Isn't he so cute...

Look at this cutie without a helmet :)

The Results

Ok I know how ghetto is that... I took a picture of the pictures on my computer but I couldn't figure out how to upload them on to stupid Blogspot :(  So this is the only way I could get the photos up. 

I hope you guys can see them well enough to see the results.  The right column is the before and the left column is the after.  The first page, first photos I think I can tell the most difference.  The second page the bottom photos I also see a huge difference.  His head doesn't look as wide and his ears look much better.  Also the third page the bottom pictures I can tell a nice difference too.  His head has rounded out really nicely.  I am so sorry about my ghetto way of posting the results.  Hopefully I can figure this out soon and get it fixed. 

Another Cold :(

 So Dominick has another cold.  His daycare was closed on Friday and Monday because it was her 50th Birthday and her sons took her on a cruise (must be nice hint hint Dominick).  I was so excited to have a 4 day weekend with my prince and I got up early Friday morning got my self ready and when Dominick woke up.... He was running a fever :(  Poor little guy has never had a fever.  I called the pediatrician and they had me bring him in.  We saw a substitute doctor which I LOVED!  She said Dominick had a right ear infection, possible left ear infection and had some rattling in his chest.  She wanted him to have a nebulizer treatment while we were there so she could hear how well he would or wouldn't respond to it.  The nurses got us set up (this was his first time ever doing this) and showed me how I can try to hold him since I only have 2 arms and he would use his 2 arms, 2 legs and body to try and fight me.  He cried for maybe 30 seconds and passed out (see photo 1 above).  I was so relieved with how well he did and the doctor said he sounded much better and gave us a prescription for the Albuterol through the nebulizer and sent us on our way.  The rest of that day he just wasn't my happy little baby and it broke my heart so see him so sick.  The rest of the weekend we laid low key and Monday morning came around and he sounded horrible.  I started the Albuterol treatment which did not go as easy as the first time unfortunately.  He screamed and kicked and tried to wiggle his way out of my arms the entire 10 minutes.  It SUCKED!!!!  I had to return to work yesterday but Dominick was still running a low grade fever and had a horrible cough so Daddy stayed home and took care of him.  Today Dominick sounds and seems much better.  Thank goodness because it was a big day for him today.  Mommy is so happy he feels better and has his helmet off.  Hopefully he stays feeling good and is in a good mood for my Birthday tomorrow. 

No more Helmet!!!

Today was Dominick's Exit Appointment with Cranial Technologies.  He is officially done with his treatment NO MORE HELMET!!!  His head looks great.  We are very happy with the results.  They will be emailing me his before and after pictures and hopefully I will be able to get them loaded up here. 

We had such a great experience with the clinicians and the facility.  The time flew and we are so happy we decided to take the right move and get him the treatment he needed.  To be honest I am actually a little nervous about what is to come now that he doesn't have his helmet.  He uses his head for EVERYTHING!  I hope he adjusts fast and learns quickly that his head is no longer to be used for headbutting and making noise and helping to sit himself up. 

Baby Proofing...

So since I am a first time Mom and have no idea what to do or how to baby proof a house besides basics PLEASE any suggestions would help.  We live in a 2 story house with tile downstairs and wood floors upstairs.  I hated carpet but now I am realizing that carpet is actually great when you have kids.  So please share any tips you might have or any funny experiences you have had.  Thanks!

It's a Big Week for us

So not only is this week the Blog Party and my new Blog design but my baby is CRAWLING!!!!  Yup he is now mobile!  He has not perfected this new trick yet and does not get further than a few inches but if there is something just outside of his reach he gets up on his hands and knees and goes for it.  I am so happy and yet so sad.  It's amazing to see how fast they learn things but OMG my baby is growing up.  I also can't believe that I have to call the pediatrician TODAY (if not they wont be seeing him until he is like 10+ months they are that busy) to make his 9 month appointment.  This appointment I am actually looking forward too.  No shots!!!!  Plus last time we were there (yay for no major sicknesses) there was still the concern about Dominick's flat spot.  They haven't even seen him with his helmet and from the looks of it they wont be seeing him with it.  They will get to see this new beautifully round head.  That makes me so happy you guys have no idea.

Well that is it for my updates gotta run to check out more of this Blog Party!  So many people keep joining this thing is awesome!  Check it out if you haven't already: Blog Party!

Blog Party!!!

Welcome to my Blog!!! Well what a great way to start out this week for me... Blog Party and a new design for my Blog.  AWESOME!!!! So a little about why I started this blog was to keep family and friends up to date on how Dominick was doing.  Then when we found out that my son needed the DOC Band I decided to try and get my blog out there a little more because I did not have that much knowledge about the helmet and wanted other parents that might be in the same situation to see that it really isn't that bad.  My cousin's son had to wear a helmet and I went to her a lot with questions and how I felt like I failed as a mother.  She offered some great support.  I also had amazing support from the rest of my family and friends.  D-Listed Mom Blogs (Alissa) has done a great job at really getting blogs out there.  I love what she has done!  If you have a chance take sometime and look around at some old posts if not continue you on with the amazing Blog Party!!!!

