The collar's off & the helmet's on

Thursday morning I was able to take Adyn's soft collar off and put his helmet on 20 minutes prior to his appointment. His appointment went well. He wore it for 4hrs yesterday, 16hrs today and back to 23hrs a day Saturday. He has adjusted very well and still hasn't cried about it. I thought it was going to hurt his neck but it hasn't. She shaved some of the inside of the helmet so it wasn't pushing on his incision site. In 6wks Adyn will have the scan again to see where he's at with his measurements. I am hoping after that appointment they will be able to give me an estimate as to how long he will be in it. I hope he's out of it before summer.

Just a short update on Adyn!

Picture of Adyn before his appointment on Thursday 2/25/10, a before & after surgery picture, incision site and bruising of the stern. muscle

After almost 4 yrs...

...our living room and hallway are painted. It's amazing how just painting a room can make such a difference. With a toddler they were looking pretty bad so we decided to go ahead and paint before Adyn's walking and putting his little fingers all over them.
While playing in the bonus room while the guys were painting McKenzie tripped over her baby doll and bumped her little nose on the edge of the toy box. I thought she broke her nose but it's just a little red and bruised. The night before I had bought her new Dora "bamb-aides" (yes, that's what McKenzie calls them) so she put one on her nose. It was so funny but it made her feel so much better!
Adyn's still doing well and the insision site looks good. I took him and McKenzie to the park again today. I'm so ready for Spring to get here. I hate being in the house all day every day.

Pictures of our hallway painted, Adyn & McKenzie w/her "bamb-aide"

He's been a trooper

Adyn has been doing great. Saturday he had his first bath since surgery. He did very well but mommy was nervous. The insion site looks a little better then it did the day after surgery. I think he may have had a little reaction to the stiches but he's doing well now. Each day he gets around a little better. We spent Friday afternoon and most of Saturday and Sunday outside. Sunday I took him and McKenzie to the park which was fun and nice to get out of the house for some fresh air. Friday Adyn started waving bye-bye and he also learned how to do milk in sign language.
Thursday he has his recheck for his helmet and I'm able to take his collar off 2 hours prior to the appointment to put his helmet on. I hope he will adjust well going back into it.
There's not too much to update on but Adyn's doing well!

A relief

I'm so glad surgery is over for my sweet little man. I've been so worried and hardly slept any last night. I'm beyond exhausted! We were scheduled to be at Meridian Mark at 8 A.M. and surgery was to start at 9:35 A.M. I think they were running a little behind but I was in no rush. I wanted them to take their time with the other patients as well as my little man. Dr. Burstein, his nurse practitioner, Dr. Salit and the anesthesiologist came in to talk with us briefly before going back to the OR. I was able to carry Adyn to the back and stay with him for a minute. I held it together better than I thought. They didn't do an IV in front of me and I think that really helped me keep it together. They also put a mask over his face to put him off to sleep which looked like he was just taking his Albuterol treatment. After taking him to the OR we were moved to the post-op room where we waited for them to bring my little angel to me. We were also happy to have Nana there to support us. It's always nice to have someone to kind of keep your mind off everything.
In less than 5 minutes of being in the post-op room Dr. Salit came in to tell us Adyn did great with the clearing of his blocked tear duct. And in less than a hour Dr. Burstein came in. He showed us pictures of before and after the muscle release. Adyn did have scarred muscle tissue, which therapy probably wouldn't have never corrected his neck with that being there. Dr. Burstein said Adyn barley had any bleeding which was great. He was able to save some of his nerves. When we got home I looked at the incision and it is a little bigger than I thought but that's okay. He wants us to start therapy in a week, which we are scheduled to start back on March 2nd. Adyn will see Dr. Burstein for a recheck in 2-3 weeks.
I was so happy to see them bring Adyn back to me. He was snoozing good and looked comfortable so we kept him in the bed wrapped up until he woke up on his own. He didn't wake up as quick as I thought he would have. Once he woke up I picked him up and tried giving him Gerber Apple Juice. He kept crying off and on which worried me that something was hurting him. We had a little boy in the room next to us that was crying continuously and it seemed Adyn started when he stopped. I guess the nurses are use to that happening. His cry was a little raspy and had some congestion from the tube in his throat. The nurse picked him up and held him over her shoulder to clear some of it out. Since he drank a little apple juice I was able to give him formula. He loved the bottle! I'm sure he was starving since he had not ate since Wednesday at 8 P.M. and it was around 12 P.M. After his bottle he fell asleep for a little bit then woke up and we were ready to be discharged. He did very well on the ride to GG's to get Big Sissy. She was happy to see her brother and held his hand all the way home! Since we've been home he's been a little sleepy but doing very well. 2 prescriptions were given, Tylenol with codeine and an antibiotic. I will keep updates on how Adyn's doing.
Oh, and while waiting in the waiting room there was a little boy probably 5/6 yrs old with a tilt and holding his shoulder up. I told Zach I bet he has torticollis (he thought I was crazy but I can point it out now) and sure enough he was having surgery with Dr. B. I'm so thankful we caught Adyn's so young. The little boy looked so uncomfortable but he may not know any different. Just thought I would share that!
Thank you for all the calls, e-mails, prayers and thoughts. Here's the link to pictures from today http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29808&id=1242003758&l=f84cc79edd
(update: Adyn was given his Tylenol around 4:15 P.M. and I had to wake him up around 7:30 P.M. to eat. He probably would have slept until tomorrow morning but he didn't eat much today. He's still seems to be doing good. He keeps trying to crawl but it seems to be a little difficult with the neck collar on. Adyn is also a little "tt" thing today because of all the fluids to keep him well hydrated! Keep him in your prayers for a speedy recovery! :)

