Begin Chapter Two: The Helmet

Jason has a flat head. And it is slightly crooked. When we first noticed this we weren't concerned because we thought most babies went through a flat-head stage, but their heads all round out on their own eventually, right? We were only sort-of right. We found out that by 6 months, babies' heads stop rounding out on their own. This was not good news for us (or for Jason) because Jason was almost 6 months and still had a flat head. The end result is that we now have a helmet for Jason to help his head round out. We are very lucky because our insurance is helping pay the cost.

Here are some pictures of his head at the beginning of treatment:



And this is what he looks like with the helmet on:


The helmet adds about 10 pounds to his face, don't you think? He can use an extra 10 pounds (or 20 if you count what the camera adds as well) because he is only in the 4th percentile for weight. We think the helmet looks a lot like a bowling ball. Too bad it isn't closer to Halloween because he could be the bowling ball and we could be the pins.

Jason will have to wear it for 23/hrs a day for 3-4 months. The biggest concern is overheating since not as much heat can escape from his head. Consequently we have to dress him lighter than usual. They also made a big hole in the top of the helmet to release heat, as well as some smaller holes in the back. The hour of freedom from the helmet also gives him some air.


During the hour when the helmet is off we have to shampoo his hair and wash the helmet (they get stinky with all the sweating). We also have to watch the red spots on his head (caused from the pressure) and make sure they go away within the hour, otherwise we know his helmet needs adjusting.

Although the helmet is custom made to fit his head, it still shifts around a bit. The reason for the shifting is the helmet is made with room to grow. In Jason's case, the helmet puts pressure on the sides of his head, but not on the back because that is where there is extra room for growth. We will go back in on Tuesday for adjustments because we will see better how it settled on his head. We can already tell that he needs the front cut up higher so he can see better. Right now he can't see very far up, and we have to bend over far to see his eyes.


The helmet has a slit on one side that enables us to get it on and off. We get our fingers around the helmet and pull hard to open it wide enough to slip it on and off. A strong piece of Velcro keeps it closed and tight. The doctor told us to not be afraid of breaking it when we pull because it is a very sturdy piece of plastic and foam. Right now the helmet is about 1/2 in. thick with the foam and plastic. As his head grows, the doctor will whittle away at the foam to accommodate the growth.


Jason has adapted to the helmet much better than we thought he would. He sometimes cries when we put it on, but we can quickly distract him and continue on our merry way. I was particularly nervous about what would happen to his sleep habits, especially since we had worked so hard already on sleep training. We have been very blessed because he has slept just fine for his naps. Tonight will be his first time wearing it through the night, and I am hoping we will have equal success.

When we first learned we would have to get a helmet if we wanted correction, we felt embarrassed, stupid. Why are we the only ones in the ward who have had this problem? Does it mean we didn't hold him enough, because we held him a LOT, especially because we let him take the majority of his naps in our arms. The doctor helped us feel a lot better. He explained that there have been several studies that show about 60 different factors influence misshapen heads. So you can't pinpoint one specific thing and blame it. Some of the factors in Jason's case include being male, being the first child, spending time in the NICU, sleeping on an incline, and sleeping on his back. Plus, he also explained, you always burn the first pancake :).

On Friday night we decided to walk over to Costa Vida for dinner. It was cold out and we knew that Jason's beanies wouldn't fit him anymore. Luckily, one of Kyle's worked out just great!

The Book of Jason: The Close of Chapter One

We finally have closure in the first chapter of Jason's life, the lung issue. Yesterday we visited with Dr. Uchida, the pulmonologist at Primary Children's Hospital. The end result is that he thinks Jason is just fine. We thought so too, but it was nice to finally hear it from him.

During the visit Dr. Uchida tested Jason's oxygen saturation levels, and he also listened to him breath through a double stethoscope. Both of those procedures checked out normal. We explained to the doctor what happened from labor and delivery through those 2 weeks in the NICU. Dr. Uchida was particularly interested in the labor and delivery story (the 4 hours of pushing, face presentation, and forceps). He explained that the Phrenic nerve runs through the neck and it provides the only motor supply to the diaphragm. Babies who have had hard deliveries, and consequently a lot of pulling on their necks, often have this nerve stretched out enough to cause temporary paralysis of the diaphragm. The doctor thinks it is quite possible that this is all that happened and would explain why Jason had trouble breathing at first, but why he later showed no complications and moved quickly through all the breathing devices.

So it appears my dad may have been right; the doctors in the NICU were probably too overcautious. The pneumonia was real, but the other respiratory problems were probably less than they feared them to be. However, we don't know this for sure, and we won't know without additional testing. But since he is doing so well, Dr. Uchida said that additional testing isn't necessary unless he shows signs of problems in the future. I am still grateful for the good care Jason received in the NICU.

Practicing

We've been practicing:

Eating


Sitting

Bouncing


Lying on tummy/ Rolling


Wearing a baseball cap


Walking dad to school again
Jason loves being outside so much we couldn't get him to look at the camera. He was too busy watching cars.

Growing teeth
He now has 2. I couldn't get a picture myself, but luckily the professional photographer caught a couple shots with them.

