I weigh what?...

Did the title grab you? I know that that question runs through my mind every time I gather the courage to face the scale. At some point in all our lives no matter how heavy(aka.fat) or fabulous (aka thin) we are, those numbers reflecting back at us mean something.

In the baby world, no one really is ashamed of their weight, which is quite liberating. I say Zach weighs this, and Matt weighs that without ever having to worry that someone will look at them or I with disapproval. That is the joy of childhood right? Being oblivious to the complexities of the social norm on many levels?

And yet, as parents, we worry. We worry even at an early age, that our sons/daughters weigh too much, too little. We worry that they aren't in the "right" percentile, in height. We worry that they aren't rolling/walking/talking at the same level as others their age. Worry, Worry, Worry!

There is something rather liberating in being a 2nd time parent. I don't worry nearly as much as I did the 1st time around. It's not because I want any less for Matt than I do for Zach, but Z has shown me its less about what others are doing and all about what he is doing. I don't stand guard over Matt drilling him to roll over, hold an object, try to make him grasp his feet, I wait patiently to see him manage these skills on his own, and to my surprise he is doing them in record speed. I guess I forget sometimes that Matt doesn't just have one or two teachers around(Mom and Dad), but that he has three. Zach is perhaps the most fascinating little teacher of all. I can just see Matt looking at him and wondering, "How does he do that?" I know that he is anxious to get up and get going in the wake of his big brother. I also hope in time that he will share the role of leader even though he is the "little brother."

It's almost like Matt wants to catch up to Z, just as quick as he can. At 4 months he is weighing in at 19 lbs, 4 ozs and is probably at least 26-27 inches. He is wearing 6-9 month clothes and is fast approaching 9-12 month clothes. He is rolling(working on both directions), standing when someone holds his hands, reaching for toys and sometimes people, he is mastering hand-eye coordination, following voices and turning his head like a champ, and he is trying to get in on the conversation any chance he gets. Matt is growing leaps and bounds daily, he's just so anxious to get up and go. I mean 19lbs...most kids weigh that at a year, and yet I wasn't shocked since Matt seems to like keeping pace with his brother in the growth department.(Actually Matt likes to be just a little bit heavier, a little bit taller, and a little bit quicker at milestones, so far) It's funny but when I look at pics of Z from when he was 4 months I think he looks heavier than Matt does. I think that's because Zach's cheeks were huge! Don't get me wrong Matty has some chipmunk cheeks, but most of his weight is in his legs...reminds me of someone...oh yeah me! I couldn't help but snap some diaper shots to show of the cute chunk on my 19 pound little man!




All I have to say is, Matt, my boy, you make 19.4 lbs and the 95th percentile look good!