with the good comes the bad...sometimes

well, we just got back from the doctor.

good news first.

addison got her helmet off today! chris took her this morning and was home within an hour. i'm so excited! it's really weird to see her without it on all the time. but i know i'll get used to it. i already put some bows in her hair today. she looked so cute!

on to the not so good news.

last night, we put addison down for the night at 8:30 as usual. we didn't hear a peep from her...until 9:30. i just thought she lost her paci, so i went upstairs to give it to her.

no...

she was standing up, wide awake.

i thought hmmm. maybe she'll go back to sleep.

no...

she was up. i didn't really know what to do. i rocked her, i sang to her. i thought she might be hungry so i gave her a little more food. nothing worked. every time i would put her in bed, she would just scream. chris didn't know what to do either. so around 11:15, we decided to take her for a car ride. that was the only other thing we could think of to do.

and, thankfully, it worked. we drove around for almost an hour to make sure she was out. when we got home, i carefully carried her in and put her in her crib. she stayed asleep. i thought she was going to wake back up at one point, but she didn't. she acted like that on thanksgiving, but i just thought she was excited about everyone being around.

so today, chris took her to her appointment and when he tried to put her down for her nap, she just screamed again. i thought she might have an ear infection, but i didn't know. so i made an appointment for her at her pediatrician this afternoon. the earliest they could get us in was 3:40, which is in the middle of addison's afternoon nap.

she did take a short morning nap, which was really good. we went to the doctor and got called back to a room after just a few minutes. but then we waited in that room for over 30 minutes. addison was getting really fussy and really squirmy.

the doctor that we had the appointment with isn't her normal doctor. dr. w (her normal doctor) wasn't there today. so we saw dr. l today. we have seen her once before, and it didn't go too well. i didn't really want to see her again today, but i really had no choice.

well, needless to say, i don't want to see her again. i don't think she's a bad doctor, but she just isn't really right for me. addison screamed the whole time. seriously, the whole time dr. l was there, addison was screaming. i just wanted to tell her we were done and just leave. at least i know now.

i just feel really sad now. addison doesn't have an ear infection, but dr. l said there might be one coming. she's actually napping now. she screamed for a while, but now she's asleep.

hopefully tonight will be a lot smoother than last night. i guess we'll see. so much for my really exciting day! oh well, addison has her helmet off for good so there's always tomorrow....

the big day...hopefully

tomorrow is the big day. hopefully.

it's addison's (hopefully) last appointment with dr. kelly.

last time she went, he said that the next time he saw her would be the last time. i'm hoping that's true!

chris is taking addison to see dr. kelly in the morning (i can't since i have school). i've gotten pretty excited thinking that today is the last day addison is going to have to wear her helmet. my mom ordered her a ton of hairbands (seriously. a ton. like 1 of each color a ton). i can't wait to see her curly blonde hair every waking moment. running my fingers through it, putting hats, hairbands, and hairbows in her hair. i mean, that's one of the fun things about having a girl, right?

but....

i'm kind of scared that dr. kelly is going to say addison needs to wear her helmet a little longer. so i've mentally prepared myself for that. if she does have to wear it longer, i will be really sad. but i'll get over it. i'm just hoping hoping hoping she gets it off tomorrow.

i guess we'll just have to wait and see!

but, hopefully, today will be the last day i see my little girl with her helmet on.....

*if you follow me on twitter (or don't, but want to know up to date info), i'll be updating the status of her helmet tomorrow. you can click on my left sidebar to follow me!

sicky

this morning, i'm feeling not so good. thursday i started feeling sick, and it hasn't really gone away. friday my throat was hurting, but no fever. i took so benadryl that night, and slept like a rock. it was so nice. and saturday i felt really good. then i didn't take any medicine saturday night, so i think that's what screwed me up. i didn't feel that bad yesterday, but this morning i feel icky. i was just scared to take the medicine saturday night and last night because i didn't want it to make me pass out and not wake up in time. but i'm definitely taking it tonight.

sorry i've been kind of behind on blogging. i've had a lot going on this weekend. halloween was a bunch of fun. addison was dressed up for a while and helped give out candy. we had some friends over and just relaxed for the most part. yesterday, chris and my dad went to the Titan's game. i had a bunch of homework and studying i needed to do, so i didn't go. but the Titan's FINALLY won! maybe i'm bad luck.

i'll be posting some pictures from halloween night soon, and hopefully some other new ones too. chris is taking addison to Dr. Kelly this morning for her helmet, so i'll let yall know what happens!

helmet update

chris to addison to see dr. kelly on monday. it was just a routine, monthly helmet checkup. dr. kelly is only there on mondays and wednesdays, which are the days i have class. so i couldn't go. chris took her, but i had my mom meet him there. i didn't know how addison would do, so i thought it would be good to have my mom there too. if you can't tell already, i like to be prepared, especially when it comes to stuff with addison.

chris and my mom both said that everyone at dr. kelly's office were impressed by how addison's head is shaping. she's only had the helmet for a little over 2 months, and dr. kelly said she probably will only have it a few more months. hopefully by a few, he means 2 or 3. she was originally supposed to have it for 6 months, but i was hoping for her to get out of it early.

