Giant No More
On Friday Alexis finally had her three-year doctor's appointment, and I learned something I had suspected--she's no longer REALLY tall for her age. The kid was born tall and then stayed in or above the 95th percentile for height and weight right up until her 2nd birthday when she slipped a little ways, down to the 75th percentile. This year, however, she slipped even further. She is now in the 50th percentile.
For some bizarre reason that I can't even begin to explain, hearing that was like someone took away a bunch of my Good Mommy Gold Stars. Had I not fed her right? Should I have forced her to eat less salad and more potatoes? Should I have insisted she drink two cups of milk instead of just one? Would she be taller if I made her drink juice instead of water?
Stupid, I know. Ridiculous, even.
You don't have to tell me height can't be controlled. You don't have to tell me it doesn't matter ONE IOTA. I know. I also know I was one of the shortest kids in my class in 4th grade, but came back after summer break to be the tallest girl in 5th grade. Mr. Husband is 6' 2" and I am 5' 8", so odds are Alexis will be tall. And if she's not? WHO CARES?
Gah!
I need my head checked for even giving Alexis' height a moment of thought. It's ridiculous.
But.
It has dawned on me that since the kid STILL doesn't have much hair, and she's no longer a giant for her age, I should be able to get by with calling her "2 and under" a little bit longer.
That might just come in handy from time-to-time. *ahem*
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Reader Comments (26)
My WildChild was small for her age - and we passed for '2 and under' till she was almost 5. As long as you carry her into 'kennywood' it works. Oh yeah, it works.
At least they don't tell you she has an abnormally large head:O That's what they say about mine;P
@Tornado-Now THAT is what I'm talking about, yo. Too bad Mr. Husband is Mr. Follow the Rules Even When it Costs Lots of Money.
@Nap Warden--Um, yeah. Alexis is absolutely a bobblehead. Her head is GIANT. We don't even talk about it at doc appointments any more because it is what it is. Which is just like Mr. Husband's.
Peanut isn't even on the chart she's so short. Ok, she's got an excuse, but my other girls are in the 25th percentile. Even with a 6 foot dad they seem to be taking after 5'3" mom. That's the beauty of being a girl though. Short isn't that big a deal and you can wear as high of heals as you want or can walk on. That is if you like heals.
Make that Heels! Geesh. I really need to proofread better!
That is looking at the positive!
I don't care if she is tiny, she is a powerhouse and adorable and will still be the ruler of all that she surveys :-)
love it.
LOVE the 2 and under rule ;-)
At her one year old appointment, I was really excited that Cherry is actually ON the bell curve chart for the first time. She's been way off the top of it since she was 3 months old, but now she's in the 99th percentile for weight. To get her height on there he's gonna need a bigger chart, but dangit, her weight is finally on there!
I am not holding my breath about anybody believing she's under two for much longer and fear I may have to start carrying her birth certificate around with us.
No fears about the hair! I had absolutely no hair until I was 3. My hair now is sooo thick I have to get it "texturized" at least once a month. I always get people who ask if its my "real" hair and say I am "blessed". Little do they know, my parents FREAKED and actually let me walk around wearing my Ariel wig until I magically grew some hair the day I turned 3.
And you should definitely use the "2 and under" advantage while you can! Unless she is one of those kids who will blurt out "HEY MOM! IM THREE!" when you try to pass her off as a 2 yr old ;) I was one of those smart-butt kids.. My mom could have saved lots of money if it wasnt for me!
roo-girl has always looked younger than she really is.
we're experts at that.
Oh yes, definitely use this to your advantage!
And don't worry one bit. My kids have always only been in the 10- 15th percentile. We are a small people...
You call that not much hair?? Mthird child had such wispy thin blond locks her scalp was clearly visible until she was almost 4.
Do you remember her exact height at age two? At 2 they are half their adult height, so check your records and you'll know how tall she will end up. You probably have nothing at all to worry about. Her body has slowed a little while her brain forges ahead.
Passing for younger *definitely* has perks. Nothing wrong with that. I wonder if that's the Pittsburgh thing: super tall until three, then not tall again until middle school. Give the kid some time to know what it's like to be short before towering over everyone?
