Saturday, April 10, 2010

9 months old

Charly is 9 months old. Her personality is certainly growing, but her little body just can't seem to. Don't let those chubby cheeks fool you. We had a rough few days after her last check up. She dropped off the growth curve weighing in at only 14 1/2 lbs. That is what she weighed at 4 months old, then in the 75th percentile, now below the 10th.
After running blood tests, I was told over the phone that she was low in many areas that basically showed that she was malnourished and I needed to bring her in for another weight check and to review the blood test results. I was an emotional mess. Nervous for that next weigh in. If she had lost weight over the weekend, then I was told we would need to admit her to the hospital for more tests. Luckily my prayers were answered and she weighed in at 15 lbs. She hadn't gained any weight in 5 months, now in 5 days she gained 8 oz. I don't think she will stick with that rate, but at least she gained something.

My other 2 girls were with me for the 1st appointment. Lucy needed a physical for school (she starts speech therapy this week). The nurse commented on how it was nice to see my other kids, because obviously I didn't just have small kids. Lucy is in the 90th percentile for height and weight.

My original appt was with the nurse practitioner and now we were working with one of the doctors that reviewed Charly's file. She said that seeing Charly in person made her feel much less concerned for this baby. She looks healthy, but still tiny, and was smiley and playful during her follow-up appointment. We are continuing to monitor her weight and will go in again in 2 weeks. We also are planning on seeing a pediatric GI doctor next month. She is also still very constipated. She eats and nurses well and only poops every 3-4 days. I'm not sure where all that food is going?On to the other things...
  • Charly has a crazy talented tongue. It's long and she can twist and turn it into crazy positions. It's often hanging out too.
  • She'll give you a kiss if you ask. She'll lean in open mouth and slobber all over you.
  • She does not give her smiles freely to strangers. People at stores or even at church will try to get to her smile and she usually just gives them a blank stare. I feel like I need to apologize because some people try really hard to get her to smile and she just won't crack.
  • she's trying to crawl, but I'm just fine with her staying put for as long as possible. She can scoot herself in circles.
  • always interested in what her sisters are doing.
  • a momma's girl to the point of some frustration. I keep telling Chuck he's the one that has to help her get over that. She recently has starting getting really excited when Chuck comes home from work. It's cute to watch her trying to get his attention.
  • Chuck wants to try out Charlie instead of Charly. I'm not sure about it. I like the Y, it seems more feminine.
Check out pictures of my other girls at 9 months old here.

weight: 14lbs 8 oz - below 10th percentile
height: 26 inches - 10 percentile
head: 17 1/4 inches

6 comments:

  1. I had no idea! We will keep her in our prayers. Glad to hear she is gaining though. She is looking so much like Leland nowadays!

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  2. My children have all been very tiny, except Miri. Obviously the twins were small- most are- but Luke and Abby were usually in the 5th percentile or less for the first 2 years. And don't all babies go through stages where they don't poop for days? I know mine do. It always baffles me, but its happened with all of them. Just to give you some encouragement....

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  3. I'm glad your prayers were answered. Scary stuff! Hopefully things will just keep improving!

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  4. I can so relate to this. Jonah started out in the 5th percentile and is off the chart small. They keep reminding me that to drop from the 5th to the 0th percentile isn't that big of a drop, but boy do we wish he would put some energy into growing something other than tons of hair! So much less stressful to have BIG babies (i.e. Matthew), I've decided! Glad she is growing a bit! She's cute as a button.

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  5. I like Charlie...ie...but then my name it Mitzi! Is there a reason for the switch?

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  6. She looks SO much like Leland did when she was a baby! I can't believe how much those pictures look alike! Sorry if I never post on your posts... I think you back date your posts, and so when I check my blog, it tells me who has posted recently, and it counts yours as later than it really is. I know that's confusing. Anyways, we are glad she is not in the hospital and will keep her in our prayers!

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