Ok, ok, I know, it's been WAY too long since I posted! Truth? I thought I posted a "helmet is off!" blog back in November, but clearly I did not. So that being said... Let's track back a bit.
On October 30th we went in for a typical helmet appointment and I wasn't expected anything other than the regular "see you in a few weeks" line. So you can imagine my surprise and delight when Alan came back after stepping out of the room for a few minutes to share that Judah's helmet journey could now come to a close! Hallelujah! His head wasn't/isn't "perfect" but it's pretty darn close! He went from an 11 mm difference down to a 2-3 mm difference... such a tiny amount! So after 8 months Helmut has done its job, been disinfected VERY WELL and is sitting on a shelf waiting for us to decide what to do with it. Any ideas?
Our family would like to thank you for supporting us in this incredible journey! Thank you for your love and support and prayers and constant encouragement. We couldn't have done it without you!!
With love,
David, Janelle, and of course, Judah Hawk
Monday, February 17, 2014
Friday, October 04, 2013
Costume of Epic Proportions
Thank
You
For
Your
Prayers..!
We need them, we feel them, and we are so blessed by them.
Judah is finished private therapy for his neck: PRAISE THE LORD! It was a very packed 6 weeks of driving back and forth to Surrey every other day for intensive 45 minute sessions, but hallelujah!--We are done! And even better than that... Judah's neck is WAY better! Way stronger! Way straighter! It was all worth it.
We are continuing to do maintenance physio at home and see a public health therapist every few weeks, but that's small potatoes compared to what it was like. Huzzah! God is good, all the time!
Judah's next helmet appointment is on Wednesday... and here's hoping that his head grows by then. Haha. How long has it been? Five months? He packs away food like a hibernating bear (and grunts like one too), but it's obviously not making it's way up to expand his head circumference. He has another appointment on the 30th... so he could be Helmut free for Halloween (which doesn't really matter because we're not big into that event.. but we are going to a super awesome neighbourhood harvest party on the 31st, so we will dress him up and let him totter through the festivities).
So on that note, I need some toddler-friendly costume ideas that incorporates Helmut! :) David wants him to be Megaman (I had to google this... I am so so so much younger than my handsome husband ;)) and I think he would make a pretty awesome gladiator. Nothing with a mask (Ironman, etc) as I don't think Hawk will tolerate that very much!
Feel free to leave your costume suggestions beneath the link on Facebook :).
Happy Fall!
xx
You
For
Your
Prayers..!
We need them, we feel them, and we are so blessed by them.
Judah is finished private therapy for his neck: PRAISE THE LORD! It was a very packed 6 weeks of driving back and forth to Surrey every other day for intensive 45 minute sessions, but hallelujah!--We are done! And even better than that... Judah's neck is WAY better! Way stronger! Way straighter! It was all worth it.
We are continuing to do maintenance physio at home and see a public health therapist every few weeks, but that's small potatoes compared to what it was like. Huzzah! God is good, all the time!
Judah's next helmet appointment is on Wednesday... and here's hoping that his head grows by then. Haha. How long has it been? Five months? He packs away food like a hibernating bear (and grunts like one too), but it's obviously not making it's way up to expand his head circumference. He has another appointment on the 30th... so he could be Helmut free for Halloween (which doesn't really matter because we're not big into that event.. but we are going to a super awesome neighbourhood harvest party on the 31st, so we will dress him up and let him totter through the festivities).
So on that note, I need some toddler-friendly costume ideas that incorporates Helmut! :) David wants him to be Megaman (I had to google this... I am so so so much younger than my handsome husband ;)) and I think he would make a pretty awesome gladiator. Nothing with a mask (Ironman, etc) as I don't think Hawk will tolerate that very much!
Feel free to leave your costume suggestions beneath the link on Facebook :).
Happy Fall!
xx
Thursday, August 22, 2013
When my baby doesn't sleep, Mama smiles
The past few weeks Judah has decided that he doesn't need to go to bed at 7 pm. Or 7:30. Or 8:30. Heck, why not stay up and happily play and explore until 9:55 pm?
Okay, so that only happened once, but it was a crazy enough "once" to mention. If I recall correctly, David and I were sprawled across the living room in our pyjamas in a nearly passed out state as we watched Judah crawl and climb from couch to mini trampoline to cat to Daddy to banister to cat to chair to toy bin to cat to Mummy to door to fridge to cat... and repeat. After numerous attempts to put him down, tire him out, wind him down, and every other tactic we could think of, we eventually lay him in his crib, kissed him for the umpteenth time, and collapsed into our own bed while we listened to him giggling on the monitor.
