Clothing Sizes Are Crap

3T shirt & 24 MO shorts

Today my child is wearing a 3T shirt and 24 month shorts and they both fit well. This is not the first time kiddo has worn two different sizes. It is not the first time he's been in sizes that didn't reflect his age. I remember Kiddo getting a 5 piece set in 9 months. It was so small he could wear it when he wore 3 months, which was a week after birth. In fact, the only thing Kiddo wore in "newborn" was socks (he's got tiny feet). 

There were a few times when he wore something that matched his age (18 months is such a catch all size he happened to wear it when he was close, but then quickly switched to 24.). For the most part, however, Kiddo is taller and thinner than most standard clothing sizes.

3T shorts & 2T shirt (grandad's boots)

I understand that need to have different standards for clothing sizes. There are some children who are just bigger than others and they need clothing that fits that is age appropriate. That said, the difference in clothing brand is significant.

For example, Nordstrom's clothes are always too small at his age (and pretty much everything they carry in that store). He would need to wear 3 or 4T at this point. Designer brands tend to run small - so if he gets Nautica or Janie & Jack, he can wear it for a little while before it gets packed away (Incidentally, Levi's, Nike, Lucky, and Kenneth Cole seem to be true to size.) Store brands vary greatly. Osh Kosh and Old Navy/Gap is true to size, where Babies R' Us can go either way. Carter's varies greatly between the lines - some are PERFECT for Kiddo, while others have too small of collars to go over his head, or the pants are waaaay too long for his short little legs. Gymboree is big. Always. It's like it's made for Norwegians. He is just now growing out of his 18-24 month Gymboree clothes. Garanimal clothes run big, but it varies depending on the piece (especially shirts). Generally those tend to be WIIIIDE and shorter compared to say, Gymboree clothes.

18 MO shirt & 24 MO shorts

It took me a year to get a handle on all these brands, and during that time (and every time I dress Kiddo) I am reminded how clothing sizes are crap. They really have nothing to do with you. They are based on a set of standards established with a select few fit models.

It is a good reminder as I go clothing shopping for myself. Now when I shop, I get like four or five different sizes. As long as I like the piece, I'll try it on to see if it will work for my body. Because just like kids' sizes, adult sizes are all different and they have nothing to do with anything. The goal is always to find something that looks good on my body, not to purchase a certain size.

Of course it is nice as I see a general shrinking trend  (Yay size 6!) but sometimes I buy a size 8 or 9. Sometimes I buy misses or juniors or ladies. It just depends. In shirts, I wear styles that range from small to large because of cuts and drapes. And it honestly doesn't matter. I don't care what the size is, as long as it looks good.

Happy Birthday Baby! A First Year Retrospective

It's been a year. I've been a mom for a year. It seems crazy. I mean, I feel like yesterday I gave birth (Okay, well maybe not yesterday. You know, I can sit down comfortably and I'm not using a sitz bath...thank GOD!) and now Kiddo is threatening to walk!

My smooshy newborn love

It's pretty wild that a year go, Kiddo was a red, smoosh-faced sleepy, poopy, floppy newborn. This is especially wild considering that now he has some words, plays jokes, chases, laughs, sings, and dances (with help). It's crazy that he can climb up and down stairs, pets Java the Cat when he's sleepy, and cuddles his stuffed animals that he makes babble. It's crazy that he poses for pictures.

It's been a crazy year. Our family has suffered a lot during Kiddo's first year of life. We've experienced tremendous financial hardship (and we're still working to remove that burden). We sacrificed independence and pride and moved in with my parents. I underwent a lot of personal exploration and development, which also forced a lot of issues within my marriage which had been quietly festering. These things forced Christian to confront his choice of profession (and the resulting difficulties), as well as his role as husband and father.

My active charming 1 year wonder

Meanwhile, Kiddo was largely unaware of these things. He, despite everything, grew and even thrived. Everywhere we go, people comment on his charming nature. They adore his sweet smiles, waves, singing, and even his more spectacular antics (more about those in subsequent posts).

