Well, I think we got everything finally worked out with all the numbers at the orthotics office this morning.  After another scan and some manual measurements (and double-checking all the numbers), the orthotist showed us that Noah’s head is now at at 9.8mm difference.  See the previous post about what this measurement means.  This is fantastic news!  And, the second good news we got was that his head circumference has shrunk somewhat.  He still has 35% more room left in this current helmet to grow – yea!!  That may sound strange that the circumference of his head would shrink, but think of it this way:  the distance around a circle is usually less than the distance around an oval.  Noah’s head is becoming less oval-shaped and more circular, which is great news!

We got to see the difference between where we started in October until today, and the difference is really amazing.  A picture says a thousand words, so here’s a picture showing the comparison.  Mid-October is on the left, and today’s scan is on the right.  You can see that his head shape is definitely improving.  Praise God!

(click for a larger version)

Noah hasn’t quite learned how to sleep in on Saturdays. Well, unless one of us holds him; then, he goes right back to sleep! But, we’re up. 🙁

His teething is hurting him. He has frequently awakened during the night over the past week. Still no tooth, though. But, he has all the signs of teething. Hopefully, soon.

We went to to the doctor for Noah on Monday. We were hoping for more good news that his head had progressed further past the goal of <10mm difference between the measurements of the sides of his head, as shown here:

Well, come to find out, a mistake was made with the calculations at our last appointment. And, rather than Noah being at a 9.2mm difference as we were previously told, he was now really at an 11.2mm difference. Since the head changes do not revert backwards, a calculation mistake had to have been made. 🙁

Long story short, Noah will likely be getting another helmet at the beginning of next year. He has almost outgrown his current one, and we still have more ground to cover before this journey is complete. So, prayers would be appreciated, for quick changes in his head shape and provision for the expenses. We’ll keep you posted.

Well, Noah has been up the last two nights in the middle of the night, screaming. I think we’re learning what teething is like right now. 🙁

Nothing to show for it yet, but it won’t be long. Amanda can already feel a tooth on the bottom. Baby Oragel is our friend…

Well, our little boy turns 7 months old today.  It is amazing how fast time has passed in the last 7 months!  Noah keeps growing up and learning more every day.  Last night, he start clapping his hands together for us.  He just brings us so much joy with every new thing he learns.  And, his smile just melts us.  His personality is really starting to show through, lately — he’s a sweet boy that loves his mom and dad.

I couldn’t have even imagined 7 months ago how much I could love this little boy.  Sure, there are times I wish he’d sleep or eat or stop fussing; but, they are quickly forgotten.  The good times are cherished.  For a long time, there was something missing in my life that I couldn’t figure out; and, now I know what it was.  Being a daddy is grand, and it’s a whole lot of fun.  🙂

So, happy 7 month birthday, Noah.  It has been a happy 7 months!

Along those lines…  Oftentimes, I find that country music hits me unlike any other type of music.  It seems timely and very true.  There is a great song out by Brad Paisley that just gets me every time I hear it now — “Anything Like Me“.  It scares me to think Noah could be anything like me; I hope he’s the better part of me and of Amanda.  But, most of all, I hope he is like his Heavenly Father.

He’s had a cold for the last few days, and he’s been running a fever. Noah seems to be on the mend finally, which is good. Wish this Texas weather would decide if it’s going to be spring-like or winter-like – that would sure help!

Yesterday, we attended the wrap party for Noah’s helmet, courtesy of the gracious folks at wrapbuddies.com . Everyone at 360 Wraps was so wonderful.

It took about 2 hours to get 12 helmets wrapped for 12 different children from DFW. They even had another 12 kids before us that day! They are an incredible organization. They made 24 kids (and their parents) very happy yesterday – all as a gift to those kids!

I’d like to introduce “Surfin’ Noah”:

Well, we went to the “head doctor” yesterday, and we got a little of both kinds of news.

The good news is that Noah’s head is really re-shaping well.  He is now under the magic number of 10mm (the difference in distance across his head, if you were to draw an ‘X’ on the top and measure the length of both lines then subtract them).  Noah is at 9.2mm now (mild plagiocephaly), down from 15 or 16mm just a few weeks ago.  His head is growing rapidly, and thus, it is changing rapidly.  You can visibly tell the difference, too.

The bad news is that he is now within 6mm of outgrowing his helmet – only 3 weeks into wearing it!  His head circumference (distance around it) has increased by 14mm since he was measured for the helmet and it was created, and the helmet is only designed for 20mm of growth.  The boy is growing fast!

The doctor needed to review his notes that were at a different office, and he’s supposed to call us today with more information.  He seems to be leaning toward another helmet for Noah, which we really don’t want to have to do, if at all possible (these are expensive, and not covered by insurance).  But, we’ll see what he has to say.  If this is a cosmetic issue, that’s one thing; but, if it affects the symmetry of his face by stopping early or if it can effect the skull size/mass in the future, we have to consider another helmet.  We would appreciate prayers for wisdom in this.  God has already answered prayer, in that what we thought would take 3 months has only taken 3 weeks – amazing.  Now, we just have to decide how we move forward from here.

Noah still has his helmet wrapping party on Friday, so hopefully he will get to wear this one for a little while longer!

Noah got his new big boy car seat yesterday, and today was his first ride in it. He loved it — it’s like an infant Lazy-Boy!

He loved it so much, in fact, that he decided to “mark” it as his own. 🙁