Happy Valentine's Day - Buon San Valentino

Happy Valentine's Day from Lorenzo, the "kissing bandit"

Buon San Valentino da Lorenzo, il "gran baciatore"

Quattro Mesi - Four Months

It's the 20th of January and Lorenzo is four months old. He'll be heading to the pediatrician tomorrow for his four month shots and a check-up. We partly celebrated by taking a little trip - a weekend at a resort near Austin. He traveled really well - in fact, he mostly slept both there and back.

The hotel, The Lost Pines Resort, is out in the country and located on the banks of the Colorado River. It's very peaceful although there is a lot to do. We pretty much decided to do a whole lotta nothing. In fact, we enjoyed the chance to just hang out, play with Lorenzo and just take it easy. We ate well while there and walked around quite a bit.

Lorenzo didn't sleep well - we think it's because he was in an unfamiliar place. You could see it in his eyes. He probably would've been fine with a few days to get acclimated. At least he was pretty happy when he was awake. Let's say this trip was practice before our big Argentina trip.

E' il 20 Gennaio e Lorenzo ha appena compiuto 4 mesi. Domani tornera' dal pediatra per qualche immunizazione. In parte, abbiamo celebrato con un piccolo viaggio - un fine settimana a un albergo vicino a Austin, quasi 200 km da Houston. Lorenzo ha viaggiato benissimo - in fatti, ha dormito duranta l'andata e il ritorno.

L'albergo, il Lost Pines Resort (i Pini Perduti o i Pini Scomparsi), e nella campagna e accanto a il fiume Colorado. E' molto tranquillo e c'e' tanto da fare, anche se noi abbiamo deciso di fare un sacco di niente. In fatti, abbiamo goduto l'opportunita di ciondolare, giocare con Lorenzo e stare tranquilli. Abbiamo mangiato bene e camminato spesso.

Lorenzo non aveva dormito bene ma ci pare perche era un posto strano. Forse sarebbe stato piu' comodo dopo qualche giorno pero' non aveva tempo di abituarsi. Almeno era abbastanza contento quando era sveglio. Diciamo che questo viaggio era in preparazione per Argentina.

Returning to the Hospital - Tornando all' Ospedale

Lorenzo had a pretty stressful morning today... we went with him to Texas Children's Hospital to perform some diagnostic tests on his kidneys. I can't quite explain everything that took place but essentially they were testing fluid in his kidneys to see if he had reflux... they did this with a catheder in his penis - poor kid! He was pretty livid and he cried his head off... it was no fun. Fortunately, everything looked fine and maybe the kidney problem has disappeared. We'll head back in March for an ultrasound and maybe, just maybe, we can close the chapter on the kidney story. Let's hope.

Lorenzo ha avuto una mattina molto stressante... l'abbiamo accompagnato al Texas Children's Hospital (un ospedale per bambini) per controllare i suoi reni. Non posso spiegare tutto che hanno fatto ma hanno controllato il fluido nei reni mettendo un tubo nel pipino - poverino. Era abbastanza furioso e piangeva... caspita quanto piangeva. Per fortuna, sembra che tutto e' normale e forse i problema con i reni e scomparso. Torneremo in Marzo per un'altro ultrasuono e forse questa storia dei reni sara' finita. Speriamo bene.

Preparing Lorenzo
Preparando Lorenzo

Waiting for the doctor
Aspettando per il dottore

Finally, some peace and quiet
Finalmente, un po' di pace...

Lorenzo Turns 3 Months Old - Lorenzo Compie 3 Mesi

Lorenzo turned three months old on December 20th... it really is true that time flies (didn't I write that another time?). Three weeks ago, Lorenzo didn't do much other than sleep. Today he started batting away at a stuffed animal hanging from a baby gym. Each day brings a new discovery - who knows what will happen in the coming months.

Il 20 Dicembre, Lorenzo ha compiuto tre mesi... e' vero che il tempo vola (non 'lavevo scritto un'altra volta?). Tre mesi fa', Lorenzo non faceva altro che dormire. Oggi ha incominciato a sbattere un pupazzetto che pendeva da un gioco da bambini. Ogni giorno ci porta una nuova scoperta - chi sa' che fara' nei prossimi mesi.

Lorenzo Visits the Office
Lorenzo Cisita l'Ufficio

Our Angel Sleeps...
L'Angelo Dorme...

Growing Growing... Crescendo crescendo...

My goodness... guess who grew 2" in a month? This baby boy is growing and now weighs 14 lbs, 13 oz and is 25" long. Both measurements are over the 80th percentile. Who needs weights when you have a giant like Lorenzo?

On a totally unrelated note, we just tried a dream feed tonight since our pediatrician said it might help stretch his long sleep period into the morning. Anyone had any success? Last night, for example, he went 7 hours between feedings after his bedtime feeding and then 5 hours... not bad. Now, if we can only get that long stretch to coincide with our sleep.

