Update on the little man and other things in life...

So Charlie is currently napping so I'm going to try and get this done before he wakes up. There isn't much more to tell right now. Regarding his head, our insurance will not consider Cranium Technologies an in network provider so we are going this Friday to meet with two other providers that are in network for Blue Cross. Kind of a bummer because Cranium Technologies was the one our Pediatrician recommended, but the cost is about $1500-2000 more if we use them over an in network provider...yeah so...we will see what happens.

Now his neck...I've been doing the at home stretches and really making him do tummy time(which he still doesn't like, but will tolerate for a short period now). I also position him so he has to look to his left a lot and I carry him around so he has to hold his head. The physical therapist is coming on Tuesday for an initial evaluation. After that I assume they will set up a schedule to come work with me periodically. So I'll let you know what happens there.

Also, on some non-Charlie related news. We FINALLY sold our house in San Antonio. Quick back story: After we got married in Jan. of 2006 we moved to San Antonio. In August of that year we decided to buy a house. Well, in December of that same year, Trey got offered his current job in Dallas and it was an offer we couldn't turn down. So we moved to Wylie, bought a house here and put the SA house on the market. Well...that is about the time that the housing market tanked. We tried to sell it for about a year before we finally had to rent it. The appraisal value of the home went from $107,000 when we bought it in 2006 to about $90,000 just a few months later. Needless to say our asking price was too high because we had NO equity or money to lower the price. So we got renters, which for a while went well, but we began to have more and more trouble with them not paying on time or at all. Finally when we found out I was pregnant in Feb. of 2009 Trey and I began discussing our options for that house as I was planning on quitting my job to be a stay at home mom. Obviously we could not afford to pay for that house since our renters were way behind and would probably never get caught up. Our two options were...foreclosure...or short sale. Short sale is where you work with the bank to negotiate a lower sales price that what you owe on the home. The new appraisal value of that home was $86,000 and we still owed about $105,000. So we started that process shortly before Charlie was born in Oct. Finally after months of paperwork, frustration, phone calls, etc. the house sold for $86,000 and the rest of the debt was forgiven. This isn't how we wanted things to work out...it does hurt our credit scores which were almost perfect, but we really had no other option other than foreclosure(which would have REALLY hurt our credit). We just thank God that it finally worked out and it is such a burden off our shoulders. Looking back we wouldn't have changed the situation...moving to Dallas was the best thing we have ever done. It gave Trey an opportunity he never would have gotten in San Antonio and allowed me to work for a great company for almost 3 years, making more than double what I could have made in San Antonio. God has really blessed our family and we thank Him daily for it, but in hindsight I guess we shouldn't have bought that house. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Trey has been traveling a good bit lately. He is in Canada now...or on his way...he got stuck in Chicago last night so I'm not sure how far he has gotten yet. I really hate it when he is gone. My days get very boring and it's too cold to take Charlie for walks. Plus TV and everything gets old and after a long day of watching Charlie it would be nice to have a break from him (don't get me wrong I love him...but seriously you watch a 3.5 month old for a week straight by yourself and see how your mental status is :), but it's only for a short period and he will be home soon. I love Trey and appreciate everything he does for our family. I wouldn't be able to stay home and not work if it weren't for how hard he works. Trey if you are reading this we love you and miss you!!!

OK so it's been like 2 hours since I started this post. Charlie did wake up and we ate, did 13 minutes of tummy time (Yay!! This is huge because he usually only tolerates like 5 minutes) and I laid him down to play in his bed and he has since fallen back asleep...on his own, without crying or a paci or anything wow!! So I am now finishing this post!

So all in all, life is moving on, Charlie is growing and we are counting down the time until our Disney trip!! My whole family (Mom, Dad, Melaina, Jason, Amy, Shane, his girlfriend Kristin, Trey, Charlie, and I) are taking a trip to Disney World May 16th!! It is most of my families' first time to go (Melaina has been once, and well Trey and I...you know) so it will be so exciting. We are going on this trip to celebrate my parents' 30 anniversary in June! It will also be Charlie's first trip...though he obviously won't have any memories of, but we will be sure to take pictures!!!!!

Oh and Dave Matthews announced their summer tour dates. They are in Houston 9/10 and Dallas 9/11. Soooo excited!! We didn't get to see them last year because I was quite pregnant at the time.

And finally, upon request of his numerous fans...Charlie has a video to show. This was a day he was particularly squeally :)

Love you all!!

The many moods of Charlie

This was my day yesterday...

Charlie wakes up happy and talking...A LOT...



Followed by an afternoon of crankiness...A LOT of crankiness...



Until FINALLY he took a good nap...



And woke up happy again...

Happy Birthday Pops!

So yesterday was my Dad's 50th birthday! Just wanted to take a few moments to say we love you Dad(Pops)!

Charlie had a few things to say as well...

My pumpkin is not round...but it's big!!

So I started this blog because I got really tired of emailing, texting, calling, facebooking, etc. all different people to discuss Charlie and how he is doing and such. I figure this way I can update in one spot and send everyone here!

Here is a brief back story on Charlie and his head. So at his two month check up Dr. Richardson (his Pediatrician) noticed that one side of the back of his head was flatter than the other. At that time she recommended that we focus on alternating which side of his head we lay him on, etc. but to watch him because it could be caused by a neck issue. Apparently 80% of babies with flat spots get them because they have tight muscles in their neck and don't like to turn their head one way. At that time he wasn't really as active and we didn't really notice a neck issue. Now, within the last week or so I became concerned that he did indeed have a neck issue because he always seemed to look to his right and almost never to his left. So we went in to see Dr. Richardson and she agreed that he has Torticollus (tight muscle in the neck). Also, she noticed that his flat spot has gotten worse and was starting to cause facial asymmetry. So she gave us some neck stretches to do at home, referred us to a Physical Therapist that will be coming to our house once a week and referred us to Cranial Technologies to get his little head fixed. As far as the neck goes, he is already showing better range of motion with just one day of at home stretches so that looks promising. We went to Cranial Tech this morning and they've recommended he start treatment with a DOC band (those white helmets you see some babies wearing). They are running our insurance to see if they cover (Please God let them cover...that thing is EXpensive) and will then schedule his initial session where he gets fitted for the band. The good news is that we caught it early. The earliest they treat patients at CT is 3 months and Charlie is 3 months 10 days. The Dr. there said it should only take 6-8 weeks of the band to fix his head. It is kind of a bummer, he has to wear it 23 hours a day and of course it isn't the most inconspicuous thing, but in the long run, it is what he needs and we are grateful we caught the problem now.

Also...Charlie is getting so big!! He weighed 14 lbs 15.5 oz at the Pediatrician yesterday...that is in the 75th percentile. He has come a long way from the 5 lbs 11 oz at birth!

So that's the story for now. I will update with info and pictures as things progress. For now we are enjoying our little (big) pumpkin every moment watching him learn and grow. He is so smiley and is such a talker (is anyone surprised considering his father? :) and he is just beautiful... misshapen head and all!

Our little longhorn...

Charlie chatting with me...