jesscoll

I used to blog when Jonathan was playing independently -- you know, that time when he'd stay on the play mat and occupy himself with heaps of toys.

Then crawling and his obsession with all things computer began.  Jonathan loves to crawl all over and cruise around the laptop cart, pull power cords, and chew on the mouse.  He'll even bang his fists on the keyboard if I sit him in my lap.

So, needless to say, I only have computer time when Jonathan is asleep.  And my priorities during naptime are always my own nap, making some effort at cleaning, and wasting time on Facebook.

But maybe things will change.  We finally setup the Joovy Room^2, so I'm now able to pee in peace and begin dinner at a reasonable hour.  Jonathan can poke his head over the side, and I don't feel like it's a prison so much anymore.  Maybe I can get over my guilt at putting him in there long enough to make a post every...well, monthly would be an improvement, huh?

Jonathan is now a STARband graduate!

We saw Jonathan's orthotist today, and Jonathan's cranial asymmetry was measured at 6mm, which is considerably improved from his original 16mm difference.  Therefore, the orthotist said Jonathan was ready to graduate -- Joe and I are so thrilled! 

We know Jonathan could improve further, but we're just so tired of dealing with the helmet.  The orthotist said he usually graduates kids between 6 - 8mm, but the plagiocephaly message boards I follow has some parents who aren't happy unless they reach perfection.  Seriously -- there was a lady complaining about her baby's 0.5mm asymmetry!

Because I was somewhat on the fence, the orthotist recommended Jonathan wear the helmet while sleeping to capture any additional growth.  Apparently, studies show babies grow more at night than during the day.  We'll continue with this recommendation for the next 2 - 3 weeks.  The orthotist estimates Jonathan will outgrow the helmet within this time period.

It's so wonderful caressing Jonathan's round head.  I've missed being able to give him kisses on the forehead.  And now I'm eager and excited to do the things we've had to avoid for the past 13 weeks.  We're getting a kiddie pool to finally let him splash around in the sun, and we're going to hang his bucket swing on the backyard swing set.  It will be great to not worry about sweating -- and to actually play outside.

Summer has been three letters:  H-O-T.  Perhaps it hasn't been any worse than a usual summer in Houston, but I'm sure feeling it more this year.  I've always been confined to an office during the heat of the day, but now I find myself running errands while sweat runs all over me.

The heat hasn't been easy for Jonathan either.  He's been in the STARband cranial remolding orthosis for twelve weeks and has had wonderful results.  He progressed from 16mm to 11mm of asymmetry in the first six weeks and then dropped to 5mm in the following four weeks.  His head will be rescanned on August 5, and if remaining under 5mm, he can graduate and begin the "weaning off" process.  I'm thrilled!  We've promised Jonathan a kiddie pool to celebrate since he hasn't gotten to enjoy a swim with the 23-hour wearing schedule.

Jonathan is currently transfixed by his fingers and a stuffed froggie -- finally allowing me time to update on his progress.

I took Jonathan to his first physical therapy appointment last Friday.  The therapist showed me three simple exercises to stretch his neck muscles.  Jonathan didn't seem to mind the stretches at the appointment, but he's learned to express his disapproval -- VERY LOUDLY -- here at home.  It pains me and Joe to force him into the stretches, but it's best for him.

We must be doing a decent job, because the therapist thought Jonathan was doing amazingly better when we met with her today.  She advised us to continue the stretches at home; otherwise, return if we had any problems or if Jonathan's pediatrician is still concerned at his 4-month checkup.

Even if his torticollis is improving, the plagiocephaly is still a problem.  I feel like his head shape has worsened over the weekend.  Joe -- always hopeful and optimistic -- even agreed the right side looked flatter over the past few days.  I'm finally coming to terms with Jonathan needing a helmet, and I've been fortunate to meet two moms with recent helmet grads.  It's not as scary as it seemed at first.  I almost welcome the helmet, because I'm now convinced it will be the only way for our little boy's head to be normal.

The past week has been a whirlwind of activity -- specifically, Jonathan has had many doctors' appointments and exams.  He's been diagnosed with congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) and plagiocephaly.

Joe and I noticed some ear misalignment and odd head shape for Jonathan as early as six weeks.  I mentioned our concerns to the pediatrician we saw -- not his normal doc -- at his first round of immunizations.  She suggested I place Jonathan to sleep on his side and said the symptoms we saw did not seem serious.  Over the past month, Jonathan's condition has only worsened.  We noticied he resists moving his head to the left and his forehead has begun to protrude on his right side.  I made an appointment with his regular pedi to ask her opinion -- and I'm so, so glad I didn't wait until his next appointment.

Jonathan does not have a full range of motion for his neck due to torticollis.  The condition occurs when the muscle that runs up and toward the back of baby's neck (sternocleidomastoid muscle) is shortened.  It causes the head to tilt and baby to be unable to fully move his head toward the affected side.

Because of the torticollis and his limited range of motion, Jonathan has also developed plagiocephaly -- an abnormal head shape with flattening of the skull.  Jonathan's plagiocephaly is positional since he favors his right side when sleeping, playing on the floor, and sitting in the car seat and swing.