No wonder they're always hungry
Today I took B and D in for their annual physicals. I've now reached the point where the receptionist no longer needs to ask my name when I check in, instead she moves straight to small talk. However, I never seem to get the same nurse...I'm in there enough, you'd think I'd get a repeat at least once. But no, I have to break a new one in every time. This means dealing with children's baffled looks when asked if they like their teacher, avoiding the halo with which the nurse wants to crown me upon learning I have 7 children, and explaining that we don't watch TV. Again.
But these are minor inconveniences. What was really interesting was the amount both B and D have grown over the past year. B grew 5 1/2 inches and D grew 4. I knew they had grown, but had no idea they had grown so much. This explains why I am finding it difficult to keep food in the house and why they (along with everyone else) often follow me around telling me how hungry they are. Leftovers at dinner have long been a thing of the past and I have been having to double things I don't ordinarily need to double. I kind of chalked it up to having one more mouth to feed. Although thinking about it rationally, K doesn't really eat enough to cause another doubling. B is 13, so it makes sense he eats so much and is growing rapidly. But D is only 5. At this rate he will be taller than I am at age 9!
The other interesting thing is how D's height changes my perception of TM's height. TM is 8 months older than D, but is 1 1/2 inches shorter. Consequently, I always think of him as being a bit on the short side. But, it turns out D is in the 98th percentile for height, which makes TM actually quite tall, especially considering the height of most Vietnamese adults in Vietnam. So I continue to live in a family of giants whom I will never be able to catch-up to. A and K are my only hope at the moment of having children who do not tower above me. Although who knows what K's growth will ultimately do and A could always have a growth spurt and surprise us. At least I'll always be able to find my family in a crowd, though they might not be able to find me.
But these are minor inconveniences. What was really interesting was the amount both B and D have grown over the past year. B grew 5 1/2 inches and D grew 4. I knew they had grown, but had no idea they had grown so much. This explains why I am finding it difficult to keep food in the house and why they (along with everyone else) often follow me around telling me how hungry they are. Leftovers at dinner have long been a thing of the past and I have been having to double things I don't ordinarily need to double. I kind of chalked it up to having one more mouth to feed. Although thinking about it rationally, K doesn't really eat enough to cause another doubling. B is 13, so it makes sense he eats so much and is growing rapidly. But D is only 5. At this rate he will be taller than I am at age 9!
The other interesting thing is how D's height changes my perception of TM's height. TM is 8 months older than D, but is 1 1/2 inches shorter. Consequently, I always think of him as being a bit on the short side. But, it turns out D is in the 98th percentile for height, which makes TM actually quite tall, especially considering the height of most Vietnamese adults in Vietnam. So I continue to live in a family of giants whom I will never be able to catch-up to. A and K are my only hope at the moment of having children who do not tower above me. Although who knows what K's growth will ultimately do and A could always have a growth spurt and surprise us. At least I'll always be able to find my family in a crowd, though they might not be able to find me.
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--TJC in NH