Maybe I should take the metal cars out of his pockets before he steps on the pediatrician's scale.

Okay, so I've probably mentioned before that Daniel is big.  He was born weighing the same amount that all my other kids were at 2 months, so it's no surprise that he would be slightly above the normal curve.  However, he just had his 2 1/2 year check up last week, and the pediatrician was practically freaking out about his weight.  I can't say I blame her.  Check out his stats on the growth chart:

Okay, see that circled red dot?  The one that's on the 5th percentile line for length?  That's his WEIGHT. (40 lbs. -- that's how much Katie weighed LAST YEAR.)  So the pediatrician was asking about his eating habits and activity level, and making recommendations to help him slim down.  She hinted that he was borderline overweight and we should probably be concerned about that.

Now, I know Danny's big.  And heavy.  And tall.  But FAT? 

It's not like he's a Michelin baby or anything.  I mean, he doesn't have rolls.  He is just SOLID.  Future linebacker material.

So I calculated his body mass index: let's see, weight divided by height squared times 703 (how did they come up with this anyway??) equals... 18.02.  I had to find a chart for children, since according to the adult charts he's actually UNDERweight (ha!).  So here is his BMI compared with other boys his age.

Ta-da!  Surprise!  He's totally within normal range.  Still on the big side, but less than 90th percentile.  Whew!  Parenting panic averted. I'm still going to give him low-fat milk (he loves his milk) and try to get him outside to run more often (because it's totally not winter and freezing outside), but at least now I don't have to feel like I'm a bad mother for stuffing my child.  Maybe I'll bring this BMI chart in with me to his next appointment.

Lesson learned: be your own child's health advocate and refuse to be freaked out when your instincts tell you otherwise.

Scruffy hippie gets a trim

Aha!  Finally found the camera so I can upload more pictures.

Daniel just got his first barber shop haircut.  I was getting pretty adept with a pair of scissors, but I could never get it as short as I wanted.  So Mr. Pickles took him to the haircut store (as Joseph calls it) for a trim.

Before:

he had needed a haircut for WEEKS

Aaaand... after:

he wasn't happy about having his picture taken -- I had to chase him to get this blurry shot

We're all slightly in shock -- he looks soooo different!  But I love fuzzing his head all day long. :)

My baby boys

Daniel's first time holding Andrew

baby brothers are okay, but flying firetrucks are more fun

oh, wait, he's looking at me!  that's pretty cool

*smooch*

MY hold baby!

I have to share a story about the last shot -- I so wish I had caught it on video!  Katie kept offering to take the baby from Daniel, and he kept saying, "No!  Hode beebee!" until finally to make his point he pointed his finger at her and made a shooting noise!  We all fell over laughing.  Ahh, siblings!

Daniel is Two picturefest!

So, even though it hasn't been over a month since the event yet, I thought I'd post about Daniel's second birthday. :)

I can't believe our baby's two.  Even with another baby on the way, I still think of Daniel as "the Baby."  I catch myself calling him that all the time.  I'm trying to train myself out of it, so that Daniel doesn't get confused.  However, whenever I ask Daniel where the baby is, he always pats my belly, so maybe I needn't worry.  I always go through premature anxiety when the baby is about to be displaced by a newcomer.  Although there are so many siblings now that I really needn't worry that anyone will go neglected or feel left out. :)

Anyway, here's our new big boy!

doesn't he look all growed up?  sigh...

The day started off right, as far as Daniel was concerned. I took the kids to Mass -- a birthday tradition that I'm trying to get started. (There's no tradition like a new tradition! ...sorry, MST3K joke there) After Mass we bought donuts and a helium balloon for Daniel, and idea for a toddler birthday that I got from another mom. He was very happy. Donuts are his favorite thing in the WHOLE world.  Then we just had fun the rest of the day, declaring it a family holiday.  (i.e. no school, hooray!)

since we were having his party the next day, I didn't do a special dessert for his birthday dinner -- he got birthday ice cream which was just fine by him

got that whole candle-blowing thing down!

mm-mmm -- good to the last drop!

I like buhdays!

the morning of his party he got an extra-special pancake -- I think he wolfed it down in less than a minute

gotta get this boy a bigger chair!

We had a great time at his party!  We invited a couple families, which means in our circle of friends that our house was full of kids everywhere. :)  It was awesome.

opening a Lightning McQueen car -- definitely the hit toy of the party! (you can tell what's the hit toy b/c that's the one all the kids fight over)

 Daniel loved all his presents -- they were all something a 2-year-old boy would love, even the clothes:

Batman jammies!  with a cape!

even Joseph picked out something Daniel would love -- a mini flashlight of his very own!

I have the power!

So, now Daniel is very two!  He throws the occasional tantrum when the planets don't align according to his wishes, but all in all he is very easy-going, compliant, and oh so affectionate.  He's developed a special relationship with my upper arm -- he is always coming over and giving me mini-hugs. :)  It's very cute, before the bruising sets in.

