Growth Charts

I remember being a little kid and going to the Dr's every summer for my annual appointment/physical/back to school thing. Every year it was the same old deal ~ weight, height, some shots, make my knee jerk around with the little rubber hammer thingy, and the news that I didn't QUITE make the growth chart again that year. Then the Dr would make some stupid little joke about how I should be a gymnast. Super. I still distinctly remember the first year that I actually hit the chart, somewhere in the single digit percentiles for height and weight, sometime late in elementary school. My big growth spurt came my freshman year in high school, when I SHOT up from 4'10 to the towering 5'2 1/2 (one VERY important 1/2 inch!) that I stand today.

Little Miss Jules has a similar problem. Except its the other way round. Today at her 4 month visit she clocked in at a wonderfully healthy 26 inches long (or is it tall?) and 16.2 lbs. That was off the chart for length and the 91% for weight amongst other female babies in America. Go Jules. Love that breastfeeding. Its utterly amazing to me that my little tiny girl has essentially doubled her body weight and grown 5.5 inches in her 4 short, exclusively breastfed months here on earth. The human body is just such a cool thing.

Speaking of breastfeeding, last week I was over at Tracy's house. Macy (5 years old) wanted to hold Julia. I let her for a moment, but Julia was hungry, so I told Macy I had to feed her and then once she was full Macy could hold her again.

While I nursed Jules Macy was staring at me, and at the baby, very intently. Finally, after about 5 minutes of watching, she asked me with awe,

"IS THAT BABY DRINKING YOUR BLOOD?"

I laughed and explained that no, Julia was drinking Milk.

5 more minutes went by where Macy simply stared, but I could see her brain working furiously. Finally she asked me "Well, how do you put the milk IN there?". So I explained that it was something that a girls body did all by itself when she had a baby, and that someday when Macy had a baby her body would do the same thing.

Another couple of minutes went by before Macy asked me

"Do you have HOLES in your body????"

I love kids.