Cupcake Friday

Welcome to Cupcake Friday!  I am starting out a new thing here and hopefully I will have something to post on this every Friday.  I am walking during lunch with Laurie everyday.  If I walk at least 4 times a week I get to treat myself to a cupcake from Clarebelle's Cupcakes YUMMY.  She has some really cool stuff there and I love sweets but I have to be good all week to get one.  My first intention was to buy 1 cupcake and review it each week but today Lisa came with us for my first experience.  She bought 1/2 a dozen mini cupcake in assorted flavors.  I jumped aboard and bought 1/2 a dozen as well.  BAD IDEA! I have almost eaten them ALL.  So now that kinda defeats the purpose of walking huh?!?  Here is my review of the 3 cupcake I have eaten already...

Marble
It was pretty yummy.  I love marble everything.  Now Clarabelle's is apparently made without milk not sure I need to go in there next week and ask some questions as to this.  The flavor was great.  The texture seemed a little weird and Lisa and I opined that it must be the lack of dairy. 

Rocky Road
This one was better than the last.  I love marshmellows and chocolate!  It was really good.  It was small and had icing on top with a marshmellow, nuts and a chocolate chip.  YUMMY!!!

Samores
This was OMG I think I am in love!  It was not a cupcake though.  It was some gooey yummy graham crakers, gooey marshmellow stuff and chocolate.  HOLY CRAP I THINK I WANT MORE!  I will be buying this every Friday to go along with whatever flavors of cupcakes she has but this is a must have!

The Keys!

Went went down to The Big Chill a couple of weekends ago to celebrate Daddy's Bday and we had a blast.  The Big Chill is so family friendly and relaxing.  It is our home away from home during the summer.  Here is a picture of Dom and Daddy my 2 favorite boys :)

This little guy is so awesome!!!!

Pics of Dom's new helmet style

Mother's Day

I know I am a little late but my first Mother's Day was very nice.  Hubbs had a baseball game early that morning so he woke me up gave me some kisses and this:

I love this necklace!!! It is a mother and child necklace with a diamond at the bottom.  LOVE IT! 

So back to my day... Hubbs took off for his game.  The baby woke up at a decent time I fed him breakfast as Grambo (stepdad and Dom's grandfather) made breakfast for Nana and I.  We relaxed around the house for a while and then once hubbs was back we headed out to see Grammy then off to see Grandma Pat then off to the Alvarez family to spend time with them.  After running around spending time with all the beautiful and amazing moms and mommy's to be we headed home and had a nice steak dinner.

Twitter Tat Tour

WELCOME!!!!!

I got my first tattoo just before my 18th birthday.  I was going through a bit of a bad girl phase in my life and had to get one before I was 18 just to prove a point.  I had wanted a tattoo for a long time and always thought I would get a cross with my name under it.  Somehow I showed up at the parlor and ended up leaving with a tribal butterfly.  I think part of me knew how pissed my mom would be and thought well she loves butterflies she can't be too mad at me.  NOT she was sooooo pissed!!!  This tattoo is on the lower part of my back and really isn't too big.  Yes I have a Tramp Stamp.  LOL. 

(Sorry the picture is a little blurry)

Next... I went back like a month later because yes people tattoos are addicting (at least for me they are).  I wanted another one soooo bad.  I got a Chinese symbol for heaven on the top of my foot.  Now the first tattoo did not really hurt (and if you know me I have 0 pain tolerance).  I told them I wanted something small and on the top of my foot.  The tattoo guy (he also did my previous tattoo) looked at me like I was crazy.  I asked "Is it going to hurt"  His response nope!  If the last one didn't this one wont.  His brother started laughing (not a good sign).  He said it was going to hurt A LOT (and that was a major understatement).  So why did I choose heaven...  well I believe in God and that people go to heaven and I felt that I should not regret having heaven on my body.  I do not regret it and as the years have passed and I have lost someone very close to me it actually has gained a lot more meaning.

My last tattoo has the most meaning to me.  I got this one several years later.  I actually did it in Key West when I was on a Bachelorette party for my cousin.  We all decided we were going to go get tattoos and nope only me and one other girl ended up doing it.  I didn't really want another Chinese symbol and I didn't want it on my hip but I am very happy with it and it's location.  I wanted something either on the back of my neck or my wrist.  My cousin was getting married a couple of weeks later and we were going to be wearing our hair up and I decided that would probably really upset my mother and my grandmother (they are not fans of tattoos at ALL).  My mother gets so upset every time I talk about them or she seems them but this is who I am and I love them!  So the meaning behind this one.  It stands for eternity.  I had just lost my grandfather who I was extremely close to and I feel like he will be forever with me (hint eternity).  Now I choose this symbol because I told the tattoo guy (not the same as my last two) that I wanted it written out and small.  He did not agree.  He said that the letters would kind of bleed together and I probably wouldn't be happy with it.  I was upset!  I wanted this soo bad.  So I stood there just looking around to see if anything else would come to mind and was looking around with the other girls at stuff they were thinking of.  I found my next tattoo.  It looks like a K which is my first initial (Kacie).  That is it!!!! I already have a Chinese symbol so it goes with the theme or whatever and it's my initial and the meaning I wanted.

