baby fat

I love fat babies. Not just the ones with big cheeks, but the whole enchilada. That’s right, pudgy legs, rolls on the arms, a squishy belly, I love it all! After two chunkers of my own and then a chubby nephew, I've come to accept that rollie pollie babies are just in my genes. However, that wasn't always the case. You see, for almost two years I was in complete denial that my son, Jakson was ever a chunky baby...  

I remember taking Jakson for a walk in the stroller when he was about 1 month old. On my way out, I decided to stop by the leasing office to visit a lady that worked there to show off my cute baby. When the woman took her first look at my baby she blurted, “Girl, you’ve got a fat baby!” Wait, did she say fat?! I remember leaving there and thinking that she obviously had no idea what a fat baby looked like. My baby was NOT fat! 

People would tell me here and there how cute his rolls were and asked how on earth I could hold him because he looked so heavy. Was that suppose to be a compliment?! My mother in law would always tell me, “I can't believe how chunky he is. It must be his mommy’s super milk!” I just didn’t see it. Months, actually I think it was more like 2 years later, I was looking through one of Jakson's baby books and it hit me...my son was a fat baby! Why didn’t I see it before?! 

This whole time he was a chubster, but I saw him as my cute, squishy, cuddly, baby boy. I should have seen it though, at four weeks he weighed a whopping 11 pounds, 16 weeks he came in at 17.9 pounds, and by the time he was 6 months he was already 21 pounds! But, as a mom I chose to see my baby in a different light then the world around, I call it my “mommy goggles”. 

Whether our babies have crazy hair (because my two girls did) long lanky legs, monkey toes, or big ears, they’re absolutely perfect, baby fat and all! 

And, don’t worry, if you have a chunky baby, I found that at about year three they begin to slim down.

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Talking to Your Baby: Dad's Take

"I feel like I am in Spanish 101 all over again.  I can say the words, but I feel like I am not communicating."  This was my thought process for the first few weeks of my life with my son.  I would look him straight in the eyes (but apparently he can't see me at all at that stage<-- news to me!) and want to tell him how much I love him and assure him I will always take care of him.  However, I just sat there and said, "hi buddy", over and over again.  This seemed to be my go-to.  I am in sales and speak to people all day, but for some reason this skill set doesn't translate to baby talk.

I am growing now though!  I have observed my wife's interaction with Abram.  She is a pediatric nurse, so I think between her job (taking care of/speaking to babies/kids all day) and my job (taking care of/speaking to adults all day), she has the head start.  However, I think there is more to it than that.  I think mother's have more of a natural instantaneous relationship with their babies.  I mean, she carries him/her around for 9+ month so it makes sense, right?!  This immediate bond paves the way for more comfortable "baby speak."  

I felt so uncomfortable at first trying to talk to him, but I realize now after seeing where I am today that it simply needs time.  I thought Abram would come out and we would be scratchin, talking sports and crackin jokes.  

But, I suppose I need to give it time...what do they say?...gotta crawl before you walk...I suppose that makes sense here.  I'm crawling now, talking to Abram as if he is my own (After reading this, Whit said, "he is your own!?" -- my intention was that I felt like we were strangers. Only after learning how to communicate with him did I truly feel like we were really connected).  We have a relationship that will only continue to expand.  Soon enough we will be walking.

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Surviving Disney

It's true, we enjoy going to Disney. You see, prior to our first trip, Jason and I could never understand why parents would put themselves and their kids through the torture of standing in long lines, dealing with crowds, and spending a monstrosity of money. I remember saying multiple times, that we wouldn't ever go to this "magical place," the thought of it gave me anxiety.

Well, three kids and five years later that is no longer true. We finally gave in last February when our little princess, Lilliana turned three. Before making our first trip to the Magic Kingdom we asked Disney-goer friends and family for advice and after a few trips of our own, I compiled some Disney tips to help those that are taking on the Disney World challenge! I hope this guide helps makes your trip a success...

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