Lots of Rain

It has rained every day of this week. I usually walk Sky to and from school and I haven't been able to go even once this week. Thankfully we do not live in an area that has mudslides or flooding! However, one of the big redwood type trees on our street did come completely uprooted and fell across the road. Sky has been talking all week about wanting to see a rainbow and as I was driving her to school this morning we saw one. She was so excited about it.
Yesterday I had to drive quite a distance for an appointment for Lila with the cranial facial team in Los Angeles. It was a treacherous drive with lots of traffic but thankfully no accidents. On one of the freeways, the entire left lane was flooded and unusable.

Ken's mom got Ken a donkey chia pet for Christmas. Ken and the kids seeded it and have been watering it faithfully and here it is in all of it's glory.

Ken has been teaching an 8 hour Saturday class for the interterm in January. This Saturday is his last class. Last Saturday we went with our good friends, the Jensens, to the Children's Museum of La Habra (the membership here was another gift from Ken's mom). We had a blast together. The girls enjoyed the dress up/stage area. Even Brad got in on the action a bit.

One of the highlights is always the dinosaur statues at the entrance.

Then there's our sweet Lila. So much to report about her. First of all, she has 2 conditions:

1. Torticollis is a twisted neck in which the head is tipped to one side, while the chin is turned to the other. This is often present at birth (true in Lila's case) but isn't always noticed until the infant starts holding their head up.

2. Plagiocephaly, also sometimes referred to a “flat head syndrome”, occurs when a portion of an infant’s skull becomes flattened due to pressure from outside forces. There are different forms of plagio, including bracycehphaly (where the skull is flattened uniformly across the back, resulting in a shorter, wider head, and scaphocehpaly (where the skull is flattened on the sides, causing a longer, narrower head). Plagiocephaly is caused by extended periods of pressure against one side or portion of the skull. This can happen in the womb, or because the muscles in one side of the neck are tighter than the other (a condition called torticollis that may require physical therapy to correct), or simply due to an infant’s having a preference for turning his head to one side.

We've known about and have been working on these 2 conditions for 2 months now. But we were referred to the cranial facial team about the possibility of needing a helmet to help reshape her head. I met with them yesterday and they did recommend a helmet. The decision is ultimately up to us but since our insurance covers it, we are probably going to go ahead with it. She will have to wear the helmet 23 hours out of the day every day for the next 6 months. This is a cosmetic issue but could also affect her if she ever needs glasses (they wouldn't fit properly on her face). I'm sure there'll be more to come on this...

In an effort to help her sleep through the night we have introduced some "solids": rice cereal and sweet potatoes, both of which she despised. She clamped her mouth shut and wouldn't allow that spoon in. The eyes say it all in this picture.

Lila had her 6 month well baby check up today and weighed in at 14 lbs. 9 oz. and measuring 25 in. She is below average in weight, average in height and above average in head circumference. She had 4 vaccinations today and is a bit crabby because of it. Poor Lila! She's had 4 doctor's appointments this week!