Finally Getting It

“Always show the you in you that makes you the you that you are.” ~Chindinma Obietikponah

Finally, the day was almost here, August 9th. This is the day Isabella was to get her DOC band, her helmet. We made the trip to Dallas with company this time. My beautiful cousin, Elizabeth, was going to be celebrating her 15th birthday with a quinceanera on Saturday, August 6th. We decided to take care of two events with just one trip. We departed Thursday evening for Duncanville, where my aunt and two cousins live. I must say, I really enjoyed letting someone else do all the driving while Isabella and I slept in the back seat. On Friday and Saturday, we were all busy preparing for Elizabeth's very special day. On Sunday, my parents headed back to Odessa and Isabella and I spent a couple extra days with our family. On Tuesday morning, the day of Isabella's appointment, I got to drive my aunt's second vehicle, a BMW, to the appointment. This time, we had two appointments in one day.

The first, at 8:00 am, was to get Isabella's helmet. Her therapist walked in with the DOC band around a big, yellow sponge. She took it off the sponge and let us examine it. Isabella was very intrigued. She then asked me to sit Isabella on my lap and began with the question, "How do you feel about this?" I answered her honestly with, "I am ready to get this started. Ready to get it on, so that we can hurry and get it off." She put the band on Isabella for the first time. Isabella instantly started looking up. She was trying to see what this thing was that was on her head! She was touching and tugging at it. The therapist told me to distract her when I see her doing this. She took the band off Isabella and told me, "Your turn." as she handed me the helmet. After I put it on her, she left the room to give us some time to let Isabella adjust to the new headpiece she would be wearing twenty-three hours a day for the next eight to twelve weeks. After fifteen minutes, or so, she returned and took the helmet off Isabella's head. She noted the pressure points on her head and their degree of redness. She, once again, went over the care and cleaning instructions of the band. She also stressed that this helmet is like "a winter hat" and it would be very important for me to keep Isabella cool. She informed me that Isabella would most likely sweat quite a bit the first couple of days. This little girl is very hot natured as it is! Now, there is going to be another layer keeping in heat.

For the first day or two, it would be very important for Isabella to wear the helmet in three hour increments. This will give me the opportunity to evaluate the pressure points on her head and their redness. The helmet should not cause her any pain or discomfort. The red spots should and did fade within a few minutes. Had they become very red and not faded, we would have to let them adjust it before we went all the way home. This is why we had our second appointment that day at 11:00 am. By this time, Isabella was not paying as much attention to her new helmet. And the red spots were pink, which was very good. The therapist explained that since her head is almost as broad as it is long, the helmet will put resistance on the spots on the sides of the head. This resistance will prevent it from continuing to grow out side to side and encourage it to grow in the back. When you look down on Isabella's head while she has the helmet on, you can see that there is plenty of open space in the back. The therapist told me that her head will soon fill this space and they will even have to shave away some of the foam on the inside of the helmet to make more room for her head to continue to grow. We were set to go. Our next appointment would be in one week to evaluate how Isabella's head adjusted to the helmet.

That evening, at 9:05 pm, Isabella and I boarded her first airplane. I was nervous about this flight. How would she act? Would she get fussy? Would I be the mom with the child that won't stop screaming? Of course, all you can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Like always, Isabella far exceeded my expectations. She did so good. She observed every inch of our little space, played with the people across the isle from us, and even enjoyed a few pretzels. A short 50 minutes later, we landed. It had been a long and eventful five days. We were ready to be home!

As soon as I had the chance, I decided to add a little character to her new headpiece. I added some colorful flower and butterfly stickers. Across the front, I put the word "beautiful." What better word to describe her? Over the next few days, Isabella wore her helmet just as required. The only time we took it off her was for bath time. This, I think, is her favorite time of the day. She loves to play in the water. She splashes and laughs and screams and plays with her toys. We have an oversized sink in my parent's laundry room. It is the perfect place for her baths. After bath time, we put the helmet back on her and she continues on her way around the house without interruption.

                                 
I have been so busy explaining our trips and about the helmet that I have not mentioned the milestones Isabella has passed the last few weeks. Just a month ago, when I placed Isabella on her tummy, she would pretty much stay in the same spot. Then, before I knew it, she was able to push herself around, but she went backwards! That didn't last long, though. July 28th was a very special day for two reasons: It was my hero's birthday, who is also my mom, and Isabella began to crawl. She doesn't crawl on her knees though. She pulls herself with one leg and uses the other to scoot along. Two days later, on July 30th, she did something else that she had never done on her own before. She pulled herself up into the standing position. It was a perfect time for me to set up one of the pictures I had been waiting to take since I first knew I was going to have a baby.

