If you look straight ahead and turn your head to the left, you should be able to move about 90 degrees. If you turn the other way, you should be able to move an equal distance. Johan had a doctor's visit recently where they did just that test.
Turn left 90 degrees: Check!
Turn right 90 degrees: Nope! 70 degrees is all we get... The diagnosis: a too short neck muscle. Also known as a mild case of Torticollis. Supposedly, it is relatively easy to correct with physical therapy. Basically, regularly stretching the neck muscle will increase his range of motion.
There is a backside, both literally and figuratively, to the limited neck movement. Five months of preferring his left side, combined with a soft developing scull, has left Johan with a flat asymmetric head. I presume, under varying degrees of hair coverage, everyone's head is a bit imbalanced. After all, phrenology had to come from somewhere! But this case goes beyond misguided science from the 17th century... It needs to be corrected.
Enter our child's first helmet! A custom-made contraption that will allow Johan's head to grow in certain directions but limit growth in others to gradually reshape his head. He will wear it for a few months for 23 hours per day. Measurements were taken (and dad had a semi-crummy cellphone camera along) using a little black sensor and a laser to create a computerized three dimensional image of his head. This will be used to make a helmet for his head. We're picking it up tomorrow.
The symptom has a name - plagiocephaly - and the incidence has skyrocketed since the insight thad SIDS can be reduced by babies sleeping on their backs.
It has been winter for a long time. And even though March is right around the corner, the weather folks are predicting Starbucks will be selling coffee on sticks for weeks... Why not keep cabin fever at bay by setting up your own amusement park in your living room? Round up all the pillows and stuffed animals in the house. Put them in a pile and jump in. Hours of entertainment!
