Torticollis and Plagiocephaly

Warning: This post may be lengthy.

At Grace's 4 month check-up our pediatrician told us that Grace has a muscle disorder called torticollis. Basically, while she was developing in-utero the muscles on the right side of her neck formed too tight which caused her head to always be turned to the right. Since a newborns skull is so pliable she developed plagiocephaly from always having her head turned to the right while lying in the bassinet, bouncer, swing, car seat, etc. Plagiocephaly is the flattening of one side of the back of the head. The back right side of Grace's head is significantly flatter than the other side. Once we learned of the torticollis we were referred to a physical therapist. That in itself was a nightmare. We spent 3 whole months trying to find a physical therapist in our area that was in our insurance network AND that practiced pediatric physical therapy. Apparently, when doctor's run your insurance and find out that they're out of your network, they don't bother to let anyone know. They just leave you hanging until you get impatient enough to hound them about it. Then they act as though you should've known somehow that they were out-of-network. Arrrgh. Finally, in August Grace began PT for the torticollis and has been going regularly ever since. She's doing very well and has about 95% range of motion in her neck to the left and 100% to the right. She will probably stop PT once she begins walking (hopefully by the time we return from Utah for Christmas). Getting started on treating the plagiocephaly was also pretty difficult. We were told that the physical therapist had to make the referral to the pediatrician, and then the pediatrician would write the "prescription" for an evaluation by a specialist at a place called Cranial Technologies. We were told over and over again that the PT would take care of everything. Yeah, right. At Grace's 9 month check up I asked the pediatrician about the referral from the physical therapist and they never received one. We had been waiting 2 months and nothing was ever sent even though every week at the PT appointment I was told she was taking care of it. My pediatrician is totally awesome (she has a 7 year old daughter who was diagnosed with torticollis and plagiocephaly when she was an infant) and went ahead with the "prescription" to Cranial Tech and we had an appointment set up a week later. Our evaluation went well. Grace's head is asymmetrical by 22mm. I guess that's kind of a lot because her treatment is going to be pretty long. After our insurance gave Cranial Tech their approval we had to take Grace in for some computer scans of her head so they could make a model of it in order to manufacture a helmet just for her to correct the flatness. Well, yesterday was the helmet day. She was fitted for it and officially began treatment. It was kind of emotional for me, but didn't seem to bother Grace at all. She tried to pull on it a couple of times, but other than that it was no big deal. Much to my surprise she got a great night's sleep with it on. She's definitely a trooper. She'll wear this helmet for about 3 months and then be evaluated again. There's a pretty good chance she'll have to have another one made and will wear it for another 3 months. We're hoping that she hits a growth spurt and it all gets corrected in the first treatment. The worst part is that I have to drive to Dallas every other week for her check-ups. Luckily gas prices have dropped so much or I wouldn't be able to afford to drive the 125 miles each way.

Grace getting ready for her scans. She tried to eat the stocking the whole time. At least she wasn't crying.

This is during the scans. There were 5 cameras taking pictures from all angles.

Just after being fitted for her helmet.

Just before going to bed. Trying to figure out what's on her head.

Have you seen this?

If you haven't, go rent it! Justin and I picked up ice cream at Sonic and this movie from the Red Box last night. I haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time.

Halloween

On Wednesday I took Grace to the church Trunk or Treat activity. Justin had school that night, so it was just the two of us. Grace had a good time watching all the kids run around. It was actually pretty cool that night so we didn't stay too long.

This is after I realized she had gotten a hold of my popcorn and ate the top of the paper bag. It's my fault though, I was busy talking to a friend.

This is Grace's cute friend Katherine. Grace wanted her little stuffed monkey and we couldn't get her to look at the camera for anything

On Halloween night we met up with our friends for some trick or treating and then went back to their house. Grace was trying to steal the banana out of Katherine's pocket
Trick or Treating

Our adorable duck

A little of this, and a little of that

Enjoying some scrumptious spaghetti

Trying to crawl through the end table

This is how Grace was when I left the room and ...

... this is how I found her when I came back. She's a sneaky escape artist. I have no idea how she got out of that bumbo chair because I have to peel the thing off her chubby little thighs.

