Today was Brett's 9 month checkup. 9 months, really? Yes, really! Things started off great. Brett was measure and weighed and Cody and I were very excited to see that Brett is finally starting to catch up with his peers.
You see, children with Down syndrome are often smaller than their counterparts. Even though Brett's length was in the 75% when he was born, he quickly began to lose steam. At his 6 month checkup, Brett was <3% for height, weight and head circumference. For this very reason, Brett and all his buddies get their very own growth chart. On the modified chart Brett ranked 32%, 56% and 53%, respectively. The strangest part of this is people constantly baulk at how big Brett is.
Today, Brett's stats changed significantly. When plotted on the Down syndrome chart, Brett ranked the following: 69% for length, 75% for weight, and 55% for head circumference. However, that's not the big news. Brett's measurements actually made it onto the standard growth chart. His length fell into the 20% and his weight at 19%. His head was still in the <3%, but I'm sure it will eventually catch up.
Once we were back in the room, Brett was poked and the nurse checked the iron levels in his blood. There were a few frowns, but no tears. Once the nurse left, Cody and Brett examined the needle stick
Brett quickly decided that the needle stick and blood rushing from his finger weren't so bad. I'm sure he will be showing his wound to his friend Skyler Thursday in class. Chicks dig blood, right!?
The appointment flew by and it didn't take long for the nurse to come back in. This time she came with a needle. We didn't anticipate Brett getting any shots this visit, but we were wrong. This needle stick brought with it the poutty lip and tears.
After a few hugs from dad and kisses from mom, Brett was all smiles again. Until...
we placed him back on the table to finish getting dressed. The memories and tears quickly came flooding back!