Mamma mia... indovina chi ha cresciuto piu' di 5 cm in un mese. Questo bambino sta' crescendo e adesso pesa 6,75 kg ed e' lungo 63,5 cm. Tutte le misure sono piu di 80% degli altri bambini. Non e' necessario allenare con i pesi con questo gigante.

Lorenzo joined us at church for the first time
Lorenzo ci ha accompagnato a chiesa per la prima volta

Playing with aunt Vanessa and his cousin, Abbilyn
Giocando con zia Vanessa e la sua cugina, Abbilyn

Lorenzo and Piccina - how cute!
Lorenzo e Piccina - che carini!

Our little king in his throne
Il piccolo re' nel suo trono

Two months and many adventures Due mesi e tante avventure

Two months... it's true that time flies. This baby keeps growing and he surprises us each day. He's started to smile, to hold objects and he "talks"... and how he talks. These are various photos from this week... as you'll see, Lorenzo joins us at the gym and he's always cute.

Due mesi... e' vero che il tempo vola. Questo bambino continua a crescere e ci sorprende ogni giorno. Ha incominciato a sorridere, a stringere oggetti e "parla"... quanto parla. Queste sono varie foto da questa settimana... come vedrete, Lorenzo ci accompagna alla palestra ed e' sempre carino.

Eight weeks! 8 settimane!

Today Lorenzo went back to the pediatrician for his two month shots (you could say he was pretty mad... almost furious, particularly this afternoon). He continues to grow like a little weed - he weighs 12 pounds, 8 oz and is 23" long. Both over the 50th percentile although his weight is higher. Better that he eats. We're going to have to be careful with his head as he has a flat spot on the right hand-side... we'll have to use positioners in the daytime. He'll go back to the pediatrician in December to check his head and he'll also visit the urologist to check out his kidneys.

Oggi Lorenzo e' tornato dal pediatra per le sue immunizzazioni (era abbastanza arrabbiato... forse un po' furioso). Continua a crescere come una piccola erbaccia - pesa 5.67 chilogrammi ed e' lungo 58.4 cm. Dovremo stare piu' attenti con la sua testa perche la parte posteriore alla destra e' un po' piatta. Tornera' dal pediatra in Dicembre per controllare la testa e visitera' anche l'urologo per controllare i reni.

The First Diagnosis (and some fun pictures) La Prima Diagnosi (e delle foto divertenti)

Well then... the ultrasound found that one of his kidneys is still dilated and that there is some type of fluid blockage. For the moment, we don't really know much else but we'll have an appointment with a urologist to understand what that means. We'll also visit the pediatrician this Thursday and he'll explain everything... we get the feeling it's not very serious.

On a lighter note, here are some new pictures...

Allora... hanno scoperto con l'ultrasuono che un reno e' ancora un po' dilatato e' c'e' qualche tipo di blocco di fluido. Per il momento, no sappiamo altro ma avremo un appuntamento con un urologo per capire che vuol dire. Visiteremo anche il pediatra questo Giovedi' e' ci spiegera' tutto... non crediamo che e' grave.

Invece di parlare di reni, ecco delle nuove foto...

"Nope... it's Sunday morning. I'm not getting up!"
"No... e' Domenica mattina. Io non mi alzo!"

On the front yard
Nel giardino

A kiss for Lorenzo
Un bacio per Lorenzo

What a cutie!
Che bello!

Isn't it too early for Christmas?
Ma non e' troppo presto per Natale?

Lorenzo wanted a calamaro (yes, my head looks massive in this picture)
Lorenzo voleva un calamaro (si, la mia testa appare gigantesca in questa foto)

A little bit of everything... Un po' di tutto...

Yesterday afternoon we took Lorenzo to Texas Children's Hospital to get an ultrasound on his kidneys. You might recall that while Selena was pregnant, the doctors noticed his kidneys were dilated. He wasn't too thrilled with the whole process but, for the most part, the main reason he was upset was because he was hungry. This week we'll find out if he's doing better.

On a fun note, Lorenzo seems to be starting to smile... and it's not because of gas or because he's filling up his diaper. Each day he seems to "wake up" a little more... it's fun to watch him make his little developmental leaps.

Oh... and for our English-speaking readers, a few notes...

• Huggies are not good diapers. I'd say that they leak 50% of the time. Maybe the issue is user error but if anyone wants about 100 free size 1 Huggies diapers, just let us know. Oh yeah... and we have about 50 or so N size Pampers since our "little one" outgrew them.
• A few thoughts on baby clothing. Gymboree makes really good clothes... we like them although they do tend to be very "character-specific" (always have a cute penguin, donkey, crab, sheep, doggie, etc.). Their inventory turns over quickly and goes through sales so skip the clothing at regular retail price and go straight for the clearance racks. Carter's sells good quality basics, too, and their clothes often go on sale. Great place to find basic onesies, sleepers, etc., often at 50% off prices. Old Navy makes cute and reasonable priced stuff but it tends to run small whereas Gymborees tends to run large. Gap Baby, on the other hand, is a bit pricey (wait for stuff to go on sale) but it's good quality and soft clothing.
  

