It's been awhile since I posted anything... We've been busy since Ryan got home from training a few weeks ago. It's been great having him back home! We're doing a bunch of stuff around the house to get it ready to rent out when we move to Washington next month.

Noah got his second helmet and all is going well with that. He'll have to wear this one about 6 more weeks. All of the grandparents were able to help out a lot with this helmet and we're so grateful for everyone's generosity! We got it wrapped with the same design as the first. Noah had a great Christmas and really liked tissue paper. I've been making baby food for Noah and we tried sweet potatoes - he LOVED them and enjoys eating but I'm not sure he's tolerating them well. So I made some puréed peas (yum.) that we'll try next week. His tummy seems to be super sensitive. Hopefully it's just taking a bit longer to mature than usual! I have a video of Noah bouncing his little heart out in his jumperoo that I'll post later. He loves that thing. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Noah had his GI specialist appointment this past week - after a 2 month wait. Fortunately, his reflux seems to be much better now that he's sitting up a lot more so the doctor didn't think he would need medicine or any invasive tests. Now we're just trying to work on figuring out and eliminating what else is causing his tummy troubles.

Noah also had updated photos of his head taken this week and his skull shape looks great - but because he grew so fast he can only fit into his current DOC Band for another week or two and he needs a second band to finish his treatment. Insurance doesn't cover these cranial bands because they categorize it as "cosmetic" - totally ridiculous. So this means paying for a second band. We've been very fortunate that our families have helped us so much financially the past few months and are willing to help out again, or we would be unable to give Noah a second band.

That's about it for Noah updates right now - we've been pretty busy but don't have much exciting to report! Ryan will be done with his current training in less than two weeks, woo! Here's Noah on Thanksgiving...

Real Food!

Noah had his first bowl of rice cereal today and he loved it. He spit out the first few spoonfuls but once he discovered how to swallow the cereal he devoured it. He had his 4 month shots yesterday and, as usual, was braver than his mother. His doctor said we would start talking about introducing veggies and fruits at his next appointment in December. My mom gave me a Beaba Babycook machine to make my own baby food and I can't wait to try it out.

Noah's head shape is changing so quickly with his DOC Band and we haven't had anymore issues with redness. He has about 3-4 more weeks to go in the band. I can't wait to be able to kiss his little head again!

Halloween

I took Noah to Trader Joe's this past weekend because they had a mini pumpkin patch set up and he picked out his very first pumpkin. Saturday morning my friends from Tucson, Kim and Kourtney, came up and took us to breakfast (we all dressed up). On Halloween I dressed Noah up as a little tiger and we went to Art and Cricket's for dinner and to hand out candy. I was bummed Ryan couldn't be home for Noah's first Halloween but we made the best of it. Here are a couple of photos!

Helmet pimping!

Noah got his DOC Band wrapped this week. It has a digital camo pattern as the background with a tank, soldier, helicopters, Uncle Sam, and his name. I think it turned out great! We're having some issues with redness on Noah's forehead and temple because he has learned how to roll over and sleep on his stomach/face (which terrifies me). His clinician mentioned he may have gone into the band too early and his skin is too sensitive - which is very bad news since there is not a DOC Band clinic anywhere near Ryan's next duty station. I have no clue how to prevent Noah from rolling over at night though. Asking him politely to please stay on his back has not worked (go figure...) and I'm driving both of us insane getting up 12 times a night to flip him back over.

Here are some pictures of the pimped out helmet. We call him "Helmie"...

(Kind of) easy being green...

Today was our first day experimenting with cloth diapering! So far no leaks and Noah has been exceptionally patient with me as I try to figure out all of the different folds. They're a bit bulkier than disposables but we'll just be using them at home for now.

If anyone is dealing with a diaper rash, I definitely recommend soaking your little one's bottom in a tub of warm water with a few tablespoons of baking soda mixed in. Works wonders! After our issues with Prevacid (which we've stopped) causing a stubborn diaper rash - the baking soda soak is the only thing that has made a big difference.

The ONLY place I've ever been able to get the little guy to nap, since he was a couple weeks old, is his Moby wrap. He loves it... It kind of limits what I can get done around the house but I've perfected back bending to get clothes out of the washer!

Playdate!

Today was Noah's first day out in public wearing his DOC Band - he did great. We met up at Starbucks with Nicky, Liz, and April (three ladies I went to high school with) and their babies. It was fun catching up and sharing mommy stories. It's so cute watching the babies all stare at each other.

Ryan gets a four day weekend so he'll be home for a few days starting tonight. I'm excited he will be able to go with us tomorrow for Noah to get some adjustments on his band.

DOC Band!

