Harness Day!

Tatem got fitted for her Pavlik Harness today!

What a happy girl!!

If you're counting, that's...

-23 hours a day in a helmet

-23 hours a day in a harness

-one baby having a hard time getting comfortable to sleep in a harness that pulls her legs up and out :(

-only a few months (hopefully weeks!) until one head is round and two hips are perfectly formed!

-3 sleep sacks that will get lots of use, since sleepers are a thing of the past!

-10 little piggies that won't need to be painted for awhile!

-A closet full of cute dresses that are going to get lots of wear!  No shorts, leggings, socks or shoes around here for a few weeks!

-ZERO full body casts on my baby girl  

It's a miracle!

WOW!  Thank you so much for your prayers and kind words to us after we found out that Tatem has hip dysplaysia and will need to wear a FULL BODY CAST for 3 months!

We still had lots of questions for her pediatric orthopedic surgeon, but we were waiting for our pre-op appointment.  Guess what?

Before they scheduled our pre-op, we got a phone call from Dr. Vara himself!  He said he just kept thinking about Tatem's case.  Her case was so unusual.  That explains why I had such a hard time finding info on 6 month olds getting diagnosed with hip dysplaysia!  He asked us if we would go to the children's hospital and get an ultrasound done on Tatem.  He had to get special clearance to be able to do this, because it's just not done.  We did the ultrasound on Wednesday.  The woman doing the ultrasound let us know several times that this is just not done.  It's harder to do because the ultrasound doesn't go through bone well.  (Younger babies are mostly cartilage in their hips.)

There are 3 main treatments for hip dysplasia.
1.  Pavlik Harness- This is usually for newborns and is completely non-invasive.
2.  Hip Abduction Brace (hard, plastic brace)- This is used if the harness doesn't work.  It's also removable and non-invasive.
3.  Spica Cast (full body cast)- This cast requires anesthesia 2 times and either an injection of dye into the hips or surgery to go in and fix the joint.

Tatem's doctor called today and was SO happy to tell us that as unorthodox as it is, he is going to put Tatem in a Pavlik Harness!

 

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That means this...

 

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instead of this!

That means 6-8 weeks in a harness...

instead of 12 weeks in full body cast!

That means a "fitting"...

instead of going under anesthesia for 1.5 hours two times!

That means my baby can SWIM this spring/summer...

not melt in our typical 100+ degree weather!

That means relatively normal diaper changes...

instead of THIS!  

(Yes, it does say "just dab a bit of perfume on the cast"!)

Oh, thank you, God for this new report!  

I love how God works.  If the doctor would have originally told us that she had to have a harness (we were hoping to find that no treatment at all was needed), you betcha you all would have gotten an earful about how we might have to sponge bathe her around the harness, how I would have another weekly appointment to go to to get it adjusted, how...well, the list could go on and on.  But NOW, because of God's perfect plan and timing, I am grinning ear to ear at the prospect of a Pavlik Harness.  Can't wait!!!

Full Body BABY cast!

Well, we went to the Pediatric Orthopedic surgeon today.  I certainly wasn't expecting what he told us we need to do to correct Tatem's newly diagnosed hip dysplasia.  Maybe if I could have gotten a few more minutes with my friend Google before Mark banned me I would have known more. :)

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Yup, as unbelievable as it sounds, our sweet 6 month old is about to be the proud owner of a full body cast, right down to her tiny ankles!  

She will go to the hospital, be put under anesthesia and get injected with dye so the doctor can better see her bones (a big portion of a 6 month-old's hip joint is still cartilage and it doesn't show up on x-ray).  Then he will carefully line up her bones correctly and cast them.  

3 months later we will get the cast off.

What?!   Yes, 3 months of being in a Spica cast!  

We are so thankful that this problem is 100% fixable, and that it is not causing Tatem any pain.  BUT, this is a lot to digest and will change our day to day living quite a bit.  Her legs are spread apart too wide to fit in a regular car seat or high chair.  She's going to be even harder to snuggle!  I'll just snuggle her cheeks and arms!  Mark said one good thing is that since nearly every inch of her will be covered, it will be next to impossible for Landrie to hurt her!  haha!

