Lia's Diagnosis

After the lab work showed that Lia was mildly anemic, the pediatrician ran further tests and determined that she has beta thalassemia minor, a genetic blood disorder. From what I understand right now, this is the least severe type of thalassemia and she should have no chronic problems. Basically, she is a carrier but will never develop beta thalassemia major, because she has only one copy of the thalassemia gene. When she is ready to have children it is advised to have genetic counseling to determine whether her partner has beta thal as well, as it could be passed on to her children. I was unable to talk in much depth to the doctor as Lia was having a major tantrum at the time. I am pretty certain that this diagnosis has nothing to do with her small size.

Speaking about her size, I plotted her weight, height and head circumference on the American growth chart and it seems so out of whack that I suspect the last three measurements that she had in China are inaccurate. The international adoption pediatrician who reviewed her medical reports was so concerned about the last three measurements because her growth seemed to be taking a bit of a nose dive, but her current measurements are right in line with the measurements that we have from her first 12 months. Odd. But if it had been any different, she wouldn't have likely been referred to us.

Here is a picture from the weekend. Cousin Jenna, Caelan, Lia and Aunt Vikki: