Everett was a perfect big brother today. He had an innate sense to protect and care for Paxton more than usual today. It was remarkable. You can see this love in the pictures below. During his appointment, Everett put his arm around Paxton in a protective way, and once we were home, he spent extra time caring for him. I was really amazed, but not necessarily surprised by this brotherly connection because I feel like I share this intimate bond with my own sister as well.
Also, let me say "Peaceful Pax" has been amazing through this process. Through several evaluations, measurements, pictures, putting a sock over his head for a 3D image, etc...he hasn't fussed once. Of course, we did not go with the facility that would have used plaster to make an image. I'm not confident that he would have remained calm through that.
Now for the basketcase component. *sigh* A few days ago I was really excited about getting this band, and I still am. It was a hard decision to make, but once made it brought relief. We are glad to have this technology available to help reshape his head and prevent any potential future problems. We are extremely lucky to have this small and fixable problem when so many people have much larger problems. We are also EXTREMELY (seriously, EXTREMELY) lucky to be doing the majority of treatment before it gets hot. It started being over 100 degrees everyday in May last year. Sweat and overheating are big problems in these things, and we will have to stay inside if it gets too hot. Despite all of these positives, I broke down when I felt the cold, hard plastic in that perfect space between my shoulder, neck, and face where his soft, sweet-smelling head used to be. He also tends to look down a lot with it on, and the band comes really close to his eyes, so I felt really sad to not be able to see his face. I'm looking forward to getting a few more days under my belt and getting more comfortable with it in general. Oh and stay tuned for the pictures of it decorated in a week or two! That should be fun. :)
he's such a precious boy and that little hat won't even be a memory for him. you're a great mama, you can tell just by looking at your sweet boys:)
ReplyDeleteAwe Carla. I know exactly what you mean by feeling like breaking down and knowing you're lucky at the same time. When Jude was three months old, he and I tumbled down a couple of stairs and his little legs were fractured against my rib cage. I knew that I was lucky because it could have been so much worse. When I was at the Pediatric Orthopedist, so many babies weren't so fortunate. I even saw one little guy in a full body cast. It's so hard to see our little ones have to have any help from a doctor no matter how big or small. His brother's sweetness brings tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing your families story. :)
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ReplyDelete- Jill (Blogger still has me as bunnypancake for some strange reason. :)
Awww, Carla. This made me cry reading about your experience after it was first on. :( You're such a great Mom and thankfully, this will be a temporary hiccup in his journey. I know it must be hard to adjust seeing your precious, sweet baby in his new gear. But, it'll be worth it in the long run. I SO loved reading about E's reaction to it all. What a sweet, sweet, sweet big brother. Ahhhh....love him! Such a protector and loving boy. Pax is adorable as ever and I hope the transition stays smooth for you all. Gosh, I can't imagine having to first deal with that in our HORRID summer heat. Glad it's February for you!!! xoxoxo
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