One week ago today we had our appointment with Dr. Gennuso, the neurosurgeon, and she said that in a month, we can graduate Nicolas from the helmet. YAAAAYYY! :) It's exactly 4 weeks from today because of the way her schedule fell (she only sees patients on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a month would have been a Friday so she put us up to the following Tuesday.) I am so excited. Eddy is convinced that Nicolas could be out of the helmet now but I'd rather give it another month to get even better than it already is. His head looks really good although not perfect by any means. It looks sooooo much better though. I'll take some updated pictures and show the difference. It's pretty amazing.
It works out perfectly because he'll have it off by the time we go to South Padre Island at the end of May. Usually, we go in June during Eddy's birthday week but the prices of condos during that time are ridiculous and we really wanted to stay at the beach so we got a much better deal during the last week of May, and we took it. Plus, Eddy's birthday week is now also Nicolas' birthday week and someone has a very big birthday ahead of him. :)
Tomorrow we pay a visit to Robert at Hanger to get more measurements of the head. I think we saw some more improvement so that's always exciting. Alex is getting the hang of behaving at appointments for Nicolas especially when we have the iPad in tow to keep him entertained. This Thursday, we're heading to Houston to see Anesha and her belly and celebrate her baby shower. I'm so excited for her. She's such a great person and friend, and I know she will be a phenomenal mother.
Off to do some disciplining...story of my life!
xoxo
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Yay for improvement!
We were very excited at Nicolas' last appointment at Hanger because we are finally seeing more progress. His cephalic index is now at 87% (the goal is low 80's-he started in the high 90's.) Again, depending on how fast his head grows, we still have a little more progress to make so we are praying that it'll happen quickly. :) We have an appointment with Dr. Gennuso (the neurosurgeon) next Tuesday the 12th and I'm almost certain that she'll put us out to another 6 weeks after that for graduation from the helmet if all looks good. She wanted the head to get as close to perfect as possible so I feel okay with that. This Wednesday will be 11 weeks with the helmet on so another 7 weeks really doesn't feel so far away. Again, if Robert at Hanger sees significant improvement before that time, I'm sure we can consider making an appointment to see Dr. Gennuso to approve the removal but only time will tell. I'm not really banking on that. We've all become so used to having the helmet around that I'm not sure how we'll go on without it. :) hahah, okay I'll be happy to see it go but Nicolas is definitely used to having it protect his little head. Right now, he's running a fever, so he can't wear it at all and he's already banged his head multiple times. The poor guy keeps crying because I guess he's used to being able to run into things and not be phased. It's sad and funny at the same time. I'm looking forward to putting it back on because he gets annoyed without it and I feel safer letting him crawl on the tile and laminate floors freely.
I'm really considering going back to work at least one day a week. I feel good about it because Mrs. Rosie, our fabulous (and kinda pricey) babysitter, said she could help us out one day a week. My biggest hesitation in returning to work is finding a reliable sitter and one that really loves children like Mrs. Rosie does. She is an angel and we all love having her in our lives. We'll see how that goes. I was hesitant but I think it would be nice to make some extra cash, get a mental break from stay-at-home-mommydom, and keep doing what I love. I still have yet to sign my name with my certified credentials. I worked so hard to get them and I still haven't used them since last June when I got them. HA. :) So, just for fun, here goes an electronic version:
Veronica A. S. Contreras, M.S./CCC-SLP
That felt so good. Thanks for indulging me.
I'm almost at my goal weight of 126 but lately my body has been falling apart. I've been eating very well but because I cut out a lot of my dairy, I now not only have anemia but I'm also calcium deficient. I'm a hot mess. I already take a multivitamin twice a day (2 pills at a time), an iron supplement 2x a day, and now I've added a calcium supplement 2x a day. I'm hoping that'll be the last of that. I've also made it a point to indulge in more milk and cheese in limited quantities of course, I have to stay away from yogurts because almost all of them have some sort of gum. Fun times! I feel fantastic otherwise. The chiropractor put me out to 1x/month visits. My neck feels really good for the most part and my low back only bothers me occasionally. It feels wonderful to not be in so much pain.