Oh, sweet baby girl, we love you so much and wish that you didn't have to go through any of this!  

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Did I mention we can't bathe her for 3 months??  Will y'all still hang out with me even if my baby is a bit stinky?  :)

We know that God has great plans for our precious daughter!  We are trusting in Him through all of this and know that he can use this for His good!

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God"

Romans 8:28

I'm 6 months, Y'all!

Hey, y'all!  I turned 6 months old last week!

My mommy tells me I'm SUCH a happy baby!  I get SO excited when I see someone I love I just can't help but grin from ear to ear. :)  When I realize that I can't see a friend, sometimes I have to cry so they will come running back.  It works every time. :)

Guess what?  Last week I started scooting on my belly across the floor.  It is amazing!  I've been trying to figure out how to get those toys for ages, and I am SO proud of myself!  I wonder if other babies know about this...  My mommy has me practice sitting up each day, and I'm getting really good at that too.  My helmet protects me when I fall over.  There's even a scuff on it!

I have the most hilarious big sister!  She loves to blow raspberries on my belly and is constantly bringing me toys.  I just love her so much!

I still don't have any teeth, and I still LOVE to eat!  I drink milk every 3 hours with my mommy, and after I'm awake for about an hour, I start sucking my thumb.  Then Mommy grabs my swaddle, and I'm happily off to bed for a 2 hour nap.  I really, really love eating and I really, really love my mommy.  I love them SO much that rarely make it all night without seeing Mommy and eating!  

Our cousins had a birthday party at an indoor swimming place, and I looked too cute in my baby bikini!  I'm still wearing that pink helmet 23 hours a day.  It's been 6 weeks now and I got another scan to see if it's working!  My mom was pretty sad to hear what that lady said.  I'll just let her explain!

They take 2 measurements of Tatem's head.  They measure how wide her head is from one temple diagonally to the back of her head.  They do the same from the other temple.  If they are a match, her head is symmetrical!  Her head started at a 6.3mm difference, and we'd love for it to be a 3.1mm difference.  Well...after 6 weeks she's only down to a 6.1mm difference!  Some of the other measurements were much better, but I was hoping that she would have faster results.  

I wear a size 3 diaper and I've started wearing some cute 6-12 month clothes!  My doctor said I weigh 15 pounds and 4 ounces.  I've only gained a few ounces since my 4 month check up.  I guess all my rolling and scooting around has slowed down my weight gain!  

My doctor also said I have RSV. :(  It's my first official time to get sick.  Daddy and Mommy do breathing treatments for me and Mommy slept in my room for a week.  I haven't been able to go to church or any friends' houses in ages!  I think I'm getting better though!  

My doctor shocked my parents with some other news.  I got some special x-rays, and they show that I have hip dysplasia!  We have a trip planned to see a Pediatric Orthopedic Specialist this week to see what he says.  My mommy says I may have to wear a brace on my hips for awhile since my leg doesn't stay in my hip socket very well.  My favorite physical therapist said we may have to work on my hips and my neck now.  Will you please pray for me?   I'm not so sure about wearing another thing that makes me all sweaty!

Tatem Rose, we LOVE YOU SO MUCH!  You light up the room with your huge grin and sweet kisses!!  The past 1/2 year has been so precious!

It's a GOOD thing my baby has a helmet, really it is!

Well, it's been almost a week since Tatem got her cranial remolding helmet.  I have to admit, it was quite an adjustment for me!  On one hand I know she needs it medically, but on the other, I want to see and touch my baby unhelmet-ed!  When we were at our (2 HOUR LONG) appointment to get the helmet, the lady put it on Tatem and left us alone for a bit to see if it was putting too much pressure on spots.  Tatem was tired and crying, so I faced her towards me and tried to snuggle with her little head under my chin.  Instead of sweet, warm, soft baby skin I was met with cold, hard plastic.  I started bawling.  She wears it 23 hours a day, and she's wearing it for 2-5 months, so I've just decided that I need to embrace it and make the best of it.  I can choose joy or choose to cry everyday because this was not what I had envisioned for my baby girl.  I chose JOY!

SO, here it is.  The

"Top 10 Reasons why Tatem's Helmet is a GOOD Thing!"

