Fun-Sized

 When Zuri was younger, we went through the gamut of tests with her.  It got to the point where we would take her into the doctor's office and she would stick out her arm because she knew what was coming.  Everything came back normal.  Normal, normal, normal.  The doctor said that she is a "perfectly healthy two year old in a nine month old body."  Well, why is she so small then?  There was one oddity: her growth hormone levels were low.  Not alarmingly low, but low nonetheless.  There was talk of steroid shots for increasing her growth.  I didn't feel comfortable going that route at that time, but she is now six years old and the size of a four year old.  It doesn't feel like she is catching up at all.  If we were to do the growth hormone treatments, we need to do them before she is eight, so we called up the doctors and got the round of tests going again.

After speaking with Zuri and me for a few minutes to get reacquainted, the doctor turned to me and said, "she is smart.  Really smart.  Is her IQ 140?"  She said it in such a way that it wasn't really a question.  Never having had Zuri's IQ tested, I didn't quite know how to answer her.  I have always known Zuri is smart (even as a baby she would problem solve to get what she wanted).

We then talked about the results of the latest round of tests.  We went over the tests taken when she was younger and when we got to the FISH test (genetic test), the doctor asked what they had been looking for.  I told her about the worry of Williams Syndrome and a few of the other syndromes.  She was really surprised at the mention of Williams Syndrome because it effects the mental as well as the physical.  I told her about how we participated in early intervention because of her eating and how they tried to pin an autistic diagnosis on Zuri partly because of delayed speech.  The doctor said that when she saw Zuri four years ago, she could tell that she wasn't autistic then, and she definitely isn't now.

As we went over the current labs, she showed me the results and compared them to the previous ones done.  Thyroid, liver, protein, iron, etc all normal.  No gluten or lactose problems.  Her energy is good (anyone who has spent five minutes with Zuri knows that she rarely stops).  Her last major sickness was an ear infection almost a year ago, so her immune system is functioning properly.  No leukemia or autoimmune disease.  Nutrition levels--good; she is "nutritionally sufficient."  They were good before and they are good now.  Growth hormone levels....within the normal range.  Really?  Wow--awesome!  So....what does that mean because she is still so small? 

 The doctor said that Zuri is "fun-sized."  Right now she is a "six-year old equivalent of being a 4'11" adult."  Fun-sized.  She noted that I treat Zuri like a six-year old, but I need to make sure others treat her like a six-year old as well.  Most adults will, simply because Zuri speaks like she is older.  However, I have observed other kids picking her up and treating her as if she is younger, although the older she gets, the less she tolerates it.  Kids just adore Zuri.  She has a ton of friends.  Whenever we go anywhere with kids who know her, all I hear is "Zuri!  Zuri's here!"  It warms my heart.

The doctor must have seen the disappointment in my face when she said that Zuri is the six-year old equivalent to a 4'11" adult (I'm not expecting her to be tall, but I was hoping she would at least hit five feet), because she said not to worry, that Zuri will grow later.  The doctor said that her body is compensating, and that her growth hormone levels have doubled in the the last four years.  She said that she expects Zuri will be taller than 4'11".

In regards to her eating, we talked about the difficulties we still have in getting her to eat.  The doctor said that even though she is thin, she is not too thin, and because her nutrition and energy are good, that we shouldn't push her too hard with food.  Don't make food the enemy, is what she was saying.

Assessment: FINE - She will grow - later

I have to admit, I started crying at that point.  All the anxiety and fear that something wasn't right, or that I was doing something wrong just melted away.  Well meaning, but misguided people who jokingly (and not so jokingly) "suggested" that we get a feeding tube for Zuri had planted seeds of doubt that I couldn't shake, especially on days when Zuri would eat less.  To have the doctor tell me to just continue what we have been doing, that Zuri is just fine, was a release.

Not too long ago, when I was talking about my worry for Zuri, my sister asked me a question that stuck with me, "when are you just going to accept that Zuri is small?"

I think I can now, besides, she's not small, she's fun-sized.  ;-)