You know, I act exasperated... but truthfully? I love it.
Call me crazy but I L.O.V.E this new stage of crawling and climbing and exploring. I love that he hasn't figured out how to fit under the couch to retrieve his ball but will repeatedly attempt to master this feat. I love how he motors towards the dishwasher every time I open it. I love that he pulls out all the craft drawers and reorganizes the paintbrushes and markers (he's his father's son, that boy). I honestly love that he makes messes and eats sand and hides food in his diaper and has learned how to dump our water bottles all over the carpet.
Because in these moments he is doing and becoming everything a healthy, happy little boy should be doing...
...Unlike his physiotherapy, which reduces him to a screaming, flailing, gasping, hyperventilating, nineteen pound bundle of noise and tears.
And that's not even mentioning the full range of emotions that it puts David and me through.
To be honest, I haven't blogged in a couple of months because there hasn't been much to say. Or at least, not much to say that has been positive. I really hate the idea of this turning into a venting corner, and that's really not my style anyway, so I tend to avoid writing the woe-is-me-my-life-is-a-gong-show posts. But to catch you up to speed (warning: brutal honesty ahead)...
1. Helmut has been little more than a sweaty fashion statement over the summer, seeing as how Hawk's head hasn't grown in size since May. Helmut functions as a mold for Hawk's head to grow into, as opposed to applying direct force on the skull to somehow force it into becoming the appropriate shape. Picture the practice of growing a square watermelon in a box versus shaping a lump of dough into a ball using your hands: the former is a passive boundary whereas the latter is an active force. Simply put, if Judah's head isn't growing, Helmut isn't doing anything, so these past three months haven't resulted in any improvement. However, up until May Helmut was doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing in proportion to Judah's rapidly growing head, and since then his head has looked great--almost "normal"! The orthotists are convinced that there's a growth spurt right around the corner, and prayerfully that will be the final push that is needed for Judah to have a proportioned head--and be Helmut free! Please pray that this happens soon. Helmut doesn't aid in happy physio exercises, so the sooner it's off the better :).
2. We hit a huge wall with physiotherapy (read: no improvement in spite of 5 months of treatment and persistently doing the exercises at home multiple times daily), so we were advised to seek private treatment. This new therapist believes that one, maybe two, months of aggressive treatment should have a significant effect on Judah's head tilt (please pray that it's only one month!), so we are now attending 45+ minute sessions three times a week in Surrey, and doing three exercise sessions at home each day, roughly 25 minutes each time.
Let's just say there is a lot of crying involved. And not all of the tears belong to Judah.
Nitin, our physiotherapist, is incredible and patient and has genius ideas for helping Judah, and he's TRAINED in working with babies who are having meltdowns... but even he needs to take a smoke break after Judah's treatments. Yeah. I feel guilty about that too.
Some of our friends and family have seen us perform the neck stretches on Judah, but we have not been able to bring ourselves to do his strengthening exercises in public... mostly because it's brutal to watch and in spite of its necessity, we feel guilty putting Judah through this. Definitely not something that we'd like an audience for.
Sometimes, if we're feeling that extra strength coming our way, David and I are able to work together to do his afternoon/evening sessions. One of us acts as the distractor, jumping and twirling, waving pretty-shiny-noisy-obnoxious things, singing and dancing and generally applauding and giving as much verbal encouragement to Judah as possible. I bet it's hilarious to watch, but it really only serves to counteract the "we feel dead inside" emotions. However, more recently David and I haven't been able to handle the scream fests, so we spell each other off as needed, which is amazing and for which I'm SO grateful. Honey, if you're reading this, you're a total gem and I love you.
Timing his sessions takes the skill of an organizational wizard (whom I am not). Catching those windows of opportunity three times a day where he's not hungry-not tired-not sleeping is actually harder than it seems--but nothing is harder than saying, "Yay, you're well rested, well fed, and playing so nicely and learning how to explore the world; have fun! Just kidding, it's time for you to get to work! It's been almost two hours since Mummy made you cry bloody murder. Goodie!"
So even though Judah's new being up late streak has started to throw our evening habits into a bit of a tizzy, I really don't mind it at all. Because there's a great rule in our house and it's "No Physio After 7". So you stay up, kiddo, and you play to your heart's content! And we'll play with you and we promise we won't touch your neck or dangle you in awkward positions that would make any yoga fanatic green with envy. We will play and read you books and chase you around the house and forget just for a little while that we "should" be using this time to squeeze in an extra strengthening session. These late night frenzies have honestly been the highlight of my days.
