Baby Book Stats

Yesterday, Claire and I went to the pediatrician’s office for her Two Year Well Visit. Now, we’re on the “once a year” plan, unless other situations arise. I think we’re pretty fortunate to have made it to the two-year mark without any illnesses. (Knock on wood!)

What follows is an online version of the Baby Book Stats I’ve been keeping for Claire.

To be honest, I’ve never understood the percentages and what they really mean. What are 50-percent of the girls being compared to? Boys and Girls have different charts, and who determines those differences? What do you strive for? Average? Above average? Consistency is the key, or so we’ve been told.

All of this talk of “labels” reminds me of when Claire was born. She was labeled “LGA” which stands for “Large for Gestational Age.” Apparently, when a baby is over 8lbs at birth, and they are a few days before their original due date, they are “labeled” and subsequently “watched closely.” Claire was three days early and weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. I could hear some of the nurses tsk-tsk’ing about how ‘big’ she was. “We’ll really have to watch her sugars,” they said in dramatic tones.

(By the way, according to her tests, her sugar levels were fine…)

Maybe it was the hormone shift, or the overwhelming fact that I was now completely in charge of another person’s well-being, but I started to feel worried about her “status.” Then, my Lactation Consultant came into the room, and I told her that the nurses were worried about her ‘large size.’ She took one look at Claire’s chart and actually scoffed out loud. “LGA!? For this baby!? You’ve got to be kidding!” I saw her roll her eyes. “Honey,” she said as she looked directly at me, “Your baby is healthy, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with her sugars. To be honest, I love dealing with 8 lb. babies. Eight-pound babies are interested in eating. They love to eat and sleep. Eight-pound babies are easy to teach. I love 8 lb. babies.” It was then and there that I realized not to put too much stock into labels.

That being said, it is cool to look at Claire’s chart and see the steady growth and her consistency, and really…that’s all the matters. Of course, she has little growth spurts here and there, and that’s normal. It’s fun to look back over the last two years!

Here are all of Claire’s appointment updates!

*TWO YEAR APPOINTMENT*
Claire had her 24-month appointment with Dr. B today (Dec. 3, 2007). She got one booster shot. She’s all set on vaccinations until her 5-year appointment!

Here are her stats:
Weight: 30 lbs. (85th percentile)
Height: 34 inches (60th percentile)

Isn’t it funny how “length” is now “height”? They had her stand on a real scales for her weight and stand up against a wall chart for her height. Such a big girl! Gone are the days of trying to keep her from wiggling off of the table-mounted scales or trying to keep her steady while the nurse draws a mark on the paper at the top of her head and bottom of her feet!

*18 MONTH APPOINTMENT*
Claire had her 18-month appointment with Dr. B today (May 30, 2007). She weighs 26 lbs and is 32 1/4 inches tall. She’s in the 75-percentile for both categories. They gave her two vaccinations. Since her last appointment was just shy of 6-months ago, they are waiting on another booster until her 2-yr visit.

The doctor was amazed that she’s saying so many words and actually putting two words together (let alone little primitive sentences). He said 18 to 24 month olds usually say about 10 to 15 words…not 70!

Her next appointment will be for her 2 year check up!

*15 MONTH APPOINTMENT*
Claire had her 15-month appointment with Dr. B today (March 6, 2007). She got a vaccination in her arm. Luckily, it was an all-in-one shot.

Here are her stats:
Weight: 24 lbs. 2.5 oz. (70th percentile)
Length: 30.5 inches (50th percentile)

The doctor said she’s looking great!
Her next appointment is on May 30th for her 18 month check up!

*ONE YEAR APPOINTMENT*
Claire had her 12-month appointment with Dr. B today (Dec. 6, 2006). She got three shots (well, two shots and a combo shot).

Here are her stats:
Weight: 21 lbs. 10 oz. (60th percentile)
Length: 29 1/2 inches (55th percentile)
Head: 18 3/4 inches (>97th percentile)

Dr. B is very pleased with her stats and progress.