10.

When Tatem's doing her tummy time and Landrie is dancing around the room, I don't worry nearly as much about Tatem's head getting stepped on!

9.  

I remember from Landrie that Tatem's about to enter the phase of pulling her bows/headbands off.  I'm attaching bows to her helmet now, so they are nearly impossible to pull off!  

8.  

The stink that comes from her plastic-covered head is sure to keep the boys at bay a little while longer.  She's awfully cute, so Mark won't have to get the shotgun out quite as early. :)

7.  

We met our out of pocket maximum for Tatem this year during the 2nd week of January.  A year of free medical treatment will be great!!  (Especially for all those expensive physical therapy sessions!)

6.  

When we are out an about, I'm pretty confident that the pink helmet will prevent any strangers from accidentally calling Tatem a boy!

5.  

Tatem will learn how to sit up while she's wearing the helmet.  I'll still rush across the room when I see that slow-mo classic baby fall start, but I'm glad she'll have extra protection for her noggin!

4. 

 It tastes great!

3.  

Even if her name tag falls off in the church nursery, they won't have any trouble remembering her name!

2.  

As my friend said, "After this, she'll have a ponytail-perfect head!"  That will be one less thing for us to worry about one day when I've got 2 teenage girls getting ready each morning!

1. 

 Her brain can grow correctly, her jaws won't be misaligned, her ear canals will be in the correct position, her eyes will be able to work together and a long list of things like these!!

Often I'm reminded of how to act by kids.  When Landrie saw Tatem in the helmet, it went something like this:
"TayTay helmet?"
"TayTay helmet PINK!!"
(lots of touching of the new helmet)
"TayTay CUTE!"
Then she promptly leaned over and kissed the open spot on the top of Tatem's head, as if wearing a helmet was the most natural thing in the world!  Well, then later that day she did lick it.  So maybe I should say I'm reminded of how to act by SOME of the things kids do!  haha!

Is there something in your life you've learned to embrace?  I don't know about you, but when things don't go according to MY plans, it really can throw me for a loop.  I'm constantly learning to trust God and rely on the fact that His plan for our lives is perfect!

Fixin' my Melon!

Well, from the time Tatem was a few hours old, the on call pediatrician told us her head was not symmetrical and she might need a helmet.  We assumed the doctor was referring to the same asymmetry that most newborns have, and that it would even out on its own.  4 months later, it looks like he was right!  We've been to three different appointments at two different places, and all confirmed that Tatem needs a helmet to reshape her sweet little head!

Tatem has two factors making her head uneven.

#1  My uterus was always about 5 weeks behind in size, and Tatem's head was waaay down very early.  Both of these caused her to be more squished than an average baby.

#2  Her torticollis (neck tightness on one side) means that it's much more comfortable to turn her head in one direction all the time.  As her brain grows so quickly, it grows in the direction of least resistance.  She's sleeping with her head on one side, so as her brain grows, it pushes her skull out in the other direction!

Here are some pictures that Cranial Tech took that really show it.

The left one was when she was 3 months, and the right one was at 4 months.  You can see it getting worse as she grows!  See how the right side of each picture bulges out more and the left side is flatter?

Again, the first column was at 3 months and the 2nd one is at 4 months.  Look how much better her torticollis is!  The bottom picture shows how her head is flatter on one side and much "curvier" on the other. 

This shifting of her skull can cause many different problems for her, so we are thankful to get it taken care of at this young age.  

The good news is that  we live in a big city and we were able to find a company that takes our insurance who makes these!  Each case has to be sent in for approval, so please pray that we have favor with our insurance! They said that ours is usually a good one. :)

By the end of next week, Tatem should be decked out in her her helmet (of course I ordered a pink one!) and I'll post pictures.  They said she'll wear it for 23 hours a day for anywhere from 2-5 months.  Hopefully she'll be done before we hit our usual 100+ degree days!

In case you happened to land on our blog looking for info on this, or in case you're just curious, check out this website a lot of families use to "Bling their band!"  They have some pretty funny phrases you can put on yours!

Physical therapy for our baby girl!

