've lost between 5-10 pounds. I fluctuate a lot. I'll lose 10- gain 5- lose it again- gain it- lose about 10 more- gain some... .it's a never-ending cycle. And I'm SO SO SO ready to put an end to that cycle. 

We have a Florida trip in May and I would like to be able to put on a swimsuit and feel good about it. I'd like to wear my jean shorts and feel good about it. I'd like to be able to go shopping down there and actually buy clothes that I'm happy about buying. That's part of the motivation as well. I also want to go see Britney Spears in Vegas! I mean, who doesn't? But I told Jesse that I'm not going unless I can feel good about myself and get an outfit that I feel good in. Plus, we're going to save our money a little each month so it doesn't break us when/if we go. She's there for 2 years people... we got the time! :) 

So, there you have it. It's time to get healthy. And you, my readers and friends, you are going to be the ones to hold me accountable. I promise to do a monthly post on my progress as well. 

Hope you all had a WONDERFUL Christmas filled with many, many loving memories with family and friends. 

 

 Santa Claus is Comin' to town!

 

The boys' "Santa" bags

 

 Should have just gotten him a box... it's more fun! hah

 

Tired after a long day...snuggled with his new CARS blanket. 

 

My Mantle... LOVE it!

Just a little picture update

Hey Everyone! Now, I realize that I've been slacking on the picture posting... so here's a little picture update! You see, My laptop is still out of order so I'm using Jesse's laptop. And for some reason, my picture images don't show up when I go to choose which ones to upload... which makes it a pain!! I literally have to go through and view each photo, find the file number, go to the upload link, find the file number again, and then upload. I know, I know... bad excuse- but believe me when I say it takes longer than you'd think... especially with as many pictures as I have... haha. Anyway, enjoy these pics of our lives for the past month or so! :) 

He loves eating popcorn! 

 

Brothers! They're going to be Best Friends! 

This is how he wanted tucked in one night... 

Spot, Hippo, Pluto, Mickey, and 6 cars! 

We always have to take a "few" cars to take a bath with!

This was when Linc first started to sit!

This little man LOVES bathtime, too!

Told him to pick up his blocks and he did!

He's such a big boy!

Daddy spiking his hair for Thanksgiving! So adorable!

The boys on Thanksgiving in their shirts I made!

(it's getting harder & harder to take pics of Gabriel...he's always too busy!)

Lincoln is 7 Months!

This past Monday, December 2nd, Lincoln Alexander was 7 Months Old! Can you believe it? He's growing so fast. I know, I know- I say that all the time...but it IS true! I hate it. Here's what my little man is doing these days: 

• Sitting up on his own
• Trying to crawl... he army crawls and rocks back and forth on his hands and knees
• LOVES watching his big brother play
• Sleeping in his crib at night
• Eating baby food. Favorites include Sweet potatoes, Applesauce, Pears, and Green beans
• Still breastfeeding and supplementing with formula
• Drinks out of a sippy cup occassionally
• LOVES cheerios and the baby puffs AND Yogurt bites
• Enjoys bouncing and singing
• Likes to play with his pop up toy
• Loves bath time and trying to climb out of his tub
• Rolls EVERYWHERE!
• Still wearing his helmet
• Enjoyed his first snow by being bundled up in his stroller
• Beginning to dislike his carseat... It's time to upgrade!
• Likes to play with his brothers cars... when his brother lets him
• Loves to laugh out loud
• Thinks that Rylee is funny
• Poops... a lot. 
• Likes to play with his hands and clap
• Likes to play with his toes, too!
• Enjoys being read too... when he's sitting still! 
• Loves to walk around in his walker
• Enjoys bouncing in his exersaucer
• Loves anything that makes noise
• Wearing 6-9 month clothes!
• Wearing size 2 diapers
• Occasionally wears shoes... (When Mommy remembers them)
• Fighting his 1st cold. :( 
• Did I mention that he eats ALL THE TIME!?
• Growing like crazy

Image Courtesy of You-nique Capture Photography. Please DO NOT copy!

Dear Lincoln, 

You are getting so big so fast! I wish you would stop! :) You're becoming quite the little man... Eating all of the time! You are almost as big as your big brother! :) You love bathtime and trying to climb out of the tub. Your favorite thing to do is pat-a-cake... you even do it by yourself sometimes. Your big brother is one of your favorite people... you try so hard to play with him, though sometimes he doesn't let you. But one day, you'll get bigger and make him let you! haha. You LOVE to roll around everywhere- especially with your helmet on. You've discovered that you can't get hurt with the helmet on so you just go anywhere and everywhere that you can. Recently, you started army crawling and I know that before long you will be crawling EVERYWHERE! These past few months you have been sleeping in your crib at night. It was a tough transition because Mommy let you stay in her room too long- but now, you're getting the hang of it. You have started to sleep in, which Mommy LOVES. However, sometimes your big brother will make too much noise in the mornings and wake you up. When we feed you food you like to try to grab the spoon... so the food usually ends up all over you too. You're favorite shows to watch with your brother are Mickey Mouse and Curious George! You get real excited when they are on and will actually sit and watch them. Sometimes, my child, you get a little mad and insist on being held. :) You've found your voice and love to sing and talk to yourself. You're growing so fast! This month we will be celebrating your very FIRST Christmas! I'm so excited- even though I know you won't remember it. And in just 5 short months you will be 1 year old! How did that happen! We love you sweet baby boy!

Love, 

Mommy & Daddy 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

I know I'm a little late but I truly hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! 

We spent the day with family and then my mom and I headed out to do some shopping at Walmart and Target. BRRRRRR... was it ever cold! haha. I'm actually heading back out myself in a few hours to get us a new couch! Yay! 

Anyway, Lincoln had a GREAT FIRST Thanksgiving! That little one is so cute. And Gabriel, boy oh boy, that little man always has fun. I have so much to be thankful for that I don't even know where to start. I'm thankful for 2 handsome boys who are happy and healthy. I'm thankful for my husband who works very hard so that I can stay at home with our boys and so we can give them anything they want. I'm thankful for our families who have always been there for us. I'm thankful for good friends. I'm thankful for a warm house, a car, and any extra luxuries that we have. I'm thankful for this beautiful life. 

Hope you all had a great one!