Oh, wedding gifts can definitely wait a while. And on the upside, this keeps the fun going on longer, because most people don't get married very often, so the experience of opening wedding gifts is pretty brief. It's like you're turning their Nuptual Christmas into Hannukah.

And on the upside, this keeps the fun going on longer, because most people don't get married very often, so the experience of opening wedding gifts is pretty brief. It's like you're turning their Nuptual Christmas into Hannukah.

'Zactly!

Madrigal, that is frustrating. I'm sorry. Hopefully she'll get better at it the more she realizes how far away you are, and how long it will be till she sees you again. She may just assume you're busy doing your own thing, or something...? I do not know, moms are a mystery to me.

Mal is SIX MONTHS OLD? Wow. That seems fast. Does it seem fast to you, Raq?

FTL. Seems like about 6 weeks.

He was fine with the shots - his first reaction was to wind up a cry so hard that he couldn't actually make noise. The nurses (one of each leg, to minimize the time) were like, "Breathe, Dude!" But after a couple minutes of wailing, he had some milk and fell asleep on my shoulder, resulting in a t-shirt print across his face.

He's a little fussier than usual now, but nothing awful. And I'm relieved because they said he was fine, weight-wise. Everybody's been telling me he's so fat, and saying things like "Don't worry, he'll lose weight once he starts walking." He doesn't look fat to me, but you know, perception.

Madrigal, sometimes people don't get how much lonlier it seems in a foreign country. Your mother's probably thinking that you're having so much fun you don't need to hear from her.

Either that, or she doesn't want to e-mail, because with the time difference it would wake you up.

Ok...I've seen pictures of Mal, he TOTALLY doesn't look fat! Crazy people telling you that. Tell them to go mind their own business!

Who cares if he's fat at six months old. Leif was a little butterball at that age and evened out once he started that fast toddler growth.

Hey missy, aren't you supposed to be reading?

And I'm relieved because they said he was fine, weight-wise. Everybody's been telling me he's so fat, and saying things like "Don't worry, he'll lose weight once he starts walking." He doesn't look fat to me, but you know, perception.

Benjamin was a porker. He was easily as well rounded as Mal, and probably much fatter, really. And you know we theought we knew it, but we didn't realize just how fat he was, back then. When we look at pictures now, we just laugh. I remember my s-i-l telling me her pediatrician had told her that her daughter (who is ~two weeks younger than Ben) was too chubby that first year. Ben was much bigger than she, so I asked our pede at the next check-up, and he said, "Bah! He's perfect." Our pede is young, too, so I don't think he's from the old school that believed in fattening babies up until they were set to burst.

By age one, he was 30 pounds. He was only 7lbs, 5 ounces at birth, and 21 inches long, so the fattening was really something to see over the course of a year. He took a little longer to slim down. He started it more at age 2, than age 1, but walking does make a difference. There's nothing fat about him, now. He's solid, but you'd tell someone to look out for the tall kid, not the chubby kid, if you were trying to point him out in a crowd.

I think Mal is just beautiful, and looks wonderfully healthy. I'm glad you're not worried any more. They all grow at their own pace. The same s-i-l who has the child Ben's age, has a daughter 3 years older, too. She was only something like 12 or 14 pounds by age one, and the doctors were all het up about her, too. She's set to turn thirteen this winter, and didn't starve to death, or nuthin'.

I'm so humiliated. I'm the mother of that toddler. 20 kids at story time and all but mine managed to sit on their cushions or their mother's laps for story time, paying attention to the music and stories and puppets.

Mine throws a fit until I hand him the case for my sunglasses and he proceeds to get up and run all around the room--including through the crowd and in front of the teacher.

Have I completely fucked up by not doing any organized activities with him and letting him run around uninhibited? He's like a little hurricane and I actually worked up a sweat running around after him trying to keep the library books on the shelves.

I don't know if I can show my face there next week.

Gah.

You have not fucked up, Cash. He's, what, not-yet-two? This is the time to be starting that kind of behavioral control, not to have already perfected it!

Cashmere, I hate to say it, but one fussy day is CLEAR EVIDENCE that your son is doomed to be a social terror foreveranevah.

My condolences.

(I'll bet you a nickle you're the only one who even remembers it happened)