Shortness of breath vs. shortness of...height?

We went back for A's visit to the pulmonologist. Because she has been doing well, we rescheduled her 3 month appointment at the end of summer and actually wondered whether this visit was really worth going to this morning. However, I know the importance of compliance and adherence, especially with pediatric chronic illness so we decided to go. Her doctor was glad to hear that she is doing so well. Her lungs also sounded really good. We often discuss that A seems pretty small. When measured today, she was under 34.5 inches (8th percentile) and weighed just 26 pounds--with clothes (25th percentile). Chad has worried that she is small because she doesn't like to eat but I think her eating is fairly typical for a 2 year old. What I didn't realize, which the doctor pointed out as a potential concern, is that Flovent potentially could be impacting her growth. Apparently its use can decrease growth velocity. Not surprisingly, I've since read a bit about it and, as he noted, it's unlikely to have a really significant or long-lasting impact and the downside of not treating her asthma would be far more detrimental. But we still want to keep our eye on it. Given mine and Chad's stature, every centimeter helps. ;) Based on my quick read of the literature (& seeing a recently funded grant examining this exact question!), it seems like her old inhaler (Qvar) might have even stronger effects so I'm glad we made that switch. Our plan is to continue at the current dosage to get us through flu, cold, and RSV season and then take her back in mid-March to check her growth as well as consider reducing her medication. He also suggested adding a high-calorie/nutrition-dense supplement like Pediasure to her diet but being careful to utilize it like a treat rather than a meal or milk replacement. I love that he follows the evidence and is clearly well-researched. He also talks with patients like he expects that they can make intelligent decisions which is nice. I highly recommend him.

She did great at the doctor's. There is just something about him and his office that really just works for her. She isn't the slightest bit hesitant with him or his staff. This is somewhat surprising given that this is the hospital where she had the bad experience with blood work.

After the appointment we went back to Camille's Sidewalk Cafe, which was once again delicious and then had Christmas Day 5 fun at the Build a Bear workshop and fun at home with the felt Christmas tree.