Almost time for therapy again

I got a call today from Adyn's physical therapist to see how he was doing and to get the surgery date again. She went ahead and put him on the schedule to start back on March 2nd. I'm so excited to have him start back. I got into a routine of going every week then we stopped and I was lost. We stopped therapy because we wanted to save his visits for after surgery when he would really need them. I cannot stop thinking about his surgery being this week. I remember when I took Adyn to his consultation for his torticollis and the therapist mentioned sometimes they need surgery when they are one if therapy doesn't correct it. Well, he's not one but the time is here for him to have surgery. Please continue all your thoughts and prayers. I will update some time Thursday about surgery and post a few pictures.

Yes, we have snow in Georgia!

Well, normally I'm not one of those people that hear the word "snow" and dash to the grocery store. Yesterday was a different story. I watched the 12 o/c news and saw all the snow headed our way. I got the kids dressed and ran up to Kroger just like the million other people. It wasn't snowing when we went in but when we came out it was snowing pretty good. McKenzie was so excited jumping up and down yelling "snow, snow yay". Well, I planned on taking her out when Zach got home but it took him 5 hours to get home. There were so many wreck and traffic on the interstate.

This morning we all went out in the snow and played. McKenzie loved it! She helped a little on the 8 1/2 ft snowman Zach built. He used the crane on his truck to lift the big pieces of snow. Yes, redneck but we have a huge snowman now! Most of the snow has already started to melt but I think more is on its way.

ONE WEEK

AHH, I can't believe Adyn's surgery is ONE WEEK away. It's really starting to get to me but I know he's going to feel so much better...his neck & eye. We had pre-op with the eye doctor today and it was so much better than the so called pre-op with the plastic surgeon or should I say the plastic surgeons assistant. Dr. S explained the surgery and it should only take about 10 minutes to do which is great but his torticollis surgery will take 1hr- 1 1/2. The success rate to clear the blocked tear duct is about 95% and his right eye should look like his left in about a week after surgery. I'm getting so anxious! I'm still trying to figure out how we are going to get there by 7 A.M. on the 18th. Please continue all the thoughts and prayers!

Adyn also had his 2 week recheck for his helmet today. She could tell he's progressing which is great! We have another recheck in 2 weeks but he will be out of the helmet for a week after surgery due to the neck brace he will be wearing. Hopefully he won't mind going back into the helmet after that week.

Other than appointments Adyn and McKenzie are doing great!