they didn't do any adjustment to her helmet at restorative health. i thought it was getting too tight, but they told chris that it was good for it to be tight. if addison gets any red spots on her head from the helmet being too tight (that don't go away in 20 minutes), that's when it needs to be adjusted. so i guess i'll just wait until that happens!

i'm not really getting my hopes up just yet for addison getting her helmet off early. i don't want to get all excited, then be told she has to go for 6 to 7 months. i'm pretty positive she won't have it off by her birthday, but i'm hoping maybe for christmas. i guess we'll see!

helmet update

i haven't really posted anything about addison's helmet lately, so i thought i would now. her helmet is getting kind of tight, so i'm going to try to take her to get it cut down inside. it's not bad putting it on her, but taking it off has gotten a little harder. i think her sweat is making it stick to her head now. hopefully i can get her an appointment for early next week.


as far as her head shaping, i can't really tell. i see her head every day, so i haven't noticed anything big. chris and my mom both think they can see a difference, but i can't really. her hair has gotten really thick though. i don't know if that has anything to do with the helmet or not. but i know that it hasn't prevented her hair from growing. it sticks out of the ear holes in the helmet and curls up. it's pretty cute.


i find it kind of funny that people still can't tell that addison is a girl. i mean, she has on a pink helmet. do people really think someone would put a pink helmet on a boy? maybe so. i just find it really humorous when someone comes up and asks why my little boy has a helmet. i mean, sometimes she's not in the girliest clothing, but i usually dress her in something that looks girly. i don't guess whether a baby is a boy or girl unless i am certain what it is.

i realized that i never explained the whole detailed process (it's not really that detailed) of getting a helmet, so i thought i would do it now...since i'm already talking about it.

after we had gone to dr. kelly and he told us he recommended we get addison a helmet (and after we had decided that's what we wanted to do) we had to make an appointment to have the helmet made. it's a different office than dr. kelly's, but it's really close and they are very nice. the appointment wasn't for another week, so i had some time to get mentally prepared.

the couple that we met while waiting at dr. kelly's office the first time really helped me by telling me what to expect. their daughter screamed the whole time, but luckily, addison didn't do any of that.

the first appointment was to get a mold of addison's head. the appointment was only going to last 30 minutes, so i figured it couldn't be that bad. we had a big gang come with us (my mom, dad, chris and me) because i wanted to have people just in case we needed some one. i don't know, i just wanted to be prepared. they put this little thing on addison's head and it looked like a ski mask, but with a big hole in the front for her whole face. the woman who did the mold put the first section, which went around the back of addison's head on first. it had to sit for 5 minutes. addison did great that whole time. she didn't care. she had her paci and a toy and she was set. the second section went on her forehead and on top of her head. addison didn't like that one as much. the first section was still on, so her whole head was covered. but it only had to be on for 5 minutes, so it really wasn't bad. i was more upset than addison i think. it just made me sad to see her like that, and to know that soon she would have a helmet.

addison with her sort of ski mask on

addison getting the first section of the mold put on

addison getting the second section of the mold put on

all done!

the next appointment wasn't for another week and a half. it was the fitting. they said it would take about 30 minutes, then we could leave for 2 hours, then come back for another 30 minutes. my mom was with me for that appointment, and i had planned on letting addison nap for the 2 hours. once we got to the appointment, they put the foam mold on addison's head and made marks on it for where they needed to cut it out (for the ear holes, and to not have it in her eyes). they said to come back in 45 minutes, so addison only got a 30 minute nap. when we got back, they had to put the helmet on and take it off a few times to trim it down a little more. that didn't make addison too happy. she just wasn't used to the feeling and didn't like being awake.

addison passed out in the car on the way home. when we got home, she slept a little longer, then ate then went back to sleep. i was scared she wouldn't be able to sleep, but she did great. it was just one of those days when we can't really stick to her schedule, and it changed a little bit. and the day after, she was back to normal.

ever since, things have been as great as ever. addison is used to her helmet, and she enjoys her breaks from wearing it (she gets 3, 20 minute breaks. one when she gets up, one in the afternoon, and one right before bedtime so she can take a bath). i think the last of those is her favorite. she loves bath time. and i do too, because before bedtime is usually when she's the grumpiest, so bath time always makes her happy.

addison has had her helmet for 2 months now, and she's doing great. she'll probably have to have it for another 4 months, but we're almost half way there! maybe we'll get lucky and she'll get it off early!

if anyone has any questions about the process, feel free to ask!

oh monday

why do i hate mondays so much? probably because it means it's the end of the weekend. even though i don't work (at least don't have a paying job....being a stay at home mom is a lot of work), it seems like mondays aren't much fun.

