Sunday, February 26, 2012

Trending Upwards

Ramsey had his weight check this week. He weighs 18lbs 14 oz. I was worried about the Dr's reaction, because this wasn't much higher than his previous weight the month before. I stressed how he has been sick all month and just recently started showing a real appetite. Fortunately, she wasn't concerned; according to the charts he is trending upwards. I am thankful that he is feeling well and has a good appetite. Now, my hopes are that he will show an interest in some fruits and veggies and some foods that prevent his constipation. He seems to desire all the foods that he shouldn't be eating...isn't that true for many of us!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

I can't sleep

My stuffy nose and clogged head have me awake and all I can do is think about all sorts of random things like Pinterest, and blogs and about the fact that tomorrow I'm going to regret being awake all night (since I'll be essentially alone with the boys all weekend). I think my scattered thoughts are being relayed into a rambling blog post. I can't be responsible for anything I might say. I'll blame the medicine.

I have some cute new photos to share of our little guy. He is getting more and more entertaining every day. He is so mischievous. He'll climb on over to the things he knows he shouldn't touch, then just turn around and smile. Any day now, he might just take his first steps.  Something about that seems to miraculous to me. I guess I'm just so thankful for the miracle of his life and excited to anticipate another milestone.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tongue out in true Ramsey fashion

...and Daddy thinks I don't need a haircut!

I dig my new ride!


Next week, we'll return to the pediatrician to weigh Ramsey again. A month ago, she was concerned that he lost weight and asked us to return in 4 weeks. Since, he has fought a virus, an ear infection and most recently, croup. None of this has really helped the fact that we need him to gain weight. He has a disinterest in a lot of food, and promptly closes his mouth and turns his head to prove it. Most of his favorite foods are the foods we need to avoid because they are constipating. Thanks goodness for some great tips from a fellow CDH mom to help in that territory (thanks Corrine!). We've been adding an ounce of prune juice to every bottle and that has been a huge help. Also, I've starting using flax seed wherever I can to increase his fiber. His favorite? Pancakes with flax seed! Thankfully, he likes Pediasure, butter bread and buttered noodles so I hope that has helped to gain the necessary weight.

Ramsey has been going through an, "I don't want to nap" kind of phase. He will stand in his crib and scream for what seems like forever. I tried consoling him, I tried ignoring him, but nothing helps. He is harder to put down at night too, but it's not as difficult as nap time. I think I finally found a solution; leaving him a bottle with a bit of water in his crib. It's incentive for him to lay back down, and it seems to settle him. The problem with that is that we need to get him transitioned to some sort of sippy cup! I've offered him several, but he seems to lose interest in learning how to drink from them. Since we're trying to get him to gain weight, I guess I'm afraid to take on the switch from bottle to sippy at the moment.

The no nap phase had me a bit worried last week. Twice, he threw up in his crib. He seems to be regurgitating a lot too. It seems like his reflux is worse when I thought it would be getting better. I started to question if he might have reherniated. I guess these are thoughts that always remain as a CDH mom. I called the clinic at Children's. They checked his X-Ray from our ER visit a few weeks back (when he was checked for pneumonia) and said there are no signs of reherniation. Part of me still wonders what the deal is, but I guess I need to chalk it up to regular baby stuff and simply take things one day at a time.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Rooting for a Reason

During Ramsey's battle with CDH, we found comfort in sharing his story. From his prenatal diagnosis, to his NICU discharge, to his first birthday celebration, we have never ceased "Rooting for Ramsey". We received prayers, support, inspiration, and encouragement through friends, family and even Facebook and blog followers whom we never met. We found satisfaction knowing our son's story had inspired others. We found hope as we raised awareness of his condition and met families who walked a similar path.

Our wish is to offer a platform for other's to share their journey- a place to offer praise, request prayer, or just say how proud they are of someone special. We want to join in rooting for other's, no matter what the reason might be!



::   Are you Rooting for a Reason?  ::

If you have a story or blog to share, visit our new Facebook page to comment or share a photo. The more "LIKES" our page receives, the more support and prayers each posting will be honored with! LIKE us now, please :)

In addition, we hope to feature a different individual each month. A photo and brief description will be requested along with any relevant blog links. Contact Lisa Barnhart Razza via Facebook to nominate your loved one.