Pride and Joy

Everyday, whether it be in the grocery store, on walks, at the park, in the library, I talk to other moms with kids. Everyday I get the same conclusion: Wow! You have a big boy! I've heard this since hour one with this kid because he was born on the same night that another full term baby was born weighing 4lbs. Being 7lbs 15oz, Austin was almost double his size. Not only does he weigh on the heavier side, he just looks bigger. I'm not quite sure why. I personally think it's because his bones are big. He just does not have baby bones.

Yesterday was truth time. Was this baby big, or was it just our imagination? He is 7 months and weighs in at 20lbs 6oz, measures out at 28 inches and has a head circumference of 27.5 inches. This puts him in the 75th percentile for all three measurements. He is a perfectly proportioned, larger end, but not largEST baby. The nurse said it is only her third time ever seeing a baby be in the same percentile for all three measurements. This kid. He makes us proud.

Austin's weight is not the only thing growing. His personality has spiked recently too. He is giggling and giving us belly laughs like we have never heard before. He was a slow smiler, and I guess he was a slow laugher. Now that he has discovered this sound, he likes to belt it out. Laughing...and coughing.

Eating solids was making his gag reflex go into overdrive. Only once do I think he was really choking (and just a little choke...nothing life threatening). When he would start with the gag face I would cough and laugh at him to get him to do the same and therefore tackle the puke that is sure to follow the gag before it is splattered all over. He has started to imitate it and now just likes to cough for fun. In a city where germs are regarded with high importance, I like to make sure other moms know he is just being funny and not laughing at the fact that he is spreading sickness to all.

I love when people laugh the loudest at their own jokes. You can tell they have a good time because they don't need other people to make them smile. Driving in the car and looking over to see the driver next to you laughing those big laughs with their mouths wide open and nobody else in the car is the best. I'm pretty sure Chris does this on a daily basis as he listens to the comedy stations on XM during his drives and if Chris loves anything, it's inappropriate jokes. Yesterday while we were driving I heard Austin in the back talking to himself. All of a sudden there was a series of coughs immediately followed by him cracking up. This kid. He makes us smile.