The Tumbling Curious George Head
Baby Bug got the coolest present for her birthday. It’s a stuffed Curious George with a giant head. The cool part is that Curious George tumbles. When you watch him tumble, you think he’s battery operated but he’s not. The toy is just weighted in such a way that if you sit George up, his head is so heavy he falls forward and flips his legs up and over behind him. Does that make sense? I’m bummed because I can’t find a link to this toy anywhere and I don’t think I’m describing it properly. Maybe I should make a little movie. (127KB quicktime) Forgive the quality, it’s after hours and Baby Bug is asleep so I can’t make it cute or well lit. (sound added for effect)
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because we went to the doctor today. As usual, Baby Bug weighed in below average. If I had a litter of children, she’d be my little runt baby. She’s not even in the fifth percentile anymore. She’s not even on the chart.
The good news is that she’s following her own curve in a very healthy manner. What can I say? We Ponnays always like to go our own way. The doctor said there is nothing to worry about except that her head is a bit gigantic. She didn’t say “gigantic” she just said it’s in the 100th percentile. To me Baby Bug looks perfectly normal but on paper she sizes up about like the tumbling Curious George.
The doctors said we’d only have to worry if her fontenelle was puffing up (a sign that there is fluid in her brain cavity) or her development is off. Thankfully, neither of those things are present. But to be on the super safe side, the doctor ordered an ultra-sound. If there is anything wrong it’s a lot easier to have an ultra-sound done now, while her fontenelle is not closed up, than later when it is closed and they’d have to do a CAT scan instead.
What does this mean to me? Nothing, I guess. I’m not terribly worried. I just keep thinking about Curious George. I wonder if Baby Bug will be able to do summersaults sooner than other kids?
24 Comments
Annika
That is the cutest doll ever! I am sure Baby Bug is absolutely fine, but I will send good thoughts anyway.
heather
Oh I had a doll like that when I was little. She was so cute and I loved her (she was probably the only doll I ever really liked), I think she was called “Baby Tumble Surprise”, I’d post a link but I can’t find one.
nila
My son also grew on his own little curve. We’re both short, so no real surprise there. At around 6 years, he fell off his own little curve when he didn’t grow. He started growth hormone therapy a little after. I’ll never forget our first appt. with the endocrinologist. She looked at him and said “we’re going to help you grow into that head”. And they have.
The big head was so cute. It did delay his crawling and walking. Watch out for bumped heads though. They tend to be a little more top heavy, which leads to lots of goose eggs.
kate
do not worry … i think there would be many other symptoms if she had fluid in her
brain. stu has always had a head over the 100th percentile, and they said the same thing. it just makes getting some of his shirts on a little more challenging. did they measure right? was she wiggling? she looks totally in proportion. like our doctor said,
she will just wear big hats!
mel
Here is a pic I found on ebay of George.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270083306150&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_RUPX_RUPX_Pr8_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=270079912446&itemcount=8&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&usedrule1=UpSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget#ebayphotohosting
We are a huge fan of George in our home!
mel
whoops, sorry for the long link
margalit
How timely. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned that my daughter is microcephalic. That means she’s the opposite of Bug, she’s got the tiniest head in the world. It’s literally about half the size of a normal adult head. And tomorrow she’s going for yet another scan of her head. It isn’t really growing anymore, but we need to keep an eye on it because microcephalic brains do grow when their skulls have stopped, and it causes brain damage. Zippy the Pinhead is based on what a microcephalic is like, pointed head and all. Girl doesn’t have a pointed head tho.
Girl can still wear toddler hats. But she’s great. Just like bug, she grows at her own pace and was small, 5th %tile for years and years, and keeping a watch on the sutures in her skull was just a small side effect.
Bug is so freaking cute. Who cares if her head is big. She’ll get to wear cool hats, right?
Jennifer
My AC has a big head too. She’s not as tiny as BB but her head is much bigger in percentile than the rest of her body. I’m laughing at the Curious George comparison because AC has always looked like a little monkey. There was a time that she could have been George’s twin. Poor child :P
I hope all goes well with the ultra-sound.
