6 Month Check-up

Last week, my son turned 6 months old and we went to the doctor for his well baby visit. I am not really sure why, but I always look forward to routine doctor visits with my kids. I love to see how much they weigh and how tall they are. There is just something so exciting about finding out their current percentile! Of course, this is totally ridiculous. The percentiles don't really mean anything. Being at the top is no better than being at the bottom. There have to be kids in all areas of the bell curve or the curve wouldn't exist at all. Yet, I still find some pride in knowing where my kids fall. It doesn't matter where they fall; I am proud of the top or the bottom. And as soon as I leave my appointment, I call my mom to let her know how the grandkids are growing.

So, here are the current stats. At 6 months, my son weighs 20lbs 6ozs! That is the 91st percentile folks! That means only 9% of babies his age are fatter than he is. And those babies are probably taller. He measured 27.7 inches long, which falls in the 71st percentile. Looks like he's going to be a linebacker - or just a chubby, little taller than average kid. Normally, fatness isn't something to be proud of; but, I find myself loving my chunky baby.



I also love my petite two-year-old. At 6 months, she weighed 14lbs 10 ozs! That is only the 3rd percentile. In fact, for a while we were concerned she was going to fall off of the bell curve completely. At 6 months, my son weighs more than my daughter did at her 18month check-up. In fact, she only outweighs him now by about 2 or 3 pounds. I have a feeling he will be passing her by pretty soon.



Now, I totally realize that the size of my children is genetically predetermined for the most part. I have little influence on how big or small they will be. In fact, I have been feeding them the exact same thing. But I just can't help loving that my two kids are on complete opposites of the growth chart. And I just can't help bragging either.

In addition to growing well, the doctor said the baby looked healthy. He also received his vaccinations. Don't ask me which ones he got because honestly I don't know. I usually just blindly let the nurse administer whatever she brings in the room. I am 100% in favor of vaccines and I tend to believe the doctors are on top of our medical care. And I'm not even going to lie - I don't totally hate the day after vaccines because I usually get a little extra nap time from the baby. In fact, my son slept until almost 10:00 the next morning!! Not a bad side effect, huh?

Oh, and by the way, no teeth yet.