Healthy Kids!

Over the last week, all the kids have been for their yearly well-child check up. Well, Wesley's was his 18 month check-up (the day before he turned 19 months)! I'm thankful to say they were all found to be healthy! We already knew that, but it is always great to have a doctor agree with you! =0)

Thankfully, we are able to take them to the JAARS clinic for these check-ups! We still have to pay, but it is MUCH cheaper than seeing a doctor "in town." Since our medical coverage is not insurance, we would have to pay 100% out of pocket! Ouch! The doctors at the JAARS clinic are Wycliffe members just like the other missionaries serving. What a sacrifice to serve missionaries! Thank you!

Here are the stats:
(You know how percentiles work right? Olivia is at the 81st percentile for height which means out of 100 girls, she is taller than 81 girls her age and 19 are taller than her. Also, if the percentile for height & weight are pretty close to each other, then they are the right weight for their height. Ideally, you want their height percentile to be a little higher than their weight percentile.)

Olivia 7 years old in a couple of weeks
57# (78th percentile)
4 feet 1 3/4 inches (81st percentile) (I didn't think she was tall, but maybe she is.)

Derek 5 years old (he's 20 months younger than Olivia... look how close they are!)
52# (92nd percentile)
3 feet 11 1/2 inches (above the 97th percentile aka off the charts) He's only 2 1/4 inches shorter than Olivia.

Emma 3 years old (24 months younger than Derek)
33.2# (64th percentile)
3 feet 4 inches (91st percentile) (See the gap between the percentiles in height & weight... that's why she looks so skinny!)

Wesley 19 months old (20 months younger than Emma)
27.6# 66th percentile (we thought this would be higher... he looks chubby... I guess most other American kids his age are just chubbier!)
35" (2 feet 11 inches) (95th percentile... another tall boy) (It seems like he'd look skinny with his gap. I guess since he's still a toddler it is different!)


Now they also do the BMI (Body Mass Index) of kids to see if they are the right weight for their height. The doctor said this tells more about how healthy they are. He said our kids (well Wesley is too young to have it done yet) are all in the healthy range. Emma is on the low end but still in the healthy range! Shew!

Olivia: BMI 16
Derek: BMI 16.6
Emma: BMI 14.5

Alright, now that you're asleep... I'll let you go!

Have a great night/day/week!

Love,
Melinda & gang =0)