David Letterman, You Inspired Me.

So on Helmet Decision Eve, I am sitting here thinking about the past few months of helmet wearing. There are a few things (surprisingly) that I might miss about helmet wearing, but many more things that I will not. I decided to go all David Letterman on this post and create my Top Ten Lists of Things I will Miss About Helmet Wearing and Things I Won't Miss. Without further adieu, here they are!

The Top Ten Things I WON'T Miss about Helmet Wearing:

1. Ella's head smelling like a combination of gym sock and musty basement every morning when I take the helmet off.

2. Not being able to rub her head when I'm feeding her.

3. People staring and asking "What's wrong with her??" "Is that baby wearing a helmet??" "What an overprotective mother!!"

4. Trying to cram the helmet on a fast moving, non stop cruising ten month old, who has figured out that if she arches her back its a lot harder for Mama to get that thing on.

You win this round, Mama, but you won't get it on so easy next time!

5. Constantly doing "Helmet Hours Wearing" math in my head to decide if we have our hours for the day and when I can take it off for a break.

6. Scraping off the corn starch + hand sanitizer residue that accumulates on the brim of her helmet that turns it an attractive yellow colour.

7. Constantly checking the weather to see if its an outside wearing helmie day or trapped in the house kind of day. :(

8. Not being able to kiss my baby girl's head, or kissing a mouthful of helmet every time I'm trying to give her a cuddle.

How can you not want to smother that cute little face and head in kisses??

9. Trying to figure out what clothes will stretch wide enough to get OVER her helmet without getting stuck halfway. (She hates that!)

This is a remove helmet kind of shirt. Learned that the hard way!

10. Finding little piles of corn starch everywhere. (The corn starch is required to keep the helmet dry on the inside and to allow it to glide over her forehead). One time I dropped the whole container on the floor and corn starch went everywhere. Anyone who knows me, knows I seriously lack in the domestic department. I tried to sweep it up, which just made for an ULTRA SLIDEY floor. I tried to mop it up and it made a thick corn starch paste. :( I suck at this stuff. Luckily Steve always knows what to do.

Our helmet wearing accoutrements. 

The Top Ten Things I WILL Miss about Helmet Wearing:

1. The head protecting factor of the helmet on a trying to walk, falling all the time, ON THE MOVE kind of 10 month old.

Climbing the dog? This couldn't possibly end badly!

2. It was kind of fun to decorate it?

3. The wonderful support of friends and family who have come together to help us through this journey.

4. Seeing Ella suck her thumb and play with the strap in order to soothe herself to sleep.

5. Meeting other flat headed kids and parents around the world and talking 'helmet' with them.

6. Seeing just the top of a fluorescent pink head crawl by behind the ottoman. :)

7. How putting the helmet on before bed became a part of our bedtime routine, right after Good Night Moon, but before her final feed of the night.

8. Seeing Ella put her hand up on the helmet and pat it, in a kind of "Oh, here's my helmie" kind of way.

9. Blogging about it.

10. The wonderful staff of Sick Kids Centre for Orthotics and Medical Devices.

Tomorrow may or may not be the last day of this journey. :) Only time will tell. But I've certainly been reminiscing the past few days on how far we've come. And no matter what happens tomorrow, we'll be okay. We've come this far as a helmet wearing family, a few more weeks either way won't hurt, right?

T-minus 24 hours and counting!