... And after all that, tonight he was in bed and snoozing at 6:54 pm. Wonders never cease! Sleep well, tiny love, and may these words be etched forever on your heart:
Okay, so that only happened once, but it was a crazy enough "once" to mention. If I recall correctly, David and I were sprawled across the living room in our pyjamas in a nearly passed out state as we watched Judah crawl and climb from couch to mini trampoline to cat to Daddy to banister to cat to chair to toy bin to cat to Mummy to door to fridge to cat... and repeat. After numerous attempts to put him down, tire him out, wind him down, and every other tactic we could think of, we eventually lay him in his crib, kissed him for the umpteenth time, and collapsed into our own bed while we listened to him giggling on the monitor.
You know, I act exasperated... but truthfully? I love it.
Call me crazy but I L.O.V.E this new stage of crawling and climbing and exploring. I love that he hasn't figured out how to fit under the couch to retrieve his ball but will repeatedly attempt to master this feat. I love how he motors towards the dishwasher every time I open it. I love that he pulls out all the craft drawers and reorganizes the paintbrushes and markers (he's his father's son, that boy). I honestly love that he makes messes and eats sand and hides food in his diaper and has learned how to dump our water bottles all over the carpet.
Because in these moments he is doing and becoming everything a healthy, happy little boy should be doing...
...Unlike his physiotherapy, which reduces him to a screaming, flailing, gasping, hyperventilating, nineteen pound bundle of noise and tears.
And that's not even mentioning the full range of emotions that it puts David and me through.
To be honest, I haven't blogged in a couple of months because there hasn't been much to say. Or at least, not much to say that has been positive. I really hate the idea of this turning into a venting corner, and that's really not my style anyway, so I tend to avoid writing the woe-is-me-my-life-is-a-gong-show posts. But to catch you up to speed (warning: brutal honesty ahead)...
1. Helmut has been little more than a sweaty fashion statement over the summer, seeing as how Hawk's head hasn't grown in size since May. Helmut functions as a mold for Hawk's head to grow into, as opposed to applying direct force on the skull to somehow force it into becoming the appropriate shape. Picture the practice of growing a square watermelon in a box versus shaping a lump of dough into a ball using your hands: the former is a passive boundary whereas the latter is an active force. Simply put, if Judah's head isn't growing, Helmut isn't doing anything, so these past three months haven't resulted in any improvement. However, up until May Helmut was doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing in proportion to Judah's rapidly growing head, and since then his head has looked great--almost "normal"! The orthotists are convinced that there's a growth spurt right around the corner, and prayerfully that will be the final push that is needed for Judah to have a proportioned head--and be Helmut free! Please pray that this happens soon. Helmut doesn't aid in happy physio exercises, so the sooner it's off the better :).
2. We hit a huge wall with physiotherapy (read: no improvement in spite of 5 months of treatment and persistently doing the exercises at home multiple times daily), so we were advised to seek private treatment. This new therapist believes that one, maybe two, months of aggressive treatment should have a significant effect on Judah's head tilt (please pray that it's only one month!), so we are now attending 45+ minute sessions three times a week in Surrey, and doing three exercise sessions at home each day, roughly 25 minutes each time.
Let's just say there is a lot of crying involved. And not all of the tears belong to Judah.
Nitin, our physiotherapist, is incredible and patient and has genius ideas for helping Judah, and he's TRAINED in working with babies who are having meltdowns... but even he needs to take a smoke break after Judah's treatments. Yeah. I feel guilty about that too.
Some of our friends and family have seen us perform the neck stretches on Judah, but we have not been able to bring ourselves to do his strengthening exercises in public... mostly because it's brutal to watch and in spite of its necessity, we feel guilty putting Judah through this. Definitely not something that we'd like an audience for.
Sometimes, if we're feeling that extra strength coming our way, David and I are able to work together to do his afternoon/evening sessions. One of us acts as the distractor, jumping and twirling, waving pretty-shiny-noisy-obnoxious things, singing and dancing and generally applauding and giving as much verbal encouragement to Judah as possible. I bet it's hilarious to watch, but it really only serves to counteract the "we feel dead inside" emotions. However, more recently David and I haven't been able to handle the scream fests, so we spell each other off as needed, which is amazing and for which I'm SO grateful. Honey, if you're reading this, you're a total gem and I love you.