His language is also developing by leaps and bounds.  I haven't noticed if he's at the new-word-a-day stage yet, but he is definitely trying out lots of new words.  And the words that he can already say he is now perfecting, particularly adding final consonants.  For example, he can now say "bonk" instead of "buh."  His "hello!" is also very clear -- I'm fairly impressed that he's already mastered the "l" sound -- that's a tricky one.  We still have lots of frustrating moments of miscommunication, such as when he's trying SO HARD to tell me something Very Important about how one of his siblings wronged him, and I just Don't Understand and so he collapses on the floor into a puddle of angst.  Once again I wish I had learned more Baby Signs to teach him.  Oh well, next kid!

Daniel is such a gift to our family.  We're so blessed and grateful to have him!

we love you, Chunkles!

About the Boy (the Sequel)

Just some gratuitous Daniel pictures I recently uploaded.

Hmmm, whoooo could have made this mess?

I suspect Mr. Fishie Lips!  (he's been doing this A LOT lately -- it must feel good on his new teethies)

Look!  I'm up!

Look!  I'm down!

mmmm, nectarine....

it's so tart, I love it!  (he ate the whole thing -- I had to fish the pit out of his mouth, under protest of course)

{phfr}, Birthday Edition!

{pretty handsome}

how can this deliciousness be one already??

look how big I am!

{happy}

kids who are lucky enough to be born in the summer get pool parties!

this cupcake was WAY cuter before the icing melted in the car

getting helped by big sis (altho' I think the wind blew out the candle first)

{funny}

the first birthday cake must always be chocolate just for the purpose of this photo.  it's in the parents' handbook.  i looked.

{real}

how pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

 also very real, remembering the dramatic and humorous circumstances of Daniel's birth:

today, exactly a year ago, very early in the morning...

What a gift you are to us, Golden Boy!

Boy: The Sequel update

The Boy: The Sequel (aka Daniel) will be 9 months in a couple days.  He is very mobile now.

He began crawling at 7 months, setting a Pickles record.  (filmed in Confuz-O-Vision by the resident Assistant Cameragirl)

He could crawl before he could sit up. (so we missed those halcyon days of baby sitting surrounded by toys and being entertained for hours without getting into trouble...)

A couple weeks later, he figured out standing.

ta-da!

om nom nom

This shot reminded me of another one of another boy...

Daniel's interests are expanding too.  He LURVES being outside...

How I long to be freeeeee...

...and hockey!

someday I'll be tall enough to use this thing...

but for now I'll do what I do best!

His vocal repertoire now includes lip-smacking, snorting on cue, "der," "mum mum mum," and a raptor-like shriek...

He's recently discovered echoes too.  This makes Sunday Mass even more interesting.

He just gets cuter every day.

you can call me Mr. Scrumptious

His personality is starting to come out a bit too.  So far, he's certifiably nuts, just like the rest of us.  And he loves us.  The appearance of any member of the family into the room causes his face to light up with a huge grin.  When he first wakes up in the morning, the first thing he does after rising to full consciousness is to turn  towards the bedroom door, looking for his siblings.  And when they do, they get full body smiles.

We've coined a word just for Daniel, combining fat and happy to produce...  "fappy."  It perfectly describes him after a meal.

Speaking of meals, the whole Eating Thing is going much better.  He can handle textures now, which opens up a whole new world of culinary possibilities outside baby instant cereal and really runny mashed fruits.  All of a sudden he figured out how to chew and swallow and we've never looked back.  I figured he was ready for Cheerios the day I caught him cleaning up the crumbs in the dining room.  (Ooh!  Floor treats!)  He is thoroughly enjoying finger foods.  He will eat something in pick-uppable form that he won't accept from a spoon, like hard-boiled egg yolk.  And I must take a moment here to point out (or else Mr. Pickles will) that he prefers eating with his LEFT hand.  Mr. Pickles may finally have an ally in the struggle against right-handed oppression!

Yay for Daniel!

More Gratuitous Boy Cuteness

Daniel is 7 months now, which is The Big Month For Doing Stuff!

Exhibit A: Discovering His Vocal Abilities

Daniel discovers echoes in our stairwell

Exhibit B:  Upward Mobility: figuring out how to sit up

fancy footwork

it's impossible to get a non-blurry action shot of this kid in natural lighting

Exhibit C:  Mobility, period!

Batten down the hatches!  Don't let his leisurely stride deceive you -- this kid can MOVE when he has a mind to (such as when he sees paper anywhere within a half-mile radius).

Life just got a lot more interesting... and our floor just got a lot cleaner.

Provides Literally Minutes Of Entertainment!!

Hmm, I wonder who found the Land's End catalogue?

Who, me?

Yay!  I love crinkly paper!

Baby's First "Solids"

Daniel's big accomplishment at six months was starting solids.  At this point, it's not so much about nutrition as exposure to various flavors and textures.

Like tangerine peels, for instance.

 

Haha, no seriously, first meal ever was really mashed bananas.

He reacts this way to everything we give him, including water.  He doesn't really know what to do with them once they're in his mouth.  We might hold off on the solids for a couple more weeks -- he obviously has no love for them.  Nursing is just fine by him, thankyouverymuch.