growth charts

Mikey had his well baby check up, and now Mike is checking a million different growth charts. Mikey is 50th percentile in weight and 12th in height. He was the shortest one when he was born -- 19 inches, and now his Dad is convinced he is going to stay short!

From my understanding, growth charts are used to check that a child is developing proportionately and generally growing in the same pattern. Right?
But it is fun and hard not to compare them when you have four that are so different!

The growth charts we grew up with were based on data from 1977 and were updated in 2000. Apparently, there are even more charts for specific race/ethnic group categories, but I think that is confusing -- I have also come across discussions about the need for having two separate growth charts, one for breastfed babies and one for formula fed babies.
I have no idea which ones where used in our doctor's office 10 years ago or even yesterday, but here is what I remember about my own kids:

Paige was always in the 10th-15th percentile for height and weight.
DJ was always 90th-95th with his head off the charts.
Kelly was 95th in both when she was born, but moved to the 70th in height.
Mikey has been 25th for height and 75th for weight up until this last appointment.

Paige was 7.14 lbs when she was born and 20 inches.
DJ was 6.8 lbs and 20 inches.
Kelly was 9.14 1/2 lbs and 22 inches.
Mikey was 9 lbs and 19 inches.

Paige didn't hit 20 lbs until she was 17 months old (and yes I kept her in an infant seat until then)
DJ was 20 lbs at 6 months old -- he had tripled his birth weight! At 18 months he was 34 lbs and 35 inches tall. (and made me herniate a disc in my back)
Kelly was 23 lbs at a year.
Mikey was 24 lbs.

Paige was exclusively breastfeed. I tried forever to get her to take a bottle... she finally took one when she was 10 months old -- with cow's milk, she never had formula. The recommendations on when to start them on whole milk was 10 months then. I should  never have given her a bottle and just let her have a cup. She nursed until she was 20 months old, but I had a hard time getting the bottle away from her. She would take DJ's from him and hide under the dinning room table to drink them...
DJ seemed really hungry, so at maybe 3 months old I started giving him formula in addition to nursing him. By 10 months old he wasn't interested in nursing. It was around Thanksgiving, so I tell everyone he would say to me, "Thanks for the beverage. May I please have a turkey sandwich?"
Kelly. Kelly was a hungry baby! She would nurse on both sides and then finish off a 6oz bottle when she was 6 weeks old. She did this until she was about 9 - 10 months old and went to formula only for 2 months until she started on whole milk.
Mikey had a couple of bottles with formula when he was smaller -- in the car when we couldn't stop. One day, he just refused to do it anymore. He never liked the pacifier either. He doesn't seem interested in giving up breastfeeding any time soon, and I guess we will just see how it goes over the next few months.
All 4 of them started solids at four months old.

If you can find me a growth chart that will factor in all that, I'd be grateful! I could show it to my husband who is now worried that his other boy won't be playing football.
(DJ can't play because of his ear)

We were also playing around with the height predictors. They calculate the kids size and both parents to see how tall they will be at 18.
Paige's pediatrician told her at her last appointment not to expect to be as tall as me (5'1 3/4") The height predictor says she should be 5'.
All the rest -- 5' 6"!

well baby

I love well baby visits! I am not so thrilled with the shot part, but, oh -- how I love to tell the pediatric staff how awesome my kids are ~ No, really, I love to see how big they are and have people who know what they are talking about reassure me that they are fine.
(and tell me how awesome they are)

Well, Miss Kell had her 5 year old check up, which included all the paperwork for Kindergarten. Very exciting!
My little Sasquatch is 44 inches tall and 50 lbs.

I so love having both my girls be the extreme opposite of each other. Kelly is almost always the tallest of her peers, where Paige was/is always the smallest! At 5 years old, Paige was still wearing a size 4 -- I am now buying Kelly a size 7! (well, really pulling out Paige's old size 7's from the back garage)

Kelly's vision came back 20/50 and now we have to take her to the pediatric opthamologist. 
Okay.
I didn't get glasses until 5th grade. Same with DJ. Kelly's uncle Bob got his when he was 6 years old.
If she needs glasses, she needs glasses... better to get them before she starts Kindergarten.
The funny thing is, Paige used to beg for glasses!

At the same visit, Mikey had his 18 month check up. Going to see the doctor is not his favorite thing to do, but he cries only if you try to lay him down on the table.
Mama's Boy is 31 inches and 26 lbs and his Dad thinks he is too short...
{sigh}

Mikey has always had a loud fluttering sound in his heart. Kelly had it too, but outgrew it. Yesterday the pediatrician said that now Mikey's is a little louder than she "likes to hear", so he is going to have a pediatric cardiologist check it out.
First available appointment is in three weeks.
(do they do this on purpose to see how much stress a mother can take?)

I did forget to ask if it was unusual that Mikey could do the wooden shape puzzles. I don't remember any of the other ones doing it at a year and a half, but I could be wrong --

Oh, and yes I do still like taking Paige and DJ to their well baby visits, but they make me call it a well child visit!