Perfect Playdates

 

Some days are just perfection.
As a Momma I love those days.
Those days make me want to have more children and be the little old lady who lived in the shoe. Okay, it wasn't EXACTLY perfection, but you know. We take what we can get. A few hours of perfection? Yes!

Probably my #1 playdate is heading to Klyde Warren Park downtown. http://www.klydewarrenpark.org/
I do NOT believe in not leaving my suburban bubble. Sometimes I get stuck in the bubble, but I crave the Dallas skyline.  Day or night, it's truly beautiful. So to go to this relatively new park (it's less than a year old)  which is built over a highway in between some of the most gorge skyscrapers we have makes me so happy.

The kids love the playground. It's got a huge pirate ship looking climbing structure with winding stairs (not so fun to chase a 1-2 yr old on), and a huge and smaller yellow rope "spiderweb" to climb on. Oh, and FINALLY - a park with a Merry-Go-Round!   The spinning circle of death is back for the younger generation to both enjoy and fear. And I'm sure on the warmer days I'll love the splash pad. For now, it's a feature that a few families partake in (mostly Dads who let their kids go--- so odd, right?!). Which makes me want to throat punch the 'rents who allow that on 50-60 degree days. Can't we all agree that it's OFF LIMITS in cold weather?  (Same with the coin-operated rides at malls... Can't we all agree that they are broken and let our kids "ride" them for free? Cause once you stick your 50 cents in those things, there's no going back. Ever. Now they know those deals move - all bets are off. And usually it's grandmas who  break this rule - FYI.)

 

That doll face is one of our fave friends - Audrey. Her momma and I met as 16 year olds at our first jobs as hostesses at the best hamburger joint around.  We reconnected at A&M and then again as new mommas with infants in their DOC bands. Notice the perfect heads. :)  What I love most about Amy is her friendship and keepin' it real.  Only a few people can look at each other and simultaneously think/say, "Look at that skinny B in her yoga pants and perfect hair. I hate her!"

Check out those sassy little jeans and little loopy hairdo. Sweetness.

So hardcore. BruceWayneBatman in action. I was able to snag some cute pics for his bday card on this gorgeous day. Score!

 

p.s. Thank you to the sweet strangers who talk Batman with him. He loves it when people say "Hey! Batman is here!!" wherever we go.

Can't.stop.teething.and.drooling.

The three amigos. The big kids are so good with Devy Girl.

Cade loved the live music and danced and danced.
I loved Crazy Fish sushi truck! It's awesome to go try new food trucks. Of course the crowd was ridic, being Spring Break and all, so the line for the other trucks were insanity.... On a regular weekday or weekend it's not that crowded. And chances are, your luck won't be shite and a 100 kid daycare won't plop down 1" from your picnic blanket.

Momma Review:
Cost: Free (if you find street parking). Parking prices range from $1-2 on a parking meter to $10-$12 if you park at the museum parking.
Ages: 0-adult.
Bathroom Sitch: Permanent bathroom in the kids' play area. This is where the changing table is, baby  mamas. Extremely nice portos on the food truck side with faucets and counters. Conveniently near the beer and wine truck.
Food: Pack your own picnic, they have little tables and chairs to use, or bring a blanket. Click here for the food truck schedule. I've tried Relish and Crazy Fish. Loved both!
Pros: Great for all ages. Perfect for a playdate, family outing, or date day/night.  The live music rotates, it's not too loud. There are also free books, newspapers, and board games sponsored by the Dallas Morning News.  The kids' area has a big kid area and little kid area. Bring a change of clothes for the summer months when your littles will want to partake in the splash pad and sand play. There is a cool dog park. The grass is synthetic, so it's always pretty. There's a dog park, so take your pooches. They have a doggie drinking fountain so you and your pup can hydrate.
Cons: You can't wear high heels in the kid area. Kidding. I'm SO not that Momma. But there is a sign. Consider yourself warned. Also, we learned that bulldogs drool on babies. A lot. And maybe your human babies shouldn't roll on the grass in the dog park. Gross.

