I'm struggling a bit as a mother at the moment. Yesterday Dennis and I decided to move ahead with the cranial band for Ethan. These pictures were taken during his head scan that they will use to fit the helmet perfectly to his head. Basically, Ethan has a pretty severe case of flat head. It's not uncommon with preemies because their skulls are so soft, and it was even worse for Ethan because he had to stay in the hospital so long. His Nai Nai (Grandma Chen) noticed it very early on and we tried repositioning, but to no avail. Basically there is a 13mm difference in the diagonals of his head, and one ear is shifting forward. If we don't treat it, Ethan could have jaw problems, etc...so it's not just a cosmetic thing. So, while I want what is best for Ethan, I'm sad that the next few months will not include kisses on his head and other snuggles. I'm also worried that people will no longer smile and talk to him in public because they won't know what is wrong with him. Hopefully he'll only need it for the minimum time (3 months), but they said it could take up to FIVE MONTHS to fully correct the problem. I don't want my little baby to spend half of his first year of life in a helmet. :( But, at least the helmet will be Duke blue. Go Blue Devils! Maybe people will just think he's an aspiring football star...