In closing, I've really come to appreciate the good people in my life and I'm continuing to work on improving my existing relationships. There are a lot of haters out there, most of whom I avoid, but every once in a while, they make an appearance. I think most people know what a hater is but for me, a hater is someone who either who harbors malice, anger, or jealousy in the happiness or success of another person. I'm very happy in life right now, and I am thankful to God for that every single day. My life is not perfect by any means and it never has been, and those who are not going to enjoy the happiness with me, please stay away. I say this as I am ready to purge my facebook friend's list. :)
I'm really considering going back to work at least one day a week. I feel good about it because Mrs. Rosie, our fabulous (and kinda pricey) babysitter, said she could help us out one day a week. My biggest hesitation in returning to work is finding a reliable sitter and one that really loves children like Mrs. Rosie does. She is an angel and we all love having her in our lives. We'll see how that goes. I was hesitant but I think it would be nice to make some extra cash, get a mental break from stay-at-home-mommydom, and keep doing what I love. I still have yet to sign my name with my certified credentials. I worked so hard to get them and I still haven't used them since last June when I got them. HA. :) So, just for fun, here goes an electronic version:
Veronica A. S. Contreras, M.S./CCC-SLP
That felt so good. Thanks for indulging me.
I'm almost at my goal weight of 126 but lately my body has been falling apart. I've been eating very well but because I cut out a lot of my dairy, I now not only have anemia but I'm also calcium deficient. I'm a hot mess. I already take a multivitamin twice a day (2 pills at a time), an iron supplement 2x a day, and now I've added a calcium supplement 2x a day. I'm hoping that'll be the last of that. I've also made it a point to indulge in more milk and cheese in limited quantities of course, I have to stay away from yogurts because almost all of them have some sort of gum. Fun times! I feel fantastic otherwise. The chiropractor put me out to 1x/month visits. My neck feels really good for the most part and my low back only bothers me occasionally. It feels wonderful to not be in so much pain.
In closing, I've really come to appreciate the good people in my life and I'm continuing to work on improving my existing relationships. There are a lot of haters out there, most of whom I avoid, but every once in a while, they make an appearance. I think most people know what a hater is but for me, a hater is someone who either who harbors malice, anger, or jealousy in the happiness or success of another person. I'm very happy in life right now, and I am thankful to God for that every single day. My life is not perfect by any means and it never has been, and those who are not going to enjoy the happiness with me, please stay away. I say this as I am ready to purge my facebook friend's list. :)
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Mole recipe (adapted from my mother-in-law's recipe, SHOUT OUT!)
This recipe was adapted from my mother-in-law's, Mary Contreras (shout out), recipe for mole which is outstanding and amazing on its own but I found it a little bit difficult to replicate hers so I made my own tweaks to it. :) Mary is an UH-MAZING cook and we keep telling her to open her own restaurant. She still thinks we're crazy. ha
Ingredients:
Serves 6 (if serve only 3 oz of meat---can make more meat because mole sauce alone can serve a lot more)
-3 Shredded and boiled chicken breasts-with skin and bone in (mary uses an entire chicken and leaves the pieces as a whole--you can totally do this but we only eat lean cuts of meat in our house)
Note: I hate dry chicken so I make sure to only gently boil my chicken breasts for an hour with the lid on and that's why bone-in, skin on works so well here but you're also welcome to use any kind of chicken you like and will tolerate :)
-Broth from boiled chicken breasts (at least 4 cups)
-Doña Maria mole in a jar (can be found in Mexican food aisle usually by the jalapeños...most other moles will suffice.) 2 tbs (I eyeball it and sometimes use a tbs more but that's up to you--adding more mole makes it spicier)
-1-2 tbs sugar (you can vary this--more sugar decreases spiciness but I like the sweet kick it adds)
-3/4 tsp of salt
-1 tsp-1 tbs of creamy peanut butter (optional-add as much as you like for flavor--mole already has peanuts in it)
-rous
Directions:
1. Before I start, I put 1 1/2 cups of the hot chicken broth into a measuring cup and add 2-3 tbs of Dona Maria mole and let it sit for AT LEAST 10 minutes to soften the mole
2. I then start the sauce by making a rous (note: Mary doesn't do this, she thickens hers by adding the flour alone to the pan before she adds the mole/broth combo and you are completely welcome to do that as well--it's easier to do this if you add sifted flour)--I use 2 tbs of butter, let it melt, then I add 2 tbs of flour and whisk to form a paste--let it cook a few mins to cook the flour taste out
3. Then I add the broth/mole mixture and follow it by adding another 2 1/2 cups of broth and whisk til all the lumps are gone (the broth should still be hot--at least very warm so that the lumps will cook out evenly and quickly)
4. Then add salt, sugar, and peanut butter
5. Simmer and reduce for 20 to 30 minutes (I sometimes go as long as 45 minutes depending on bath/feeding schedules but you just have to keep whisking it.)
