Months have passed and honestly, things are going so great with the Little King. I apologize for neglecting to share our helmet journey, but I will share a few pictures with captions from the past 8 months. It's been a whirlwind of emotions (from Archer, Mama and Dada....) So, so many emotions. Sweet Archer remained a demanding and high needs infant, but has really blossomed into such a fun and active little toddler. He is a great communicator and always lets us know how he is feeling and when he wants his desires met. As we move into true toddlerdom, this is somewhat expected, and I tend to often think, "Wow. He's basically just like every other kid his age now." HAHA, until we get together with a group of kids his own age. Archer is definitely paving his own path, and the Lord is really helping me learn to love it. Everyone enjoys watching their child grow, and I am no exception. I take photos and videos of him all day, as we play together. Then, after he's asleep, I review the day's footage. If I wasn't his mother, I'd be a total creeper. I just love him so much! Nothing compares to being a mom! It's beyond edifying and challenging to my heart and mind, but it's absolutely perfect. You know how marriage really brings out the selfish nature of our hearts? Yea...have a baby. Hehe! Then you'll really understand how self seeking you really are.
I digress. A few quick updates from the past few months!
We saw the orthotist every two weeks to a month for helmet fittings. Archer really rocked them after those first few visits. By the time we completed the helmet therapy, the orthotist didn't even remember his outrageous wailing. She always would say "He's just such a good baby!" "What a little rock star." etc. and so on. Seriously incredible how he would do at these visits. I don't think we ever had to take more than 1 comparison scan, except maybe once after he was just distracted. Praise God for that!
By the end of January, we had battled through heat rash, raw skin from rubbing, and discovered the beauty of moleskin. Archer adapted easily and quickly to the helmet. Sleep was touch and go at the beginning, since he would turn his head side to side as a method of self soothing. That became a bit more challenging with the helmet strap across the back, but he quickly adjusted.
Mid February (7 months old, 3 months post op, 2 months in helmet) As you can see, his head shape is changing a lot. I'll add some before pictures at the bottom of the post. Also, I miss our little fat fat :( He's so lean now.
Mid February (7 months old) Starting to grow out of his post of helmet. The first one was clear so we could see the incisions and insure they were healing properly.
A few days after the above pictures were taken, we received Archer's second helmet. This big golf ball! He transitioned effortlessly to this one, despite it being much bulkier. Not long after, we moved him to his crib at night from cosleeping. We had to install bumpers, because he would flail around and bonk his helmet into the rails every half hour. Guess it was a good thing he had that additional protection, or he might have never slept!
I put my art training to good use, and painted the golf ball helmet like an aviator. There were a lot of adorable designs and ideas via google, but this one was just so dang cute. You will notice a little star wars tribute in a later photograph. Chance wanted him to have a rebel helmet, but since I was the one looking at it every day, I got to choose. I decided to compromise a smidge. We still have Archer's helmets, and one day his stuffed animals will wear them. I know he'll love to hear about his journey as a cranio warrior when he gets older. Not many kids can say they've overcome brain surgery before 6 months old!
Mid March (8 months old): His head looked so good! perfect little round thing.
Late June (11 months old): Still sporting the aviator helmet during our visit home to Texas.
The week we found out we were DONE with the helmet! Bring on the summer heat!
Archer on his first birthday! 8 months post op! You would never know he ever had a surgery or any issue with his head at all. The endoscopic surgery and helmet therapy worked wonders for his shape.
Our last appointment with the plastic surgeon (for this year anyway). The scars are so hidden that Dr. Marcus had trouble finding them! We will still visit the plastic surgeon once a year until Archer is age 6 and everything has closed up nicely.
So, that is the helmet journey in a nutshell. A nutshell disguised as just a bunch of photos of my baby! What can I say, he's too cute to not share with the world. He is such a blessing to our lives, and we thank God every day for His hand over Archer's first very rough year. We know it will only go up from here.
:: Just a couple of before photos of Archer's fused suture. You can see the dip in the top of his skull, where the suture was restricting the brain from growing in width. This caused the head to look slightly pointed from the front view.::
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