My baby - she's thriving!

And she's thriving a little too much. Ha! ;o)

Today was Mercedes' Endocrin. appointment. According to their scales (keep in mind too the hospital weighs in kilograms not pounds) - she is now TWENTY lbs. & almost 27" long. The dr. was amazed at how much she has grown since her last appointment 2 months ago. I was quite intrigued myself. So when I got home, I did some looking. Thankfully I keep good records & have all her stats logged. Yay for me. :)

On 4-2-08 - at her last Endocrin. appointment, she weighed 13 lbs. 2 oz. Almost 23" long. (Different office though meaning different scales)

On 5-9-08 - her 4 month well visit, she weighed 16 lbs. & was 24 3/4".

On 5-21-08 - the GI appointment, she weighed 16.5 lbs & was 66 cm (whatever that is - I didn't calculate).

On 6-10-08 - today - she weighed the above - 20 lbs. & almost 27".

On every visit listed above, the scales are different. So naturally, the weight won't be 'exact' unless the same scale is used every single time & I would go so far as to say by the same nurse even, since everyone weighs differently.

But 4 lbs. since her 4 month checkup a month ago? Sounds pretty impossible to me. And now after viewing the rest of her stats, which are pretty consistent, it's seems even more impossible. At this rate I'll have a 48 lb. one year old. LOL :)

I called Cook Children's & discussed all of this. I called 2 different locations (we actually have now been seen by the same dr. at 2 different locations) because to me, this is a big deal. I don't expect the weights to be perfect; however, I don't expect them to be off an extreme amount. I think this is detrimental information regarding a child's weight gain & health. If the 4 lb. weight gain is accurate, then we have a problem! That is why I called to verify. I thought there could be a possibility the nurse miscalculated the kilograms. Or I'm hoping she did. :)

The kilograms today were 9.1. Evidently you multiply that number times 2 & there you have the weight in pounds. So...I come up with 18.20 lbs. That's a 2 lb. difference! Much better than 20 lbs.! Obviously the nurse just rounded up. Not good. And to be honest w/ you I'm not real pleased w/ the 9.1 weight, because Mercedes was in the process of rolling over & had her diaper on (which she usually does not) so a.) she wasn't undressed completely & b.) she wasn't lying flat. See what living with OCD is like? Heehee.

Anyway the dr. wanted me to return (now) to reweigh Mercedes which ain't gonna happen. Not with three other children. I already had to drag them to LabCorp to have Mercedes' bloodwork done (don't ask) after the Endocrin. visit & I'm not going to take them to any more appointments. It's too difficult for them. So tomorrow a.m. hubby will stay home briefly & I'll run Mercedes down to my pediatrician & have them weigh & measure her. And just to note - I remeasured her length too & I came up with 1/2 shorter than they did. I'll have that rechecked tomorrow a.m. as well even though my pediatrician's office ain't real swift at measuring. They're too careless but I just let it go. :)

Here's my theory that almost all weights/heights/percentages are not accurate - unless you get a person with OCD (someone who really takes the time & strives to produce the absolute most accurate numbers) & that would be a good thing...

One example:

Audi @ 4 months - 16 lbs. 4 oz. - 50 - 75%

Mercedes @ 4 months - 16 lbs. 0 oz. - 90 - 95%

Now, how can Audi be in a lower percentage bracket weighing more than Mercedes did? Hmm. That's how I know you have to take these percentages w/ a grain of salt. :) Same dr., btw. Whose is correct? Audi's or Mercedes'? Dunno.

And there you have it. Being I have OCD - I must have everything 'perfect' (as perfect as can be). 'It' must make sense (whatever 'it' may be at the time). I must have explainations as to who, what, where, when & why. See what my life is like having this disease? Very stressful. :)

Now for some cute photos. Mercedes turned 5 months old four days ago. :)

She's goofy. She's silly. She's funny. Her personality is out of this world. She plays peek-a-boo w/ me now & she slams her head down on my shoulder like she's hiding from me. Then she'll pop up w/ her huge, open mouth smiled. I love her. I adore her. She is so happy, happy, happy all the time. She fusses when she's hungry or tired. That's it. Occasionally she'll have a fussy day, but those are few & far between. Like maybe once a month. We rescued her. But I think that is two-fold because in a way, she rescued us too. Without realizing it, we needed her as much as she needed us. Our life could not be more complete. :)