Set Backs...

I hate set backs. When i get started on something, i just want to continue till i'm done.

Rhyan's helmet has been rubbing a place on her face. It's where the little side-burn part of her helmet is... just above and in front of the ear. Sunday it was pink, Monday it was RED. We left it off (per the therapists advice) on monday from 11am-bedtime. We had it adjusted monday, as well. But when we got her up on Tuesday and took it off (normally we wouldnt take it off, but needed to check the spot) it was BLOOD red! You can see in this pic (if you click on it) the red spot... this was sunday, before it got super red. POOR BABY! So the helmet adjustment guy, Richard, said to put diaper cream on it and leave it off until the area healed completely.

And then start over. AHH!! NO! I dont want it to hurt her little head, but i also wish it would just be ok for her so she could wear it the 23 hours and be that much closer to getting it off.

She hasnt been fussy about it or anything. She is such a good baby. So tough.

So please, pray with us that she will heal and that setbacks will be minimal.

Having said all of that, its been really nice to cuddle with her and not have that hard helmet between us :-). There are up-sides to everything!

Update on Rhyan and her helmet!

Rhyan is doing GREAT~

I am really so very proud of her. She has not seemed to be bothered by her helmet at all. She has napped like normal. She' s a great sleeper and believe me, the child needs her sleep. Last night was the first night she had to wear it to bed, so of course i was concerned that she would be bothered by it... but she wasn't. She slept like a champ. I have been worried about her overheating, so i bought some of the thin white cotton short sleeved onesies for her to wear instead of her footed sleepers. The girl doesn't mind sleeping while a little cool, but sweats like crazy if she's a little overheated (hmmm... sounds like a certain Daddy i know...). So she and Jeff have that in common.

She is working very hard to turn over to her left. This is so great because that is the way its hard for her to turn her head. So to see her working at it and doing SO well is very encouraging. Courtney (her therapist) said we'd probably have to work w/ her a while to get her to turning that way. I'll admit, I've worked with her some (a little each day) but not tons... so this is really by her own prompting. She's definitely strong willed and stubborn. Which in this case is really great. She's not letting a little torticollis get in the way of her getting around!

She is pushing herself up with her arms so that her chest is completely off the floor. She is also pulling her knees under her while on her tummy... i have a feeling crawling will come in the not so distant future. Jeff said he prefers her to be a paper weight baby. Haha. It is exciting to think that she'll be on the move soon. Um, scary, but exciting!

Rhyan has turned into a TUMMY sleeper! This is hilarious to me b/c Jeff sleeps on his tummy every night while i sleep on my back (he says i look like a corpse sometimes!). So to see her sleeping like her daddy, being hot natured like her daddy... well, its sweet. I love Jeff. And i love seeing his traits in our daughter :-) If only she'll be as sweet as he is. But alas, the stubborn side of me seems to be quite strong in her, as well. She HATES being woke up. Yep, thats like me. As long as she wakes on her own, you wont find a happier baby. But if you interrupt her sleep... beware. She's gonna protest w/ crying. And with attitude. She gives looks to kill.

Anyways, Rhyan is doing really well. We will have a scan on Nov 2nd to see how her head shape is progressing. Jeff and I love every minute we have with her. We really are so blessed!

Helmet Time

Rhyan is adjusting well to her helmet. She doesnt like it when we first put it on, but quickly gets used to it. She is still rolling over like crazy and holding her head up well!

Here, she's reading her book :-). Yes, my child is clearly brilliant.














Still smiling!














This morning, eating cereal. Which has her constipated, btw... SAD!














Our first "mother-daughter" chat. She's such a good listener.














Daddy wanted a pic of his 2 babies. Unfortunately, Spud hasnt mastered smiling for the camera like Rhyan has.

Rhyan's helmet and My heart...

I dont know how to express how i feel. Anxious. Fearful. Glad.

I'm anxious about her helmet for a few reasons. I'm hoping it wont disrupt her sleeping. I wonder if people will think we did something wrong that caused her to have to wear it. I wonder if it will bother her.

I'm fearful that she will slow developmentally. That it wont help. Or that it wont work as quickly as we'd hope.

I'm glad to be moving on with it. To be getting it and starting this process. So that in a few months, i can look back at this post and think "how silly was i to worry!".

I'm ready for tomorrow. But i dont think my heart is.
I really do realize that its not that big a deal. In my head. Its just this heart that bothers me!

But i take comfort in knowing that Rhyan is FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made. And that her Creator is also her Father who loves her more than I (is that really possible???) and that she is in HIS hands. Even for simple things like this that I, her worrier of a mommy, get upset over. He has it all under control.