This recipe allows for a mole that is not very thick. It's more of a light soupy gravy which sticks to the chicken just enough for my liking and it's got a nice mix of sweetness, saltiness, and spiciness. If you want it thicker, make a thicker rous (add equal parts butter and flour.) I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Again, the sauce can serve more people and accommodate more chicken. Per weight watchers, I call it 8 servings for the sauce alone (and it is 3-4 weight watchers points depending on the amt of peanut butter you add.) I don't use very much sauce. Please let me know what you think and any changes, if any, you made to make it your own. :)
Ingredients:
Serves 6 (if serve only 3 oz of meat---can make more meat because mole sauce alone can serve a lot more)
-3 Shredded and boiled chicken breasts-with skin and bone in (mary uses an entire chicken and leaves the pieces as a whole--you can totally do this but we only eat lean cuts of meat in our house)
Note: I hate dry chicken so I make sure to only gently boil my chicken breasts for an hour with the lid on and that's why bone-in, skin on works so well here but you're also welcome to use any kind of chicken you like and will tolerate :)
-Broth from boiled chicken breasts (at least 4 cups)
-Doña Maria mole in a jar (can be found in Mexican food aisle usually by the jalapeños...most other moles will suffice.) 2 tbs (I eyeball it and sometimes use a tbs more but that's up to you--adding more mole makes it spicier)
-1-2 tbs sugar (you can vary this--more sugar decreases spiciness but I like the sweet kick it adds)
-3/4 tsp of salt
-1 tsp-1 tbs of creamy peanut butter (optional-add as much as you like for flavor--mole already has peanuts in it)
-rous
Directions:
1. Before I start, I put 1 1/2 cups of the hot chicken broth into a measuring cup and add 2-3 tbs of Dona Maria mole and let it sit for AT LEAST 10 minutes to soften the mole
2. I then start the sauce by making a rous (note: Mary doesn't do this, she thickens hers by adding the flour alone to the pan before she adds the mole/broth combo and you are completely welcome to do that as well--it's easier to do this if you add sifted flour)--I use 2 tbs of butter, let it melt, then I add 2 tbs of flour and whisk to form a paste--let it cook a few mins to cook the flour taste out
3. Then I add the broth/mole mixture and follow it by adding another 2 1/2 cups of broth and whisk til all the lumps are gone (the broth should still be hot--at least very warm so that the lumps will cook out evenly and quickly)
4. Then add salt, sugar, and peanut butter
5. Simmer and reduce for 20 to 30 minutes (I sometimes go as long as 45 minutes depending on bath/feeding schedules but you just have to keep whisking it.)
This recipe allows for a mole that is not very thick. It's more of a light soupy gravy which sticks to the chicken just enough for my liking and it's got a nice mix of sweetness, saltiness, and spiciness. If you want it thicker, make a thicker rous (add equal parts butter and flour.) I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Again, the sauce can serve more people and accommodate more chicken. Per weight watchers, I call it 8 servings for the sauce alone (and it is 3-4 weight watchers points depending on the amt of peanut butter you add.) I don't use very much sauce. Please let me know what you think and any changes, if any, you made to make it your own. :)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Updates and recipes
It's been a while since I last posted so my apologies. I have been promising a few friends some recipes so I'll try to post them on here when I get the rare chance to sit at my computer. By the grace of God, both of my children are taking a nap right now. Alex has almost completely forgone his nap although I really hate this transition time. He is super duper cranky in the evenings without one but he goes to bed at a decent hour. When he has one, he's in a great mood in the evenings, but he wants to party like a rock star past 10 p.m. What to do?! Despite what some parents (who don't know what it's like having a 3 year old) say, it's not a behavior issue. I choose to not make him nap and therefore we have a decent, peaceful bed time. :) Otherwise, Alex continues to be crazy and full of energy. Just the other day he told, "you're such a drama queen, mama." Thanks, Alex!
As for Nicolas, the helmet continues to bring lots of attention his way. I tend to forget because during the day when school is in session, the crowds aren't too large, and lately we've been meeting a lot of people who either had a child of their own or know of a child who was previously in one so that's been pretty cool to experience. During spring break, however, the stares and comments were crazy! It's like a part of him now so I don't notice it unless my face is being beaten with sweet kisses from my baby boy.
