On the Charts!

I've been in denial since day 1 that I had a preemie. Mainly because he never saw the NICU, never left our room unless he was having his car seat test, having his "procedure" done, and baths.  Also because I had him at 36 weeks and to me it was so close to 37 weeks that I never would have thought "preemie"  BUT he was 36 weeks, he had a weak suck (it took us FOR.EV.ER to learn how to latch and suck right), and he was teeny... 5.11, dropped to 5.7, gained an ounce and stayed at 5.8 for TWO weeks.  For TWO weeks I spent over an hour trying to nurse and then bottle feed 8x a day and he never gained an ounce...not an ounce.  At his two week appointment I PRAYED he had gained, the car seat felt heavier so surely he had gained weight.  The nurse weighed him and happily announced that he was 5.8.  I almost lost it on her.  So she checked the scale, weighed him again & he weighed 5.9.  I took it.  For the next several months we continued to bottle feed, tube feed, nurse...whatever we could to have him gain and be on the charts.  It didn't work.  He gained, but he stayed at 1-3 percentile in weight.  He was good in height, great in head (boy has a big ol head), but weight, notsomuch.  I eventually got over it, so did his pediatrician.  He was growing, showing progress, but at the end of the day, he was still a preemie being compared to a full term baby.  It's going to haunt him me for forever, but the pediatrician and I were on the same page.  We knew his story. Then we moved.  And I'm not sure if you are aware of this or not, but doctor's apparently don't fully read charts, if they read them at all.  At his 6 month appointment, he was still in that 1-3 percentile in weight and the doctor was concerned.  I informed her he was born a month early (I don't use the P word that often), didn't gain an ounce for two weeks, and has slowly been progressing... ALL things she would have known if she had read his dang chart.  <insert ticked off emoticon here> Also at 6 months we got the go ahead to start eating food, PTL!!!  So for 2 months we ate twice a day and about a month ago we upped it to 3x a day plus an afternoon snack.  Near the middle of the June we got weighed before our surgery and with a wet diaper and pj's on, he weighed roughly 17.3 lbs.  Two weeks later we were at the Dr for our first ear infection & rash & weighed roughly 17.8 again with a wet diaper and onesie on.  Yesterday we went in for our 9 month check up.  Palmer weighed a mighty 17.13 lbs and.... we.were.on.the.charts!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOHOO!!!  Baby Boy was in the 10-25 percentile.  Y'all have NO idea (unless you've been here before).  The nurse and our pediatrician looked at me like I was a little crazy, the pediatrician wanted to know what/how much he eats, etc, etc.  He was a little concerned with where he was, not much, but wanted to discuss. Again, READ HIS DANG CHART.  The convo went a little like this: 

Me: Well, he was born a month early

Dr: Oh! He's a 36 weeker.

Me: Yep. (What's the point of charts and having them sent if NO ONE IS GOING TO READ THEM??)

Dr: Well alright then he's definitely making good gains.

Yes, I know.   <insert annoyed emoticon here>

Anyways, we're FINALLY on the charts...not barely, but on them!  And he's consistent with his height (still 10-25%) and almost off the charts in head (75-90%).  What can we say, he's smart ;)