Well, it has taken me a while to get round to this – but I wanted to give a FINAL update on the helmet – it is all over! We are still somewhat skeptical that it made any difference, or was really all that necessary. But the fact remains that in the three months or so that Kazuo wore it 23/7, his head did round out considerably and one would never know that he’d had a flat spot at all.
Although he was not phased by having to wear his helmet, I am enjoying our little guy being more affectionate and cuddly without the impediment of the plastic. He is having to learn (slowly and the hard way it seems) that the floor is hard, and that leading with his head when he rolls over, or indeed when he forgets to use his hands to balance in his pre-crawling moves, is going to result in a painful bump on the head. We have had some wonderful bruises to the forehead in the past fortnight.
So Kazuo is getting on with normal life, helmet-less. I am enjoying the new things he can do and the little things he likes to participate in around the house. Here he is helping Dada ‘fold’ the washing.
And this was him, a little too bright and early this morning, in his new Nana-made sleep sack that arrived in the post from New Zealand yesterday. He has more or less made the adjustment away from Daylight Saving without too much trouble, but this morning it was awake just before 6am, rather than his usual closer to 7am… and we were all feeling a little less than chipper.
Yesterday we had a visit from the Parents as Teachers parent educator, who suggested more stacking and nesting activities to stimulate Kazuo’s fine motor skills. I had already been taken by these stacking boxes on the weekend, so a perfect opportunity to add them to the toy box. They are by Sami, who also did the wonderful book of faces that Julia’s folks brought Kazuo a few weeks back. He loves nothing more than destroying a tower of blocks.
We have (as I have mentioned ad nauseum so far) been so happy with the wonderful sunny weather this week – and the weekend is set to be even better. This morning was farmer’s market shopping, and we stopped at the playground on the way home. Although it made him smile the first time, swinging really has been slow to catch fire for Kazuo. A bit like his mellow, slow response to the swimming pool. But the past few days he has really enjoyed the sensation of the swings, so this happy little outing made his morning.
It’s been a long haul of physio and helmet wearing, but we are so glad to have our chimpy wee chap back to normal now, and to be done with all the trips to the children’s hospital for the time being. They have taken good care of us, but it will be nice to have a few weeks leading up to the holidays that are not filled with appointments to keep. And more cuddles and snuggles to come!
50 things for 50 