As for progress, at our last appointment 3 weeks ago, we didn't see any change or improvement. We go for another appointment with the orthotist tomorrow and I'm pretty sure we've seen some improvement but the numbers will tell us. It looks a lot better and I think that's because he had a growth spurt just before his 9 month birthday. (the head reshapes with growth.) As for his growth, he continues to be very tall and very thin with a large head. HA! :) 85th percentile height, 90th percentile head, and 12th percentile weight. Awesomeness! Doc said although his weight %s went down, he wasn't concerned because height %s went up and we all know the head went up too. heehee I'll post more about #s regarding his plagiocephaly improvement once we visit Mr. Robert tomorrow.
I got to meet sweet Alicia, my beautiful niece, on the day she was born, and I finally posted a picture on facebook. Here we are again.
I love that sweet little girl and so does Alex. Per the usual, he's convinced that we changed Nicolas' name to Alicia and now keeps referring to his baby brother as such. Fun times!
I'll post a recipe for mole next.
As for Nicolas, the helmet continues to bring lots of attention his way. I tend to forget because during the day when school is in session, the crowds aren't too large, and lately we've been meeting a lot of people who either had a child of their own or know of a child who was previously in one so that's been pretty cool to experience. During spring break, however, the stares and comments were crazy! It's like a part of him now so I don't notice it unless my face is being beaten with sweet kisses from my baby boy.
As for progress, at our last appointment 3 weeks ago, we didn't see any change or improvement. We go for another appointment with the orthotist tomorrow and I'm pretty sure we've seen some improvement but the numbers will tell us. It looks a lot better and I think that's because he had a growth spurt just before his 9 month birthday. (the head reshapes with growth.) As for his growth, he continues to be very tall and very thin with a large head. HA! :) 85th percentile height, 90th percentile head, and 12th percentile weight. Awesomeness! Doc said although his weight %s went down, he wasn't concerned because height %s went up and we all know the head went up too. heehee I'll post more about #s regarding his plagiocephaly improvement once we visit Mr. Robert tomorrow.
I got to meet sweet Alicia, my beautiful niece, on the day she was born, and I finally posted a picture on facebook. Here we are again.
I love that sweet little girl and so does Alex. Per the usual, he's convinced that we changed Nicolas' name to Alicia and now keeps referring to his baby brother as such. Fun times!
I'll post a recipe for mole next.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Alicia Renee, the helmet, and more
My sister in law, Marissa, was induced this morning, so I'm really excited about getting to meet my sweet niece, Alicia Renee. Alicia is going to get annoyed by her Tia always wanting to hang out with her but I'm hopeful that I will be to her what my Tia Lupita and my Tia Linda were to me: 2nd mothers who loved me just like a child of their own while I was growing up. I have so many wonderful aunts and uncles whom I love dearly. xoxoxo
As for the helmet, we visited the neurosurgeon today for our 6 weeks post helmet initiation. I keep getting confused every time we go because we allegedly have an appointment with one of the neurosurgeons and the other one sees us...it's very strange. Either way, we ended up seeing Dr. Gennuso today as opposed to Dr. Megahed, and that's always nice because Gennuso is a very concrete and quantitative kind of gal (almost Asperger's-eque.) I appreciate quantitative data. Dr. Megahed is pretty awesome too but he's more of a qualitative guy that relies more on his eye than numbers. Either way, they're both great physicians.
Anyway, Gennuso thinks after seeing Nicolas' head that he might be in the helmet another 2 months, maybe 2 1/2 months at most but again at the end of the day, it all depends on how quickly Nicolas' head grows which is when it reshapes.We have an appointment next Wednesday with Hanger (Mr. Robert) and we were instructed to get the #s related to Nicolas' head progress to give Dr. Gennuso next time we see her. I'm hopeful that maybe she's overestimating the time since she didn't have the #s in front of her. We're ready to give the little guy's head a break from this heat but Dr. Gennuso said today, "we might as well try and get it as close to perfect as we can since we've already gone this long." Point taken and I definitely agree. I also worry that once we take the helmet off, if there's still some more growth, the head could get flat again since he sleeps on his back a lot of the time. So, that's that. I'll get more info on #s next week when we see Mr. Robert.