Now those are my three tattoos.  I would probably have more if it weren't for my husband and my mother not being big on the whole tattoo thing but I am getting one more in the future.  It will be my family tattoo.  It will represent me, my husband and my child.  It will be one that I can add to for any additional children I have.  I can't wait to find someone to draw it out for me! 

My hubbs had wanted a tattoo for a long time but could never really decide what we wanted.  After our amazing little boy was born he went to a Tattoo Expo and he got a tattoo that represents him and his son.  I think he is addicted now too.  He wants to add to this one and he wants more.  If you look at it closely you will see the Taurus bull head (my husband is a Taurus) and the little "m" in the middle is for our son (he is a Virgo).  It is also very cool because the "m" for the Virgo is also my hubbs initial (Michael).

So there are our tattoos. 

DOC Band update

Ok so today we had another appointment that went really well. The clinician said that next week will be his exit appointment :) Now there are 2 things that can happen. Dominick will either be done with his treatment on May 26th or we will have his exit appointment and last adjustment on May 26 and he will continue to wear the helment for another 2 weeks and then he will be done but without having to go back to Cranial Technologies. Either way YAY!!! Go Dominick for having an amazing response to the treatment and great growth during these past 8 weeks :) The clinician did come in after he did the adjustment to the helmet and said that these past 2 weeks Dom did not have much growth and that if next appointment (in 2 weeks) he hasn't had much growth that is it we are done. He said that his ears are back in alignment and that there is still a little asymmetry in the back of the head toward the side that was really flat but that that is pretty normal and might not ever fix. His head shape looks absolutely amazing. I am so happy with the results. At the exit appointment they will do measurements and photos and another scan of the head and we will have the before and after of all of that. Hopefully I will be able to find a way to upload that information on here so everyone can see the amazing results.

P.S. We changed the look of Dom's helmet. The paint was peeling really bad so we took it off and put stickers on it. I think I love this more than the Marlin's mural we did and it was much cheaper :) I will hopefully be able to post pics of it tomorrow. So if you have the DOC Band and were thinking of painting it DON'T DO IT!!!! Stickers work so much better!!!!

We are learning new things everyday!!!

So last night I was on the phone with my cousin Katie and Dominick was playing on his playmat and all of a sudden he rolled over to his tummy put his head on the floor (I think this is his thinking position) scootched his knees under him and sat himself up. OMG Katie hold on my kid just sat himself up! I called my mom to tell her the great news and when she came home he did it again. YAY it's not just a fluke. Called the Daddy and when Daddy came home we did it 2 more times.... We officially have a baby that can now sit himself up. Watch out world we will be up and running before you know it! This age is truly my favorite so far. He is showing so much personality now and learning new things it seems like daily.

Updates!!!

Ok so Dominick is now 8 months old O.M.G. where has time gone?!? He loves dancing. He loves music and when he hears a good song he starts bouncing and if he really loves the song he even puts his hands up and wiggles. It is the cutest thing ever. The boy loves music. He is also waiving hi and bye he has 2 different waives one is opening and closing his hand and the other is moving his entire arm up and down. Dominick is not crawling yet but getting really close to it. He sits and then leans really far forward getting one leg into crawling position and the other one still in the sitting position and then inches forward a little (sometimes backwards) and then sits again. He also is pulling himself up to standing and kneeling. He takes a few baby steps sometimes. He really loves to stand. The kid definately knows how to get wherever he wants to go. His new favorite toy is the TV trays. He loves them!!!! So those are Dom's new tricks! I can't believe our baby is growing up so fast. I remember and miss the days where he was so tiny and you had to hold him so carefully and now when you hold him you have to use every muscle in your body to control this maniac because he wants to touch everything and throw himself everywhere. My how things change.

Sick!

Well we were on a nice little streak of Dom not being sick until FRIDAY! I thought with winter over and the nice warm weather here that we would have a healthy little baby on our hands. WRONG!!! I have never wanted to be a SAHM (stay at home mom) so bad until Friday and this past weekend. Thursday when I dropped Dom off at daycare there were 2 out of the 4 kids there with really snotty noses and sure enough Thursday night I got no sleep because my kid was up ALL night coughing. I called the pediatrician first thing in the morning to see what I could do for Dom since whenever he has gotten a cold or a cough in the past it turns into really bad bronchitis. They told me there is really nothing I can do for him except to start him on the Albuterol treatments and if he gets a fever then to bring him in. I pretty much sat at work all day worried about poor Dom knowing this isn't going to turn out well and sure enough the weekend was HELL! He has been sleeping through the night since about 7 weeks and well he has not slept through the night since Thursday and this is killing me. It's killing me because 1) I hate that he is so sick that he wakes up coughing so hard that he starts screaming bloody murder and 2) because I really liked being able to sleep. I wish there was something we could do to help him feel better. I stayed home with him yesterday which really made me want to stay home forever even more. He was such a little cuddle bug yesterday and I LOVED IT.