Timing his sessions takes the skill of an organizational wizard (whom I am not). Catching those windows of opportunity three times a day where he's not hungry-not tired-not sleeping is actually harder than it seems--but nothing is harder than saying, "Yay, you're well rested, well fed, and playing so nicely and learning how to explore the world; have fun! Just kidding, it's time for you to get to work! It's been almost two hours since Mummy made you cry bloody murder. Goodie!"
So even though Judah's new being up late streak has started to throw our evening habits into a bit of a tizzy, I really don't mind it at all. Because there's a great rule in our house and it's "No Physio After 7". So you stay up, kiddo, and you play to your heart's content! And we'll play with you and we promise we won't touch your neck or dangle you in awkward positions that would make any yoga fanatic green with envy. We will play and read you books and chase you around the house and forget just for a little while that we "should" be using this time to squeeze in an extra strengthening session. These late night frenzies have honestly been the highlight of my days.
... And after all that, tonight he was in bed and snoozing at 6:54 pm. Wonders never cease! Sleep well, tiny love, and may these words be etched forever on your heart:
"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be."
Psalm 139:13-16
Friday, June 28, 2013
June!
Happy summer! ...where did May and June go?? These last couple months have flown by! Judah is 10 months old! He's quite the adorable little boy, if I do say so myself. He does a very quirky "say cheese" face, gets from point A to B by propelling himself backwards and diagonally on his tummy, pulls himself up on *some* things, is starting to cruise furniture and push things around the room... And is still blonde! He gives high fives, claps with vigour and is very enthusiastic about most things - except Merlot, our new chick (whose name was inspired by her breed, Silver Laced Wyandott, and not a drinking habit ;)), who is overly friendly and tries to climb all over Judah with her sharp little feet. We're working on their relationship though because heaven forbid Judah have a negative animal experience..!
As for Judah's neck and head... Ugh. It's been a discouraging couple of months. He's been sick or teething since May (he's had about a week of being back to his normal self, yay!) which is evidenced by the exaggerated tilt of his head; he just didn't have the strength to hold it straight or to do his exercises. We've been a bit disappointed with physio because even though we've been working on the same two exercises for months, we've seen very little progress. Barti the physiotherapist reassures us that this is normal during teething/illness, but it's difficult for us to not see any change.
Because Judah had been so sick with fever, and he was sporting a nice goose egg from smashing his head against the stroller bar when he was sans Helmut (he doesn't realize yet that his head is soft underneath that perma-hat), he has been Helmut free for most of the month - or it's been on-again-off-again at best. Currently Helmut is off because the goose egg has returned randomly, after his head was healed and happy for two weeks! I spoke with the orthotist this afternoon and he's stumped too. Unfortunately when we were at ortho earlier this month the measurements showed that Judah's head, which had progressed at an amazing rate and was showing great improvement, had regressed. The measurements from the previous appointment displayed that Hawk's head was only 5 mm off the ideal shape, which is within the normal range! However, last appointment it was back to 6 mm... Just outside "normal". We've seen significant improvement but the double set back with his neck AND head have been a little rough on my mama heart. I just want him to be free of all these appointments, stretches, fittings, exercises, rashes... Hopefully by September! Please pray with us! Specifically we are praying for his fluid-filled bump on his head that is a mystery to us all. Our doctor is on holiday so I might end up taking him to the clinic for a professional opinion.
If you haven't seen Judah recently you really are missing out! He's such a joyful, funny little monkey. He talks to himself and looks royally embarassed when I catch him in the act; he yells at his food; he calls all animals and vehicles "car!"; he throws his head back when he laughs and sometimes falls over in the process; he tries to play the harmonica by shouting into it; he walks himself up and down the window, banging on the glass like a chimp; he gives slobbery, open-mouth kisses; he practically explodes with glee when he sees his buddy, Nathaniel; he licks the cat (I DO try to prevent this); he eats sand and rubs it in his hair; and (TMI warning) he has discovered his boy parts and is utterly perplexed that his wiener doesn't detach from his body.
Boys are great :).
As for Judah's neck and head... Ugh. It's been a discouraging couple of months. He's been sick or teething since May (he's had about a week of being back to his normal self, yay!) which is evidenced by the exaggerated tilt of his head; he just didn't have the strength to hold it straight or to do his exercises. We've been a bit disappointed with physio because even though we've been working on the same two exercises for months, we've seen very little progress. Barti the physiotherapist reassures us that this is normal during teething/illness, but it's difficult for us to not see any change.
