Wednesday 18 August 2010

So Big!

It's been one year since Tommy's first Doctor appointment here in the US, and thus one year since I have had measurements for the little guy. I won't say accurate measurements, because the nurses have given me some bizarre numbers over the last year (one was over two inches off), and, if I recall Tommy was actually slightly shorter than what they wrote down for his first measurement.

So, one year ago Tommy was 30 inches (I swear it was only 29.5). Today he is 35 inches.

He used to weigh 22 pounds, and now he weighs 29 pounds. He has actually lost a little weight recently because he spends so much time running these days.

When he first came home he wore a 3-4 shoe, and now he is starting to outgrow his 7s and have to wear 8s.

Thus, in the course of a year he has grown 5.5 inches, 7 pounds, and 4 shoe sizes. According to the internet-the most reliable source of information ever- growth slows dramatically after a child turns one and will generally be at the rate of 2.5 inches a year, and most toddlers only gain 3 to 5 pounds in a year. Tommy has likely grown faster than that because of catch-up growth- this is something that often happens with kids who have been stunted by undernourishment after their bodies get the nutrients they need to grow (it will be impossible for him to regain all of the height he would have had had he always had enough food/no parasites, but his body will do the best it can).

Tommy is now in the 47th percentile for weight and the 31st for height. When we first came home Tommy was in the 15th percentile for weight and the 10th for height. He is still very small, but he is less small than he used to be!

The one nice thing about Tommy being small is that he still fits most of his 24 month rompers- I am a HUGE fan of the romper because they are so easy to carry around and I don't have to worry about matching his outfits when he wears them. Sadly, I have yet to see a romper in 2 or 3T...and I know that Tommy will probably be moving into 2T soon. After all, he is a growing boy.


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