Helmet Follow-up

Last week, we took Andrew to see an orthotist about his plagiocephaly and talked about possible cranial remolding.  That's all fancy terminology for looking into a helmet to fix his flat head.  The doctor took a 3D scan of his head so he could take measurements so we could get a better idea about what we're faced with.

His head shape isn't the greatest, but it isn't the worst either.  Once babies get a bit older and spend more time sitting up, it can improve their head shape dramatically.  Because of this, and the rather large price tag associated with the helmet, we've decided to wait a bit before we pursue treatment.  We'll go back next month to get a new set of scans and see if it's gotten better, worse, or remained the same.  If it's getting worse or staying the same, we'll get the helmet.  Most parents of kids with plagiocephaly don't even start considering treatment until six months, so we're still ahead of the curve on that one.

Another new development?  We have a tooth!  It's just starting to break through, so there are no photos yet.  I just hope it happens quickly because it's turning our sweet baby boy into a holy terror!  I hate seeing him in that kind of pain.

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Middle of August Update...and swimming!!

It's the middle of August...and Andrew has been busy!  He's becoming much more attentive to his big toys like the Wonderbug and the Gym Mat.  He also does quite well in his high chair with a selection of toys on the tray.

Andrew has also started on the path to solid foods, eating a mixture of formula and rice cereal from a spoon.  This is actually pretty comical.  He has two reactions so far: he either smiles really big, and all the food runs out the sides of his mouth all over him, or he scowls, and all the food runs out the sides of his mouth all over him.  I think we need a little more practice on this.

Not really enjoying the formula/cereal mixture at this point.

Andrew tried swimming again yesterday and seemed to LOVE it.  He previously was not a fan of the colder water.  He was carried around the pool for a bit, then moved to his floating mat where he stayed and played for quite a while.  He was also VERY popular amongst the ladies.

Time For Laughter

Andtrew has started giggling a little more when we make silly faces and noises to him.  One of his favorites is Sam groaning like an overheated mule.

4-month Photos

August 12 was Andrew's 4-month birthday, so we took a bunch of photos of him.  These are some of the favorites.  

Four Month Check-up

Andrew turned four months old on Sunday!  I'll try to get Sam to post more photos of him in his four month attire later on today.  Well, today he had his check-up and everything is looking good.  He's a very big boy, but that's not really news.  He's meeting all of his milestones and is even ahead on others.

The only thing of concern at this point is his head shape.  He's always preferred looking to his left, especially when he's asleep.  When you've got a good sleeper on your hands, it's not uncommon to develop a flat spot.  He's had a flat spot for months now, but we were hoping it'd remedy itself once he started sitting up and playing more.  Well, unfortunately it's still there.  The pediatrician said we could try and wait until his six month appointment to see if it got better, or we could go ahead and have it looked at it now.  We've got an appointment with a specialist next week to see what they think.  I'm hoping they'll take lots of photos and measurements and see what it looks like in another month or two.  It's definitely not bad.  We just want to be proactive.

Other than that, things are great!  He had another round of vaccines and took them like a champ.  I can't believe he's getting so big already!

Early August Update

Some more photos, and even a video!

Playing on my playmat

Practicing tummy time.

Cooling down after a hot walk.

Hanging out at Atlantic Station at the Tot Spot.

One of Sam's favorite photos ever.

We had an Olympics Opening Ceremony party.  Each person
was assigned a different country, and had to bring food and/or
drink related to that country.  Costumes were encouraged.
Sam and Emily were Mexico, so Andrew dressed in his best Mexican outfit.

The video above is one of Andrew's new "things".  He likes

to grab onto his bottle while we are feeding him.

Of course, we like to think he's holding his bottle for himself,

but it's really just a fluke.