Updates and News on Several Items of Interest
First, Nathan is talking. Finally-- really talking. I mean, I knew at some point, he would (I assumed by the time he was ready to enter college) but to have him actually communicate using his voice is fantastic. He still sounds like he is deaf-- his tone is flat and it's very difficult to understand him but he's using short sentences and naming objects left and right. I can get most of what he says and figure out the rest and this has been a tremendous change for the better right now.
Second, Peter was having difficulty sleeping again. We had put him back in the crib because he was getting out of the toddler bed repeatedly. But the crib is only meant to hold a child weighing 35 lbs or less. Peter is 45 lbs. He also wanted a "tent" over the crib. So, we had to put a coverlet over the crib to make a "tent."
Instead, we got a mattress (no box spring, at this point) and I was looking for a bed tent you can get on the internet. My sister came through instead. She had bought one for my nephew over the summer and didn't put up-- she said I could have it when she heard I was looking for one.
We put the bed tent on the mattress and put the mattress on the floor in the corner of Peter's room. He loves it. I can't say that enough-- he absolutely adores the bed tent. We have had few problems with getting him to sleep. We still have to put two gates up to keep him from climbing out of the room but instead of crying and trying to climb the gates anyway, he's crawling into the bed tent, playing for a little while and then drifting off to sleep. Hallelujah!!
Fortunately, the tent is big, it covers an entire twin mattress and should last him for quite some time. He doesn't pull on it or try to knock it over and he's managed not to get anything on the tent. Granted, Peter likes things neat so he's not one to draw on the walls or paint his floor with bath soap.
Third, Peter is scheduled to see a neurologist at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond next week. We believe he may have what is called cranial synostosis. This is just a fancy way of saying that a couple of the bone plates of his skull may have fused together early. As young as he is, the spaces between these plates are supposed to be open to allow the brain to grow until it reaches its full adult size. There are five plates that form the skull and the joints between these plates are called sutures. X-Rays done by his pediatrician showed no sign of the sagittal suture which is the one that runs down the middle the skull. It joins together the parietal plates which form the major portion of each side of the skull. You can also feel that Peter has a ridge running down the middle of his skull which can also be an indication of synostosis.
If synostosis is indeed what has happened, he will need surgery to separate the plates so his brain can continue to grow without hindrance. It's a matter-of-fact way of saying all of this but rest assured, like any mom, I'm scared to death my child may have to have some very serious surgery that will expose the membranes covering his brain and require him to be in the pediatric ICU for almost a week.
I'm sorry this post is ending on less than a happy note but sometimes things just stink and you have to let them. They make us appreciate the beautiful things of life all the more.
Second, Peter was having difficulty sleeping again. We had put him back in the crib because he was getting out of the toddler bed repeatedly. But the crib is only meant to hold a child weighing 35 lbs or less. Peter is 45 lbs. He also wanted a "tent" over the crib. So, we had to put a coverlet over the crib to make a "tent."
Instead, we got a mattress (no box spring, at this point) and I was looking for a bed tent you can get on the internet. My sister came through instead. She had bought one for my nephew over the summer and didn't put up-- she said I could have it when she heard I was looking for one.
We put the bed tent on the mattress and put the mattress on the floor in the corner of Peter's room. He loves it. I can't say that enough-- he absolutely adores the bed tent. We have had few problems with getting him to sleep. We still have to put two gates up to keep him from climbing out of the room but instead of crying and trying to climb the gates anyway, he's crawling into the bed tent, playing for a little while and then drifting off to sleep. Hallelujah!!
Fortunately, the tent is big, it covers an entire twin mattress and should last him for quite some time. He doesn't pull on it or try to knock it over and he's managed not to get anything on the tent. Granted, Peter likes things neat so he's not one to draw on the walls or paint his floor with bath soap.
Third, Peter is scheduled to see a neurologist at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond next week. We believe he may have what is called cranial synostosis. This is just a fancy way of saying that a couple of the bone plates of his skull may have fused together early. As young as he is, the spaces between these plates are supposed to be open to allow the brain to grow until it reaches its full adult size. There are five plates that form the skull and the joints between these plates are called sutures. X-Rays done by his pediatrician showed no sign of the sagittal suture which is the one that runs down the middle the skull. It joins together the parietal plates which form the major portion of each side of the skull. You can also feel that Peter has a ridge running down the middle of his skull which can also be an indication of synostosis.
If synostosis is indeed what has happened, he will need surgery to separate the plates so his brain can continue to grow without hindrance. It's a matter-of-fact way of saying all of this but rest assured, like any mom, I'm scared to death my child may have to have some very serious surgery that will expose the membranes covering his brain and require him to be in the pediatric ICU for almost a week.
I'm sorry this post is ending on less than a happy note but sometimes things just stink and you have to let them. They make us appreciate the beautiful things of life all the more.
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