Ieri pomeriggio abbiamo portato Lorenzo da Texas Children's Hospital (un ospedale che specializza in bambini) per un ultrasuono sui reni. Come vi avevamo detto, quando Selena era incinta, i dottori avevano notato che i suoi reni erano dilatati. Lorenzo non gli piaceva il ultrasuono pero' direi che, piu' di tutto, era piu' arrabbiato perche aveva fame. Questa settimana scopriremo se i reni sono normali ho se sono ancora dilatati. Una bella novita'... sta' incominciado a sorridere... ed e' chiaro che non sta' sorridendo perche deve fare popo' o ha una puzzetta. Ogni giorno, Lorenzo si "sveglia" un pochino di piu'. E' divertente osservare i modi in cui sviluppa.

Nuove Fotografie

This wasn't full of news but we took a few pictures of Lorenzo, his nonna, cousins and friends...

Questa settimana non era piena di notizie ma abbiamo scattato parecchie foto di Lorenzo, nonna, i suoi cugini e amici...

A beautiful day - Una bella giornata

Enjoying some fresh air with Lorenzo

Godendo un po di aria fresca con Lorenzo

Who knew? Chi lo sapeva?

Each day there's a new revelation... we noticed that it's nearly impossible to watch a DVD without being interrupted by Lorenzo's screams. Fifteen minutes? Maybe... but we're always interrupted. The problem might be trying to watch them during the evening - maybe it would be easier during the day when Lorenzo is a little calmer (the hours between 5:00 and 11:00 are a bit crazy!?)

We also found out that we use a ton of products

• 38 oz cans of infant formula don't last
• We feel like we're using a dozen diapers and 30-40 Pampers wipes each day
• Soap... who would've expected it but, yes, we use gallons of soap to clean his bottles
• And to use the soap, we use special brushes to clean the bottles... after 1-2 weeks, they fall apart.
• Then there's detergent... we wash and wash his clothes.
  

But once we play with Lorenzo and see that he's enjoying himself everything... absolutely everything makes it worthwhile.

Ogni giorni c'e' una nuova rivelazione... abbiamo notato che e' quasi impossibile guardare un DVD senza essere interrotti dagli gridi di Lorenzo. Quindici minuti? Forse... ma siamo sempre interrotti. Il problemo puo' essere tentare di guardargli durante la sera - forse e' piu' facile durante il giorno quando Lorenzo e' un po' piu' calmo (le ore dalle 17:00 alle 23:00 sono un po' pazzesche!?).

Abbiamo anco scoperto che usiamo un sacco di prodotti...

• I barattoli di latte formulato (1.078 kg) non durano.
• Ci pare che stiamo usando una dozzina di pannolini e trenta o quaranta salviettine di Pampers ogni giorno.
• Sapone... chi lo aspettava ma, si, usiamo galloni di sapone pulendo tutti i biberon
• E per usare il sapone, usiamo delle spazzole particolari che dopo una o due settimane, cascano a pezzi
• Poi c'e' detersivo... laviamo e laviamo i suoi vestiti.
  

Pero' quando giochiamo con Lorenzo e si vede che si diverte, tutto... assolutamente tutto vale la pena.

One month! Un mese!

"Today is the 20th of October and I just turned one month old..."
Time Flies.

"Oggi e' il 20 Ottobre ed ho appena compiuto un mese..."
Tempus Fugit.

Here are the details - Ecco i dettagli

OK... so Lorenzo is 10 pounds, 2 ounces... that's in the 67th percentile. He's also 21.5 inches long (although the nurse first measured him at 22 inches - 68 percent - so I'm not sure which is really correct). Anyway, that's right at the 50th percentile. I found a web page that allows you register and then keep track of growth long-term. Not too heavy considering that the other day he drank 29.5 oz of formula.

Va bene... allora Lorenzo pesa 4.63 kg... piu' grande di 67 percento di altri bambini Americani. E' anche 54.6 centimetri (pero' la prima volta che la infermiera lo ha misurato era 55.9 cm - 68 percento - ... non siamo sicuri quale e' la misura corretta)... proprio a 50 percento. Ho anche trovato un sito dove uno puo' registrate tutti i dettagli ogni mese. Molto comodo. Non e' troppo pesanto considerando che l'altro giorno ha bevuto piu' di 870 ml di latte formulato.