Because Judah had been so sick with fever, and he was sporting a nice goose egg from smashing his head against the stroller bar when he was sans Helmut (he doesn't realize yet that his head is soft underneath that perma-hat), he has been Helmut free for most of the month - or it's been on-again-off-again at best. Currently Helmut is off because the goose egg has returned randomly, after his head was healed and happy for two weeks! I spoke with the orthotist this afternoon and he's stumped too. Unfortunately when we were at ortho earlier this month the measurements showed that Judah's head, which had progressed at an amazing rate and was showing great improvement, had regressed. The measurements from the previous appointment displayed that Hawk's head was only 5 mm off the ideal shape, which is within the normal range! However, last appointment it was back to 6 mm... Just outside "normal". We've seen significant improvement but the double set back with his neck AND head have been a little rough on my mama heart. I just want him to be free of all these appointments, stretches, fittings, exercises, rashes... Hopefully by September! Please pray with us! Specifically we are praying for his fluid-filled bump on his head that is a mystery to us all. Our doctor is on holiday so I might end up taking him to the clinic for a professional opinion.
If you haven't seen Judah recently you really are missing out! He's such a joyful, funny little monkey. He talks to himself and looks royally embarassed when I catch him in the act; he yells at his food; he calls all animals and vehicles "car!"; he throws his head back when he laughs and sometimes falls over in the process; he tries to play the harmonica by shouting into it; he walks himself up and down the window, banging on the glass like a chimp; he gives slobbery, open-mouth kisses; he practically explodes with glee when he sees his buddy, Nathaniel; he licks the cat (I DO try to prevent this); he eats sand and rubs it in his hair; and (TMI warning) he has discovered his boy parts and is utterly perplexed that his wiener doesn't detach from his body.
Boys are great :).
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Judah: "praise; thankfulness"
Your presence is not welcome here and I demand that
you leave for good. I banish you to neighbouring pigs.
Is that sacreligious? I hope not. I mean no disrespect, Lord!
This month has been an on-again-off-again rash-fest... meaning Helmut has literally been on-again-off-again.
Boo.
Upside? Getting those lovely baby snuggles without Helmut acting as a barricade between my cheek and Hawk's spiky blonde fuzz.
Barti, our physiotherapist has told us in no uncertain terms that Judah really needs to get his butt in gear and start crawling and cruising in order to build his neck strength. As such, he is officially out of cloth diapers for the time being (I apologize, Environment... I'll return to more you-friendly means as soon as I can. For now, gotta do what's best for my little man). The oh-so-cute cloth diapers are quite bulky and as such, result in Judah being pretty high centred when he's on his tummy. He's gotten pretty good at pivoting like an adorable sundial on his diaper axis, but any forward (or even backyard) momentum is absorbed by the bulk. His mobility is surprisingly much greater when he's in disposables, so for now this is how we roll. (Or how he rolls, I should say. He much prefers rolling to tummy time.)
Upside? Less laundry, baby! And less leaks!... which also equals less laundry, baby!
Back to physio. It seems as though Judah's neck tilt was getting significantly better but is now reverting to a pretty noticeable slant. He has also starting screaming through his stretching and strengthening exercises, gets himself all worked up, and totally surrenders his body into the limp noodle stage. I don't know where he gets this overdramatic flair from but I'm sure my parents call it karma.
When the temperature spikes Judah breaks out in a heat rash that tends to last a few days, and off comes Helmut during that time. No only are we concerned that this is extending his treatment time farther and farther into the fall, but once the summer hits we question just how effective Helmut will be if we need to take it off this regularly. If a few days of 20 degree heat has caused this kind of reaction, what will weeks of possibly 25+ degrees result in?
Upside?
Upside?!!
Prayer.
Yeah, it sounds that cheesy. But seriously? There's been a heckuva lotta prayer happening in this household and it is good. Good for my anxious mama heart that cannotstopworrying about every spot of rash, every missed milestone, every minute that I'm choosing to do something that isn't directly affecting Judah's strength and development. In my frenzied spirit the Lord is revealing to me one incredible aspect of his character: peace.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way." 2 Thessalonians 3:16
These words, and many others in the Word, are constant reminders of how little I control. Yes, most certainly Judah will crawl. And walk. And run. And play all matter of games and sports. All with a strong neck and and well-shaped head. The things I worry about today will seem so frivolous in the days to come. So wasteful, really. They speak of a faithless child who doesn't trust her Father in heaven.