Fun Party Friends

Friends are starting to turn 3!!! Cade can't wait for his turn.  About once a week he asks me, "Is it my happy birthday to me?"  He has a Toy Story calendar and we talk about how his birthday is in April.  The other day he perused birthday decor in Hobby Lobby. He liked the diggers (construction theme), then the cowboy boots theme, then Diego caught his eye.  I don't want to confuse him by making him decide this early.... and I know toddlers are worse than women when it comes to changing their minds...But I REALLY want him to decide on a party theme ASAP so I can start Pinteresting some cute decor ideas and shopping online for sales.  AND picking a fabulous party venue that can do most of the planning for me.  Here are some pics of a fun party we went to at a gymnastics venue. Super kudos to my friend Amy who planned this awesome par-tay!!! The kids were all on Cloud 9 AND slept well that night.  Success!!!

The foam pit was an instant attraction! He took one quick glance at me and soon as I told him it's okay to jump in there he went for it!

He had a blast jumping on the trampolines. There was one for every kid to jump on! There was fun party music playing (aka Kidz Bop--- funny how my idea of party music has evolved since high school. Jamming in parking lots to Tom Petty and Bone Thugs to the rated G version of  Black Eyed Peas songs)

Here he is with the birthday girl, Audrey. They play together so well. It's presh! And please take a moment to notice their perfectly round heads. Bye bye plagiocephaly! Thank you DOC bands!!

My boy loved the princess party and all the girls!  He just got his thank you card in the mail and there was Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Tiana on the front of the card. He pointed to Sleeping Beauty and said, "Look! She's pretty! It's mommy princess!"  I had to clarify, "Is Mommy that princess?" And he said, "Yes! Mommy is a princess! Lives in the biiiiiiiig BIG castle Zurg!"  (Translation: Yes, Mommy is a princess. She lives in the big big castle (the one we see before opening title sequence of Disney movies) with Zurg (the bad Darth Vadar-esque guy from Toy Story 2)  

I haven't figured out how I feel yet about being married to Zurg. Well, I guess he never specified that I was married, maybe I'm living in sin in the castle with Zurg? Hmm...

9 DOC days!

Wow, 9 weeks flies when you're in a DOC band... um, okay, when your baby is in a DOC band. There were only maybe 30 sticker-less minutes total. I never put the pirate stickers on, for some reason I thought those would be cute and match his cute little "Argh" onesie, but that's just it. There's only one pirate onesie. We rocked stars, skater/rocker, puppies, Huskers, football, baseball, and stars again!

Just finished another week back to work. The labor day weekend was so amazing. I wanted to spend every spare second with Cade. It was easier to take a break from him when I was on maternity leave, it was a must-do to take care of myself. But now, Monday thru Friday, it's hard to commit myself to anything that takes me away from him. I want to enjoy a few hours of "me time", whether it's go to the gym, store, or dinner out without him. But I desperately need to be with him right now. It's so hard! Last night I had an amazingly yummy dinner with the girls, loved every minute, wanted to stay longer, everything was great! Then as soon as I got in the car I couldn't get home fast enough. Sure enough, I walk in the door and the house is silent. I totally missed him. Dinner, bath, rocking to sleep. All the best parts, I missed.

I did committ cardinal sin. I took the sleeping baby out of his crib and held him, talked to him, rocked him for 20 minutes in the nursery. Just me, love songs with Delilah, and my baby. Heaven! But the longer I rocked and spoke to him I started to get sad. Argh, there's nothing like the guilt trips I've put myself on since going back to work. I've never felt more guilty in my life, no matter what choice I make there's not time to give 110% to everything.

Picking him up from daycare is the best part of my day. I love the women who work there, they're all amazing and so sweet. You feel like they personally like you and your baby. I wonder if it's a rule there that they have to pour on the compliments to the baby when the mommy is around. Why does hearing how cute and precious and fun Cade is make me trust them so much more? Hm... I'm like, "YES! He is! You're right, you GET him!"

Yesterday I went to pick him up and he was not in the baby room. I kind of freaked. It was a looong 30 seconds before the director of the daycare came in holding him. Uh-oh! wtf?! She said "I was just taking Cade to visit the room next door. He is so funny, he's laughing out loud, real giggles, just cracking up!" and she looked at me so amazed. I must have looked like a total zombie mom, I was just like "Uh, yeah. He does that." I was so relieved that he was fine, more than fine, but I was also relieved that he didn't do something like walk or say his first word without me. Whew, laughing I'd already witnessed first. Thank God.

Can you imagine him doing something new at daycare? Without me? Without video?! Die. I would just die. I would take that baby into lockdown and not let him leave me for days. No ones going in, noones coming out. Yep. That's the plan. No new skills when Mommy's not there.

