Of a Growing Boy

Our little man is so chubby. 

I've known he was big for a long time now, but he's always just seemed "big for his age" - meaning he wasn't really fat for a baby, he just looked older than he was.  He was proportional in his bigness.

Recently I've noticed his legs outgrowing the rest of him.  While his arms and belly are typically baby-fat, his legs appear to have been injected at some point with jelly.  There are rolls and knee dimples - the works.  And it's just plain cute.

Beyond his jiggly thighs (and calves), he's growing up in other ways.  He's laughing for more than just his sister these days, but it still requires work.  His smiles are free; a giggle is going to cost you.  Typically it's a few rounds of peek-a-boo or a good solid tickle, but sometimes you have to pull out all the stops and go for both at once, pulling out the big guns to really get that jelly rolling.

But it's always worth it.  To see his two perfect teeth poking out from his infectious grin and hear the deep belly laugh coming from his gut - these are the moments we work for as parents.  These are the moments that make all of the rest of it worth it.