I was an early talker, and an early walker, but I never did manage coordination.

That my whole family STILL thinks this is funny doesn't help. Thursday, after I'd fumbled my knife, my sister was remembering the time I stumbled into every laundry basket in the living room and my dad followed behind, being Mr Mimic. They don't get why this makes me cranky, because to them, comedy gold.

What are other mothers worried about?

My son is never going to learn to turn his bloody homework IN, is going to give up on himself, and will turn into an unhappy adult rather than the radiantly happy person he can be.

Not that I'm overreacting or anything.

We have old super eights with my aunt singing a song about a peg-leg pirate baby.

That's funny.

I also worry because Lillian has no interest in solids. She views them as a peculiar experiment that she'd like to opt out of, thank you kindly. I'll try again next week, see if she's decided that cereal's her friend.

What are other mothers worried about?

With Jake, the oldest, I was worried about what he ate. Like, obssesively. And how hard it was to get him off a bottle, which he loved with an unholy passion. And then I was worried about potty training, because I'd never done it before, and neither had he, and that seemed unfair. Now, I'm worried about a whole range of things with him, most of which are actually more frightening than what he eats.

Ben had a modified club foot, so that was my basic worry with him. Were we treating it right, would it have complications, that kind of thing. Now I'm mildly worried about his weight, because I don't want kids to make fun of him and I don't want him to worry about it. And with Sara I mostly worry that I'm going to be able to keep up with her, since I'm that much older and she seems that much more devilish than her brothers.

I worry that Em is too skinny even though I have watched her put away 2 whole hot dogs, an entire serving of diced peaches, a bunch of carrots, and 2 veggie wagon wheels.

She sounds like the competition eating female champion featured in Bust, she's a tiny woman, like 100 lbs and beats the big guys and wins prize money.

Rock. 5 hot dogs for her snack today!

My kids were all Rice cereal, eh. Then we tried them out on applesauce. It was the Miracle of Applesauce! Little tongues were poking out of mouths trying to figure out where the magic applesauce came from. And there appeared to be this plastic thing involved somehow, but usually if you stuck your tongue out there was applesauce eventually.

We wound up mixing baby cereal with baby carrots, applesauce, &c; otherwise it wasn't interesting.

t trying to stop crying enough to post

I reacted so strongly to Aimee's post because it never occurred to me that anyone would rebuke someone for what I thought was a fairly obviously tongue-in-cheek post (the whole bit where I said that Annabel's development was the most important thing in the whole world, while acknowledging that every other parent trying to get an appointment with that clinic feels the exact same way about their offspring was meant to be a giveaway), nor do anything other than sympathize with someone facing an inordinately long wait for ANY type of appointment their PCP had thought it worthwhile to refer them, their spouse, or their child for. I was expecting headpats, not a smackdown.

I'm sorry I reacted so strongly. But I don't feel like I'm doing wrong to do things like take her in for these hearing and speech pathology tests. If I were completely off my rocker, I don't think my pediatrician would've made the referrals.

And I can think of times where I've bragged about Annabel, posted pictures, or told cute stories and got little or no reaction to them. That's probably partly because I'm a West Coaster who stays up late and posts when everyone else is asleep or headed that way, but it's also made me think that what strikes me as cute or funny or precocious must not seem entertaining or charming to anyone else, so I'd better just keep my mouth shut.

Well, I think if we'd not been hearing this for months and months, it would be easier to be kind, patient and diplomatic constantly. Sometimes I do feel that Susan won't love her daughter as much if she isn't, say, speaking French at five, but obviously I have my own issues in re this topic as my father has made it clear I wasn't what he would have ordered my whole stupid life...I know you did not say that and I honestly applaud your tenacity in trying to do the right things. I'm just hoping you're not missing stuff pulling out the Daughter Template and rating her on it. Because say there's something...if there is, she's gonna need at least one unqualified booster who will think she is fucking great and not a spectrum of symptoms or a problem to be fixed.Because it won't be the therapist or the school...it's on you, then. Trust me, though I haven't spawned, I do know that from inside. Hopefully, you will get much more support than we ever got, but...

I worry that Em is too skinny even though I have watched her put away 2 whole hot dogs, an entire serving of diced peaches, a bunch of carrots, and 2 veggie wagon wheels.

You're just jealous. (I know I am)