Sometimes i just need to remind myself.

Big girl!

Rhyan is rolling over!!!



























Jerry came over and took pics so that Jeff could record Rhyan's first taste of cereal on video.
























































She loves when we let her "fly" high!




























Rhyan is getting so big!

She is now:
-in size 3-6 mo clothes
-wearing size 2-3 pampers
-laughing ALOT!
-rolling over from back to tummy ALOT!
-eating cereal
-talking VERY loudly
-reaching for toys
-touching our faces if we're close enough. like she's exploring us. SWEET!!!
-blowing bubbles (jeff thinks its gross... i love it)
-eating out of a fast flow nipple all the time
-going to sunday school AND church (its a long sunday, but she does well)
-getting to skip an occasional physical therapy session b/c of me working some extra days, but is still progressing well, according to courtney
-staying awake for 1hour 45 min each waketime
-taking 3 naps a day (2+hour, 2+hour and 1hour)
-sleeping from 7:45-7ish or later :-) (yes, we're grateful!)
-on a successful 4 hour eating schedule (oh, what a DREAM!)
-being cute and making her mommy and daddy happy EVERY DAY!

Dedication Day!!!

Yesterday (Sunday, Sept 13th) was special for a few reasons. First off, it was Rhyan's dedication day! Secondly, it was grandparents day. And Jeff and I thought, what better day to dedicate our baby to the Lord than grandparents day! And lastly, because we had all of our family over to the house after church to spend time together. We always enjoy that. AND... there was no drama! Hallelujah, the Lord is still performing miracles after all!

The dedication was really so special. We have an interim pastor right now who we LOVE, Ken Sirmans. He did a fabulous job of reminding all of us that kids are a precious gift from the Lord and that it is our charge to raise them in a way that teaches them to love Him. Of course, we are thrilled with that opportunity!!!

Then, the sweetest thing... his wife (Julie) and 2 of his 3 girls (Callie and Caroline) sang a song called "I love you this much". It was really precious. And it made it all really special!

Rhyan did GREAT during dedication. She did some "talking" of her own but luckily, she wasnt as loud as she normally is :-)

Good times, peeps. Good times.

Rhyan checking out her new bible...

Update on Rhyan's little head

Well, its official. Rhyan's head shape has not improved and she is still in the "severe" category with an 18.8mm difference in the symmetry between the right and left sides of her skull. Her facial symmetry is still very good at 97% (a 1% improvement from last month) which is nice. Her torticollis is improving according to Courtney, her physical therapist. Last month, her range of motion for turning to the left (to look over her shoulder) was 60 degrees. This month its 70! Thats GREAT! And her tilting has improved from 55 to 60 degrees. Courtney was excited about this because she says that 60-65 degrees for a tilt (touching ear to shoulder) is a "normal" range. So this is good news! Courtney was, however, concerned with Rhyan's back which seems to be curving a little more. We had seen some improvement last month with her back muscles being a little more even in strength, but we are guessing that because she's doing the exersaucer and bumbo seat more, she's naturally curving the way its most comfortable and making her back a little worse. We were doing our best to keep her off of her head in attempt to help the molding, but since that's obviously not working, we'll go back to working on her back more.

We are going to appeal the insurance which says they wont pay for her helmet, so please be praying that someone who is really compassionate or really stupid reviews her case. In either situation, we'd just appreciate it being paid for. We are going ahead and paying for it out of pocket to make sure we get the "in cash up front" 20% discount, bringing the total down to a little over $2600.00. We're thinking... who need's a college fund anyways? Pshhhhhh...

The helmet is light purple with butterflies on it. And hopefully with her being so young when she gets it, she wont mind it. She'll wear it 23 hours a day for 3-4 months.

On my end, i've shed all the tears over this situation that i'm going to (i hope). No, i obviously dont want her to have to wear a helmet. But the fact is, its temporary. It'll help with her torticollis. It'll make her even more beautiful and perfect than she already is. Is that possible? Probably not in my eyes, but realistically, yes... her head could use some help :-) So, we're getting it for her.

A Visit from Gran and Grandad

Hmm... I dont think Rhyan has mastered posing for the camera yet.

Its so fun to have grandparents who will get down in the floor and play!

Wow! I love those eyes!

Ouch! That sun is BRIGHT, Mommy!

Her very serious look.

Thats all folks. Just wanted to share some pics! We're heading to the craniofacial specialists this morning for another head scan. I'll post later on that.