Grams, Ounces, Pounds

Ok, so I will admit it - Bennett's growth has been somewhat of an obsession of mine. It started when he was in the NICU and I would anxiously await the daily verdict of how many grams he gained (or lost). I tracked his journey through the NICU to our home in grams - each one hard fought for and well-earned.

When your baby is born so small, grams mean more than pounds. When Bennett was born, he weighed 1417 grams. 3 lbs, 2.4 oz. 14.5 inches long. He lost a lot of weight the first few days after he was born. Some of it was water weight since the doctors infused 3 bags of IV fluid into me while I awaited my c-section. And some of it was caused by the fact that he didn't actually start getting any food until he was a week old and was entirely dependent on TPN - nutrition through a PICC line. His lowest weight was 1219 grams - 2 lbs, 11 oz.

So yeah, we obsessed over each one of those precious grams, because each and every one of them mattered so much.

When Bennett came home from the NICU at nine weeks old, he was 6 lbs, 2 oz. Almost twice his birth weight!
But our worry and concern over his weight gain didn't stop. Nope. Bennett has always been incredibly small, even if you look at him according to his "adjusted age" - how old he would have been if he was born full term. In fact, his weight has never even been on the growth chart. He's never reached the 3rd percentile growth curve. Ever. So you can see, we care about the ounces. We've tracked and agonized over each and every ounce this child has gained.

At one year old, Bennett was 17 lbs 5 oz. Still not on the growth chart. Sigh.

Oh, but I had high hopes! I really thought that at his 18 month appointment he'd have reached 20 lbs! I am not sure why, but 20 lbs has always been a big milestone in my head for Bennett. But nope. He came in at 19 lbs 6 oz. And you may think "Big deal! He's almost there!" But in my world where we count each and every last ounce - it matters. He was at the .3 percentile.

Well, yesterday Bennett FINALLY got his victory. Just days shy of 19 months old, he tipped the scale at EXACTLY 20 lbs!!!!!! Few people will ever understand what a feat this is!!!! If nothing, it is a psychological victory for me.
At 19 months, Bennett is now the same weight that Carter was at five months old.
Look at that delicious chunka-baby-love! Carter was a "healthy" one, he was!

From grams, to ounces, and now pounds. You've come a long way baby. We love you so much and we are SO SO SO proud of you!