Chunky Monkey

When Yates was  born he was in the 3rd percentile for height and weight.  He had acid re-flux so bad he would projectile vomit at least two to three feedings a day.  At one point when he was six weeks old he was hospitalized for dehydration.  I thought he would never gain weight.  I stressed myself over and over again trying to feed him and nourish him as mothers are supposed to.  We went through multiple tests, including having an x-ray done because we thought part of his esophagus had not completely formed at birth.  He was given prescription medicine and once he started to eat solid foods it got a little better, but then he had an allergic reaction and I felt like it was another set back to his weight gain.

Yates is now 15 months old.  He's in the 89th percentile for weight.  His height, because of growth spurts, has ranged between the 54th and 86th percentiles for the past five months.  Such sweet relief.  He is still a picky eater, he doesn't like certain textures which limits a lot of food that he will put in his mouth, but what he does like, he loves to eat.  The allergic reaction appeared to be a fluke and am so thankful he can eat whatever his heart desires.  His favorites?  Mac n cheese, spaghetti, eggs, strawberries, teddy grahams and pop tarts.  His dislikes?  Bread - of any kind, chicken nuggets that are too soft (he does a finger test, if he can squish them he gives a look of utter disgust and throws them down as if we were trying to poison him), banana and avocados.  

My husband is a high school football coach.  He was a linebacker and played college football.  He's a big, strong man.  His father, Yates's grandfather, was also an athlete and is a big, strong man.  Mike has always been adamant that if Yates doesn't want to play football he will never push him towards the sport, but I know he always imagined his boy to be healthy, big and strong as well.  Lately when people meet Yates for the first time, we often hear: "he's a big, solid boy," or "he's gonna be a big one" and every time it reminds me of when I was terrified he would be underweight his whole life.  Whether Yates is an athlete or not, having a healthy baby is something I do not take for granted.

Some days I swear Yates eats more than I do - and I've been warned that teenage boys eat more than you could ever imagine.  While I don't know exactly what that means yet, I do know that we go through almost two gallons of organic milk a week, and if you've ever bought organic milk that's about half a teacher's salary right there.  But, as you can imagine, I prefer my little man to have a healthy appetite, with his pinch-able thighs and his round little belly that I can smooch and squeeze on all day long.  Every single roll and dimple remind me of the healthy, happy little chunky monkey that he is.