Noah got his DOC Band put on today! He did great at the appointment... He was so excited he actually slept through most of it. I have to check for redness every few hours for the next couple of days but after that it will stay on for 23 hours a day - we take it off at night for bath time and to do his neck stretches. He should only have to have the band for 5-8 weeks instead of the original 3 month estimate. There is a car place called The Wrap Shoppe that does free DOC Band wraps and I'm going to have them decorate it. We haven't settled on a theme yet though! So far he doesn't seem to notice he has it on...

One thing or another...

Poor little man has been dealing with issues lately! He's had some reflux and trouble with painful gas here and there since birth. In the past few weeks his reflux (and maybe gas?) has gotten considerably worse. During feedings he will wiggle and squirm and cry in pain and I'm not sure if it's his irritated throat or his stomach that's hurting. An hour or so after he eats he spits up a clear fluid that he chokes on and turns bright red and arches his back, then cries. It's scary! He rarely ever spits up any milk. We went to see his pediatrician on Monday and she put him on Prevacid and referred us to a pediatric GI specialist. She is unsure whether we're dealing with GERD or a food allergy. Apparently it can take up to 60 days to get into the GI doctor - what!? We started the Prevacid Wednesday evening and come Thursday morning he had a nasty looking diaper rash. Regular rash creams weren't helping so back to the pediatrician we went! He's got some prescription creams now that seem to be helping. Noah has a dairy (and maybe soy) sensitivity and the doctor was concerned the compounding pharmacy had used an ingredient he may not be able to tolerate. However, the pharmacist said no dairy or soy ingredients were used. I'm torn between sticking it out a few more days on the medicine to see if his reflux symptoms improve (and hopefully the rash stops) or discontinuing the Prevacid until we can see the GI specialist. His weight gain is great though and most of the time he's a happy little boy! I'm really hoping his dairy sensitivity is something he grows out of and not something he will always have to deal with. Ryan and I don't have any food allergies and it is usually genetic - I'm hoping his stomach just needs time to mature! This is something else the GI doctor will be evaluating.

In other news, I went out and bought diapers for the first time yesterday - wow, they're expensive! We had been well stocked on diapers from the baby shower and Ryan's grandma, Nancy. I'm seriously considering going the cloth diaper route at home and using disposables for going out. I'm a little overwhelmed by all of the cloth diaper options but I'm sure once I find something that works it will be easy enough.

Noah gets his DOC Band on Tuesday! There is a car wrap shop in Phoenix that does band wraps for free - we just have to decide on a theme!

Favorites...

Just going through my phone looking at pictures of my baby boy... Thought I'd post my favorites!

Helmet head!

Later today Noah has his second appointment with Cranial Technologies to evaluate his sweet little head for a molding helmet - a device called a DOC Band. Noah has plagiocephaly (slanted head shape), brachycephaly (flattened spot on head), and torticollis (tight neck muscle) from when he was in the womb. The doctors and clinicians suspect he spent too much time in a certain position with his head turned to the left in my tummy. Who knows what caused it - maybe he was just really comfortable or he dropped into my pelvis too soon. His doctor had us start special neck stretches, sleep positioning, and tummy time at 2 weeks old but the head shape has not changed on it's own despite intervention.

We went when Noah was 7 weeks old to Cranial Tech for a consult where they took pictures and measurements. The clinician suggested we come back when Noah was 3 months old for a follow-up evaluation. If his measurements are better he may not need the DOC Band - but his head looks the same to me! If he does need treatment, we go back in a few days for helmet creation! He would wear it for 23 hours a day for about 3 months (hopefully). Not continuing with the treatment has always been an option but we would risk Noah having vision, speech, hearing, and jaw alignment issues - no thank you! Most babies seem to adjust well to the helmet and it only weighs about 6 ounces. It does not put any painful pressure on his head but just prevents the skull from continuing to grow the direction it has been (basically up) so that it has no choice but to grow and fill out where his crooked flat spot is. That's all I've got for now.

Noah just woke up from an 8 1/2 hour stretch of sleep - thank you baby boy!!!

Here we go...

I'm starting this a little bit late - but better late than never I suppose! Noah is almost three months old already! The past few months have been very busy and full of adjustments! Ryan has been gone since the end of July for training so I have been trying to juggle caring for a new baby with managing the house and our pets. Fortunately, Ryan is able to come home for a quick visit every now and then and spend some time with Noah - he grows and changes constantly! I've been very lucky to have such supportive family and friends to help me out. Several of my friends had babies within a month or so of Noah's arrival and it's been great swapping stories and experiences with them - throughout our pregnancies and now motherhood. Noah has several little friends already!

I plan to use this blog as a way to keep family and friends updated on what's going on in our world - which pretty much revolves around the little guy! I'll try to update as often as I can - mostly during early morning feedings I'd imagine (like now...).