McKenzie = No Cavitities

Finally an appointment for McKenzie! She had her 2nd dental cleaning today and did great! I have been talking about it the past 2 weeks to get her ready. When the hygienist called her back she went right back and jumped up in the chair. I was shocked because at her 1st visit she sat in the chair for a second. So, I got quite embarrassed during the appointment because McKenzie took off her rain boots, socks and made herself at home. The hygienist said it was okay but she was probably really thinking what in the world is the crazy child doing! She was very sweet she let McKenzie put on gloves just like her and hold some of the tools. She counted her teeth and she has 20, no cavities but we need to work on getting rid of the paci. I'm going to try to wean Adyn off his so maybe it will be easier. I was very proud of McKenzie for being such a big girl! They haven't ever told me to wait in the waiting room but I might try to let her go back by herself when she goes in August. I highly recommend the dentist/hygienist McKenzie uses and I love it because it's only 15 minutes from our house. It's the only doctor we use that's near our house. Hopefully Adyn will get some chompers soon so he can start going (they start seeing them at 1).

I was concerned about delays but...

...Adyn has started sitting from laying on his back/tummy. Today he pulled up to get a toy that McKenzie put on the treadmill and stood on both feet. I'am so proud of my little man. He may be walking before I know it after his surgery. I'm sure it takes a lot for him to do all that he's been doing with his torticollis.

Adyn 39 wks McKenzie 30 mos

Please continue to keep Adyn in your thoughts and prayers...

*UPDATE 02-09-10 This afternoon Adyn woke up from his nap & was fussing. I went in there to check on him and he was STANDING in his crib. Time to lower it all the way down! He's doing so much now. I'm so proud of him :)

Another week

We had another great weekend! Saturday we to our twin nephews basketball game. They did great and won their game, yay! McKenzie and Adyn were really good. I was a little worried McKenzie would act up and want to play too. I can't wait to sign McKenzie up for sports. Today we went to Home Depot today to get paint so I can paint the spare bathroom. For the first time we had someone come up and read Adyn's helmet that reads "It's OK To Ask". It was an older guy that works there and he asked if I would mind explaining why he was wearing it and I said not at all that's why I have it on there. I would much rather someone ask then stare wondering what the heck is his mama thinkin! He said it's great that you have something you can "fix" rather than a sickness he will have to deal with all his life. He thought it was very interesting. That's all I want is someone to ASK! Please, don't stare I don't mind explaining everything briefly.

Well, onto the appointments...Tuesday McKenzie has her 6 month dental check up. I think the last time I took her to the doctor was when Adyn was born. She thinks they are going to put "sprinkles" on her teeth and she's excited to watch a movie while they clean them. I'm hoping she does good.

Adyn has two appointments on Thursday. His first appointment is his two week recheck for his helmet. I can't wait to tell her how well he's been doing. Adyn's second appointment is his pre-op at the eye doctor. I can't believe surgery is ONE WEEK from Thursday. I'm so ready for his eye to get cleared up. His eyelid is starting to turn red and irritated looking. Poor little guy!

Continue your thoughts and prayers...
11 days until Adyn's surgery

I'm a proud Sis!

My little sister, Alexis will be graduating in May from Peachtree Ridge High School. I cannot believe the time is already here. Seems like she should still be the little girl who use to spy and tell on me! On Wednesday, January 3, 2010 she signed with the University of Cincinnati for soccer. I never thought she would go so far away for college but I know she's really going to enjoy it. I'm hoping we will be able to go to at least one of her games. We are very proud of her and I know Dad is looking down smiling & VERY PROUD too. I know I don't talk or see her every day but I'm really going to miss her & McKenzie is going to miss her "Wexis". I regret not going to all her soccer games but once I had McKenzie it was a little difficult (I know, I know no excuse but really and some were very far). Here's an article my cousin e-mailed about her signing with Cincinnati:

