Big Boi

So I know that, according to the stats, Alex is supposedly bigger than most kids his age. But it is hard to assess how big he really is when I am the only one around him most days. I mean, he's smaller than me, but that's not really saying much.

Alex and I ran some errands today, including one to Hobby Lobby. Now, a trip to Hobby Lobby used to be a no brainer, but since Alex has come along, it has become a logistical nightmare of sorts. For some reason, their shopping carts are teeny tiny, despite the fact that they sell a plethora of large items - furniture, easels, oversized mirrors, etc. You'd think they'd want to accommodate the people buying high dollar items instead of making those people strap the high dollar items to their backs and haul them around the store because they don't fit into the itty bitty shopping carts. Every time I go in I want to ask them if they have carts for grownups because I can only seem to find the kiddie ones.

So it kind of goes without saying that the baby carrier I would normally put Alex in does not conveniently fit into the shopping cart, especially if I go to Hobby Lobby with the intention of put anything other than the baby carrier into it. Now what? I mean, Alex can't quite sit up long enough on his own to hang out in the front of the cart without his carrier. I think he could sit okay if I really kept an eye (and hand) on him, but the second I'd turn away to check a price or something, I fear he'd slump over and flop out onto the floor. And as much as we would benefit from the winnings of an Evans v. Hobby Lobby lawsuit, it'd probably cost us just as much to fix Alex's busted noggin.

I thought about using the stroller, but then we're back to square one - A's got a place to sit, but where the heck do you put the stuff? It was time to stop messin' around. So I went for it. Strapped the Chicco baby carrier to my chest, grabbed a cart, and got to shoppin'. I felt a little ridiculous, but hey, whaddyagonnado? I put some toys in the kiddie seat to keep him occupied, although he spent most of the time with his little hands on the handle of the cart. He seemed to be alright with the situation, although he wasn't facing me so I can't know for sure. What I do know is that his dadgum legs are so long that he kicked me in the thighs every time I took a step.

Speaking of Alex's legs being long, it's time I actually got to the point of this post.

We finally made it through the entire store - Alex's eyes red with fatigue, my quads thoroughly bruised - and stepped into line behind a nice lady and her infant son. The boy had been sitting in the front of the cart and she had taken him out to play with him while they were waiting, so I knew he was old enough to sit up. I asked how old he was and she replied, "He's seven months". She then reciprocated the question, to which I replied, "four and a half months". Her eyes grew big and she stared at me incredulously. She looked at Alex, sized up her boy, then looked back at Alex. Yeah, I guess they looked to be close to the same size. The two babies had a conversation while the mom and I talked - turns out her baby was about two pounds heavier than Alex, but you could've fooled her!

It's not the first time a stranger has commented on his size - "His daddy must be tall" is a comment I hear often (to which I am always tempted to reply, "I don't know"). I just moved him up to size 3 diapers, which are no longer "Swaddlers". Nope. They are "Cruisers". My baby is a Cruiser!! I don't know why it took me so long to realize that he was peeing all over everything because his diaper was too small. Duh. For some reason I thought size 2's went to 18 pounds - and I knew he wasn't that big - but when I read the package again, it said that 3's went from 16-20 pounds. Duh. Maybe I was in denial...

But what really sealed the deal was when I put him in his new pj's tonight. He has outgrown most of his 3-6 sleepers, so I bought a bunch of new ones without feet hoping he could get a little more wear out of them. The sizing chart on the package suggested I get the 12 month sleepers for babies that are 16-20 pounds, since Alex is around 16 lbs. these days. Those'll work, I figured, and he'll even be able to grow into them. Not so! I put those jammies on expecting him to be swimming around, but there was hardly a pucker to be found. He's wearing Cruisers!! 12 month jammies fit him like a glove! Oy vay, my baby's growing up...