Trying to read the signs

My child is at an awkward age. Well, to be more precise, my child is at an awkward size. You see, sweet little Baby J really isn't so little. As my mother said about his last (and first--bad parents) professional photo shoot, he looks so grown-up. And he does. Which fact is starting to cause us some problems.

On J's end, people are forever assuming he's older than he is and wanting him to perform accordingly. "What's your name? How old are you? Is he shy?" they ask in quick succession when he doesn't answer. No, he's one. Almost. And he can't talk, has only recently mastered clapping, and really can just wave. Those are his tricks. Take 'em or leave 'em, random women in the grocery store. Elderly men in Walmart are forever wanting him to be gruff and tough with them, when really he's more interested in smiling and looking for balloons. Fortunately, I don't think he has a clue about all these failed expectations, so all's right in his world.

Meanwhile, in mine, I'm trying to keep him clothed. He is now firmly in the 18 month range, but often he fits into 24 month or 2T clothes. The legs of the 24 month pants are sometimes (but not always) impossibly long for him, but the waists fit exactly. On the other hand, 18 month pajamas are impossibly small on him, and the 24 months look like they will only last another month or so. And I thought women's sizes were completely insane!

Apparently, the doctor was right, he is tall and thin, though he certainly doesn't look it. We had to retire his Bumbo seat early on because his thighs were simply too thick to fit into it any more. Now it appears he can fit in it just fine again, so he must be slimming down. But we can certainly tell how tall he is. Fragile pieces keep making their way higher and higher on the bookshelf so as to be safely beyond his reach. And he's learned to climb up on things like chairs and bookshelves, using his arms to reach far out in front of him and then pull the rest of his body toward his arms. It's a very efficient if terrifying (for his mommy) movement.

He may be naked, but he's agile!