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)

his is the time to be starting that kind of behavioral control, not to have already perfected it!

It's so hard to be the only one who's kid isn't behaving. When I picked him up to go he threw a crying fit and I had to haul him out of there with tears streaming down his face. I just beat feet out of there as quickly as I could.

When I picked him up to go he threw a crying fit and I had to haul him out of there with tears streaming down his face.

Awwww. Well, O and Annabel are getting into the tantrumy ages. It just happens with some kids more than others. (Emmett was a More.)

They do learn group activities - it's not innate. So he'll get the hang of it.

But it probably won't be the last time you have to hustle him out of a place during a crying fit.

Also, Emmett was a total chunker as a baby. I thought it was a positive the first time he got a stomach virus and dropped three pounds in a week. He could afford it.

I am guessing next week it will be somone elses kid. Here's the plan.

Talk to Owen about story time. explain what happens. talk about how much fun it is , talk about seein other kids, talk about getting books to bring home. Go. Be prepared to leave. If it happens again - he might not be ready. This is not unusal. Some kids are ready at 2, others aren't really ready until 3. That's kinda the point of storytime.

We like it , 'cause it get kids and moms in the library. It is good for kids - because they start to learn that different places require different inds of behavior.

Honestly , the only behavior librarians hate , comes from moms. moms who ignore their kids and let them run wild. moms that let thierkids pull all the books off the shelves and scatterthem on the floor ( just pick the up off the floor and pile them neaty so they don't get damaged) And mom's that come for social hour and - talk over the story teller.

madrigal - I am sorry your relatives are missbehaveing. That's just foolishness. no one has to write every day , or everyweek. But a hi, boy you should have seen the squirrls teaseing the cat yesterday. Are you haveing fun? is all it takes.