Small and Mighty



We are coming up on the two year mark of Ella taking growth hormone. I can't believe the difference this has made in her life. She is doing so well now and growing at a good rate, I almost forget what we were dealing with and how small she really was. Looking back, it was a very scary time for us as new parents. 



Getting ready for her shot.
This was taken in the first weeks of our growth hormone journey.
Look at how little she was!

When Ella started getting the shots, she was almost two years old and just a little bigger than Avery is NOW (at 9 months!) Looking back at the stats...Ella had her first shot on April 1, 2011. She weighed in at 17 lbs and was just 26.6 inches tall. For some perspective, Aves just had her 9 month check up where she weighed 16 lbs and is 27 inches tall.

Avery at 9 months old

I have said it time and time again, Ella has grown at rapid speed. Today we are starting to move into size 4T clothes and she is over the 30 lb mark. Both girls fall in the 10-15% range on the growth charts. Neither one of the Tapp girls are going to be giants. They are small, but they are mighty and both will no doubt do big things :-)

Thinking about where we were and how far we have come is emotional for me. Jason and I were thrown into a world of needles and mixing medications, measuring doses and making sure the shot sites were clean and sterile. It was an overwhelming undertaking for us. Neither of us have a medical background...yet, we were giving our little girl a shot every night. Fast forward two years and we are so much more comfortable with the process. Our lives got a little easier too with the switch to a new way to give the shot.

This is the new Nutropin pen

This month we switched to the Nutropin Pen. It looks like an epi-pen and contains all her doses in one vial. We attach a small needle every night. We no longer have to deal with needles and mixing! The feel of the pen is different. It will also be a little harder for Ella to give herself the shot, but I am sure she will get it eventually. I am very pleased with the switch. I am also still optimistic that one day Ella will not have to have a shot. I look forward to the day that doctors and researchers find a way to deliver growth hormone through another method. For now, we will continue with our routine and continue to watch Ella grow up...literally!