Her next appointment is on Feb. 28, 2007 [Edited: changed to March 6, 2007] for her 15 month check up!

*NINE MONTH APPOINTMENT*
Claire had her nine month appointment with Dr. B today (August 31, 2006). She didn’t have any shots today! She just had her iron tested, and the nurse poked her big toe. Claire didn’t even flinch! Amazing!! (She did, however, try to eat the Band-Aid.)

Her level was 12.3, which is just perfect. (They look for iron between 11 and 14).

Here are her stats:

Weight: 19 lbs. 6 oz. (75th percentile)
Length: 29 inches (90th percentile)
Head: 19 1/8 inches (>97th percentile)[NOTE: Per Dr. B, measurement has to be wrong. See ONE YEAR APPT. Stats.]

The doctor said she looks GREAT, and he’s very pleased with her stats.

Her next appointment is December 4, 2006, for her 1-year check up!! [Edited: Dr. B's office changed appointment to December 6, 2006.]

*SIX MONTH APPOINTMENT*
Claire had her six month appointment with Dr. B, today (June 1, 2006). She only got two shots today, so she was pretty happy about that.

Here are her stats:
Weight: 16 lbs. 2.5 oz. (55th percentile)
Length: 26 inches (70th percentile)
Head: 18 inches (97th percentile)

The doctor said it’s normal for her to even out on the weight and length stats. He said she’s looking great and right on target for everything!

Her next appointment will be on August 31, 2006, for her 9-month check up!

*FOUR MONTH APPOINTMENT*
Claire had her four month appointment with Dr. B today (April 5, 2006). She had a great appointment! She didn’t cry at all for Dr. B, and only cried a little bit when she got her shots! (She didn’t even PEEP for the first shot, cried for the other three and then stopped crying as soon as I picked her up.)

She even smiled and babbled to the nurses and receptionists on the way out of the office!

Here are her stats:
Weight: 14 lbs. 14 oz. (75th percentile)
Length: 25 inches (75th percentile)
Head: 17 1/4 inches (97th percentile)

The doctor said she’s looking great and right on target for everything!

Next appointment is June 1, 2006, for her six month check-up.

*TWO MONTH APPOINTMENT*
Claire is growing like a weed!

She had her two month appointment with Dr. B today (January 31, 2006). She must have liked this nurse much better, because she didn’t cry until she got her shots! Two in each leg; poor thing. She only cried for a little bit, and Momma didn’t cry at all (this time), so all’s well that ends well. We’ll see how Claire does the rest of the day…I picked up some Infant Tylenol just in case…

Here are her stats:
Weight: 12 lbs. 5 oz.! (90th percentile)
Length: 24 inches (75th percentile)
Head: 16 1/4 inches (90th percentile)

The doctor said she’s looking great!

Next appointment is April 5, 2006, for her four month check-up.

*ONE MONTH APPOINTMENT*
Claire had her one month appointment with Dr. B today (January 4, 2006). She’s 5-weeks old!

Here are her stats:
Weight: 10 lbs. 9 oz.! (90th percentile)
Length: 21 3/4 inches (75th percentile)
Head: 15 3/4 inches (97th percentile)

The doctor said she’s looking great!

Next appointment is January 31, 2006, for her two month check-up.

*ONE WEEK APPOINTMENT*
Claire had her first check-up on Wednesday, December 7, 2005. She didn’t cry once! Dr. B said she looks perfect, and here are her stats:

Weight: 8 lbs. 8 oz. (yea!! She was 8 lbs. 6 oz. at birth and 8 lbs 1 oz. when we left the hospital. He said it could take 2 weeks for babies to reach their birth weight again, so she’s a little overachiever.) = 75th percentile

Length: She is still 20 3/4 inches = 90th percentile

Head: 14 1/2 inches (was 13 3/4 inches at birth) = 90th percentile

So far, so good!