Sleeping
We don't have a picture for this one, but it is the one I am most excited about because we have made HUGE progress. He is still a short napper, but he is pretty good at soothing himself to sleep for naps, and we trained him to sleep through the night.

Screaming
At the top of his lungs for pure joy. Yes, he has discovered volume. Kyle and I figured out why parents can't hear.

Taking pictures
I learned that sometimes it's not the camera that needs fixing--it's the photographer. I have a LOT to learn about taking good pictures. I am open to any pointers.

Mr. Toothy Gets His Picture Taken

We took Jason in for his 6 month old pictures. We were waiting until he could sit unsupported fairly well, and he did great. He was a trooper through the whole thing (no crying), but he stopped smiling towards the end. That was OK, though, because we think he looks cute even when he's not smiling. Here are a BUNCH of our favorites. No, we didn't print this many, but I am glad I can post as many as I want because it is so hard to choose.

Christmas Break

Oh what fun, what fun we had over Christmas break. We had two whole weeks of no work (since neither of us work) and no school. I will hit on the highlights of the break, most of which center on Jason, who is the center of our lives.

• Jason rolled over from back to stomach unassisted on Christmas Eve. The carrot? A cell phone. He rolled over to get the much-desired cell phone. After he had worked so hard to get it, we felt bad not letting him have at least one lick. Now, after many rolls and many maneuvers to get to the cell phone and the parents taking pity on their baby, Kyle can't hear out of his cell phone. Too much drool in that area, I suppose. Luckily Kyle can still use speakerphone and his head-set.
  
• Jason turned 6 months old! Or as cousin Spencer put it, he is "zero and a half". I never thought we'd survive this far.
  
• Jason started unsupported sitting (we still have to be close by) and supported bouncing (who needs the gym when you can have a baby?).
• Opening presents. We should have just wrapped up empty boxes because Jason loved the wrapping paper more than what was inside.
• Kate and Kyle's fourth New Year's Eve kiss.
• Being with both sides of the family.
• Meeting up with old high school friends.
  
• New digital camera.
• Playing lots of fun new games. Harry Potter CLUE is awesome.
  

Now that the break is over, it has been hard going back to "real" life. Jason and I miss not hanging out with Kyle all the time. Kyle's last semester is looking tough, so we are buckling down for the last haul before graduation. In the meantime we are pondering the question of where to live and whether we should rent or buy. Although we are lucky enough to live in the state where Kyle will be working, it is still difficult to look for housing when you have a ton of homework, a busy church calling, and a baby who takes three naps a day.

Christmas Card

Dear Ones,

Kyle and I had a roller coaster ride into parenthood. We want to thank everyone for their prayers and words of encouragement offered on our behalf while Jason was in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I have included a quick summary and update for those who are interested in reading it.

We welcomed Jason Kyle Robbins into this world on June 30 after a long labor and delivery that included 4 hours of pushing and forceps. At 9 lbs and 3 oz, he appeared to be a robust, healthy boy. We were able to spend a few precious minutes holding and nursing him before they took him to the nursery for his big checkup. Much to our surprise, they came back and told us that he had been moved to the NICU because he was having trouble breathing. We soon learned that he was having trouble breathing because he was born with a small right lung, and he had also developed pneumonia. Needless to say, we were heart-sick knowing we would have to leave the hospital without him and not knowing how long he would have to stay there.

We were very blessed because Jason’s stay in the hospital lasted only two weeks (although they were a very long two weeks for us). He progressed quickly through the different breathing devices until he was able to breathe normally at room air.

Jason has continued to thrive at home. At five months we did another x-ray to see if anything had changed with his lung. It still is small, but the x-ray did not show anything else amiss. We still don’t know what caused the small lung, but it could possibly be genetic. In January we will consult a pulmonologist at Primary Children’s Hospital just to make sure everything is OK, but right now we have every reason to believe he will continue to live a healthy, normal life.

Kyle will graduate from BYU in April with both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting. In June he will start working in Salt Lake for CBIZ (an accounting firm). I am lucky enough to stay at home full-time with Jason.

Thank you again for all your prayers, help, and encouragement. We know God blessed us with many miracles during that trying time and that He continues to bless us now.

Love,

Kate, Kyle, and Jason

A Visit From the Tooth Fairy Gone Wrong

So last weekend Jason had a visit from the tooth fairy, but it was a nasty two night visit and he didn't get any money. Last Friday we went to my work's Christmas Party up in Salt Lake. Kate's sister Brooke was awesome enough to babysit for us (thanks Neuenschwanders!) and we spent the night at their place so we wouldn't have to make Jason miss his now early bed-time.

Jason loved Brooke and she was able to put him to sleep without crying! (which is actually a very common occurrence nowadays). Unfortunately he woke up around 11:00 to eat and after that he decided he needed to wake up ever hour crying. We kept wondering if he was too cold, if he didn't like sleeping in his pack-n-play, or if his eczema was bothering him. The last thing that crossed our minds was that he was teething, but sure enough the next day Kate noticed a little tooth poking out of his gums. That night he also had a rough time, but not quite as bad as the night before.

Jason now has a little tooth, but luckily he is sleeping better again. At least until that evil tooth fairy comes again...