Anyways, life is good. It's Friday. It's before 10pm and I'm going to bed. Only way today is getting better is if someone brings me fried pickles and a chocolate malt.

Shout-outs to my top 3 readers: Amy, Melissa, and Aunt Kelly! love you ladies!

whatev!

Random middle aged ladies at Dillards today...

• "How old is your baby? Let me guess? 2 months?" ....."4 months, noooo...you lie!"
• "Is that protective headgear?" (judgingly)
• I explain that it's to correct a flat spot on his head, called plagiocephaly, more common due to anti-SIDS back to sleep campaign, they said "Oh, OUR kids didn't have that, they're fine." To which I kindly respond, "Actually, it surprised me too to learn that there are many medical reasons one should correct plagiocephaly, such as malformation of sinus and ear canals." They try to tell me the "headgear" is not necessary, I block out this info since I don't see any indication that they are medical professionals.
• One of them pats me on the back of my hip, almost like a little love tap on my butt..."Good luck with him! Enjoy him before he gets big and starts to talk back." Her friend," Oh yeah, then you'll really need good luck!" To which I smile and give obligatory chuckle and I push my baby away from these over-helpful Helens.
• They continue to loudly give motherhood warnings....at this point it's a TAD obnoxious to me as I'm CLEARLY needing to devote my full attention the clearance shoe sale with take an additional 40% off. (Dillard's ladies, take yourselves there!)

It wasn't totally an annoying experience, just strange. I do appreciate the other 4 strangers who all commented on how awesomely precious Cade's blue glitter stars are on his helmet. ... . . Too bad Daddy decided to gank it up with a red "Huskers" sticker.

(Mommy will need to remove stars and convert DOC band decor to full football theme in the morning, Mommy thinks mixing themes is grossly faux pas, and unacceptable on her little angel baby.)

Can I get a what what!

Rockin' his stars, little rockstar!

I used clear backed scrapbooking stickers...never a fan of commitment, I know...

but it gives me flexibility to coordinate with his outfits.

Success!!! First time in the Bumbo today, all by himself! Could I be any prouder?

Why yes, yes I can be prouder... I was filling out his baby milestones calendar, supervising some tummy time whilst on the phone with a friend...and little man has pushed/crawled himself off of his lambie playmat. Fantastic developments today, buddy!

We got the band today!

Today was our big day! We went to Cranial Tech and met our clinician and got the DOC band. I knew it would be lightweight, hello---it's a helmet for a baby!-- but I was so surprised at just how light it is. It feels like you're holding an egg. Literally my car keys outweigh it. I really like our clinician, he was so friendly and his own daughter had to wear a DOC band too. He answered all my questions and made me feel completely at ease and was so baby-friendly and sweet with Cade.

Cade didn't even notice he had the band on. He was a wee bit sweaty...okay, the kid's hair was totally wet when we took it off after just 10 minutes, but whatev. (No, he's not completely bald, but thanks for thinking it, jerkface!) Um, I'm totally in mommy advocate mode. I just HOPE some stranger makes a rude comment about my baby. I'm kind of excited about getting the chance to go off on them. Hey-- it's the special ed teacher in me. Always an advocate, but at school I have to keep it profesh. And usually the jerks making comments are 8 years old, so that puts the brakes on the whole "going off on their punk ass" thing.

Anyways, proof that Cade's personality has not been affected from 3 hours in the DOC band.


Izzy, however, is pretty protective of her little brother and this strange white plastic taking over his head. She would not leave his side tonight as he tried to get in some play time. Sniffing his whole head, kissing his head, cheeks, hands, toes... It was presh. She circled him all night: during feeding, playtime, cuddle time, and during our bedtime routine. I'm loving her maternal instincts, (about that--- sorry we got you fixed Izzer)! I'm so proud of you, sweet sweet fluffernut!




I did stop off at Hobby Lobby and invest in $30 worth of stickers and Modge Podge. Will keep you posted on how the decor goes. I don't want to crap it up, but just can't live with the plain white institutional look. You crafty Marthas out there, feel free to send me your ideas!

Aw, man!

It sucks to wake up at home the first day after you've gotten back from a vacation. Today however, I was so glad to be at home and have all my usual baby equipment around me. Crib, changing table, Boppy pillow, swing, bouncer, play gym, ahhh! The feeling didn't last long.