One day when Judah asks about his helmut I don't want to tell him that I spent months worrying about him; I want to tell him that I spent months praying for him - because I love him, I love Jesus, and prayer trumps it all.
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:27, 34
So when I pray for Judah I am consciously handing him over to the Lord, once again (and again... and again...). I am trusting him to his Father and remembering God's faithfulness in our lives. The response is an abundance of peace (see? Jesus keeps his word!) and abundant praise.
Ah, praise.
Judah: our little gift of praise and thankfulness. There is so much meaning in his name. Literally not a day goes by without us telling Judah why we gave him his name - because we are thankful. We are blessed. And we praise the Lord for it all!
Double upside in all of this?
You guys. And your prayers.
We have been overwhelmed by the people that have made a point in emailing, calling, texting, commenting online and seeking us out in person just to let us know that they have been praying for Judah's head and neck. What a gift you all are to us! We are so touched by your prayers, and hesitant to ask for more... but we love you and feel your love in return... so can we request that while you pray for our little Hawk and his physical development that you also pray for his little soul? That our son will grow into a man who loves his God and loves his neighbours... who prays and is filled with joy and peace, and encourages and strengthens those around him, who seeks to bring justice to the oppressed and bring the good news of the Gospel to the world.
Because really, that's all that matters.
It truly is a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Friday, May 03, 2013
Floral foam Judah head... are you my brother?
Over the river, across the bridge, to ortho in Surrey we go...
It's been three weeks since our last Helmut appointment - and three very uneventful (thankfully) weeks with Helmut! It has been doing its job well and Hawk has been utterly unfazed by the whole thing. Amazing!
Alan was very pleased with Judah's head shape! There's one angle they don't want to see shift, and that angle has stayed virtually unchanged in spite of his head's continuous growth - yay! The other angle has already changed drastically! Alan admitted to me on Tuesday that Judah's head shape is the hardest to work with. Many babies with plagiocephaly have a flat spot only; Judah had a flat spot and a big swoop. The difficulty comes in trying to shift his entire left side at the back around to the right. For comparison Alan brought out the mannequin-like head that was the exact representation of Judah's head when we started this process. It's actually unbelievable how much change can be seen already!
He had also told us previously that there was little that Helmut could do to adjust the position of Judah's ears, which were initially off by almost 3 inches. However, at this last appointment Alan was thrilled to point out how much closer to the center line they now sit. Another hurray! God is good! We've noticed these changes but have been cautious to say much as unprofessionals; it was very relieving to have Alan confirm what we had hoped to be true!
I optimistically asked if Helmut's relationship with my son would be shortened from their initial six month estimation, but Alan wisely pointed out that as long as Helmut was continuing to result in this kind of improvement we would stick to the original September-off plan. He even tossed in there that Judah may need to wear it longer than six months... so we continuing to pray for speedy results!
We're so encouraged to have our friends and family continually reminding us that we're in their (your!) prayers! Thank you for journeying with us. We will be having a "hats off to you!" party to celebrate the end of Helmut therapy and you are ALL invited! :)
Love to all,
Janelle and the boyz
It's been three weeks since our last Helmut appointment - and three very uneventful (thankfully) weeks with Helmut! It has been doing its job well and Hawk has been utterly unfazed by the whole thing. Amazing!
Alan was very pleased with Judah's head shape! There's one angle they don't want to see shift, and that angle has stayed virtually unchanged in spite of his head's continuous growth - yay! The other angle has already changed drastically! Alan admitted to me on Tuesday that Judah's head shape is the hardest to work with. Many babies with plagiocephaly have a flat spot only; Judah had a flat spot and a big swoop. The difficulty comes in trying to shift his entire left side at the back around to the right. For comparison Alan brought out the mannequin-like head that was the exact representation of Judah's head when we started this process. It's actually unbelievable how much change can be seen already!
 |
| Judah was extremely fascinated with the model of his head! Alan says he thinks some babies recognize themselves... is that even possible?? |
 |
| The material feels a lot like those green floral foam blocks. Judah tried to eat the head but I was worried he would leave imprints so I didn't get a picture. |
He had also told us previously that there was little that Helmut could do to adjust the position of Judah's ears, which were initially off by almost 3 inches. However, at this last appointment Alan was thrilled to point out how much closer to the center line they now sit. Another hurray! God is good! We've noticed these changes but have been cautious to say much as unprofessionals; it was very relieving to have Alan confirm what we had hoped to be true!
