Home sweet home...

We're home from our trip! We had a great time! It's going to take me 3 hours to blog about it because we did so much, so in the mean time I'll leave you with this.

I was emailed during our vacation by Stylin' Baby Helmets telling me all about their great products.  I snuck a peek at the website between chasing Kieran around the hotel room and touring about DC.  Oh my word, it's awesome! Why didn't someone think of these things sooner?

The hats are so stinkin' cute and the stickers and onesies are hilarious!  I'm totally envious of all the mamas with helmeted girls because John doesn't like me when I put flowers and bows on Kieran just for a laugh.

And remember how I said I had some exciting things lined up?  Well here's the first one...

Stylin' Baby Helmets are offering up a onesie (size 6-9 months) to one of you lucky ducks.

Here's how you can score one...

Go visit the Stylin' Baby Helmets website and leave a comment here telling me which onesie you would love to win along with your email address (1 entry). [This is mandatory...if you don't do this then all of your other entries will be deleted...sorry dudes!]

Bonus Entries (leave a seperate comment for each)...

- Follow me on Blogger or Networked Blogs (1 entry)
- Tweet about this entry (1 entry)
- "Like" Stylin' Baby Helmets on Facebook (1 entry)
- Add my button to your sidebar (if it's already there, let me know that! Leave the link to your blog.) (1 entry)
- Add Fixin' a Flat to your blogroll (Leave the link to your blog.) (1 entry)

and

FOR 5 EXTRA ENTRIES - Blog about this giveaway, with a link to my blog and come back and leave the link to your blog post. Post FIVE separate comments that you've blogged about this.

Easy as pie, right? Now get at it!


[Fine Print] The giveaway will end Tuesday 7/27.  U.S. & Canadian entries only.  Please leave your email address in your comment so I can get a hold of you if you win! Many thanks to Stylin' Baby Helmets for this giveaway opportunity!

Good luck!

Things explained...

Now that Kieran's asleep, I have a little more time to explain how today's follow up went!

You probably already got the idea that it went well, but here's the long version.

I mentioned earlier this week that people have really been noticing the difference in the shape of Kieran's melon, so when Trevor asked how things were going I almost shouted, "GREAT!!!"  I think his eyes almost bugged out of his head.

Anyway, we took the helmet off and he agreed that it was looking really good.  He took Kieran's head circumference (43.5cm...almost 2.5cm from when we started! It doesn't sound like much, but trust me, it is!) and asked me how John and I felt about the progress.  I told him that we were really happy with how the bottom has rounded out, but noticed that the top (where I had originally said it almost looked indented) was still a little flat.

He explained that the head will naturally start to round out from the bottom and work it's way up, so we were definately on the right track.  He kind of (in his normal, roundabout way) gave us a few options.

1) Be happy with what we've got
2) Keep at it, but only at night
3) Keep at it, all the time, in case Kieran gets pissy if we only try to put it on at night

We picked option 3, but we can be comfortable being a little more lax in how much he wears it during the day.  I'm so thankful for that...maybe we can control a bit of the stink now!  And with an upcoming vacation, we can keep him cool and take some helmet free pictures!

(Can you guess where we're going?)

So we're due back in the usual 4 weeks...and that will be it! Our flat will be fixed.  We're over the moon and Kieran, of course, is...

(He just doesn't know it yet.  He also doesn't know how to clean the outside of his helmet, as made apparent in the above picture. Kids!)

Anyway...to celebrate our last 4 weeks, I have some exciting surprises coming your way.

That's all I have to say, you'll have to stay tuned.

Guess what?

Do you have any idea what all these things have in common?

Nope.  It's not that they're all related to time passing.

It's not that my kid is eating the paper they're written on.

They're all when Kieran will have to wear his stinky helmet for the very last time.

Are you excited?  We sure are!

Not just for noggins...

You would never know it, but these helmets come in handy for more than just fixin' flats.

For example, while babysitting my 14 month old cousin, it kept him entertained for at least 10 minutes.  Kieran stayed in that position the whole time.  He was hoping to be rewarded with another kiss.

He was right.

It's super useful when you're having multi-coloured balls hurled at your head.  They just bounce right off that sucker.

It's also an awesome distraction when you want to steal said multi-coloured balls.  "Hey Trent! Do I have something on my head?" *yoink*

And last but not least, it's a wicked crash helmet....when it's on.

Adios alien head...

It's working! It's working!

The helmet, it's working!  And it's not just John and I that can see it this time!

Within the past week we've had so many friends and family members comment on how great his head is looking.  To quote my 11 year old, insanely blunt (but totally awesome) cousin, "Yay! No more alien head!"

It makes me want to scream from roof tops and do a wee jig.  But I won't, because I'll probably fall from the roof top while doing my jig and then Kieran's head will be the least of our worries.

In other news, our family is in serious need of some thoughts and prayers (if you're the prayin' kind).   Some of our favourite family members have been having some health issues recently and it just seems like when it rains it pours lately.  I'm not really going to get into it because I'm not so sure those family members want their medical issues plastered all over the internet, but I'll say that it's not good.  So if you could think of us or say a little prayer we would really appreciate it.

Get outside, baby...

Happy belated Canada Day and 4th of July!  We had such a busy few days celebrating the holiday weekend, but had so much fun!  We were blessed with beautiful weather and spent so much time outdoors - it was fantastic! I love to use exclamation marks!

