Audrey Time

Audrey strongly shows one of my characteristics: She is physically unable to be on time for anything.

Every milestone, every bit of growth, every development happens not when the baby book says it 'should', but when Audrey decides to let it happen. She is always in the 'still normal' range but well beyond the average.

For example:

  Birth: 3 days late (the due date we went by made her 10 days early but by the original (I now think    right) date, she's late)
  Sit up: 1 month late
  Crawl: 2 months late
  First tooth: 2 months late
  Walk: at least 1.5 months late
  First word: at least 1.5 month late

Okay, okay, little things along the way have been on time (hold up her head, laugh, object permanence). And there's never been any need for concern. She keeps trucking along, doing her thing on her time. Even when she didn't gain hardly any weight one month, putting her below the 5th percentile for weight for her age, we didn't need to worry. Shortly after our doctor told us to fatten her up, she had several major growth spurts and she is now safely in the 10th percentile.

Ryan and I have always known our children will be late bloomers. We both were, therefore our children are doomed to watch as their peers physically become adults before they do. And we're okay with that. Late bloomers do better in life. And I'm prepared to handle it when Audrey's 14 and her friends have breasts and hips and she doesn't. I just didn't expect it now. But I guess it's good practice in humility, patience and acceptance. I watch my friend's kids walk around while Audrey crawls. Listen to their kids say "Mama!" while Audrey babbles unintelligibly. But that's just Audrey doing her thing, at her own pace. She'll get there . . . eventually. And I wouldn't change it. It's apart of her laid-back personality and it's one of my favorite things about her. She's in no rush and she's just going to enjoy life, whether it's on all-fours or two feet.

And, hey, it's my fault she's so late, anyway.