I optimistically asked if Helmut's relationship with my son would be shortened from their initial six month estimation, but Alan wisely pointed out that as long as Helmut was continuing to result in this kind of improvement we would stick to the original September-off plan. He even tossed in there that Judah may need to wear it longer than six months... so we continuing to pray for speedy results!
We're so encouraged to have our friends and family continually reminding us that we're in their (your!) prayers! Thank you for journeying with us. We will be having a "hats off to you!" party to celebrate the end of Helmut therapy and you are ALL invited! :)
Love to all,
Janelle and the boyz
 |
| All tuckered out! Every little boy needs a pony, eh? :) |
Saturday, April 13, 2013
And the winner is...
... original Helmut!!! Hurray!
From the beginning...
This week we had the orthotist appointment where Judah was to be fitted for his new, hypoallergenic helmet. As you may recall from a previous post we had prayed about whether or not to proceed with a new helmet, and because Judah's rash was still prevalent, proceed we did.
However, in the two weeks between the scan and when we were to go for the fitting, the rash disappeared--as did the sweating. I mean, there has been ZERO sweating on Hawk's head, even that weekend when temperatures were in the 20s! Within a few hours of the daily cleaning routine, both Judah's head and Helmut used to reek like old, sweaty hockey pads (I have memories of terrible awful smells emitting from one of my brother's duffel bags when his sports gear wasn't washed or even properly aired out... for the love of Pete, take that bag and burn it!). But in the last couple weeks when I've taken Helmut off Hawk's head still smelled like yesterday's shampoo and Helmut is clean and odourless! Amazing!
But the new helmet was already in the process of being made...
So the plan was to go to the appointment and see what the orthotist said. Before we left I discussed my concerns and uncertainties about accepting the new helmet with a wonderful friend of mine. I told her that we had just been praying that the Lord's will would be done, and that we would be convinced what his will was once speaking to the orthotist. She encouraged me to ask the Lord that his will would be spoken to us through the orthotist: we would trust that his advice was the right path to take. She prayed for us and on our commute I continued to pray specifically for the orthotist's words to be our confirmation of what would be best for Judah.
Once we arrived at our appointment Alan came into the room with the new helmet. He asked me how Helmut was working out, and I told him that it had performed perfectly: no rashes and not even any sweating! I sheepishly expressed that I felt a bit silly for going to the trouble of having Judah scanned for the new helmet. Without missing a beat, Alan piped in, "You don't need to get the new helmet if you don't want to." I was shocked and thrilled! He then proceeded to remind me of what a hassle the new helmet would be:
More sweating...
More difficult to fit...
More complicated to work with because of the softer material...
A much less pleasant experience for Judah...
Alan removed Helmut and thoroughly examined Hawk's head. He spend a good few minutes taking measurements of his head and comparing them to past numbers. He summarized that a) Judah's head had indeed completely healed from the rash; and b) his head shape had improved! Helmut was doing its job beautifully! Praise God!
Alan took Helmut to his workshop to make a few adjustments. As Judah's head grows and shifts Alan will sand down certain points to encourage and inhibit the shape so that it forms as symmetrically as possible. He adds patches inside - a moleskin material of sorts - to "fill in" sections, and takes a sander to other angles. It must be quite the precise art to form this hat!
So needless to say, we are absolutely thrilled to be able to continue using original Helmut! We are hopeful that by the end of his treatment the abnormalities of Hawk's head will be nearly unnoticeable. Our biggest prayer right now is that his physiotherapy would succeed in strengthening his neck and correcting his head tilt. For the most part it seems like his tilt has improved, but when Judah is tired he holds it at an even more exaggerated angle than ever. This is normal, but not good. We continue to stretch his neck and do his strengthening exercises a number of times per day and we can only pray that this is doing the trick. He tends to cry when we do the stretches :(. I used to sing the "A, B, Cs" to Judah while doing the stretches, but I've recently started to sing whatever song is in my head so that he doesn't have a total meltdown in a few years whenever the alphabet song comes on like some sort of twisted Pavlov's dog theory.
So that's the good news of the week! Whew! Amen! It feels like life has been a bit of a whirlwind recently. David and I would like to thank all of you for your kind words, support, cards of sympathy and prayers over these past few weeks. Linda's memorial service was beautiful; David, Don and Sean, and the rest of Linda's family and friends did an incredible job of honouring her life. We're doing well. Tired, but well. Life is carrying on and we are discovering what it means to grieve, process and reflect amidst the day-to-day of ordinary living. Thank you for loving on us!!!