My weight loss is coming along wonderfully. I'm now between 130 and 131 which is close to around where I was before Nicolas although my abs still feel pretty beaten up from this 2nd c-section. I apparently had a lot of scar tissue so the healing was slower this time around which is why it was harder to workout my abs early in my recovery. I'm working on it, and they keep getting stronger every day and probably a lot stronger than I give myself credit for. I was doing back bends with Alex on my stomach yesterday without any difficulty. That's one of his new favorite games. :) I cannot sing the praises of Weight Watchers enough. I've managed to lose weight and still eat what I want including pizza twice a week...and TACOS! :) I still eat pan dulce too. Now, my problem with the weight loss I've had is dealing with anemia. I apparently lost too much weight (percentage wise) so my anemia starting flaring up. I went back to my old dose of iron and I'm feeling better. WOOHOO! For the record, I haven't lose more than 1-2 lbs a week but apparently given my previous weight, I should've lost a bit more slowly. I dunno. If you guys seriously have any questions about Weight Watchers, don't be afraid to ask. I'm totally an advocate now and if you hate diets, it's totally for you.
As for the helmet, we visited the neurosurgeon today for our 6 weeks post helmet initiation. I keep getting confused every time we go because we allegedly have an appointment with one of the neurosurgeons and the other one sees us...it's very strange. Either way, we ended up seeing Dr. Gennuso today as opposed to Dr. Megahed, and that's always nice because Gennuso is a very concrete and quantitative kind of gal (almost Asperger's-eque.) I appreciate quantitative data. Dr. Megahed is pretty awesome too but he's more of a qualitative guy that relies more on his eye than numbers. Either way, they're both great physicians.
Anyway, Gennuso thinks after seeing Nicolas' head that he might be in the helmet another 2 months, maybe 2 1/2 months at most but again at the end of the day, it all depends on how quickly Nicolas' head grows which is when it reshapes.We have an appointment next Wednesday with Hanger (Mr. Robert) and we were instructed to get the #s related to Nicolas' head progress to give Dr. Gennuso next time we see her. I'm hopeful that maybe she's overestimating the time since she didn't have the #s in front of her. We're ready to give the little guy's head a break from this heat but Dr. Gennuso said today, "we might as well try and get it as close to perfect as we can since we've already gone this long." Point taken and I definitely agree. I also worry that once we take the helmet off, if there's still some more growth, the head could get flat again since he sleeps on his back a lot of the time. So, that's that. I'll get more info on #s next week when we see Mr. Robert.
My weight loss is coming along wonderfully. I'm now between 130 and 131 which is close to around where I was before Nicolas although my abs still feel pretty beaten up from this 2nd c-section. I apparently had a lot of scar tissue so the healing was slower this time around which is why it was harder to workout my abs early in my recovery. I'm working on it, and they keep getting stronger every day and probably a lot stronger than I give myself credit for. I was doing back bends with Alex on my stomach yesterday without any difficulty. That's one of his new favorite games. :) I cannot sing the praises of Weight Watchers enough. I've managed to lose weight and still eat what I want including pizza twice a week...and TACOS! :) I still eat pan dulce too. Now, my problem with the weight loss I've had is dealing with anemia. I apparently lost too much weight (percentage wise) so my anemia starting flaring up. I went back to my old dose of iron and I'm feeling better. WOOHOO! For the record, I haven't lose more than 1-2 lbs a week but apparently given my previous weight, I should've lost a bit more slowly. I dunno. If you guys seriously have any questions about Weight Watchers, don't be afraid to ask. I'm totally an advocate now and if you hate diets, it's totally for you.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Happy 8 months Nico Pico!
I'm really looking forward to the day when we graduate from wearing the helmet but not because of the inconvenience of the helmet or Nicolas' discomfort but rather I keep forgetting what my baby looks like without his helmet. The changes we've seen with his growth can really only be appreciated when he's not wearing his helmet, and during that one hour a day, we are trying to rush to clean the helmet, bathe the little guy, keep him safe from banging his head on the floor, and most importantly, trying to cuddle with him and kiss his little head as much as possible. It's a little difficult to be really up close and affectionate with the little guy when you have a large piece of hard plastic hitting you every time he moves his head and body (which these days is every few seconds.)
So, when Nicolas turned 8 months old 2 days ago on the 22nd, I managed to capture some pictures of him without his helmet and I was taken aback at how much he looks like a mix between me, Roly, and my dad....a little something that has come to be known as...wait for it.....The Saenz curse. Check it out for yourselves. :)
Of course, I couldn't capture just a picture of Nicolas without my little attention hog wanting in on a piece of the photo-snapping action.
