2 Months Old

Well, Sophia is almost three months and she is doing amazing!

Since the last time I wrote, Sophia has been weaned off the laxative and introduced to the stool softener. We started off giving her 1 tsp a day and she is now down to ¼ tsp a day. Starting tomorrow we are going to try a couple days without the softener to see how she does. She has not needed the Donnatil (pain medication) since the last time I wrote. Though, Mike and I keep it close by as we decrease the stool softeners. Hopefully when we go back to see the GI doctor he will give her a clean bill of health.

Having Sophia feeling better has been great for us. We have been able to do so much with her outside of the house. This month we really strived to get Sophia out among people and in different environments. She loved it!


Mike and I took her to the sandcastle competition on Revere Beach and she loved all the attention she got from a little old couple sitting next to us on a bench. She had smiles galore for them.



She took her first swim in the pool at her Nana Deb’s house. She loved being in the pool! We found that bouncing her up and down in the water makes her fall asleep. She didn’t even care that the water was on the cool side.



Sophia had a few playdates this month. Her friend Camden came over to play with her. He liked to pushed her in her swing and steal her blanket. Mihir came over to Nana Deb’s house and played with her by the pool. Shawn and Matty came over for a cookout. But the biggest playdate was yesterday at Molly, Conner, and Colleen’s house. She got to play with 5 of her friends all that the same time. Sophia loved watching all the action and having them pay so much attention to her.


Sophia is a great baby. She has begun to show her true personality. She loves to dance around her room to the Wiggles and Jimmy Buffet songs. She likes to sleep with her blankets tucked between her cheek and mattress. She has found her tongue and loves to stick it out, especially when she is happy. She has begun to coo when she is excited or happy. She loves to kick. Her feet never stop moving. She has begun to sleep through the night and we finally have her on the schedule for when I go back to work and she starts school. We put her to bed at 8:30pm, she eats at 11:00pm, and then is up at 4:00am to eat again. What more could we ask for?

This past month has been amazing. Mike and I are so happy that she is a part of our lives. Looking back over the past two months we can’t believe how much she has changed and overcome in such a small amount of time. Though I look forward to the months ahead, there is still a piece of me that would love to have that little 6.1 pound baby back in my arms even if it is just for an hour.

Second Opinion

Mike and I finished our doctor’s appointments for the week. We were at Mass General on Monday and Children’s today. The problem we are facing is that our philosophy on treatment for Sophia falls in between each hospital’s philosophies. We need to choose which one that we feel is best for Sophia at this point.

On Monday, Dr. Katz, took Sophia off the laxatives and put her on Maralax (a stool softener) to begin teaching her to have a bowl movement without the aid of a stimulant. If she doesn’t have a bowel movement for 3-4 days then further testing will be done at that point. He upped her Donnatil dose because of her weight gain and upped her Zantac for the reflux. I have not started her on the Maralax because I want to know the effects it may have on her long term. I am waiting to get more information on this medication before giving it to her. If after we get the information we decide to try it then we will start it on Saturday. We want day 3 and 4 of her being on it to be when the doctor is in the office not on a weekend. So, at this point all her medications are being kept the same. Leaving Mass General I felt better because we are beginning to take her off the medications, especially the laxative.

Today at Children’s it was very frustrating. When we got there and her file was not sent up to the GI floor like it was supposed to be. We were supposed to meet with the specialist and instead we got 2 medical students and a Nurse Practitioner. Not what we went in for! I thought for a second opinion I would see the specialist, not a student. After giving the students the “run down” on Sophia, they left to consult with the nurse and the three of them came back with the following “opinion:” Remove her from all her medications…cold turkey. They want a baseline of her bowl movements. If she is in pain, let her cry and have her “fits.” If she doesn’t have a bowel movement in four days then call them and they will get us an appointment within 2 weeks. I asked what I was supposed to do with her from day 4 until they get us an appointment and she never gave me an answer. If she cries or has a “fit” then bring her to her pediatrician and have her checked out in case it is just her “temperament or colic.” Then they can refer her out to Children’s “this time” and they will begin doing testing on her starting with a colon biopsy. I brought up the point to them that my pediatrician has seen her “fits” and that is why she is being referred out of their office for treatment, the nurse didn’t want to hear it. So, I held my tongue, said thank you, and left. Mike was very proud of me!

