The Ramos Family

Yes, I know it's been weeks since I've udpated! I'm doing my best to get current with my posts but it's now almost midnight and I'm tired....... so I'll have to try and finish tomorrow!

Just thought I would give an update on Lorenzo. He went in for his four month checkup in late August and weighed in at 14 lbs 13 oz, which puts him in the 50th percentile for weight. I don't remember the specifics of his other stats (I know, nice mother, eh?) but he's 25th percentile for height and 75th percentile for head size. Sound like a little twerp with a big head! He's been exclusively on formula since the beginning of July and has struggled with eating consistently - he'd eat 6oz one feeding and only 3oz another. He's also a SPITTER! Neither Maria nor Bella were big spitter uppers so this has been a change for us. It doesn't seem to bother him when he does it - keeps smiling and laughing just the same (probably laughing at the fact that he's soaked us once again with spit up!). But I was concerned with his inability to eat consistently - I had tried feeding him smaller amounts, more often but sometimes he'd woof down the 4oz and scream for more! I was rather tired of the other times we'd end up throwing out 3oz of formula that he didn't drink!


So I asked his doctor about the possibility of him having reflux. Although he's in the 50th percentile for weight, he had only gained one pound since his last doctors visit in July (one month). She wasn't overly concerned but since poor weight gain is one of the indicators of reflux, she was willing to give us a prescription to try. Well, he's been on it for almost two weeks and his appetite has skyrocketed! He will typically eat the full 6oz we offer him every three (or so) hours. He sometimes eats five times which is 30 oz in one day! There has even been a few times he's downed 8oz! He has his good days and bad days with spitting up - some days he'll spit up very little, other days he's like a faucet. Poor Grandma Kay - by the end of the day there's usually not a spot on her that hasn't been hit :) Good thing she loves him so much!

We tried rice cereal on Labor Day Monday. He ate it all up and did a really good job with the spoon! But the next couple of days after that, he seemed to have an upset tummy so I'm not sure if he was having a hard time digesting it or what - he had some really nasty bowel movements too. So, I think I'll wait a bit longer on the solids. He definitely seems interested - he pays attention/watches when someone else is eating but I think his digestive system just isn't ready yet. Here are a couple of photos after he ate up his rice cereal:





Here's a pic I took of him a few weeks ago. I love this picture but of course Paul said, 'he's sitting in a princess chair!' He'll soon have his own 'manly' chair - Twins, Vikings or something!





A few recent photos with the girls:




Since Lorenzo is such a spitter, I really don't put him down for too much tummy time. But if it's been a couple of hours since he's eaten he seems to do okay. I put him down on his blanket this morning and he proceeded to roll over onto his back. I thought maybe it was an accident, like I hadn't fully placed him on his tummy and he fell over but I put him back on his tummy two more times and he rolled over both times! It was funny to watch! Here's a little video of him hanging out on his tummy:

And since everyone loves to hear a baby laugh, I have to include this video too!

On Saturday, August 16th we helped Zach celebrate his first birthday! It was an absolutely beautiful day so we hung outside for awhile. Maria discovered a HUGE beehive in a tree not far from where everyone was sitting - Al hadn't even noticed it before then! We all moved a safer distance from the hive and enjoyed the afternoon until it was time to eat and open gifts inside. We were one of the last guests to leave because Lorenzo slept for almost three hours on their bed! Maria & Bella hung out downstairs with a hungover Uncle Al - despite his efforts to get rid of them so he could nap. At one point when he was laying on the couch with his eyes closed he said, "girls go upstairs". To which Maria responded, "Bella, Uncle Al is dreaming!" They continued to hang out with him & his friend Joe until it was time to leave and go visit Auntie Kimmy. Thanks Zach for inviting us to your birthday party...... oh, that's right, we invited ourselves ;)