I realized we had double dr appoinments today. First stop, pediatrician for part 2 of 2 month old vaccinations. I don't truly buy into the philosophy that vaccinations cause Autism, but I chose to break them up because I do believe that my newborn doesn't need 6 vaccinations at once. Cade is hilarious, by the way, when he gets a shot. He has Binks in his mouth every time to soothe himself. He is cool when he is getting the shot, then 2 second later his face turns red and he scrunches into frown-mode, and starts with a little cry. When I tell him he's got a cool band-aid he immediately stops. This strategy has only been tested once, but it's 2 for 2:) Hims proud of his Tweety Bird daisy band-aid!

Dr. Appt #2 was at Cranial Technologies for his DOC band fitting. I was pretty pumped to see the cool digital imaging stocking they'd put on his head to capture measurements and make the cast of his head. I got Cade down to his diaper, played with him while we waited for the clinicians to come get us, then my bubble was officially burst. The kind lady showed me the stocking, which looks like a white pair of women's hose, and she explained that it literally would go over his whole head and face. WTF?! Over his face?! She said he could have his binky in his mouth while he was in the stocking, thank God! But that did not prepare me for seeing my child mummified. They took him away from me and put him on a stool (propping him up of course) and sang to him and talked to him while a huge horseshoe apparatus of digital cameras snapped away various angles of his head.

It was all over soon and Cade did awesome, totally nowhere near as disturbed, distressed, or otherwise as tramautized as I was. All he wanted was lunch! Like Mommy like son, give us food and we're happy campers.

Now we've got to wait one week for the helmet to come in custom-made from Arizona. In the meantime I'm loving seeing his new downy-soft blonde hair and- finally!- cradle cap free head.

Mama Bitch

(Original title: Mama Bear, but listening to "soothing" music while on hold with insurance company facilitated my edit)

You know some days you wake up, read the horoscope, and wonder to yourself "WTF is that supposed to mean?" You make some predictions in your head and you go about your day. Then, like Matt Lauer hitting the deer, BAM! It hits you and you think "Right on, Google horoscope guru!" (This hold music is taking forever...hence my long intro)

I was informed today by Cranial Technologies that my insurance, Cigna, has a fancy little EXCLUSION on it that allows them to deny coverage for Cade's $3,600 Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty (DOC band). I was warned by parent groups online that insurance carriers have a tendency to dub plagiocephaly/brachycephaly (yup, Cade's got a dual diagnosis) as a cosmetic procedure. I haven't heard those 2 words uttered by Cigna reps on the phone yet (again, still holding). Instead they are saying that they will only cover the DOC band and therapy AFTER my newborn has skull surgery. Um, wtf?

One would think that a $3,600 head mold and weekly therapy (included in cost at Cranial Technologies, making it stand out as the better choice among every plagio support group online) would be cheaper for the insurance company. As one parent on a support site puts it, "It seems my insurance company would allow me to break my child's skull, then they'd cover the therapy. It's criminal and illogical."

Putting aside the whole "cosmetic" argument (obviously you don't want your baby to have a deformed head, assymetrical eyes and cheek bones, ears, and ears that protrude), how can they say it's not medically necessary? I don't need to convince you, my online friends, but the clinicians and multiple sites I've researched state that untreated plagiocephaly can lead to migraines, ear infections, sinus infections, TMJ, and for sporting helmets to not fit in later childhood and adulthood. It's crystal clear to this Mama Bear!

(Finally off hold, the fine lady at Cigna acted like she's never heard of this before, when the first rep I talked to completely knew the cranial lingo...hm)

My next step is to get my pediatrician to call in a pre-authorization and send a letter of medical necessity. Turns out the nurse just told me that they already have these form letters ready to go for the various insurance agencies that turn it down. Positional plagiocephaly (caused by external forces such as crib beds putting pressure on the skull causing it to flatten in places) is on the rise 60% since the Back to Sleep campaign to put babies to sleep on their backs to avoid SIDS. The pediatricians are aware and mine was on her game when she started giving me repositioning tips to avoid flattening from month 1...If only the insurance groups would catch on. It's sick and horrible that insurance companies make you jump through hoops to get this coverage, when other parents may not take the time to fight for it and their child doesn't get the orthotic and therapy.

** You know, one parent online said that she'd rather pay the $3600 for the DOC band than buy a headstone for another child she could have lost to SIDS. ** It breaks my heart that you try your best to do right by your child and people have to stand in the way.

Here's the horoscope I referenced at the beginning of this entry.