After a long discussion, Mike and I agree that Sophia needs to start coming off her medications. We have been discussing this course of action for awhile. Mass General seems to be taking these steps, as of the appointment Monday, and are doing it in gradual steps so Sophia is comfortable.

Our decision is to continue her treatment with Mass General, but also take the recommendations of Children’s and begin taking her off the medications. So, we will begin dropping her Donnatil dosage every 5 days by .05 stopping when we get to a point that she begins to be in pain. If we are happy with the information we receive about the Miralax then we will stop the laxatives and begin the Miralax on Saturday. We will continue with the Zantac because it is working for the reflux. We see Dr. Katz in three weeks. Hopefully to give him a promising report.

Doctors Appointment

Sophia had her 2 month check-up and shots yesterday. She is doing great. The doctor was impressed on how fast she caught up. She is in the 55th percentile for weight and 63rd percentile for height. He was also impressed on her motor ability and her ability to hold her head up like she can. We used her Bumbo seat for the first time Monday night and she LOVED it!

She did very well with her shots. She cried for a minute but as soon as I picked her up she stopped and went to sleep. She slept most of yesterday and had a temp of 102 degrees. It broke by 9:00pm. She had a hard time sleeping last night but I think that was because she slept the entire day. Today she is back on schedule.

Next week we go to Mass General on Monday and for our second opinion at Children’s on Wednesday. Sophia has been doing awesome! I feel that the medication for the reflux is working. I am giving her the Donnatil 1 time a day in the morning and that is working. She is still one the laxatives and that is concerning to me. So we are keeping our appointment with Children’s on Wednesday in hopes they can explain why she can’t have a BM off them. I will let you know how it goes next week. Until then, have a great week!

Sophia's Christening

Sophia’s Christening was Sunday. Mike and I could not have asked for a more beautiful day. It was a little overcast which made it perfect weather for a cookout. We had our families and very close friends there to witness day.

My sister Adrienne is her godmother and Mike’s close friend Tim is her godfather. Sophia was one of three baby girls christened that day.



She wore my Christening dress that is a family heirloom. The dress is over 50 years old and has also been worn by my mother, aunt, uncle, and great cousins. Around her neck she wore her cross that Mike and I bought her for this special day. We had it blessed after the ceremony.


Her bonnet was from Mike’s mom. It is a handkerchief that was made into a bonnet. So with a few snips if the ribbon it will be made back into a handkerchief and will be her something old on her wedding day.


One of Papa Ferrara's friends sent a bottle of Sophia Rose wine to toast Sophia before the ceremony. Her godfather Tim brough her Sophia roses for her special day.


During the ceremony Sophia was so good. She slept through most of the baptism and was very well behaved during the pictures. That’s my girl!



Dave Scott, our friend and an amazing photographer, took pictures of the day. Once we get the pictures from him, I will post them on this sites photo area. I can’t wait to see them!

Happy Fourth of July

This truly is a, "Happy Fourth of July!"

Sophia has been doing great! We are going on day 5 of her being comfortable and decided that today would be a great day to try her out on a day long adventure.

The Fourth of July is Papa Ferrara's favorite holiday. The first stop on our day long family adventure was to Nana and Papa Ferrara’s house, so that Sophia could do some celebrating with them. We sat outside, Sophia's favorite place to be, and she got to cuddle with Nana and Papa. She had tons of smiles for both!

After our visit, we went to Piers Park in East Boston to watch the Constitution sail by and spent sometime in the park just relaxing. Sophia didn't seem like she wanted to go home.....she liked all the attention from the little old ladies.

She slept the whole ride home and for 5 hours after we got home when we took a well-needed family nap. She even slept so that Mike and I could BBQ without baby bottles between each bite. She woke up just time for her to relax from her busy day in her lavender bath.

It was a great day and the first year of our Fourth of July family tradition of watching the Constitution sail. I hope everyone had a great day like we did.

Happy Fourth of July!