OMSH
Look at Mel finding the link to the doll.
Cracking up!
Heather
I was wondering the same thing abut my daughter and this crawling elephant I found.
Felix
Are they sure they measured right? Baby Felix is in about the 9th or 10th percentile for her head and BB’s head doesn’t look all that much larger. Maybe a little bigger than her body but not way out of proportion. I’m sure the ultrasound will show that she is just fine :)
elaine
my two girls are also members of the large melon club.
the older one (now 5) is always in the 10-20th percentile for height and weight, and 90th for head circumference. the younger one (2 1/2) is average height and weight and off the charts for head size.
they both don’t look out of proportion to me, bu then i’m their mom and to me, they are perfect.
but both of their deliveries might have gone a little faster if their noggins hadn’t been so big!
Adina
Brenda – been reading your blog long before you had baby bug and had my son just a week before (1/14/06) – just took him for his one year physical. His height & weight are in the 13 precentile and his head was, and I quote “off the chart”. We are on the east coast and it is bitter cold here – had to buy him a hat….he is wearing a size 18-24 months :) I say all that to let you know that you are not alone, nor are you raising a Curious George tumbling little girlie! Keep up the funny stuff! Delurking from Maryland
Marissa
I’m sure she’ll have a growth spurt soon, and all her clothes will no longer fit. It’s good that your doctor is being proactive, too. Take care!
aunt kathy
You mean it doesn’t really make that sound? Aww.
BB looks like she’s developing normally. She seems to me to be reaching every milestone in a timely manner, ie. crawling, standing, “talking”. I wouldn’t worry either. It’s good that your doctor is on top of it, though.
Janna
Hey, my 2nd child also has a big head. We had to take her in for an CAT scan when she was 6 months old as her head had shot from the 10th percentile to the 90th in only 2 months. Really, I WAS a nervous wreck when I had to bring my babe in for the scan thinking that something could be wrong (she was so young, it was hard to tell if she was developing normally otherwise). We are proud to report that now at 6, she is proud of her big head, and even laughs about it. I think she is the cutest little 6 year old I know (and I am not biased at all!!). The radiologist who looked at her scan (one of three they made us go through), told us that she had such a big head to fit all her brains in there! BTW, she started adding three digit numbers at 4…so there you go! Baby Bug will knock the socks off her preschool teacher with all her smartness!! Watch out world!
Sistina
A friend with a little boy was in the same scenario last summer, he was 10th for weight & 100+ for head. She called him her little lollipop. You know, he’s perfectly fine and thriving.
Irish Mistery
You have a beautiful little daughter-no matter what size head! She is soooo cute!
edawg
My baby girl was just at the doctor and we got the same deal… whatever. My father-in-law told my wife to tell the doctor he probably has a small dick and he turned out fine! Ha!
josephine
Edawg!!!! You commented! Hey Dude! I miss you! I didn’t know you read. Say hi to the wife and the big headed kid for me. I’m glad we’re in good company.
chris
With all these folks reporting the same problem, wouldn’t it be funny if the charts were wrong? A little problem at the copy shop?
I have a big head. It makes it a pain finding cute hats. I don’t know if they measured such things back when I was a baby. My fiance also has a big head and is super smart, so maybe it is not all bad.
jess
I have four skinny, gigantic head babies that all grew into their heads.
Don’t worry.
They are all brilliant too.
BeachMama
We grow them big here too, not just the kids, but their heads and they all grow into them. Nice of your Doctor to offer an u/s just to be sure and eleviate any worries you might have. If she does do the somersaults you should put her in gymnastics :). Love the illo!
Bethiclaus
Alliclaus has a ginormous head and hers wouldn’t follow a growth chart at all, so they made us do a CT scan when she was only five months old. And, because they won’t give leetle babies sedatives, we had to sedate her through sleep-deprivation. An ultrasound sounds way easier!
I think big-headed babies are the BEST babies!