"You might feel as if you are the only one who can clearly see what's happening today. This may encourage your stubbornness as you attempt to navigate yourself and others through a complex minefield of obstacles, some real and others imagined. But you could make a crucial error in your thinking if you start out with the assumption that everyone else is wrong. Incorporating multiple points of view into your perspective will strengthen the foundations you are now building."

As always, when faced with a tough situation I'm going to do my research, get it all organized, color-coded, whatever I need to do and be my own lawyer and fight for what's right. Watch out, world....Mama Bitch is ON!

My Plagio Baby

Well, well, well.... the day no Momma wants to experience came and I managed to keep living.

Back story: About 3 weeks old, I had crazy freak out day way back, when I was feeding Cade and saw that one ear looked different than the other. I drove him up to my mom's school and had her nurse and coworkers check him out. At the time I thought maybe there was an ear infection. At his month check up I asked the dr about one side of his head that seemed a little flatter. The pediatrician recommended switching sides of the crib when I put him down at night. At his second month check-up she was a bit more concerned about his head shape and recommended being more aggressive about his positioning when laying down or sitting to keep him off his right side. I moved his swing, bought a special Boppy Noggin Nest pillow, and used a rolled receiving blanket to position his head in his crib.

Back to present. On Wednesday we had a consultation appt at Cranial Technologies. They took several pictures from various angles of his head and face. They measured his head and did some neck stretches and diagnosed him with plagiocephaly. Definition: "a malformation of the head marked by an oblique slant to the main axis of the skull." AKA "Flat head syndrome"........Um, did someone use "syndrome" and my baby's name in the same sentence??

It's Greek to me! Plagio = oblique,cephale = head..Check out this image from http://www.cranialtech.com/ According to the site & experts, external forces put pressure on the soft plates in an infant's head, causing them to flatten out on the preferred side.

I've seen babies in helmets before. And no, for the record, I'm not an asshole who thinks the baby is clumsy, the mom drops her kid, or whatev else ignorant fools must think. Okay, I was semi-ignorant and thought the helmet was for a cosmetic issue. I understood. Nobody wants a baby conehead. I went to school with some coneheads and while we didn't tease them, we noticed Oblong Ollie and Elliptical Eddie. kidding.

Turns out plagiocephaly/flat head occurs during utero OR (as my pediatrician says) happy, big headed babies have a preference for one side. Yep, that would be my kid. 90th percentile in head size and happy as hell. The kid knows what he wants, and it's to look at the world over his right shoulder.

I'm camo-ing my feelings by being blase. It's because I want to cry at the irrational mommy thoughts "Does his flat head hurt him? Will the helmet be hot? Will people stop complimenting my gorgeous sweet angel baby? How long will he actually need to be in it? I hope Nick doesn't make it into a Nebraska helmet! Will insurance pay? Arggh!" This is a problem though... Medically having a flat side to your head means that the other side of your head is pushed out. It can result in malformation of the ear tubes, sinuses, jaw, etc. The pictures of him show that the round side of his head is stretching one eye, causing it to be more slanted than the other. (Mommy didn't cheat with the Asian milkman either!...okay, sick joke..I do that when I'm uncomfortable)

So, the clinician predicts that Cade will need to be in a band-style helmet about 8-12 weeks. DOC band, to be precise... there are several types out there. DOC is pretty well rated by parents, and FDA approved as a Class II orthotic. It's a 6 oz plastic shell lined with foam that is custom-fit to each baby. To get fitted apparently Cade gets to be pretty high-tech. There's a head stocking that stretches over his head, takes measurements, and sends it digitally to a printer that prints a 3-D "headsicle" (head on a stick) by which his orthotic will be molded. (imagine the technology Angelina used to get digitized for TombRaider). Hopefully digital Cade is just as cute as real Cade.

Right now we're waiting to see what craptastic teacher insurance will pay for. It's $3,600 for the helmet and the weekly, yes weekly, therapy appointments. (Cade will be evaluated for torticollis-- basically a tight, malformed neck muscle that makes it more comfy for babies to have their chin angled towards one shoulder) After the fitting it will take 2 more weeks for the helmet to made in fabulous Arizona, then he begins his journey towards round head mecca.

I'm hoping the journey is short & sweet & successful! I'm currently searching for cool ways to decorate the helmet. Again, we must not leave it to Daddy lest we have an Aggie baby in a Nebraska helmet. And everyone knows, red and marroon are just wrooonggg.