On the 15th, the three of us went to get Christmas pictures taken with Matt's sister. Jackson did a great job until the last 30 minutes or so. He got pretty cranky because he was tired and hungry. Kim got some great pictures and our Christmas cards look great!
Jackson finally got his AFO's (ankle, foot orthosis). Originally I thought he was going to be getting KAFO's (knee, ankle, foot orthosis) so it was a good surprise to see the AFO's. They are so cute and tiny. The guy that did the fitting for them left some room in the front for Jackson's feet to grow some. The plan is for him to not need another pair too soon, so we shall see. He seems to be very intrigued by them and keeps trying to play with them.
AFO's aren't the easiest thing to get onto a baby's foot. When we first got them I was struggling to get them on correctly. Jackson's ankles are very tight and it's hard to get them to stretch to the neutral (90 degree) angle that the AFO's require his feet to be in. Thankfully I'm part of several spina bifida groups on Facebook and got some great tips when I asked for help. Now that I've had some practice, I'm feeling more comfortable with them. However, his feet still slip a little which is very aggravating especially when they do it as soon as I think I got them on right.
Let's talk fighting naps. Jackson has become a pro at taking 30 minute power naps. He has some kind of internal clock that only he can hear and without a doubt he wakes up at exactly 30 minutes. Every once in a while he'll add an extra 5 minutes, but that's it. Any words of wisdom? There are days that I feel like pulling my hair out because I can't accomplish anything. Momma needs a nap too! Then other days (most days), I love that he's awake for so long and is active.
Tummy time is going so much better now that he isn't wearing the casts. With the casts he would cry and complain the entire time that he was on his tummy. Now, with the AFO's he easily goes to his tummy and immediately gets his head up. He's reaching for his toys and pulls them close to him. He still hasn't rolled unassisted from back to belly, but he's getting pretty good at rolling from belly to back. So good in fact that if he doesn't want to be on his belly, he immediately rolls back over. I don't think I've said it in a while... Jackson is quite the stinker. :)
Jackson loves to sit up! He is still pretty wobbly, but we're working on it. He's able to sit up unassisted for quite some time before falling over. He has a major lean to the right still so I'm working on getting him straight. There are some days that he won't let me put him in any other position than up. Thankfully we have a few different ways for him to sit up on his own. He has his sit me up chair, using the boppy pillow to support him, and if he starts out in a certain leaning forward position he does pretty well. Along with his chair Jackson has started to really enjoy sitting in his high chair. I love that he likes it because I'm able to cook or put dishes away while he is sitting up and playing close to me. It's a win-win!
Jackson is starting to hold his bottle better. Matt bought a handy-dandy bottle holder thing from Amazon. It's made of silicone and fits fairly well over our bottles. Jackson is able to get his fingers into the holes and hold on. While he has gotten pretty good at holding the bottle taking the bottle up to his mouth is a whole other story. Sometimes it ends up in his ear, sometimes in his nose, and sometimes on his forehead. Haha!
We have started practicing using a spoon. It's been so much fun! He has done a lot better than I was expecting. I was expecting a total fail on both of our parts, but he's a champ. We haven't started solids yet (waiting until his 6 month check up) so I've been feeding him the fat that rises to the top of his milk and he loves it!
We had our 2nd spina bifida clinic on 11/23. Jackson had to have a renal ultrasound to check his kidneys and bladder and then he had his 1st MRI. I had an MRI done when I was pregnant with Jackson and it was rough. He really seemed to hate the sound and moved the entire time making it take longer than normal. It appears that he hates the MRI outside of the womb as well. It was an interesting process to go through, but it was difficult to watch. They swaddled him in two blankets and then put a strap over him to keep him in place. Then they put two small pillows on top of his forehead and two on each side before putting the helmet thing over his head. I was able to stay in there the entire time, but all I could do was rub his belly to try and calm him. He cried and screamed the entire time. It was heartbreaking. Thankfully it only lasted about 5 minutes, but it definitely felt like a lot longer.
After the ultrasound and MRI we headed over to Vanderbilt for clinic. I felt like we were more prepared this time than our first time. I had questions ready to go and brought everything that we would need. I love how clinic is set up. It's so convenient that we stay in the same room and the doctors are the ones that come and go.
According to the urologist, Jackson's kidneys and bladder look great. They are the size that they should be and there isn't any sign of kidney disease or damage. She didn't have any concerns and just told us to keep doing what we're doing.
Dr. Wellons, the neurosurgeon, came in to discuss the MRI results. According to him, Jackson's ventricles have increased some along with his head circumference, but both are still within the limits. Prior to this clinic, Jackson was getting head ultrasounds and I know that MRIs are more accurate so I guess what his ventricles are measuring from the MRI are what they truly are in size. When we got home I started to wonder if maybe the ultrasound measurements were off and that maybe his ventricles had actually stayed the same. I guess we'll find out when we go to our next clinic in February. No need to worry about it now. :) However, we were instructed by Dr. Wellons to continue to watch for signs of hydrocephalus.
Physical therapy and occupational therapy were very happy with all of the "tests" that they did to check on Jackson's development. They want us to continue working on tummy time and encouraging him to lift his head to a 90 degree angle, reach for items in front on him, and rolling. According to them, he is right on track for his development.
Dr. Martus, the orthopedic, came in to talk about Jackson's feet and spine. He was pleased with everything including the AFO's. Matt and I expressed our concerns with the AFO's in regards to his feet sweating and it seeming like they weren't fitting correctly. He gave us some pointers on how to put the AFO's on and told us to take them off a couple of times a day to let his feet air out. When his feet are out of the AFO's I was instructed to stretch his feet to keep them loose. According to Dr. Martus the purpose of the AFO's right now is just to maintain the stretch/length of the foot.
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| Yummy toes! |
Physical therapy is still going great! She's working really hard with him and he seems to enjoy it. However, there have been a few fights when she comes and he decides that he doesn't want to work that day. Stinker! :) I love that she's helping him and making him stronger. I also love that I'm learning right along side her and applying what she does with him throughout the week.
Jackson's personality is really starting to shine through. He is so funny, sweet, loving, has quite the temper at times, but overall amazing! He has figured out the pouty face and uses it pretty often. My heart melts every time that he smiles at me. His laugh is contagious and he loves to make mouth farts. He's doing great with blowing raspberries and makes a huge mess with all of his slobber. He lights up a room and "talks" to everyone he meets.
Overall, it was a great month! I can't believe that he is 6 months old. It honestly feels like it was just the other day that I was in the hospital on bedrest telling Jackson that he had to stay in and keep growing. How can time be moving so quickly? Doesn't Father Time understand that we as parents need time to slow down so we can savor each and every moment? Matt and I are so excited for Christmas. With him grabbing for things it should be highly entertaining.
Crystal