When I went to our first physical therapy appointment last week, I had no idea what to expect!  Are you curious too?  What exactly are "baby exercises," right??

Hi, I'm Tatem, and I'm perfectly happy to lay on my back and look cute. :)

My physical therapist said I'm supposed to do a total of 2 HOURS of tummy time a day since I'm 2 months old.  That's a LOT, but I've been working hard to get it all in!

Sometimes I get a bit frazzled, so my big sister Landrie jumps in with me.

She's so crazy! :)

Whew!  Y'all have no idea how hard this is!  This head is so heavy!

My physical therapist said that I can lay on my mommy or daddy's chest to do tummy time too.  Landrie thought it would be fun to lay on her!  She loved it, but I was not a fan.  She just wiggles too much!

My favorite place to be is in my mommy or daddy's arms, on my back!

I go to PT each week.  Miss Morgan pulls my head to the side and presses my shoulder down.  Mommy does it 6-8 times a day too.  That's one exercise I have to do to lengthen my neck muscles.  I'm so good at it now I don't even cry or break a sweat!

Miss Morgan also wants me to turn my head side to side.  She put this tiny mirror up in front of me to try to trick me into turning to the side I don't like.  I fooled them all and found the enormous wall mirror so I could look at Mommy and Daddy's reflection instead!  Didn't have to turn my head the other way one bit!  haha!

I'm absolutely amazed at the progress Tatem has made in just one week!  It was time to quit treating her like a snuggly little newborn and start putting that sweet baby to work!

Squished little head!

While we think Miss Tatem Rose is absolutely perfect, her doctor says otherwise!  When she was first born, the on-call pediatrician at the hospital examined her.  Do you know the first thing he said?  "Well, her head, nose and ears are pretty asymmetrical, but they might even out over time.  If not, you can always get her a helmet."  What?!  We just laughed about his obvious lack of tact and went on with things.  Yes, her head was squished, but aren't most newborn's?

Fast forward to Monday's 2 month appointment.  Tatem's head is still "squished," and it's causing our sweet baby some problems!  Remember how my uterus always measured small?  When I delivered at 40 weeks, it measured at 35 weeks.  Tatem didn't have the room she needed, so her little head grew while it was tilted over to the side.  There's a dent where her shoulder was in her ear.  She's not the only baby who experienced this, and it actually causes a unique set of problems.   We were on info overload this week as we got diagnosis 1,2 and 3!

1.  Tortocollis- Because her head was tilted while she grew in the womb, her muscles are short and tight on one side of her neck and weak on the other.  Her head tilts to one side.  We started physical therapy this week and have a few little exercises that we need to do 6-8 times each day.  She also needs a total of 2 HOURS of tummy time a day!  The good news is that this is correctable, and with the therapy, she should be fine by the time she's walking.

This picture shows what she must have looked like before she was born!  See her little shoulder pushed up there?

It's hard to see the dent now with her pudgy cheeks, but you can see it when she was still skinny!

Of course she can hold her head up now, but when she's relaxed it's always tilted to her right.  It doesn't go to her left side.

2.  Plagiocephaly- It simply means an asymmetrical skull.  Her whole skull (including her face) is shifted.  There are 2 treatments.  Since babies' skulls are not yet hardened, they can still change shape.  We are going to be very careful about not letting her lay one way too much.  Hopefully as her brain grows, it will press on her skull, and it will fix itself.  Our therapist said we are going to try that first, but she will most likely need a helmet to reshape her head.  If she does, you can put all your money on the fact that I'll be decorating it like these DocBand Calendar babies!  :)

Normal Head Shape Mild Plagiocephaly Moderate Plagiocephaly Severe Plagiocephaly

images from here

3.  Eyes that don't work together- Part of the plagiocephaly that she has means one side of her forehead sticks out more than the other.  So one eye is further forward, and they are actually looking at two different things!  We go to a pediatric ophthalmologist next week to see what treatment for that might be.  UPDATE: I am finally posting this today, and we just got back from the opthamologist.  THe good news is that it's a simple muscle problem that makes her eyelid droop, and it should correct itself!  Babies' eyes often don't work together, but the opthamologist said our doctor referred her because of the combination of things that were going on.  We are so thankful for this answer to prayers!!

