Update....

OK update, I have to get better at this.... Helmet--over! It has made a very very great improvement! The insurance ended up paying for 1500 of it so that was helpful! Lady's pups helped paid for the some of the rest. Lady is scheduled to get spayed on 1/14! I'm pretty nervous about it. But many many dogs have been through it so I guess she will live.
The chicks are doing very very well they are in their coop outside now, still have a heat lamp by them but they are about a month and a half now. I think their names are sunny (sunny side up), ego, deisel, sami (saminilla), poach. They are fun.

Brandon is still working at Scottsdale healthcare and I am still working at MGA homecare with the same lil boy, hes doing a bit better, not so sick all the time!

Channing still has no teeth... no sign of them! He started to crawl a bit, we got a back massager for christmas (its hot pink) and he LOVES it! We had him on one side of the bed and we put it on the other side and he got on his knees and started rocking all hard! And before we knew it he was moving his lil knees and he got to that massager. We just cant get him to do it on the floor.. its carpet so idk whats wrong. Over the holiday he got the croup really really bad. Humidifier didnt help much and he was weezing so bad one night that he had to take him to urgent care.... steroid meds, steroid breathing treatment and some antibiotics for his double ear infection (he wasnt even acting like they were tender). We got home at 130 and channing got up at 6 the next morning! It was hard.

We have his follow up appt today so Ill update after that too... Promise!!

its working!!!!!

The helmet is working!!!! Yes! I'm so excited! We however did get a letter from the insurance saying they wont pay it, so we ahve to appeal it! I hate insurance companies, they wont pay for anything and we pay them big bucks a month for nothing it seems!!! Pics soon

So its been a couple weeks since Channing got his helmet and you can already see some change in his head. It looks rounder and a little skinnier. He tolerates it pretty well, but let me tell ya, it sure makes his head stinky. haha. hopefully this will be his only one.

Last week we had family pictures. First on thursday with the Harper family. Ambers bro. Clay was leaving to the Phillipines for work for awhile for work so and Channing was also 6 months (almost 7) so it was time. It was fun. We went to the classic Woodridge lakes and got some good shots.

Saturday we had pics with the Pedersen family up in Cave Creek. We went to some little marker place area that kinda had a western style to it. It was nice. Pretty fun, the photographer had to jump at Channing and then back out real quick to get him to look at the camera it was kinda funny. Towards the end Channing got tired and started fussing and by the last few pics. He was asleep.

Channing and Amber are sick. They both have had fevers and coughs, not just a cough, but like coughing up a lung cough. I feel bad for them. It started for them on Friday. Now Im starting to get sick. It seems like its going around bc Tyler (my bro.) my sister Emma and my mom are sick now too. Hopefully we will be over it soon!!

Ill put some pics up of our photo shoots when we get them.

changes arent always a bad things

Im refering to his new helmet for his plagiocephally. Hes getting it early tomorrow morning. Im very nervous about skin breakdown. The skin is very thin on the head and is very delicate. He already gets red spots just from sleeping on one side all night. Imagine having to wear a helmet 23 hours a day!! I do think he will adjust quickly being a baby. THey say we should see results in about a week and continue throughout treatment. We have to go once a week. They said all of the bumps on his head cant be fixed because some happened when he was in utero with me. His head was down from the get-go. Im going to work on still thinking of him as a normal baby. With my profession, I see kids in braces everyday and all of them are severly handicapped. My baby is not, he just has a funky head shape! I will have to find a way around that in my mind.

Brandons truck wouldnt start Sunday.. we all thought..oh no! we JUST bought it! Turns out the battery just had to be charged. So everything turned out fine. Were lucky! My car however needs new brakes and we were quoted 180 for just two of them! Crazy! So needless to say we will be shopping around for the best price. But for now I am just being really careful but brakes arent something you wan tto mess with.

Charlie and Lady are doing well. They are putting up with the baby wonderfully! The other day, Channing had ladys ear in his hand and he was swaying her in the air! (she weighs about two paperclips) She has pretty much stayed away from him since.

Nothing else to update. Will update with pics when he gets the helmet!

next step...

Ok so the next step is getting insurance to pay for it... The therapist said she can see alot of his wierd head shape happend in utero... She asked when the dr said he was head down and I told her that ever since the dr could feel his position, he was head down. So nothing we could have done there. Plus with his torticollis (tight neck on right side) she said we probably couldnt have helped his head. And with the whole "back to bed" movement... he was destined. Anyways...

we sold the car! YEAH! we went to our credit union to get a loan and we were approved and now we have to go get that through. He loves this truck from this nice family who are actually related to some neighbors we have. Small world.

The boy I was working with started school this year and now his schedule doesnt fit with Channings babysitters... so I have to find a new patient. It makes me really sad bc I really like this family, they are so awesome and he is such an inspiration! Hes making some progress, but not lately. Its like no doctor will do surgery on him so how can he be helped??? Idk its so sad to slowly watch his back twist more and squish his lungs making it harder for him to breath. When I look in his eyes its just like he wants out. He just wants to run and play with his brothers. He just wants to be freed from his body. And I hate leaving but truthfullly I do not want to just stay and eventually watch him die. I care too much about that poor lil boy. He had a very short life but I guess he fulfilled what God had intended for him to do. He has taught many people including me alot of things. I wont ever forget him! Thanks to him and your family.

Tomorrow is Cindys and Rennys sealing. Its so wonderful that she found the man of her dreams! Tomorrow is also Wayne Gunnels funeral. SO sorry to the gunnel family for the loss of their son. You all will be in our prayers! Tomorrow is ALSO Rennys son, Taylors, wedding reception. THey got married in Utah and are coming down here for the reception. So needless to say.. busy day tomorrow!!

Keep you updated with the insurance thing...

Time to go to cranial TECH!!!

Well today is the big evaluation at Cranialtech to see if he will benefit from a DOC band AKA helmet. Poor baby. I cant imagine him having to wear a hot sweaty helmet 23 hours a day. He HATES anything on his head anyways so this should be fun.... Problem is insurance. They dont want to pay and they will try everything first to see if it will help rather then just doing the expensive treatment. WEll I have two PT friends (physical therapy) people I know that can write their observes about him. I hope that will do it. They will say that positioning wont help and that nothing they can do will help as best as the helmet. They say very few babys really need the helmet but everyone feels that he does. Premies heads are softer and therefore are more prone to the flat head syndrome... Ill keep you updated.. wait, who am I talking to/ DOes ANYONE even read this? Am I wasting my time? I wonder. If I stopped this, who would know. I doubt my own mother even reads this.

Channings 5 months old!!

Hes getting so big!! Hes over 15lbs! I cant believe the skinny little baby we brought home has grown so much! Hes starting to roll over and he can lighten any room with just one smile! He loves loves his reflection in the mirror. He thinks its another baby. I'm continuing to work with the same little boy but also looking for any dr office positions that may open up. I'm currently studying for the exam to get back into nursing school.... its very intimidating! Brandon is loving working at scottsdale healthcare. Great hours, great pay and great benefits! Its been a great blessing. Hes also starting school in a couple weeks. Were going to be busy! We went to a barbeque and he fed ducks for the first time. His reaction was cute, he got so excited! His friend Miles Mckay turned one on the 10th. His birthday party is tomorrow (sat) and Channing gets so excited everytime I mention it. Its a swimming party! Miles is the bigger baby in the pic above.