Growing up

Some people want to know how big I am now and what size clothes I'm wearing. Maybe they are thinking of my birthday (November 22) or Christmas. Or maybe they just want to know how I'm growing. Or perhaps it is just intellectual curiosity.

Last week, I finally hit 25 pounds on the scale, only to lose nearly 2 pounds this week. I kind of lost interest in my food, what with a fever, stuffy nose, and cough. But for a while I was nearly on the 20 percentile line for weight. Mommy and Daddy were excited about that. Considering I spent most of my life below the 1% line, they thought I was doing pretty good!

My head, on the other hand, is normal size for my age; my 18-24 month summer sunhat is a bit tight on me now. Thus while I still technically fit in most of my 9-12 months [better known in the US as 12-month size] t-shirts (which I was wearing last Christmas....), some of them are pretty difficult to get over my head, pulling at my hair and getting stuck around my eyebrows. Ouch, Mom! Almost all are getting too short in the arms and tummy, too, letting everyone see my onesie sticking out between my shirt and the top of my trousers. Hey, I finally have a belly! Mommy has been shopping on eBay and at Primark [a local discount store], on the lookout for 12-18 and 18-24 month size. Nothing wrong with rolling up the sleeves!

Most of my 9-12 month trousers jeans still fit, but some (mostly the American brands) are a bit tight in the tummy and Mom calls some of them "floods." The 12-18 month ones are more comfortable but most of them (especially the British brands) have to be folded up at the bottom! It depends on the store. The 12-18 month ones from GAP or Old Navy seem to be about the right length--for now, but probably not much longer. I love overalls [Br. Eng.: dungarees], but I have just one pair (12-18 months from Old Navy) and they are definitely too small. So Mom is looking at mostly 18-24 American size trousers/overalls for winter. Nothing wrong with rolling the cuff and putting on a belt! Mommy says I have Grandpa's legs (her dad's, that is).

My onesies/bodysuits are changing from 12-18 months to 18-24 months (which are roomier). I'm outgrowing my 12-18 month footed pajamas, although the ones without feet fit okay. (As does a British 9-12 month one without feet!) Mom likes the Carter's footed pjs and Gap two-piece pjs--I am or will very soon be 18-24 month in those. They fit more snugly then the UK pjs. Too bad there are no Carter's available here, and GAP is ridiculous ($35 for a pair of pjs!--the one pair I have was a gift from a friend working there).

My shoe size is now 4 1/2 G (or sometimes F) in Clarks UK sizing. That would be about a 4 in StartRite (UK) shoes and about a 5 or 5 1/2 and roughly medium in US shoes [don't ask me what width in US sizes as I have no idea--although he seems happy enough in a pair of Carter's tennis shoes that are a size 5AAA! Maybe it's the flashing lights . . . . ] After not growing for several months, my feet are growing again!

How tall am I? We're not sure. They don't measure length here at birth, and our GPs don't have a way of measuring at their offices, although Mom did get me measured at the hospital a couple of times this past year when I went there to see the big doctors. They only start measuring height at the GP around the 2nd birthday. So I'll tell you then! But based on some clothing labels, Mom thinks I must be about 80 cm /31 inches, give or take.

"Good things come in small packages" some people tell me. I kind of prefer the saying "Small, but mighty!"