This was taken a week ago on our way home from Dallas. At the time gas in our town was still $2.19, but yesterday I saw it in Gilmer for $1.98. Now if only the temperature would drop below 80 degrees life would be just about perfect.

Baby Tag

I first saw this on Dallas' blog and thought it was a neat tag, but she didn't tag me (the stinker), so when Brooke posted it on her blog and didn't tag anyone in particular I decided to do it just because I love to hear about other people's pregnancy and childbirth experiences. 1. Where were you when you first found out you when you found out you were pregnant? At home 2. Who was with you? Justin 3. What was your first reaction? Shocked and surprised. After trying for 3 1/2 years I was always hopeful for a positive test, but expected a negative. 4. What was your husband's reaction? He knew I was pregnant before I took the test because I was really moody and being mean to him for a few days prior. He kept telling me he was sure I was pregnant. 5. Who was the first person you told? My mom I think 6. Were the pregnancies planned? Yes 7. Was everyone happy for you? Yes 8. What was the sex? Girl 9. Did anyone throw a shower for you? A few of the women in my ward hosted one for me. 10. Did you get any outfits you wouldn't use? Absolutely. Some people didn't pay much attention to the sizes and bought winter clothes even though it would be the middle of summer when she would fit into them. 11. How much weight did you gain? 26lbs 12. Did you get stretch marks? Luckily I didn't get any 13. Did you crave anything crazy? I always wanted Arby's roast beef sandwiches. 14. Who or what got on your nerves the most? Trying to find maternity clothes that fit me. Most of the pants were about 3 inches too long. 15. Where were you when you went into labor? On my way to work, but I waited about an hour before going to the hospital because I wasn't sure if it was real labor. 16. Did you have any complications? Premature labor 17. Did your water break? The dr. broke my water after about 9 hours of labor and only progressing 1cm 18. Who drove you to the hospital? Justin, luckily I was working at the same place as him so I just walked into his office and told him my dr. said to get to the hospital ASAP. 19. Did you go early or late? 6 weeks early 20. Who was in the room? Justin, Dr., and 2 nurses 21. Did you video tape it? No way, but I did get a pretty good view from the reflection on the TV 22. Did you have any pain medication? Heck Yeah! I had IV meds during most of the labor and once the Dr. broke my water I got an epidural 23. Did you have a c-section or natural? Natural 24. What was your reaction to the birth? I was surprised by how easily the delivery was. I was expecting a lot of pain and a long time pushing, but it was a really quick and pain free. 25. How big was the baby? 5lbs 4oz 26. Did your husband cry? I actually don't recall. He was pretty amazed by the entire thing. 27. When is the next one coming? Don't know. Hopefully not too far off. 28. If you could would you do it all over again? Absolutely.. I wouldn't even think twice about it. I tag everyone in my "People I Stalk" list who this applies to!

10 months!

Grace is 10 months old now so I thought I would update you all on her life.

• She weighs 24 pounds and is 30 inches long
• She is crawling, everywhere
• She is pulling herself up to standing in her crib and on some of her larger toys
• She has 3 teeth and working on the 4th
• Her hair is getting long and thick. I can get it in a little ponytail on the top of her head.
• She LOVES table food. Eggo waffles and mashed potatoes are her favorite
• She loves to talk and babble all the time
• She loves to look at herself
• She crosses her ankles whenever she is sitting
• She loves to snuggle with stuffed animals
• She's a great sleeper. 11-12 hours per night and 2 good naps during the day.
• She can't get enough of her daddy right now
• She recently learned to clap and does it whenever she is happy

Grace is such a happy and well-behaved baby. We can take virtually anywhere and know that she'll be just fine. She is growing way too fast, but we love every second of it.

Here's a video of her clapping and talking jibberish.