Canada Day we ventured out to a local park with my parents and grandparents for a Canada Day celebration.   We had a great time checking out all of the events they had going on and just spending time with the family.

Kieran had a blast in the petting zoo, having his toes nibbled by goats and petting the animals. 

After the park we headed back to Gran and Grandad's for a BBQ and a float in the hot (well, warm) tub.  It's one of Kieran's favourite places to be.  He was born a water baby.

 

Friday and Saturday were busy preparing for and having our first garage sale.  It was a success and Kieran was so great all day just hanging out and people watching.

And then came Sunday.  We had planned to go to the beach for the first time since having Kieran.  I was a little worried about how it would go over with him in the heat all day...and the sand.  Oh, the sand.  I was terrified that he'd have a "sand"wich for lunch - he's the kid who puts everything in his mouth.  But he was fantastic! He just sat and played and swam and was so happy doing it!

He took his first swim in the lake...and it was cold, but he was great once he got used to it.  And he loved being dunked in and out of the water.

(Yea, I know.  Mommy needs her butt kicked by Jillian Michaels.)

He spent a ton of time just hanging out with daddy, giving mommy a much needed break.

Took a nap.

And ate a water bottle.

He really is a little...

(I have to admit though, we pretty much had his helmet off all day.  I couldn't stomach the thought of cleaning sand out of his diaper AND his helmet.  Bad mommy.)

He's kind of a big deal...

I'm going to stop focusing a ton on the helmet and more on our day to day life.  Honestly, besides our appointments all this in between stuff is kind of boring.  Our day to day life includes Kieran's helmet anyway, so it all works out.

June was such a huge month for Kieran.  Now that it's over, I should probably give you all a recap.

The beginning of June started Kieran on a life long journey.  He was Baptised.  Now, we're not an overly religious family and only (very) sporadically attend church, but we felt it important for him to grow up with a faith structure.  Plus, my grandmother made it publicly known that she would kill us if we didn't have it done.  Ye have felt no wrath like the wrath of an 80 year old Scottish, Catholic grandmother.

Soon after the Baptism he denounced his faith and kissed a boy.  His own cousin, no less.  Okay, I'm joking.  He didn't denounce his faith - our faith is accepting of all (don't tell my Scottish, Catholic grandmother).  But he did kiss his cousin. 

Kieran currently has a request in with Lance Bass to do a remake of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl", only he has asked that "Girl" be replaced with "Boy".

He started eating all kinds of new food.  Although 3/4 of it landed on his shirt or in his high chair.  He's even eating table food.  Screw you purees!

He said "dada".  Still won't say "mama".  Who's more important here, kid?  Who carried you in their womb for 9 months?  Certainly not "dada".

He jumped in a puddle (after learning how to walk with a little help!).

He grew a mohawk.

He grew fangs.

 

And after all of that he told me he thought he was ready to drive.  I don't think so, kid.  You're good, but not that good.

Love these times...

You know what the best part of this whole process has been?

The times where we can take the helmet off and just chill.  We don't have to worry about him getting too hot. 

We can get as close as we want without worrying about being headbutted.  We can get right in close for snuggles and kisses. 

When we can swim and laugh and play without anything in our way. 

When we can play in the bath and have him coming out smelling like a baby again, not a gym sock. 

When we can put on cute hats that match his outfit.

The times when we can really see what our baby boy looks like...sans helmet.

Wild thing...

You make my heart sing

You make everything grooooovy

Wild thing, I think I love you.

Follow up #1....

We had our first follow up and adjustment yesterday.

John and I had started to notice a difference in Kieran's head shape. He had more definition between his neck and head. He was more round looking down from the top of his head.

Our pediatrician told us it was too early to notice any changes.  And once again, we felt like we were imagining things or going crazy.

Well guess what Mr. Pediatrician? You're imagining things, not us. That's right. Our orthotist confirmed it. Kieran's flat is being fixed!

We got the photo of his original head shape and a photo of his head yesterday. He's gone from being a triangle to almost a circle. Check it out! (The photos are looking down at his head circumference from above...they don't show the actual flatness of the back of his head, just the general shape of his head.)

5 Month Flat

7 Month Flat

Check out the bulge on the right side of the 5 month photo...it's almost gone in the 7 month one! So awesome!

Okay, so it may not be super noticeable to anyone else, but it's certainly a huge difference in our eyes!

Oh and I have to clarify something I said earlier. I was partially wrong (because a woman is never completely wrong, right? hah!) The helmet is "active in the sense that we have to adjust it" but it's not really considered an active device....from what I understand. But once again, I could be partially wrong.

Stick it to me...

I have an obsession.  Decorating Kieran's helmet.

I've been switching up his designs regularly and having fun with it.   It's given me something to do and has made the staring so much easier to tolerate.  I just tell myself they're trying to read the stickers.

You've seen the bugs, but I'll refresh your memory.

After that it was baseball.  Kieran was our own little bat boy.

Up next was my Xtreme little dude...

In honour of the playoffs, we had to do a hockey helmet.  The stickers were ugly though, so they didn't last very long.  Besides, hockey just plain sucks when Toronto's not playing....or maybe I have that backwards...Toronto just plain sucks when they play? I don't know.  Either way the stickers came off pretty fast.

And since we were on a sports kick, we had to follow up with football, naturally.

I'm switching it up again tonight, so stay tuned for what's coming next!  Also, I have some awesome news after our first follow up appointment...so keep your eyes peeled for that too!