Until next time,
Janelle and the boyz
From the beginning...
This week we had the orthotist appointment where Judah was to be fitted for his new, hypoallergenic helmet. As you may recall from a previous post we had prayed about whether or not to proceed with a new helmet, and because Judah's rash was still prevalent, proceed we did.
However, in the two weeks between the scan and when we were to go for the fitting, the rash disappeared--as did the sweating. I mean, there has been ZERO sweating on Hawk's head, even that weekend when temperatures were in the 20s! Within a few hours of the daily cleaning routine, both Judah's head and Helmut used to reek like old, sweaty hockey pads (I have memories of terrible awful smells emitting from one of my brother's duffel bags when his sports gear wasn't washed or even properly aired out... for the love of Pete, take that bag and burn it!). But in the last couple weeks when I've taken Helmut off Hawk's head still smelled like yesterday's shampoo and Helmut is clean and odourless! Amazing!
But the new helmet was already in the process of being made...
So the plan was to go to the appointment and see what the orthotist said. Before we left I discussed my concerns and uncertainties about accepting the new helmet with a wonderful friend of mine. I told her that we had just been praying that the Lord's will would be done, and that we would be convinced what his will was once speaking to the orthotist. She encouraged me to ask the Lord that his will would be spoken to us through the orthotist: we would trust that his advice was the right path to take. She prayed for us and on our commute I continued to pray specifically for the orthotist's words to be our confirmation of what would be best for Judah.
Once we arrived at our appointment Alan came into the room with the new helmet. He asked me how Helmut was working out, and I told him that it had performed perfectly: no rashes and not even any sweating! I sheepishly expressed that I felt a bit silly for going to the trouble of having Judah scanned for the new helmet. Without missing a beat, Alan piped in, "You don't need to get the new helmet if you don't want to." I was shocked and thrilled! He then proceeded to remind me of what a hassle the new helmet would be:
More sweating...
More difficult to fit...
More complicated to work with because of the softer material...
A much less pleasant experience for Judah...
Alan removed Helmut and thoroughly examined Hawk's head. He spend a good few minutes taking measurements of his head and comparing them to past numbers. He summarized that a) Judah's head had indeed completely healed from the rash; and b) his head shape had improved! Helmut was doing its job beautifully! Praise God!
Alan took Helmut to his workshop to make a few adjustments. As Judah's head grows and shifts Alan will sand down certain points to encourage and inhibit the shape so that it forms as symmetrically as possible. He adds patches inside - a moleskin material of sorts - to "fill in" sections, and takes a sander to other angles. It must be quite the precise art to form this hat!
So needless to say, we are absolutely thrilled to be able to continue using original Helmut! We are hopeful that by the end of his treatment the abnormalities of Hawk's head will be nearly unnoticeable. Our biggest prayer right now is that his physiotherapy would succeed in strengthening his neck and correcting his head tilt. For the most part it seems like his tilt has improved, but when Judah is tired he holds it at an even more exaggerated angle than ever. This is normal, but not good. We continue to stretch his neck and do his strengthening exercises a number of times per day and we can only pray that this is doing the trick. He tends to cry when we do the stretches :(. I used to sing the "A, B, Cs" to Judah while doing the stretches, but I've recently started to sing whatever song is in my head so that he doesn't have a total meltdown in a few years whenever the alphabet song comes on like some sort of twisted Pavlov's dog theory.
So that's the good news of the week! Whew! Amen! It feels like life has been a bit of a whirlwind recently. David and I would like to thank all of you for your kind words, support, cards of sympathy and prayers over these past few weeks. Linda's memorial service was beautiful; David, Don and Sean, and the rest of Linda's family and friends did an incredible job of honouring her life. We're doing well. Tired, but well. Life is carrying on and we are discovering what it means to grieve, process and reflect amidst the day-to-day of ordinary living. Thank you for loving on us!!!
Until next time,
Janelle and the boyz
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| In the waiting room |
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| I'm not sure what he was doing... |
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| He must be praying. Good lad! |
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| He LOVES standing! He can't get there on his own yet... but when he's up, he's UP for a while! Today he particularly enjoyed playing with the blinds :) |
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| New helmet on the right... and back to Florida it goes! |
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| Mr. Bacon is the best teething toy! |
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