When it comes to answering the question of how Peanut is doing, there’s a bunch of different factors the DW and I take into account. Her blood work, mental and physical development, diaper “output”, and appetite are just a few of the things we track. The most telling, and easiest to understand, though, would be Peanut’s weight, or growth chart. Everyone who’s taken a child for a routine check-up has seen the standard growth chart and likely heard something along the lines of “your child is in the 60th percentile for weight.” Well, we (more specifically, Peanut’s doctors) have been tracking Peanut’s weight and trending it compared to the national standard since the day she was born and each time she’s weighed at the UIHC a new “X” goes on the chart. Peanut has managed to gather quite a few “X’s” at this point.

peanutgrowthchart

The chart is fairly straight forward. The numbers across the bottom from left to right are for age in months. The numbers running up the right hand side are for weight in pounds. If you’re more of a kilogram kinda person, they are along the left hand side of the chart. For reference the 3rd, 15th, and 50th percentile are marked on the chart. The areas in red with a corresponding number were added by me. Here’s what they are from:

Spot 1: Peanut was born well below the 3rd percentile. The sudden jump in weight was do the the large amount of fluid she had retained while she was sedated and paralyzed. The weight gain was brief. Once Peanut was off the sedation and started moving, she quickly shed all the extra fluid weight.

Spot 2: Peanut’s gain was starting to slow. This is the point we started adding solids to her diet. Most notably, this is about the time Peanut’s bottles were replaced with the “green bean shake.” Peanut jumped from below the 3rd percentile to sitting nicely on the 15th percentile with this change in diet.

Spot 3: This area shows just how much Peanut struggled with the bacterial overgrowth in the portion of her intestines that would ultimately be removed during her reconnection surgery last October.

Spot 4: Peanut’s weight at her last appointment on Thursday – her first check-up since truly getting her appetite back post surgery. She’s now 20lbs 8oz! Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

And if gaining weight wasn’t heard enough on its own, Peanut’s burning even more calories now that she’s dancing. Just check out her reaction to one of Lulu’s birthday cards…