So things here have been pretty busy. With Marcus working long hours and both of our long commutes it seems like time just slips away. Brie has been keeping us all on our toes. She is still refusing her bottles and only eats well when she is sleepy. It is very frustrating to feed her. We even took her to the GI doctor for a medication change. She has been on Prevacid for almost 2 weeks with no change. The doctor doesn't think it is a problem because she is still gaining weight, but I don't think they realize how difficult it is to get 3 oz in her at a time. She is up to 11 lbs 7.5 oz. so at least she is steadily gaining. We are now adding extra calories to her breast milk to make up for the small amount she is taking. Developmentally she is doing well. A few weeks ago, Brie started rolling from her back to her belly. She now loves to roll over. Also she is starting to take an interest in toys. Of course her hands are her favorite toy. Hopefully the feeding issues will resolve soon and we will all be a little less stressed.

Gabrielle weighs 10 lb 8 oz tonight; she weighed 10 lb 6 oz on Aug 10, when she turned 5 mo old. On Aug 9 her head circumference measured 15 1/2 in. (It was 14 7/8 in on July 9.) On Aug 9 she was 21 3/4 in in length. (19 3/4in on July 9.) Lately she's been talking much more. She makes lots of new noises, and we regularly hold conversations. Recently we've been concerned that she doesn't eat as much as a baby of her weight is supposed to eat. We think the acid reflux is the main problem. Thankfully, she's been eating better yesterday and today after a significant increase in her Zantac dosage and the addition of rice cereal to her milk. Feeding her is still a challenge, however. She usually eats only when she's sleepy enough to quit fussing about it. Last week there was one occasion on which she lost an ounce between bathes--undoubtedly from dehydration. Before our modifications, she regularly took 18-20 oz daily, with a low of 15 oz. We're pleased that she ate over 22 oz both yesterday and today. On another note, her naval hernia is much smaller now, no longer containing bowel.