The boy (who is now on the small side) was in the 98th for ht and wt for 2 years. And I remember when he suddenly dropped to the other end of the charts and I also felt a weird sense of failure.
Totally hawt that you can sneak her in as "2 and under."
Dude - if she's short it's not so bad. Unlikely that she'll be short, but still not so bad. I mean - she's a chick. It's much worse when it's a dude who is short. Then they get complexes.
Just think - I'm short and look at how well I turned out! BWAHAHAHA!
It's sometimes funny to hear some parents pull out these percentile things and "whip 'em out" at each other. All of my nephews were just huge -- I think they were all born at 9-10+ lbs., which is funny since my sister is 5'2". Now, the oldest 2 are tall and thin (like their dad), and the youngest two are kinda short and stocky (the youngest being nicknamed "Casey Hampton").
Of course, since I just woke up, the only thing I could think of after I read this was a Robot Chicken skit called "Attack of the Giant Midget."
http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=d71c59aa1d1b3044c08010209006212a
I should really get caffeine first before I sit down at the computer .... :)
@Three-Isn't it funny? It's like people think having a kid that is in a certain percentile makes them a better parent. I guess some people are so competitive that they are willing to get all "yeah, well, my kid is bigger" even though it's the dumbest thing ever.
It's been the opposite for Nadia. She started out as a tiny little peanut, but then she realized I'M her mama so she stayed short but just kept gaining weight. At two, she was 80% for weight, 25% for height. but now? It's the opposite, she's tall and skinny! Don't know how that happened, but I don't think I can get away with "under 2" since most people seem to doubt that she's three!
She's bound to be a tall skinny lassie in white capris. And, she'll work it. Heck. Look at mine. He's got two short parents, but he's on target to be over 6 foot. Genetics are a wonder & a mystery.
I get you. Totally.
As a matter of fact, I shopped several doctors until I found a group that didn't care about percentiles and refused to compare children. It simply doesn't matter as long as they still grow.
As long as good health is in the conversation --you know?
Great job not hitting the doctor with that silly 50% nonsense. Jeez--maybe that doc is just jealous because Alexis is more beautiful and famous than his/her kid.
I am jealous with the 2 and under thing though-that does save TONS of cash!
Half the time I don't even know what percentile my kid is in because they hardly ever tell me. They mark it on the chart but unless I ask, they never make a big deal out of it.
@River - are you sure about that "half their height at 2" thing? If that's the case, my kid is going to be about 5.5 feet tall. I'm 5'8" and his dad is 6'0." Seems a bit unlikely for him to be that short. Some kids are just slow growers/late bloomers and we've got plenty of those in the family.
If it makes you feel any better, my kids are total shrimps. Nearly 4 and a half, and Tatum is barely 30 pounds, Chase tips at 32. Think it has anything to do with a Tic-Tac only diet? Nah.
I'm 5'1, my daughter is 5'2. I would of loved to have been taller in school. When my daughter had a recital for violin in the
2nd grade. All the other kids heads were just above the music stands. Poor Skye was hidden behind her stand (and it wouldn't go down any further either). I had to smile though because you could still see her feet and her foot was tapping away right along with the music. (Hugs)Indigo
Okay, just so you know, the "my kid is in the 95 percentile comment" was not me bragging! I punched in the current numbers in this crazy online quiz thing, and it actually said he will be 7 foot 2 by the time he is 18! I'm not bragging, I'm petrified!
And, again, being tall (especially for a girl) isn't so great. (says the 5'11" freak who can't find clothes)
I don't understand the true importance of those charts anyway. She's off the charts in cuteness and that's what matters ;-)
I am convinced those charts were made to make mom's feel guilty about their child's growth and worry needlessly about nothing. They also are great for allowing some moms to brag about how big their child is and just make said mom worry even more. I can't even count how many times I heard from other moms "she so TINY, when my child was that age she was HUGE." UGH.
My daughter is one of those 95th percentile kids and about to hit her 2nd birthday. My husband and I are the same height as you and your husband. Everyone expects her to act like a 3 year old because she's so big. And she's not. I'm already trying to protect her from everyone else's expectations. I'm keeping my mommy gold stars.