Lumpy Heads

Mauer had his doctor’s appointment at the Seattle Children’s Hospital on Friday. Just sitting in the waiting room made us thankful that we have such a healthy child. The possibility of a “misshaped head” was nothing compared to the tiny kids with tubes coming out their noses. Our visit was less than 10 minutes and was very reassuring. This woman looks at faces and heads all day long. She could see what our pediatrician was concerned about and was able to determine (quickly) that Mauer’s head is JUST FINE! Then she asked Todd to take his hat off; he got a skull exam too! At that point, she was even more convinced that Mauer was developing “normally.”

On Friday, we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. We splurged and went out to dinner. Todd took Mauer and me to my favorite restaurant – the Hearthfire. This overlooks The Sound; it has a cool ambiance and great food. They are featuring a peach-lemonade. SO GOOD! Mauer was a champ at the restaurant; he sat in his highchair for almost an hour.

Craniofacial Specialist

Mauer's appointment is scheduled for August 20th. Todd and I will both be able to be at the appointment, which is all the way up in Seattle! We'll update when we know more!
In addition, the 20th will be Todd and my 5th wedding anniversary!

6 Months Plus!

Mauer has been a busy boy!

• He has been really "exploring" with his tongue. Of course he puts everything in his mouth but lately he's been really moving his tongue around each item.
• When he's on his tummy, he will lift his tummy off the floor. He can only hold it up for a few seconds at a time. Todd's been helping him with his upper body strength. They do chin-ups and stuff.
• He's getting really good at squirming around on the floor. When he's on his tummy, he can scoot backward and do a "360."
• Mauer has been suspicious of the mirror the last few days. It started one morning while he was sitting in his bumbo seat on the floor in the bathroom. I was getting ready for work- brushing my teeth, putting on make-up. He made eye contact with me in the mirror. So I started to smile and talk to him. Then he looked at me in real life. I looked back and smiled and talked to him. He returned his gaze to the mirror; so I again, looked at him in the mirror and smiled and talked. We did this back and fourth a few times. It happened again today, but today he was looking with more intensity. Cute!
• His favorite toys right now are stacking cups. They are a variety of colors and they "nest" inside one another. He can bang them together, push them around, put them in his mouth. The possibilities are endless!
• Solid food is still challenging. We keep trying, but we're not pushing it too much. We know he'll eat when he's ready. Last night he KIND OF enjoyed a sweet potato.

Below are pictures from last weekend!

Update on Solids

Solids are getting a little better. Mauer tries something new about every 4th day. So far, he’s had rice cereal, banana, carrots, and avocado. He eats with us at the table each night. As time has gone by, he seems to accept new foods into his mouth. Although, once it’s on his tongue, he is not too sure about swallowing. Usually, it’s with a gag and a full body shudder! The pictures are classic. I hope you enjoy them!

If you weren't sure... above is carrots, below is avacado.

Mauer's Head- Update

Mauer's pediatrician, Dr. Sundell, called on Monday morning, as promised. She said that they were reconsidering the CT scan and opting to send him to a cranio-facial specialty clinic in Seattle instead. I believe it is at Children's Hospital. I'm feeling much better about this plan because he can be observed by experts. I don't want to sound disrespectful, but Dr. Sundell is just a regular old pediatrician! We won't be able to schedule the visit until we get the referral approved by our insurance. Thankfully, they are known for a relatively quick turn around! We will keep you posted when we know more.

On another note, our friend, Baby Elsa (see pictures from MN) has been in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Minneapolis since Tuesday. She unexpectedly had to have a shunt placed next to her brain! She's resting and recovering as expected but she's only 4 months old. Please keep them in your thoughts & prayers.

Brachycephaly-a-what!?

Mauer had his 6-month check up on Wednesday. I assumed it was going to be a typical appointment- height, weight, immunizations and a little Q & A. Before I left the office, the pediatrician said she was concerned about his head. She thought that maybe his fontanels (where the skull bones fuse together) had “closed” early. I guess they are supposed to stay “open” until children are about 18 months old. She requested that Mauer have a skull x-ray. She “Didn’t want to alarm me.” Ah, too late. My head was racing! Are you kidding me! He is my perfect baby! What is she talking about? She told me that it’s USUALLY a cosmetic thing, but she wanted to be sure. Then she mentioned that sometimes the treatment is surgically opening the fontanels! What!? You do surgery on babies’ skulls!? For cosmetic reasons!?

So, Mauer and I stopped in radiology before we left the clinic. Of course, Mauer was not relaxed. I don’t blame him. He was surrounded by a bunch of women wearing lead dresses while he lay on a stainless steel bed and had a bright light shining in his face. They took pictures from three different angles. Because I have been in denial, I waited to call the clinic until late Friday afternoon. Dr. Sundell was not working, but the woman on the phone was able to tell me that the photos from the x-rays were inconclusive (because he moved- DUH) and they are recommending a CT scan. I guess we will know more on Monday, when Dr. Sundell returns.

I did some reading on the internet and found that Brachycephaly is more common now that it is recommended that babies sleep on their backs. I also found that typical treatment is a helmet (extreme cases are surgical). Todd and I have both worked with “helmet head children.” We tried to be so proactive! We didn’t buy the travel system type car seat/stroller/Cadillac thing; we take him out of the car seat anytime he is not in the car. When he is with us and awake, he is rarely on his back. I guess we just aren’t able to control some things.

Front View

Normal Head Shape: Cheeks are the same size, Eyes are the same size and at the same level on the face


Brachycephaly Head Shape: Face appears small to the size of the head, Head is wide, Bump above the ears creates the widest part of the head, Ears poke out at top


Mauer's Head Shape


Side View


Normal Head Shape: Back of the head is curved, Both sides of the head match, Top of head is level


BrachycephalyHead Shape:Head is shorter length front to back, Head height (head is tall), Forehead slopes back, Back of head is flat


Mauer's Head Shape


And for Grandpa Dave, here is his growth chart.

Mauer Solids Days 3 & 5

Todd returned from the east side of the Mountain on Wednesday. He wanted to give a shot at feeding Mauer. With a fresh bowl of "superfine brown rice MUSH," he went for it! Mauer was still not impressed! Todd even tried to make it look tasty! Convincing, right?

Day Three

Mauer had a really hard day on Thursday so we gave him the night off from trying new food. As recommended, we waited 4 days before introducing a new food (in case of an allergic reaction). That means tonight he got to try something new- Banana Mush! I can't say he liked it, but the meal didn't end in tears! I think we're making progress here. He also enjoyed experiencing his meal with his hands (and eyes, nose, ear & hair!).

Day 5