Feb. 4, 2010
CINCINNATI - University of Cincinnati head women's soccer coach Michelle Salmon announced the addition of eight high school standouts to the Bearcats soccer program for the 2010 season.Coming to Cincinnati will be forward Katie Buczek (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS), midfielder Natalie Domanic (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS), forward Katie Greer (Massapequa, N.Y./Saint Anthony's HS), forward Alex Hoar (Louisville, Ky./Eastern HS), forward Jazmine Rhodes (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Polytechnic HS), midfielder Kate Schmidt (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview HS), forward Alexis Scott (Duluth, Ga./Peachtree Ridge HS), and defender Sanam Zahedi (Mariemont, Ohio/Mariemont HS).
Alexis Scott
Alexis Scott Forward Duluth, Ga./Peachtree Ridge HSA two-year starter and letterwinner at Dacula High School ... earned the Dacula Falcons award (team MVP) and the coaches award as a sophomore ... was named second team all-Region after leading the team in points in 2008 and advancing to the first round of the Georgia state tournament ... a two-year starter and letterwinner at Peachtree Ridge High School ... earned the Gwinnett Daily all-County award in 2009 ... club team was a Disney Showcase semifinalist, CASAL champion, GYS Athena A champions, Atlanta Cup semifinalist, and state cup semifinalist in 2009 ... a member of the Olympic Development Program (ODP) Georgia state team (2004-2008) and attended the ODP regional camp as an alternate in 2008.The daughter of the late Phil Scott and Shelley Shiflett, she has one sister, Leanna Taylor ... is undecided on academic major.Coach Salmon says: "We are excited to have Alexis Scott join us here at Cincinnati. She is a strong and powerful forward who in the last year has taken her game to another level. Alexis is a proven goal scorer and I have no doubt that she will make an immediate impact in the BIG EAST."

Alexis (in the Elite uniform)

Time for us to get some Cincinnati wear!

Another appointment

Adyn had his 2 week weight recheck yesterday. He only gained 2oz in 2 weeks. She wasn't too concerned since he did gain something and wasn't losing. He now weighs 17lbs 15oz which I thought he was going to weigh atleast 20lbs! The doctor wants to see him before his 12 month appointment for another weight check. We are scheduled for the beginning of March. I don't really know why he hasn't gained that much weight but he looks like a healthy baby to me.

So many appointments the last 9 months but one of these days we both will catch a break.

Oh, I can't forget to tell you while sitting in the waiting room a little girl who was probably about 5-7 years old kept telling her mom "how cute look at his helmet. It's so cute"! I thought that was so sweet of her.

14 more days until Adyn's surgery to release the muscle in his neck & to clear his blocked tear duct. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

A mommy knows

One day recently while giving Adyn a bath I noticed his head shape was a little off. I brought it to his therapists attention and she measured it and said we needed to do the Star Scanner at Children's because it's very accurate. We went to our consultation on January 12, 2010. Adyn's measurements were in the mild/moderate range for needing the helmet. His torticollis is causing the plagiocephaly (deformation of the head). I knew something wasn't right! I decided to go ahead and get it because I don't want to regret not doing something in the future for him.

On January 27, 2010 Adyn went for his first fitting of the helmet to correct his plagiocephaly. McKenzie stayed with her Nana since it was going to be a long appointment. When I went to pick her up she went over to her brother so interested in the helmet and wanting one for herself. I thought it was so sweet even though she has no idea what's been going on. She begged all day to wear it so I told her I would buy her a Dora or Princess bicycle helmet. She had a toy we needed to exchange that her GG gave her so the next day we went and got her Princess helmet. She was so excited and so was Adyn. The look on his face when she put it on was priceless!

Since Sunday Adyn's been wearing his helmet 23 hours a day with only 1 hour off for it to be cleaned. The other day when I gave him a bath I could already notice somewhat of a change. It's amazing what they can do now a days. I'am thankful we have great doctors here in Geogia and everything has been caught at such a young age.

The scan from Adyn's head. 10.7mm difference from the left to right side.

A supportive big sis!

