Just like Mama

Today was Kaylani's 9 month checkup. It's almost 3 weeks after her actual 9 month birthday, but due to vacation schedules (ours and Kaylani's doctors), we had it now. We were actually okay with the delay since we though we could fatten Kaylani up a little bit more before her official weigh in. We were wrong.

At Kaylani's 6 month check in, she was 35th percentile in height, 21st percentile in weight. While that's not terrible (and percentiles are likely adjusted for bigger babies), we wanted her to be more closer to average. Well this month, Kaylani was way above average...in height. She measured in at 28.5" tall, or in the 76th percentile in height which is great. That means she'll be tall like her Mommy. On the other hand, she only weighs 15lbs 15oz, which is in the 5th percentile, or not even close to average. While percentiles don't mean anything really and Kaylani is perfectly healthy, she's still a skinny little girl, just like her Mommy.

Her doctor gave us strict orders to fatten her up (okay, they weren't so strict but she suggested we stuff her silly to put some meat on her bones). In addition to the 20-24oz of baby food she gets now, we're supposed to give her yogurts, cheese, cottage cheese, things with cheese melted on them, cottage cheese with melted cheese and yogurt drizzled on top, and pretty much any food that we're eating as long as it's not honey, chocolate, nuts, dairy, or a few other things that I can't think of right now. Sounds great! The question is whether or not she'll eat any of it.

Tonight we tried yogurt for the first time and she seemed to enjoy it (banana sweet potato yogurt from Sonia). She also had 4oz of her own baby food, and a piece of bread that she ripped into little pieces, smushed into balls, and threw on the floor while occasionally eating a bite here or there. Tomorrow we'll try yogurt again, maybe some cheese, and probably some cottage cheese too (gross). The best way to fatten her up would be to get her on formula, but since she's still not good friends with her bottle, I guess we'll just stuff her full of any food we can. And if that doesn't work, then I guess she'll just stay tall and skinny...just like her mama!

I'm a failure...a big FAT one

I made a visit to the doctor today for the first time since Kaylani was born. I went for a follow up, and the outcome was that I'm fat. Okay, maybe that's not exactly how my doctor explained it to me, but that was the message she was trying to get across. And I can't really argue with her. When Kaylani was first born, I lost 4lbs right away. People still called me fat, but I thought that was because I was next to a tiny 7lb baby so she made me look fat. But now, I'm actually fat, or at least I've had a professional opinion to tell me so.

I'm not ashamed of my weight, so I'll talk about it. I weighed in at 189lbs today, but I think that was over-reported. After all, I did have jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and my shoes on. All that combined probably weighs like 10lbs, so really I'm only 179lbs. Alright, maybe I don't wear clothing or shoes made of lead, so I guess I am a bit fat. And, I happen to have hypertension, and my last cholesterol test came back a bit high as well, so fine, I'll accept the fact that I'm fat. But for the first time in my life, I'm going to willingly do something about it on my own.

My doctor told me I need to lose 10-20% of my body weight, and she wants me to lose 10% in a month. To help you out with the math, I need to lose 19lbs in 1 month, and then another 19lbs after that. If/when I lose all 38lbs, I'll weigh in at 151lbs, which would be less then I did before I went to college. Oh, and did I mention that my doctor is crazy and also that she's Jillian from The Biggest Loser? Just kidding...kinda.

Anyways, so the goal is 19lbs in 1 month. I haven't lost 19lbs since I made a weight loss bet at work last year (and won), but that was different. I had motivation, and that motivation came in the form of $100 (and a subsequent bet where I could have won $750 had my other 2 competitors not lost their target weight). This time, my motivation is different. My motivation is my little girl, who deserves to have a dad who can live a long and healthy life along side with her. And then there's my wife, who also deserves to have a husband and a partner to be by her side as we grow old together (she was with me last year too, but $100 turned out to be a better motivator at the time...as bad as that sounds).

So I've got a lot of motivation and I'm going to lose 19lbs in a month. And after that, I'm going to buy Guitar Hero World Tour because that's what Mommy and Daddy decided would be an extra motivator this month (I may have failed to mention that before). But after that, I'm going to lose another 19lbs somehow. And after that, I'm going to go buy all new clothing since everything I have will be way too big on me.

So stay tuned and I'll let you know how it goes. Anyone want to join me? Just think of something you want but haven't bought or done yet, and make that your motivation. If it's a loved one, a friend, or something you want to splurge on, just do it. Because whatever the actual motivating factor is, the long term effects will be well worth it. I'm sure Kaylani and Mommy will think so.

Does this baby make me look fat?

Seriously, does my baby make me look fat? I'm not saying my baby looks fat, and I personally don't think that I look fat, but apparently I'm the only one who doesn't think I look fat. I've had several people tell me (including mommy) that I look fat. They tell me it via email, via IM, and right to my fat face. Actually, mommy told me I look "wider", but I'm pretty sure it means the same thing in Puerto Rican English.

To my credit, I've actually LOST 4lbs since Kaylani was born. Now at my weight, I'm not sure anyone would notice that I even lost 4lbs, but I didn't think that holding a 8lb baby would make me look fat. What is it? Is it my belly? Sure it's out there a little bit (mommy says it looks like I'm 20 weeks pregnant), but it's not like kids are mistaking me for Santa. Is it my head? I know I have a big head, but it's not like I have trouble putting my shirt on in the morning. Whatever I look like now, I haven't gained any weight in the last 2 weeks, so the only thing I can think of is that my baby must make me look fat.

Maybe I'm blowing things out of proportion, but I don't think so. I think I have an actual thing to complain about (unlike all those Motrin moms). I don't wear my baby as a fashion accessory, unless you count fat as an accessory. Next time someone tells me I'm fat, I'm going to puff up my cheeks, stick out my belly, hold my baby close to my body and say "you're damn right I am. You try carrying around an extra 8lbs and see what people say about you...jackass."

And as my first act of protest, I've posted Kaylani's new pictures. None of them have me in them because I'm tired of looking fat in pictures, but I'll never get tired of looking at my little girl. I think looking fat next to my baby makes me look like an official dad. And when it comes down to it, being an official dad is really what matters...no matter how fat it makes me look.