MinExpo 2008

It seems like every time I try to post something I get interrupted, so today this is the #1 thing on my "to do" list. Back in September Justin had the opportunity to help with his company's participation in the MinExpo at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Out of thousands of employees he was one of only a handful that was able to be involved in the entire thing. So, 5 days after I got back from this trip with the girls the three of us piled in the truck and headed west. It was a long drive, but Grace was such a trooper. The first day she did awesome and slept a lot. The second day we decided to prop up the DVD player and let her watch some Baby Einstein videos. It worked like a charm and we had a very happy traveler. We stopped at Hoover Dam as we got into Nevada and did a little sight seeing. Justin had to go to work that night setting up Bucyrus' "booth" at the expo so Grace and I explored the hotel while he got some rest before his all nighter began. Justin worked hard all week, which left Grace and I to hang out by ourselves. We did a lot of lounging by the pool, shopping, and checking out all the free attractions on the Strip. My parents flew out from Oregon for the weekend to go to the Las Vegas Temple. My mother-in-law came down from Utah to spend the day at the Temple with us and my brother-in-law, Brandon, drove up from Mesa to be our babysitter. The next week we were able to spend some time at the Expo checking out all the enormous mining equipment. You wouldn't believe how massive that stuff is. Grace was such a good baby the entire trip, but she had a difficult time sleeping at night. She would wake up every few hours and would only go back to sleep if she had a bottle. The first night we were back home she fell right to sleep in her own crib without making a peep. I guess she just wanted her own bed. It was a fun trip, but we were totally ready to be home again.

we let Grace play in the pool after our first day of driving and she loved it

a couple of photo opps at the Hoover Dam

checking out the local attractions :)


lounging by the pool

With my parents at the Sirens of TI show at Treasure Island. If you haven't seen, don't be too disappointed. It's definitely a PG-13 kind of show... not for the little ones.


Justin's mom with Donny and Marie


We couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a picture of Cindy in front of Harrah's with the entertainment in the background. She had no idea they were there.


The whole gang at the Temple


Grace with her uncles (AKA: babysitters). Thanks guys!


Grace being Elvis


The lady in the background was mad at us because this souvenier shop apparently has a "no cameras" policy. Oops.

Cindy at the Expo in front of one of the HUGE dump trucks that haul the coal around the mine

This is me standing next to the wheel of one of those dump trucks

The second day of the Expo Justin was able to be out at the NASCAR track with a bunch of Bucyrus customers for the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Only the customers were able to drive, but Justin got to do a ride-a-long.

Part of Bucyrus' "booth"

One of the security guards they hired... yeah, I'm pretty sure she's just a stripper

We have a ton more pictures from this trip, but quite frankly I'm a little tired of this post. Koodos to those of you who stuck it out all the way to the end.

Crawling

Grace is officially on the move. She started crawling Saturday night and is getting better at it everyday. I guess this means I'm going to have to be much more careful of what I leave lying in her path. She's already figured out how to pull the magazines off of the coffee table and she is trying so hard to pull herself up on everything. She's growing up so fast and I can't believe that she'll be 10 months old on Monday. Time goes by way too fast when you have a baby at home.

Naptime Project

I had seen these cute burp cloths at a couple different craft fairs and thought I would attempt to make them. They were actually really easy to do and I used scrap fabric I already had. I was able to whip both of them out in about half an hour. I think they turned out pretty cute, and it's an inexpensive way to put a little personality on those boring burp cloths.

Tagged... again

Dallas tagged me this time. I had to take pictures of the following:

1. kitchen sink

2. my favorite room

3. my fridge

4. closet

5. laundry room

6. self

7. kids

8. dream vacation

9. favorite shoes

10. bathroom

With NO Cleaning!

My sink, with baby bottles to be washed. The story of my life!

We spend most of our time in the family room, but Grace's room is the only one in the house that is finished so it's my favorite.

You can't really tell from this photo that we need groceries.














This is our entry closet. We have GREAT storage in this house so all of our closets look like this... half full.















I had to take 2 pictures of the laundry room because it's only as wide as one machine and they face eachother. Lame, I know. This is my least favorite room in the house based on functionality. Oh, and did you notice the lovely overspray on our cabinets from when we textured the walls? Someday I'm going to have a GIANT laundry/mud room. Someday.










Me.










My kiddo being being cute.










Ahh, shoes. My fave church shoes, flip flops, casual and comfy, and my "hooker" boots.