You never know... Non si sa' mai

It's 9:30 and we're sitting in a dark bedroom... Selena is seated with Lorenzo as he sucks away on a bottle and I'm writing this entry. If we're lucky, Lorenzo will sleep until 1:30... four hours. Let's hope for the best. Each evening is different... sometimes, he cries after he eats and we don't have any time to taste a little bite of dinner. Other evenings he's calmer and it's possible for us to eat and relax. I have a feeling that tonight is going to be a bit difficult... Thank God tomorrow is Sunday! Tomorrow morning I'll go to church to say hello to our friends while Selena stays with Lorenzo. I think we'll change roles next week.

Sone le 21:30 e stiamo seduti in una camera da letto scura... Selena e' seduta con Lorenzo che succhia al suo biberon mentre io scrivo questa entrata. Se siamo fortunati, Lorenzo dormira' fino a 1:30... quattre ore. Speriamo bene. Ogni sera e' diversa... certe volte piange dopo che mangia e noi non abbiamo tempo di assaggiare piu' di un bocconcino di cena. Altre sere e' piu tranquillo ed e' possibile mangiare e rilassare. Mi pare che stanotte sara' un po' difficile... Grazie a Dio che domani e' Domenica. Domani mattina andro' a chiesa per salutare i nostri amici mentre Selena sta' con Lorenzo. Penso che prossima settimana lei andra' ed io staro' a casa.

Eating Comes Naturally - Mangia... Eccome Mangia!

We're finding out that this baby boy has the appetite of a little lion... while other children of the same age are supposed to drink 10-14 oz of formula each day, Lorenzo is drinking upwards of 20 oz. And when he's hungry the rafters shake and he wakes up the whole neighborhood. Maybe it's a good time to invest in Mead Johnson, the company that makes Enfamil.

Abbiamo scoperto che questo bambino ha l'appetito di un leone... mentre altri bambini della stessa eta' bevono circa 300 - 400 ml di latte formulato ogni giorno, Lorenzo beve quasi 600 ml. E' quando ha fame, la casa trema e sveglia tutto il quartiere. Forse e' tempo di investire in Mead Johnson, la impresa che vende il latte formulato Enfamil.

Learning as we go...

Last night was kind of a tough night for us and Lorenzo... one of those times when it's 3:00 AM and you look at your son and wonder, why is it that it's been 1 hour and 15 minutes and we can't get him to stop crying. Ugh!? Well, he's been sleeping since his 7:40 AM feeding (it's 10:15 right now) so we're getting a break.

Some of the surprising things we've discovered over the past 12 days...

1. Swaddling is amazing at calming down babies... so are the other Five Ss... if you haven't read it and you have a newborn on the way, pick up The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD. Well worth the money.
2. Babies tend to fart when they wake up... and when they really start crying. Speaking of crying...
3. Forget home security systems - all you need to protect the house is the sound of a hungry baby
4. And since we were just talking about farts, let's talk poop. I'm amazed how getting peed on and dealing with poop doesn't bother me. I thought it was going to be much worse. Maybe that will change when the diapers get smellier.
5. Bottles, bottles and more baby bottles. I'm amazed that you have to wash a thousand bottles and their thousand parts a thousand times a day.

I'm sure there will be more new revelations as this week goes on but that's what I've figured out so far...

Washing Lorenzo - Lavando Lorenzo

After four days at home, Lorenzo took his first bath. He wasn't too thrilled with the experienced but he survived.

Dopo quattro giorni, Lorenzo ha ricevuto il suo primo bagno. Non era molto contento ma ha sopravissuto.

More Fun Stuff / Altri Divertimenti

Today was a day of firsts for Lorenzo. First, he went to the pediatrician for the first time and tonight he'll get his first bath. He has a bit of jaundice and he broke his clavicle on the way out but the pediatrician said he will heal without a problem. He's already back up to 8 pounds and has a voracious appetite - after four days, he's already guzzling down up to 2 1/2 ounces every three hours. Last night he was so good that he only woke up once - at 3 in the morning? Thank God, we actually slept six hours. Oh, and the constant bottle washing makes me feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

Here are some photos from the day...

Oggi era un giorno di "prime esperienze" per Lorenzo. E' andato all'pediatra per la prima volta e stasera ricevera' il suo primo bagno. Lorenzo ha un po' di ittero ed ha rotto la sua clavicola quando e' nato ma il pediatra ha detto che guarira' senza problema. E' gia' ritornato a 3628 grammi ed ha un appetito abbastanza feroce - dopo quattro giorni gia' mangia 74 ml ogni tre ore. E' ieri sera era cosi' bravo che ci ha svegliato solo una volta - alle 3 di mattina. Grazie a Dio, abbiamo dormito 6 ore.

Ecco delle foto da questa giornata...

Lorenzo Comes Home / Lorenzo Arriva a Casa