Also odd that the article focuses a lot on her mother, and just mentions her father once in passing.

That's because the state of the children is wimmin's work, doncha know. She gets to take on all the blame and shame.

The more I think about this, the more I'm going to write a letter to the editor. Because being at the top of the "OK" category is STILL OK.

Once, when I went to the student health center with something like my fourth case of tonsillitis that winter, the doctor told me that there was nothing wrong with my throat and that my only problem was that I needed to lose 60 pounds. I checked the BMI calculator, and losing 60 pounds would have put me at borderline underweight.

My nephew's school sent home a letter saying he was in danger of obesity and wanted to set up an appointment with a nutritionist. They obviously didn't look at the child and only looked at his age and weight. The kid is a full head taller than the other kids in his class. Of course he's gonna weigh more.

Once, when I went to the student health center with something like my fourth case of tonsillitis that winter, the doctor told me that there was nothing wrong with my throat and that my only problem was that I needed to lose 60 pounds.

Stabby!!!!!!!!!!!ELEVENTY!!!!!!!!!!

“If we just went running out of the cave as little cave babies and stuck anything in our mouths, that would have been potentially very dangerous,” Dr. Cooke said.

Um, is crawling around inside the cave sticking things in their mouths any safer? Or are we assuming that all cave-mommies were hard-core babywearers who never let the little ones out of their sight? (Now imagining a prehistoric Park Slope full of custom mamoth-print slings...)

Would anyone care if a kid was ultra skinny as long as she was healthy? (as this kid seems to be?)

Yes. Doctors (not all, but enough and more than should be) will diagnose happy healthy babies as "failure to thrive" if their weight falls too far off the standard growth charts. (Standard growth charts which reflect the average white American formula-fed baby from 1975, btw. Breastfed babies between 4-6 months of age do not look good on these charts, let me tell you. Breastfed babies of smaller-than-your-average-American ethnic backgrounds? Pretty much screwed.)

If you are not watching sodium you add more soy sauce.

Or you can use the lower-sodium soy sauce, which is just as tasty. IMNSHO.

Once, when I went to the student health center with something like my fourth case of tonsillitis that winter, the doctor told me that there was nothing wrong with my throat and that my only problem was that I needed to lose 60 pounds.

Sounds like my ex-shrink, who once, after asking literally nothing about my depression, badgered me until I told her what I weighed, calcluated my BMI, told me how much I needed to lose, and -- my favorite part -- that she would prescribe a weight-loss drug for me.

The hell, you say. That was the last time I ever darkened her door.

If a stone is 14 pounds, that baby weighs 30 pounds. Which is not particularly big for 18 months; I know an exclusively breastfed baby who is 24 pounds at 4 months, and Peter was 27 pounds at his 18 month checkup and dead average (50-60%ile). I mean, seriously? Picky toddlers of normal weight: not news.

Occasionally, I forget how tiny Lillian is. Then I read this, and think, gosh, she was 25lbs at her three year check up. (It's on the charts! Barely! She's also short. Like, 34-35" tall or something. The good part? I got two to two and a half years of wear out of all her cloth diapers, and usually get at least a year out of her clothes, if not more. She still wears the Batman shirt Ginger sent her. It's marked 12 months.)

This is why I miss my OBGYN in LA. I gained 67 lbs with Em, putting me will over the 250 mark. He told me every appointment that I was "perfect and beautiful".