Here are some pictures showing how Nicolas' head is starting to improve. I'm really excited about it and I'm hopeful that with more time, we will improve even more.
Happy Thursday everyone! :)
So, when Nicolas turned 8 months old 2 days ago on the 22nd, I managed to capture some pictures of him without his helmet and I was taken aback at how much he looks like a mix between me, Roly, and my dad....a little something that has come to be known as...wait for it.....The Saenz curse. Check it out for yourselves. :)
Of course, I couldn't capture just a picture of Nicolas without my little attention hog wanting in on a piece of the photo-snapping action.
Here are some pictures showing how Nicolas' head is starting to improve. I'm really excited about it and I'm hopeful that with more time, we will improve even more.
Happy Thursday everyone! :)
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Progress and more about the helmet
Well I didn't get to explain too much on my last post regarding the helmet, the plagiocephaly, and the amazing progress we've seen so far. Plagiocephaly is basically flattening of the head. It happens for many reasons, some of which are very scary (i.e. craniosynostosis) but fortunately for us, that wasn't the case. We saw a lot of improvement by repositioning him and keeping him off the back of his head but not enough (we were borderline) not to have a helmet recommended. Basically, we could have kept him out of a helmet, but he could have significant difficulties later with TMJ disorder and more asymmetry than is considered normal. The asymmetry can affect eye glass positioning and overall facial feature symmetry just to name a couple of things.
Before Nicolas was placed in the helmet, the orthotist took lots of baseline measurements, many of which really didn't mean a whole lot to me since I didn't understand what they meant. The number that is usually looked at is the cranial vault symmetry, which in Nicolas' case, wasn't really an issue. He was a 5 (which is usually the goal for kid's whose plagiocephaly is a lot worse.) We are currently at a 2 which is excellent. The biggest area of concern is the cephalic index. He started at a 98 and needs to be in the low 80s. He's currently at an 89. We will see the largest amount of change the quicker his head grows. At this point, we aren't expecting as much growth as quickly as were seeing it but we're hopeful to be in the low 80s soon. It could be anywhere from 4 to 8 more weeks but of course Nicolas' growth will be the ultimate determining factor and nobody can truly gauge how quickly that will happen.
In the meantime, he really is a trooper. He wears it 23 hours a day and gets an hour off for bathing and cleaning the helmet. It's pretty hilarious to see him without the helmet because he's become accustomed to banging his head without consequence so now we get lots of sad faces and whimpers when he bangs his head sans helmet. It was really stinky initially because he was sweating a lot. Now, we have little to no sweat so he's not so stinky any more. :)
We get lots of stares when we're out in public but fortunately for me, I'm a very confident person so I just smile. To those who keep staring rudely, my honest face usually gets the best of me and I've perfected the kiss-my-butt face. One of the veterans in the prosthetic support meeting told me that he sees a future in football for my little guy. :)
Before Nicolas was placed in the helmet, the orthotist took lots of baseline measurements, many of which really didn't mean a whole lot to me since I didn't understand what they meant. The number that is usually looked at is the cranial vault symmetry, which in Nicolas' case, wasn't really an issue. He was a 5 (which is usually the goal for kid's whose plagiocephaly is a lot worse.) We are currently at a 2 which is excellent. The biggest area of concern is the cephalic index. He started at a 98 and needs to be in the low 80s. He's currently at an 89. We will see the largest amount of change the quicker his head grows. At this point, we aren't expecting as much growth as quickly as were seeing it but we're hopeful to be in the low 80s soon. It could be anywhere from 4 to 8 more weeks but of course Nicolas' growth will be the ultimate determining factor and nobody can truly gauge how quickly that will happen.
In the meantime, he really is a trooper. He wears it 23 hours a day and gets an hour off for bathing and cleaning the helmet. It's pretty hilarious to see him without the helmet because he's become accustomed to banging his head without consequence so now we get lots of sad faces and whimpers when he bangs his head sans helmet. It was really stinky initially because he was sweating a lot. Now, we have little to no sweat so he's not so stinky any more. :)
We get lots of stares when we're out in public but fortunately for me, I'm a very confident person so I just smile. To those who keep staring rudely, my honest face usually gets the best of me and I've perfected the kiss-my-butt face. One of the veterans in the prosthetic support meeting told me that he sees a future in football for my little guy. :)
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