 Over the last few weeks, she has gotten very quick about getting around. Lola is constantly on the run from Isabella now! And Isabella is content chasing her all over the house. She is always pulling herself up on anything that is within reach. One of her favorite spots is our dinner table chairs. They are heavy, metal chairs that she can hold on to. But, she did fall back and had it not been for her helmet, she would have hit her head on the tile floor. I guess she is going to have some extra protection for a while.

So, Isabella, my love, you continue to awe and amaze me. I love to watch you from a distance. I love to listen to you talk, which you do loudly and very, very frequently. You learn something new every day. You get a little more adventurous and mischievous every time I turn my head. You keep me on my toes and you make me fall in love with you even more every time I look into your beautiful eyes. You give me such great hope for what our future has in store for us.

Love, Mama

The First Week

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights.  ~Terri Guillemets

After one full week of wearing her helmet, Isabella and I made another trip to Dallas for our next appointment. I decided to leave around 1:00 am on August 16th, so that I would be sure to arrive on time for our appointment at 7:45 am. Isabella fell asleep the second we got on I20, literally! She slept just about the whole way. At our appointment, her therapist showed me a mold of Isabella's head from before she started wearing the helmet. Comparing the mold to her head at that time, I could already see a difference. It is astounding how much of a difference one week can make. It also gave me the opportunity to visualize one aspect of how much babies grow and change every day. They are so fragile, with their bones still soft and some even unformed. And, at the same time, they are so resilient. The therapist shaved away some of the foam in the back of the helmet. This will give her occipital bone some room to become more round. Since her posterior fontanel, or soft spot on the back of her head, is already closed, it takes the back of the head longer to reshape than the front. The sides of her head, or parietal bones, also seemed as if they were not as prominent as they had been just a week before. I am excited to see how she progresses over the next couple of months. 



Day 1



Week 1



Once we were home, I immediately removed the stickers that I placed on her helmet a week before. I can tell this is going to be my favorite part. I have plenty of stickers that I was planning on using for a scrapbook. This time, I spelled out her name on the front and put flowers and swirls all around it. I happen to think it is just the cutest thing! She has adjusted well to the extra layer on her head. She isn't sweating near as much as she was the first few days. But, I do keep our room at "arctic temperatures" as my good friend Vicky says! She tends to exaggerate...hahaha!

Isabella is very aware of the helmet giving her head extra protection. When she is trying to reach for Lola, who is safely hiding underneath the big coffee table, she used to bump her head on the wood. Now, the helmet absorbs the bumps. This makes Isabella all the more determined to get Lola. It won't be long before Lola will have to find some other place to hide.

I grew up in a catholic household. My religion and my faith are very important to me. I have always known that I would want to raise my children with the same Catholic beliefs that I was raised on. When I began considering who I would want to be Isabella's Godparents, I knew I wanted my brother to be her Godfather. His long-time girlfriend, Karime, who is a part of our family as well, was also a person I knew I would want to help me teach my child about our Catholic beliefs. I have high expectations for these two as the Godparent's of my daughter. See, to me, baptism is not something that you go to church for a couple of months before and as soon as the event is over, you never go to church again, until you need something else, of course. To me, baptism is the first, of many, holy sacraments. It is a rebirth, a new life. I will teach Isabella about God. Teach her how to pray. Teach her to visit the house of God often. Teach her how to talk to God all the time. Teach her that God is a constant presence in and all around us. I believe that a sturdy religious background can be a strong base for your life. Don't get me wrong, I am not perfect, and I do not pretend to be. But acknowledging my wrongs and asking for forgiveness is something I hope to teach Isabella. This life is not always easy. We all rise, and fall, and rise again, just to fall again. Having faith is what makes the falls more tolerable because even though you may be down at the moment, you know that God will soon bring you back up.



After lots of schedule conflicts, we all decided on a date that would be good for Isabella's baptism, August 20, 2011. When this day arrived, I was excited and anxious. What a special day for my sweet girl. I must admit, I am very sentimental and am a sucker for tradition. I get it from my mom. My whole life, my mom has saved my baptismal gown and when Isabella's special day was nearing, I decided I wanted her to wear the same gown I wore 26 years prior. Thanks to my mom preserving my gown so well, I was able to start a new tradition. Hopefully Isabella can pass this same gown to her daughter on the day of her baptism.



Cynthia, December 1985



Isabella, August 2011

So, Isabella, my love, you are quite a character. You are stubborn and impatient. You are energetic and playful. You are angelic and adorable. You are my very own piece of heaven. You are now baptized in Christ. I look forward to teaching you about our religion and why we do the things we do. You are a child of God and the biggest blessing in my life. I hope that when you are a mother, you will cherish the small things and honor our traditions with your children.

