Nate's New Helmet

Our youngest child, Nate, has a condition called schizencephaly, which basically means that part of his brain is missing. Because of that he can't coordinate his swallow very well and is fed with a g-tube. He is also blind and has seizures. In addition, his skull isn't forming correctly (called plagiocephaly) so he needs a helmet to help support the proper growth of his head. If left untreated and his skull continues to grow disproportionately, he could develop dental and eye problems amongst other things. Last week we had to take him downtown to have his a mold of his head made. We picked up the helmet yesterday. He will have to wear it 23 hours a day for at least the next 6 months. We can take it off 1 hour a day for baths and cleaning. Surprisingly he doesn't mind it and even sleeps well in it.

Although Nate looks very cute in his new helmet I already miss kissing his sweet head. I also miss seeing his bright red hair. It seems almost a sin to cover up his beautiful head of hair. But we'll do anything for this kid!