I really don't know what to say about this photo. I tried my best to get a shot of the entire room without my flash being in the mirror. And yes, you are seeing this right. The bathroom has lavender cabinets, floral wallpaper, and royal blue tile. Oh, and what you can't see is that the backsplash has lighthouses on it. What can I say? The house was a freaking steal! We do have plans to remodel. We are definitely NOT leaving it this way. I just keep the door closed for now.

Okay, here's the people I'm tagging: Hilary, Krisha, Jamie, and Lisa
Sorry if you hate being tagged, but I'm trying to mix it up a little.

Better Late Than Never

As I posted a while back, I had the opportunity to spend a weekend in Vegas with 3 of the greatest girls I know. We all arrived around noon on Friday and greeted each other with long overdue hugs. After getting the rental car we headed off to our hotel. We got a 2-room suite at Cancun Resort Villas. It was perfect for what we were in Vegas to do. It was family friendly (which means no casino) and had plenty of room for the 4 of us. We had lunch, did some shopping at the outlets, had a blast sliding down the waterslides and swimming in the pools at the hotel and headed out for a fabulous dinner of Brazilian cuisine at Samba. We stayed up way too late talking and playing NERTZ, just like old times. On Saturday we headed down to the pool to work on our tans in the morning. We decided to eat at the MGM Grand Buffet for a late lunch (we were in Vegas, right?) I must say that I'm quite proud of how much I was able to eat. Sometimes I worry that I don't get my money's worth at buffets, but my appetite did not disappoint, nor did the Grand Buffet. After lunch we walked the strip and did some more shopping before heading down to Freemont Street to catch the show. I think Freemont Street was my favorite part of the entire weekend. I loved that it wasn't too crowded and that there were mostly locals hanging out. We got some BIG NON-alcoholic drinks and had a good time listening to music. Click here to see a video clip of the great entertainment we were lucky to catch. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Bridget after coming off the waterslide. I love how it looks like she is trying to be all sexy and seductive.

Megan and I relaxing in the pool.
All of us after we stuffed ourselves at the buffet
Dinner at Samba at the Mirage. Great food and great company

Grrr. I just uploaded more pictures and was about to publish this post when it deleted them. Check out Dallas' blog if you want to see a slideshow of all our pictures from the weekend.

Thanks for the great time girls... I can't wait until the next reunion!

Quirks

Okay, okay. Hilary tagged me and I'm finally getting around to it

Here are the rules: Link the Person who Tagged you. Mention rules on your blog. Tell about 6 quirks of yours. Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same. Leave a comment to let them know. Here are my quirks: 1. (I know this isn't a quirk now, but it was once and I hope it will be again someday!) When I was pregnant I couldn't stand to eat meat of any kind except for Arby's roast beef sandwiches. Everyday at work when Justin would ask where I wanted to go for lunch and I would respond with, "Arby's." My sweet husband almost always agreed. 2. I am a closet Fresh Prince of Bel Air fan and always have been (Just aske Megan). When Grace was first born and would get up during the night for feedings I would watch it on Nick at Nite and I find myself missing it ever since she started sleeping through the night. Oh, and while we were in Vegas for 2 weeks I was walking through a casino and the Carlton song came on, "It's not unusual..." and it took all my strength not to bust out the Carlton dance. 3. I love cheesy made for TV movies on ABC Family and get really excited when a new one is premiering (like the Cutting Edge 2 &3). Christmas time is the best for this quirk. 4. I'm a picker/peeler and I'm embarrassed to admit it. I think it's an addiction. I always pick at scabs and pimples and I love to peel sunburns, but only on myself. It grosses me out to think about doing that to someone else. 5. I hate to drink water, especially first thing in the morning. The only time I like water is when I've been doing something really active, like exercising (which is really, really rare) and I'm all hot and sweaty. Even then I'm very particular about the temperature of the water. 6. I refuse to drink any soft drink of the diet kind. I also won't drink anything that is sugar free. I always choose to go without or drink water (refer to quirk #5 to understand just how much I hate diet and sugar free drinks). Diet sodas leave the most bitter taste in my mouth and I hate it. I'm tagging Dallas, Brooke, Emily, Morgan, and Chandi Stay tuned for more posts detailing our month of September that was basically spent in Las Vegas.