Our little guy.
Our littl-est guy by a long shot: 24.5 pounds soaking wet. And he’s probably going be smaller than Miss Vivi by the time she gets home.
But we’re okay with little.
The problem is, he’s not getting bigger. Even my small standards, he’s little. And no matter what we do, he just doesn’t seem to be catching up.
Today we went for the second round of blood draws to see what might be going on with Shepherd. We’ll be referred out soon to an endocrinologist who, hopefully, will find an answer for our little guy.
Thing is, Shepherd can eat. Okay, not a ton, but definitely more than Jude. And, unlike Jude, he loves fattening things: butter, cheese, sour cream, mashed potatoes, ramen, ice cream… all his favorites. At Taco Bell he eats the cheese sauce out of the little plastic cup with his fingers when he’s done with the chips.
Oh no, wait. That’s me.
I’ll let you know what we find out… keep the little dude in your prayers, if you think of it 🙂
Got Shepherd covered in prayers, Stefanie!! He is soooooo CUTE in that photo!!
And for the record…that little cheese/chip comment ("Oh wait…that's me!") had me *almost* choking on my water with laughter!
He such a cutie! Soooo handsome. Praying he will be fine and docs will figure out his needs.
And Yippeeeeee on LOA!! Not much longer. trina
Such a CUTIE! I will for sure be praying!
His baby pics reminded me so much of my daughter. She is also from Guangdong province and is pretty tiny. I went and looked, and at age 37 mos she weighed only 24 pounds. It was such a big stress for me. We couldn't find anything wrong w/ blood work or anything. She has followed her own growth chart, and is now 34 pounds at age 6. So, hopefully Shepherd is healthy and just on the tiny side like my Isabel.
We are all over it here in Kentucky! The little man will be on our "list" at bedtime!!
I followed your journey to Shepherd! 🙂 I will be praying!
I will be praying for your little boy.
Is he maintaining? Staying in the same percentile?
Praying for Sheperd. Our girls are 4 weighing 33 pounds and Gracie is 2 and weighs 30. Hope is pretty tiny too. Still not quite on American charts and boy can she eat. Curious to see what you find out…
He'll be in my prayers:)
Blessings, Ashley
We are praying for an answer in west Texas.
He is still so stinkin' cute.
He's a hunk compared to Bryson. I am starting to think there is something else going on with him as well although the dr is convinced it is failure to thrive from early days, not now, but too much catching up to do. Bryson on Thursday weighed in at 27.3 pounds. He is 5 years 7 months. He has gained no weight since being home. He wears a size 18 month pants!
Our daughter Marissa was malnourished when we got her, but she gained weight and became healthy very quickly.
I will be so interested in hearing what you find out.
Prayers for Shepherd.
yummmm…taco bell cheese….
Covering y'all in prayer! And that cheese/ chip comment? Probably made most people laugh. But me? Umm… yeah… not so much. (Although I used to dip dill pickles into peanut butter, so it's not like I should talk. Heh.)
We will keep him in our prayers. Were to debating on taking Kenzie to see someone. She will be 6 in October and weighs 33 pounds and hasn't grew a inch since her last well check up. I will be following up with you to see what you hear.
Covering Shepherd in prayer from Hong Kong!
Love & Blessings,
Kim
Prayers covered here in Joisey….Man, that child is a cutie pie.
And you, you make me snort…I can just see you in the drive through asking for an extra cheese or 8.
I will be lifting that little cutie up too!!!! What a DOLL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hugs,
Diana
Hey Stephanie — Ally just turned 4 last month and weighs 25.5 pounds… just a reference. She is not on the "charts" yet either. I don't know if Alaina (6.5) will ever be on a chart, weighing in at 32 pounds… Hope you all are doing well! Lucy
You know I will Stefanie!! Please keep me posted as I worry about Lizzie's growth as well. We are going for another growth check tomorrow. Unlike Shepherd, however, Lizzie really does not eat. Although she gets a couple of Pediasures with Carnation Instant Breakfast every day and still, minimal growth. Shepherd is actually a tad bit bigger than Lizzie and younger!! I will keep him in my prayers and please let me know what you find!!
Keeping your sweet little dude in my prayers! 🙂
I hear you. Pax is also tiny; right now, she's 18 lbs and 19 months old. She eats quite a bit and has been tested for almost everything, but so far, nothing abnormal. Just tiny with a fast metabolism, I suppose. I will keep Shepherd in my thoughts.
Funny you should write about this today. We were at the doc today and I have been worrying since, because Eli is having the same problem. He's totally plateaued. Now he's in the 5th percentile. Ugh. Could this be a club foot thing? I'm guessing no?!
I'll be thinking of Shep as we work to find out what's going on with Eli too. Good luck!
hahaha oh mom you cracka me up!
Try a couple of Kids Essentials 1.5 cal drinks a day! We have our daughter on those and she gained a pound in a month! She gets 5 a day and at 9 yrs old she finally weighs 31 lbs. If you are interested in some tests we have had run on her, let me know!! Though all are normal!
Good Luck!!
I will keep Shepherd in my prayers. You guys were in China about two or three days ahead of our trip for Philip!
Our oldest son Ted was VERY TINY as a little boy. He was classified as "Failure to Thrive" by his doctor. He grew at a snail's pace each year. We did everything we could do to put weight on him. In third grade he had his tonsils out and his health began to improve. While he is still a little on the short side for an adult male (5' 1") he is healthy and strong now. We had so many years of worry and praying for his growth.
I remember when he finally got on the growth charts (he had NEVER even been on the numbers until about 4th grade – that's how small he was), we felt like having a party. Then he was only in the 5th percentile.
We will lift Shepherd up in prayer and you all too as you search for answers.
In Christ,
Janet, Kevin, Ted, Philip, and waiting for Eli
Praying for Shepherd here in Texas. Boy do I know about tiny. My little one came home from Vietnam. She will be 5 in November and still only weighs 27 pounds! She is following her own growth curve and is healthy!
Thinking about you all!
He's so beautiful and he certainly does look like a healthy, happy little guy. I'll keep him in my prayers and hopefully the docs will be able to give you some answers soon. By the way, Emma is 3 years, 2 months and weighs 26-27 lbs at most. This seems huge to us now compared to the 13 lbs she was when she arrived at 9 months. Keep us posted.
Congrats on the LOA for Vivi!
Our little one is a little one as well. She is tall and thin. She is now 5 1/2 and only weighing in at 29 lbs. She has a funky immune system which can sometimes hinder her appetite, but she does eat. My Ped. is not concerned b/c she is progressing on the same growth pattern from when she came home. She will just always be thin! Lucky duck! Hoping all goes well with Shepherd!!
He is such a little cutie-patutie. He is definitely in my prayers!!!
I'll be praying, and also waiting to hear what you find out! Our little guy has been home for just shy of a year now and has yet to gain a full pound. And it is NOT for a lack of eating…
hmmm…Grace is almost 5 years old and weighs 27 pounds. But, our doctor said that he wasn't concerned at this point. She has gained a pound since returning home almost a year ago. She does seem totally healty…just small!
Blessings,
Sarah
Sending prayers to the throne for you all. I have a little Guangdong girl – little being the operative word. She is turning 8 on the 5th of October and is just now 41 lbs. For the first time since she has been in the States she is finally on the American growth charts – at the bottom, but at least on them. For the longest time she was on the bottom of the Chinese growth charts as well. She is my child that will sneak into the kitchen, grab a spoon and eat a spoonful of butter, by itself. Her "little" JiangXi born sister has outweighed her and been taller than her since she was 5 and the little sister was 3!
Praying all is well with him and that it is nothing more than he is just small.