is this like comparing apples to oranges?

It's well known among our family and close friends that Kari is a squirt. She always has been and probably always will be. It's genetic. Her great-grandma is only 4 foot 10. With mama a towering 5 foot 2, Kari really doesn't stand a chance...unless some freak genetic material from her great-great grandma (a staggering 5 foot 11) somehow manifests itself.

Kari, thankfully, is proportional. For a toddler her size, bringing up the bottom 1%, she is also in the bottom 1% for weight.

At the gym, my poor dear little one pitches a two-year-old EMMY award winning tantrum if she can't go to the "adventure room." The adventure room houses several giant climbers and slides that are much bigger and better than any McD's playland. It is also reserved for children two and up. It has happened more than once that I've checked Kari into the adventure room and return to find her in the nursery SCREAMING at the awful offense of being grouped with the babies and the baby toys. The workers always remind me that the adventure room is for ages two and up, and I remind them that Kari IS in fact, two.

She may still wear size two diapers (ya know, if she wore diapers) and can wear 3/6 month clotes from the Gap and Carters and size 12 month clothes are baggy and saggy, but she is TWO. She will even tell you that she's two, if you ask. Of course, she will also tell you her name is Benny, so maybe they suspect the age is off ;)

Ben, on the other hand, at age 2 was this massive child. When asked his name, he told people he was Harry Potter and he was 5 years old. He is such a dreamer!

Anyway, I know it's bad form to compare children. there has to be children below the third percent to make way for the kids in the fiftieth percent and those above the nintieth percent.

Still, it did catch me off guard when my friend called me while she was babysitting Kari wanting to know how much she weighed. "Um, around 20 pounds, I guess. We haven't weighed her in awhile. Why?"

"Oh we're just trying to figure out who weighs more, Kari or Charlie."

Charlie. Her CAT. Her MALE cat that looks like he's about to have a litter.

Nice.