The Gutierrez family has taken the internet by storm with some pictures of a normal Saturday morning in their home in southern Texas.
If you've ever had a three year old and a baby in the same house, you know that some things can get pretty crazy, wacky, stressful, or fun. Rolling with the sometimes strange requests from the children is often the best way to stay sane and keep everyone in the house happy.
When Shayna and Gary Gutierrez found out that their four month old son, Jonas, had a severe case of brachycephaly, they knew they had to act fast. Brachycephaly is a form of flat head syndrome that's mostly a cosmetic issue that widens a baby's face if left alone. It's very treatable, with a simple baby-sized helmet.
Shayna told LittleThings that she felt guilty at first, but she got over it very quickly. There's no need for any parent to feel guilty about this condition, as it's incredibly difficult to completely control how the baby sleeps. Jonas' head may have also been shaped in the womb since he was such a big baby.
Now that he has his helmet, he will be just fine. It's also been an incredible learning experience for his big sister, Camila. It's helped her learn how to act around others who are a little bit "different" from herself.
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When Shayna brought the helmet home, Camila was very excited. She thought it was so cool that she immediately asked her mom for her own bike helmet.
Soon enough, she'd roped her father, Gary, into the helmet club. Even something as simple as eating breakfast now requires strapping on the protective gear these days! Shayna jokes that "having 2 young kids can be tough so helmets are probably a good idea anyway." It's so true!
Since Jonas is just four months old, he doesn't really notice his helmet or his sister's inclusive gesture. As you can see here, he's taken to his helmet very well, and is a very happy boy now that his head and face will remain the right shape. He'll have to wear the helmet for another three to six months.
He'll have plenty of company from his family, though. It's already become pretty normal for everyone to walk around the house wearing their bike helmets. Shayna told LittleThings that "we are glad that people find it so sweet and I love that Camila can be exposed to something valuable like inclusion for those who are 'different,' but the truth is we were just being our normal selves on a normal Saturday morning at home. [We] just gave into the requests of our 3-year-old who ask[ed] us to wear helmets."
Jonas is lucky to have an older sister like Camila who is so excited and enthusiastic about making him feel comfortable and included. He'll always have someone to look up to and someone's footsteps to follow.
The only negative part of the helmet is that it doesn't smell all that great, because it is hard to clean. Shayna says that "Jonas has had no problem adjusting to his helmet and we are super excited about the progress and changes that will be made to his head and face. I will say it is hard to keep clean and stinks pretty bad from his sweaty head in the awful south Texas heat." If that's the only price to pay for a properly-shaped cranium, then that's not so bad at all!
Overall, Shayna and Gary are just happy to have two healthy children and that they get to spend so much fun family time together. Really, there isn't much more you can ask for!
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