While no parents want to hear that anything is wrong with their baby, I am thankful that everything is correctable since we caught it so early.

In other news...

Remember how we all prayed for Tatem to GROW before she was born?  At one point she was in the 7th% for weight.  After she was born, she was still in the 10th%.  Not anymore!  At her 2 month check up she weighed 10 lbs, 10oz and was in the 47th% for height and weight!  She's growing like a weed!  Other than the things above, Tatem is a picture of health!  Here are some things I want to remember about my precious 2 month old:
-You are finally wearing 0-3 month clothes!
-You grin and coo all the time.  Every time you coo, Landrie gasps and says, "Oh!!!  Her talked!!"  You love talking to your sister. :)
-You are a great eater and eat 20 min. every 3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night.  Since you've turned two months, you've started stretching your night time feeds a few extra hours.  I am excited! :)
-You still LOVE to be held and snuggled.  You sleep on your tummy with an Angelcare Monitor (it sounds an alarm if you stop breathing) so Mommy and Daddy can get some sleep.  Some nights you sleep in a moving swing all night long!
-We have lots of fun things to put you in, but you really protest if you're in anything other than our arms or the swing. :)
-Your smiles and dimples light up the room and melt our hearts!

2 year and 2 week doctor visits

Today was my first attempt at taking the girls out on my own!  Mark usually goes to the appointments with me, but he was out of town for this one.  (Did I mention that our AC went out less than an hour after he left?!?  Thankfully, 48 hours and an overnight stay with Aunt Megan and Uncle Greg later, it's back on!)

The girls are too cute and healthy too!

I am having too much fun coordinating their outfits!  We got a few at Carters since they sell matching newborn and 24 month stuff, but Landrie's about to grow out of that size.  Any ideas on where to get matching baby and toddler clothes?

I was juggling two, and I didn't quite get all their stats, but here are the basics from their visits and a few more things thrown in that I just want to remember. :)

Landrie:

-26.5 pounds

-27th% and 30th% for height and weight

-size 24 month or 2T in clothes

-Current obsession is DORA:)

Tatem:

-7 pounds, 3 ounces (up 1 pound 2 oz. from birth!)

-10th% for weight

-Still in newborn size clothes, but I think we'll graduate to 0-3month clothes in a week or two!

-Eating 20 minutes per feeding, and about every 3 hours, unless it's the evening.  The past few days she's eaten every hour!!

ONE YEAR OLD!

Happy birthday to you, sweet Landrie Grace!  Tuesday, September 14th was Landrie's FIRST birthday!

We started the day with a pancake shaped like a giant #1.

  It was a smashing success!

Mark took the afternoon off so we could spend the day as a family.  Isn't she adorable in her birthday onesie from Uncle Eric and Aunt Melissa?

We had Landrie's 1 year check up this morning.  Dr. Dalton couldn't believe how much she talked!  She babbled during the entire visit!

Our dainty little girl has been growing like a weed, but not gaining any weight!  After being in the 50th % all the way to her 6 month check up, now this non-stop little girl is in the 5th % for her weight (only 18 pounds!) and the 75th% for her height.  Once again, we got a "Well, what do you expect?  She's going to be built like the two of you!"  :)

Landrie's latest endeavor is climbing on EVERYTHING!  The other day I was eating cereal at the kitchen table and she climbed right up next to me on the bench.  Then she happily shared my Rice Krispies as a reward!  I'm pretty sure if we would have let her continue to climb up the stroller, she would have been on the kitchen counter in no time!

Caught red-handed!  She does this a couple times a day.  

She looks so big in her birthday wagon!

She tore into this gift from Granny.  Every single strip of paper she tore off went into her mouth.  Yum.

She's not walking yet, but has mastered the art of stretching to ridiculous lengths to get from one object to another without letting go.  Since I'm still not supposed to pick her up, she happily walks around the house, holding my hand.  This is what I see from my view!  

I know she's growing up fast, but really??  Landrie, coffee already?!

We love you, sweet little one year old!

If you missed the post about her birthday bash, click here to see her zebra and hot pink "We're WILD about LANDRIE" party!