Just Call me Mrs. Jumbo

You want the good news or the bad news first? Okay, the good news is our trip to the Doc Band clinic in Dallas was successful. Holland was a trooper in spite of only 15 minutes of sleep here and there. We left our house at 5 am and got back to our house at 2 pm! We better get used to it, though, because the bad news is we will be going back EVERY week!!! The orthotist, Lisa, said that because Holland is so young, they will need to make adjustments on her band weekly instead of bi-weekly like I had thought at first. The other bad news is that her plagiocephaly began in-utero (they can tell from the shape) and that that type usually takes longer to fix. Lisa estimated 10 weeks in the first band, followed by the possibility of a second band after that (at another $3300 I might add). The reason for that is again, Holland's age. Babies' heads grow so much between 5 and 7 months that the first band would not fit properly after that. So, obviously, we are praying that the first band does the trick.

The clinic was nice, though. Everyone was very sweet and helpful. First they took measurements of her head with some calipers. If you were to make an X on your head (from your right temple to the left back part of your head and vice versa) the two distances should be somewhat equal. A difference of 2-3 mm is normal. Holland's difference is 18 mm! I had read somewhere that 8mm is considered pretty bad. While Lisa said 18 is not the worst number they have seen, she would consider Holland's plagio severe. Next, they took us to a room to do the "DSi Scan". Have you ever seen the behind the scenes features of a movie where they used CGI? That's sort of what this reminded me of. They put a white pantyhose sock over her head and face and set her on a stool. There were six cameras all around and above the stool that took simultaneous pictures. Those pics then became a 3D model on the computer screen. The tech turned the 3D pic green and took out all the facial features. This is the model they will use to fabricate her band. I asked for a copy of it, but they said the file was too big for them to burn to a disk. You can see another kid's scan here to see what I'm talking about.

She did so good. She looked like a little bank robber with the pantyhose on her face, but she barely even wimpered about it! After that, they took some regular pics for her "before" file. She did have a mini meltdown at that point.

So, all in all, it was a long day. At the airport on the way home, people kept peeking at her and saying "Oh, how cute!" Despite her lack of sleep, she'd reward them all with a huge Holland grin, to which they would exclaim "Oh!" again. I couldn't help but think about what the looks will be on our next return trip, after we actually have the band on. Will people peek in to the car seat to see the baby and then draw back? Will they stare? Will they do double takes? I imagined myself as Dumbo's mommy, Mrs. Jumbo. I pictured the scene where the children are making fun of her baby's ears and she picks one of them up and spanks them with her trunk. Of course, then they tie her up and lock her away, so maybe I'll have to come up with a different reaction. But I know the feeling in my heart will be the same. Can't you see my beautiful little girl under there?

We make the return trip for the fitting in 2 weeks. After that it will be weekly. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Keep them coming please!