While this year has been difficult, it was also full of joy, wonder, and laughter. Kiddo is an amazing and unusual kid who prefers vegetables to fruit, syncopated rhythms, and entertaining anyone who is wiling to watch him for longer than 2 seconds. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Happy Birthday Baby! We love you so much.

10 Weird Things You Miss From Before Parenthood

There are things about being a parent that I knew would be hard, but I didn't expect the things I would miss, some of them strange.

Yes I miss my low waist/hip ratio. Yes I miss sleep. I also miss being able to write whenever I want to...but here are some of the weirder things I miss:

1. Being able to cut my toenails regularly. I'm serious.
2. Being able to have my hair down without worrying about it getting pulled.
3. Wearing low cut dresses - they don't really make plunge cut nursing bras for girls my shape. Those things are unicorns.
4. Spontaneous solo napping. Who knew?
5. The freedom to only do one thing at a time. Ha! *Never again!*
6. Non-leaky boobs - what a completely awkward thing to soak through your shirt!
7. My less flabby belly...I was self conscious about my midsection before, but now is something completely different.
8. Consistent quiet - my days are now divided into crying times and quiet times. It would be nice to have more quiet.
9. The freedom to do whatever whenever...like laundry or shower.
10. Wasting time. Really. That is a complete single/couple life luxury.

Some of these were sort of expected, but for the most part I didn't understand how having a baby would impact my day to day. I didn't realize I'd have to use every scrap of time to its fullest if I wanted to get anything done. I didn't realize kiddo would require my full attention so regularly. These are things mothers talk about, but I didn't believe them.

And now I have long toe nails.

What are the things you miss from before kids? Leave a comment below!

Pregnancy is Stranger Than Fiction

Just to be clear - my baby is completely human. I don't actually think I've got an alien inside me. I'm not like Simon Parkes or anything. That said, truth is stranger than fiction.

I am undeniably pregnant. People do things for me now - strangers - because of the belly. My daily life and actions are completely different than before. There is no question that I'm absolutely in my third trimester. Thing is, sometimes, I still don't feel pregnant.

I think I'm a little weird.

I've gone through this half-state of being before - in pretty much every period of my life when I've had major changes. Unless there is a complete overhaul, I can't believe the thing is happening. When I say complete overhaul, I mean COMPLETE, as in living in a different country where people speak an unrelated language and the food is different and the smells are different. Another example was college. It was so drastically different (Oh cafeteria food! Yum!) there was no way my mind could play tricks on me.

Marriage, however, was a different animal. Sometimes I still (after 5 years mind!) wake up and think, "Huh. I'm married! Weird!"

Christian doesn't have this problem. He's more normal than I am.

The marriage thing felt like a more subtle change. This was probably because I was used to moving to different places and Christian being around me (we've known each other since 2002). It didn't seem so different. It was like college, or traveling, or pretending to be an adult. Getting a cat and a house started to make it more real, but sometimes it still hasn't set in (That feeling of strangeness has become more rare than before - now I think it's only bimonthly.).

So the pregnancy bit being weird makes sense. Even though my body is changing daily, and I can obviously experience the different symptoms and aspects of what it means to be pregnant, my life isn't THAT different. I still live in the same place I did a year ago with my husband and my cat. I still write all the time. I still take walks around my neighborhood and eat a lot of the same foods (okay, maybe 50% of the same foods). I still exercise (actually, I might be more consistent now). I just can't sit up using my abdominal muscles and sometimes the kiddo kicks my stomach or bladder so hard I think something will come out one way or another.

Even though pregnancy is something nearly half the world experiences, it is strange. It's not just strange because my mind can't wrap itself around the abstract unknown of a new life coming out of my body. Pregnancy is strange BECAUSE a new life is coming out of my body. My body was effectively hijacked. Every system has been diverted or shoved aside (literally!) to make this new person. I don't mind. I'm biologically programmed NOT to mind. I'll be a crazy doting mom just like the next prego lady. In the mean time though, I feel the weirdness of the whole process. It's a short period of my life, but it has drastic consequences. Most of my life I will NOT be pregnant (Thank GOD I'm not that Duggar lady!). 30 years have been spent developing myself, and now I will be responsible for helping to develop someone else - from the very beginning.

Man, that's weird.