You have come into the world so tiny,
Yet with such great promise for the future.
Before you were even born,
God planned wonderful things for you.
As you are baptized,
May you feel His love
And the love of all those around you,
And may you always follow in His way.

Love, Mama

A Helmet

“Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.”   ~Josh Billings

When Isabella was 4 months old, her pediatrician brought to my attention the shape of her head. She has brachycephaly, which is a flat head. She let me know then that I needed to increase Isabella's tummy time to try and give her head the opportunity to round out more. Isabella was sitting up on her own at 5 months old and even with her increased tummy time, there wasn't enough of an improvement on the brachycephaly. At her 6 month wellness appointment, the pediatrician recomended I consider putting Isabella in a DOC (Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty) Band from Cranial Technologies. They are among the leaders in brachycephaly treatment. My first thought was, "A helmet?" She informed me that Isabella's condition was moderate and very treatable. She told me the advantages of having Isabella wear the band and also the disadvantages. The only places in Texas where Cranial Technologies facilites are located are in Austin and Dallas. We would need to make weekly or biweekly trips to the facility we chose. This was going to take some dedication, especially since it would be just Isabella and I making the 12 hour round trip. After a little consideration, I decided that the outcome would be well worth the effort I needed to put forth.

Our first appointment was a consultation on July 6th. I decided that we would make the trip late at night in hopes that Isabella would sleep the entire way. At about 2:00 am, we hit the road. She did really well on the way up there, waking up only once for a bottle and once for a diaper change. About an hour before we arrived, she woke up and was quite cheerful. I kept her occupied with lots of chit-chat in the rear view mirror. Unfortunately, my navigation skills are not what you would exactly call good, and I got a bit turned around in the North Dallas traffic. But, I found my way and we made our appointment right on time.

Isabella's head was photographed from different angles and a therapist evaluated her. She not only has brachycephaly but very mild plagiocephaly as well. Plagiocephaly is when the head is misshapen. This can develop in utero by the way the fetus lays in the womb and after birth, when a baby prefers to sleep on one side of the head more than the other. The therapist said Isabella would most likely have to wear the band for 2-3 months and would have great results.

On our trip home Isabella did not do as well as on the trip up there. She was very fussy and we had to make several stops so we could both get a break from the vehicle. She did not want to be in the dark and I could not drive with the dome light on. I had to keep the small vanity mirror light on for the majority of the way. We finally got home at 6:30 am. It took us an additional 2 hours! We were both very tired from the commute and were ready to rest.

Three weeks and several phone calls later, I was informed that Isabella's insurance approved the DOC band. Our next appointment was on Tuesday, July 26th. We left Monday afternoon after I got off work. Isabella was great the whole way up there. She took two naps and was very happy and talkative the rest of the way. We made great time arriving at 10:30 that evening. Our appointment was set for 9:30 the following day. To my suprise, and with the help of my Iphone and the Google Maps app, I didn't get lost. We even arrived early for our appointment.

                             

We had her in just a diaper and a white stocking was placed over her head. I know it sounds like an unpleasant experience but it was quite the opposite. The therapist was very friendly. She played and talked to Isabella while slowly putting the stocking over her head. Isabella didn't even notice it. The stocking is used to keep the hair close to the head. Then, a machine called a DSI (Digital Surface Imaging) was used to photograph her. This is a laser-free device that uses 15 high-resolution cameras to capture a 360-degree image of the head. It is accurate  to within a fraction of a millimeter of the exact size and shape of the head. The 360-degree image is then used to create a cast of her head and the DOC band is made from the cast.

Her therapist informed me that Isabella has very mild torticollis. The condition is so mild that it was undiagnosed until the she noticed it while taking the DSI images. Indications of torticollis involve favoring one side and as a result, the baby's range of motion is limited and they begin to hold the head at a tilt. It is caused by the shortening of muscles in the neck. Since Isabella's torticollis is so mild, some very simple neck excersizes should remedy the condition. Now, it was time to head back home. Aside from all the construction on I20, we had a smooth trip home. Isabella was in and out of naps and was very cheerful while she was awake. We would be making the trip again in two weeks when her DOC band was ready.



Silly girl

So, Isabella, my love, we have both learned so much about these new lives, as mom and daughter, that we are living. Although there is still so much to discover and still such a long road ahead of us, I think we have been doing a great job. A mom could not ask for a better baby than you. You are my biggest blessing.

Love, Mama