Six Months

Miss Charlotte celebrated her six month birthday this weekend, and to make it official, we took her to the pediatrician for the first time today. Nothing like three shots in the leg to get a party started, right? (That's right, folks. We vaccinate. We vaccinate anything that moves. Consider yourself warned.)

Her official six month stats are:

WEIGHT:
11 pounds 1 ounce
Which means:
Official CDC Growth Chart: Less than the 5th percentile (go figure)
Premature Infant Growth Chart: 25th Percentile (woohoo!)
8.9 times her birth weight of 560 grams.

HEIGHT:
21.0 inches
Which means:
Official CDC Growth Chart: Less than the 5th percentile (surprise, surprise)
Premature Infant Growth Chart: Less than the 5th percentile (The NICU docs did say basketball was probably not in her future...)
1.75 times her birth length of 11.75 inches.

Her pediatrician has discussed Miss Charlotte with some of the doctors from the NICU and it looks like the general consensus is that CA is headed towards a gtube. PEG tubes can be placed in a semi-outpatient setting (she will have to be monitored and observed for a bit, but no lengthy hospital stay) and they are not permanent (meaning it can be removed surgically at a later date).

So we'll have a consult with the doctor down at CHOP in the next few weeks or so and go from there.

Otherwise, Charlotte Amalie is doing remarkably well. Everyone in the medical field who meets her for the first time is always commenting on how great she looks and how when they heard she was a 24 weeker, they had expected her to be so much sicker. It's great to hear how well she is doing, despite her feeding and breathing problems.

It helps to have a reality check-- sure, she might have some problems, but she's HERE! She's growing well and making progress. I love days like that.

Someday, I'll actually upload a recent picture of her. But I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.