well, my day started early (for me at least). addison had an appointment with her helmet doctor. chris was off today, so i didn't have to take her by myself. the first time we went, it took a little while for us to be called back to a room. but today, it didn't take long at all. so i thought 'this is going to be a good day'. well, it wasn't that bad of a day, but still not great. we talked to the doc. he said her head looks like it's shaping well already. which is good. maybe addison will get out of the helmet sooner than we thought. after we talked to the doc, we headed to restorative health, which is where the helmets are actually made and adjusted. by this time, it was a little past addison's nap time, but she really didn't care. we weren't there very long, and then we headed home.

addison went down for her nap right after we got home. well, actually in the car if that counts. i had some things to do - go to the bank and go to school - that i wanted to get done while addison was napping. i was going to wait until her afternoon nap, but chris suggested i go then (right after we got home). so, i did.

when i got to the bank, chris hadn't signed the check so i couldn't deposit it...pretty wasted trip. then, when i went to school to pick get my parking pass and ID, the office was closed until 1. of course i was there at 12. one hour before they reopened. ughhhh. so those were completely wasted trips. it was just one of those days where it seemed like it was going to be good, then turns out not so much.




the day went on. i went to school and was able to get everything i was after. chris helped out and gave addison her bath. and i made one of my favorite meals for dinner. wanna guess what it is?? well i'll go ahead and tell you. it's mac and cheese. yumm. i think that's the first thing i learned how to make. that and brownies. yumm too. hmm...maybe i'll make some of those tonight too....probably not. i'm extremely sleepy. yawn.


oh, and another thing NOT to look forward to. school starts in a week. yes, just one more week of summer. yet another reason to dislike mondays!

picture perfect

i've never really been much of a photographer, but now i'm taking A LOT of pictures. i try to take a lot of addison so i can share them with people, and also so i'll remember these days. i didn't take that many when she was little bitty (which i'm regretting now), but i'm trying to take as many as i can now. especially now that she has her cast and helmet.

i usually take pictures with my phone, and occasionally with my digital camera. but i borrowed my dad's camera yesterday and have been taking pictures like crazy. his camera is one of those big ones with the special lenses and all that jazz. it takes the best pictures. although i think i might be thinking that because it's a cool camera. but i really have enjoyed taking a lot of pictures of addison.

here are some of the pictures i've taken so far of addison (and some of our dog, tybee).

growing pains

wow! babies grow so fast. it's crazy. addison was teeny tiny when she was born, and now she's HUGE! well not really huge, but she's getting bigger. i feels like it was just yesterday when she was still in my belly.

well anyways, growing babies equals a lot of shopping. and the shopping is usually done with my mom. i'm really lucky i have her, because she loves to spoil addison. once addison got her helmet, we took her shopping for some new clothes to match. and man did she rack up (as she usually does). we always pick out clothes that are the next size up (so the last time we went, we got 12 month clothes since addison was 8 months). our, or should i say addison's, favorite stores are carter's and the children's place. they have the cutest clothes!

addison will be 9 months on friday (and we'll be going to the doctor that day too). when we went last week about her leg, they still weighed her. she's almost 21 lbs!! and now, she's wearing some of her 12 month clothes! she can still fit into her 9 month stuff, but she's moving up! she's almost as big as i was at her age! maybe she'll be able to beat me :)

catching up

first off, i haven't done this in FOREVER. i know, i'm a slacker. i really haven't been doing much of anything. just not this, obviously.

this is addison before her big adventure.....

anyways, a lot has gone on since the last time i blogged. at addison's 6 month well visit, her doctor addressed the flat spot on the back of her head. we knew it was there, just not that there could be much of a problem with it. so, her doc sent us to have a CT scan of her head to make sure the flat spot isn't affecting her brain or the growth of her head. luckily, there was nothing wrong with her brain or head. but we still had to go to a specialist about possibly getting a helmet.

so, i'm a young mom and i'm very hopeful with things. i told myself "no, my baby won't have to get a helmet. she'll be fine. no need to worry". well, i guess i was wrong. when we got to dr. kelly's office, there were atleast 4 babies with helmets. i had never seen one in person before, but they didn't look so bad. one couple that was there with a baby girl in a helmet shared their story with me. it was very comforting to hear it from someone else, going through the same thing. she actually told me she thought her daughter wouldn't have to get one (like me). but she did get one. she told me everything that would happen, all the things we would have to go through. i'm so lucky i got to talk to her.

dr. kelly told us that she didn't NEED a helmet, but that he suggested it. now came the part when chris (baby daddy, boyfriend, call him what you like) didn't see eye to eye. he thought our cute little baby girl didn't need a helmet. but i did. i don't want my child to grow up with a misshapen head and i would know deep down that i could've done something about it. so, we agreed to get to get the helmet.

yada yada yada....now she has a helmet. and let me just say, i have the best baby girl ever. she can handle anything and everything. i was more upset than her. it really wasn't as bad as i thought it would be, but as i said, addison did great. so we're going on 3 1/2 weeks with the helmet. and she could care less. if anyone else is going through this (having a baby with a helmet) or may have to go through this, please...PLEASE feel free to ask me anything. i will try to help as much as i can. there really isn't much information about infant helmets, so it's hard to know what to expect.

this is addison with her helmet......