Where it all started

My precious baby boy only a few hours old Proud Daddy
Such a proud and sweet Big Sissy
21 months & 7 days apart
April 14, 2009 9:13 A.M.
8lbs 14oz

On August 2, 2008 three days before our 2nd anniversary we found out we were expecting baby #2. We were very excited! I always knew I wanted my children to be close in age. September 9, 2008 I had my first ultrasound and everything went and looked great. When I was 24 weeks pregnant I told the doctor at my check up I felt huge. Sure enough I was measuring 3 week ahead. I had another ultrasound and found out I was polyhydramnios (too much fluid). I was scheduled for an appointment with the maternal fetal specialist and found Adyn also had fluid on his kidneys. At my last appointment with them it had all supposedly resolved on its own. April 13, 2009 I had a regular baby check up and found out I had high blood pressure. I was sent to the hospital (Northside Atlanta) around 4:00 P.M. to start cervidil and petocin was started 6 A.M. on the 14th. At 9:13 A.M. our beautiful baby boy was born and McKenzie was a proud BIG SISSY! While in the hospital everything checked out to be great. April 17th Adyn had his check up with our pediatrician at Gwinnett Pediatrics and she saw he was jaundice. We took him to Gwinnett Medical (which I dreaded doing) to check his biliruben level. It came back a little high so we just put him in the sun and it cleared.

On May 22, 2009 Adyn had his one month check up and the doctor noticed he favored his left side more. He wasn't too concerned and said we will recheck at his 2 month appointment. The 22nd of June Adyn was scheduled for his 2 month check up and the first thing the doctor noticed when he came in the room was his head tilting. I had no idea what he was talking about and my in-laws actually was noticing it too but I just thought it was normal. Sure enough the doctor diagnosed him with torticollis which is shortening and tightening of one side of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. I had never heard of it and having had McKenzie who had no problems beside being breeched I was clueless. I came home and searched the internet over and over. It was amazing how much information was pulling up on "torticollis"!

Adyn had his evaluation at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta on June 29, 2009 for torticollis. Our therapist said it's very common and he will come every week for stretching exercises along with me doing them at home every day. If it's not better by time he's one we would see a plastic surgeon about surgery to correct it. When I heard surgery I was a little upset. Adyn started his physical therapy on July 6 one day before his big sissy's 2nd birthday. He did great and never shed a tear. Our therapist said he's the best baby! The next week the therapist noticed his trunk area on one side turned out a little more than the other. The first thought that came to my mind was scoliosis because I have it. We saw a quack orthopedic doctor who was not even concerned about it and said Adyn's neck muscle wasn't even tight. He was more concerned that he had reflux. We went through the barium swallow and everything was NORMAL.

At Adyn's 4 month check up the pediatrician was concerned that Adyn was hyptonia (low muscle tone). On August 26, 2009 we saw a neurologist who was also concerned about hyptonia and scoliosis. After the appointment we went over to Scottish Rite for an xray of his spine. September 9, 2009 I found out he did not have scoliosis but one of his ribs was very short and did not form all the way. The neurologist told me more than likely having too much fluid caused him to have torticollis because it makes it harder for them to move around (he was always head down & didn't move too much. I probably should've went to have it check so many times but didn't) and probably caused problems with the rib forming. Adyn will see an orthopedic (not the qauck we saw before!) at Children's in March to recheck for scoliosis because it's very hard to detect scoliosis when they are so young. I keep telling myself he doesn't have it but better be safe and follow it since I do have it.

Adyn continued physical therapy every Monday and was doing well. On December 9, 2009 he had his recheck with the neurologist. She was still concerned about Adyn (which I thought he looked a lot better then last time she saw him) and ordered a MRI of his brain and cervical spine to check for any abnormalities that could be causing these issues. December 16, 2009 Adyn had his MRI at the CHOA Webb Bridge location and he did great! He's such a little trooper. He didn't cry! I was so proud of him. The few days I had been waiting for the results I just had a feeling in my heart everything was going to be fine and all results were going to be normal. Until then I'm not going to lie I worried what if they didn't come back normal. All I could do is continue praying and put it all in God's hands. On Friday, December 18, 2009 I called to get the results and they ALL came back NORMAL. Praise the Lord! He's had so many people praying for him and all prayers were answered. It makes me feel so much better knowing everything is related to his weakened neck muscle (just think about having a crick in your neck 24/7).

I do get very overwhelmed with everything but I want to do everything possible to get him better than ever before. I can handle it!