One of these things is not like the others

Remember that song from our youth? Anyone who (and I AM dating myself now, so you young'uns who have no clue what I am talking about would be wise to keep such information to yourselves). It was a Sesame Street Classic:

"One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong.
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

Did you guess which thing was not like the others?
Did you guess which thing just doesn't belong?
If you guessed this one is not like the others,
Then you're absolutely...right!"

From memory. That has to impress. Someone.

I think of this little tune often over the last 13 months as I have compared and contrasted my amazingly beautiful kids. They are simply divine, each of them, and they share common characteristics and have extremely similar physical characterisitics: halo-light blonde hair, green eyes, and pale peachy soft skin. However, JoyBoy and LaLa are SO different in their journeys along the physical timline. Put it this way. My 13-month old and my 2-weeks-away-from-turning-4-year-old are currently less than 5 pounds and 5 inches apart.

That's right. At this rate, Joyboy will eclipse his 3-years older sister in both height and weight by Christmas. Sheesh, by the 4th of July maybe. We keep hoping for a slowdown, but so far, he is still cranking along and soaring off the charts.. He has been WAY off the growth charts for his age group in both height and weight since his birth and is now 27+ pounds. My doctor tells me he's well within the normal range for a two year old, though. Thanks, that's super. On the opposite end of the scale, LaLa has floated around the 60% percentile for height and 3% for weight. She is not scary-teensy, but she is a petite little thing. I've alswyas called her an angel because she has a heavenly, lithe, ethereal presence to her. So tiny, and yet so strong of character and, lately, opinion.

"Petite" is not a word you'd use to describe my son with any degree of seriousness. He is sheer joy and, like LaLa, LOVES to snuggle all the time. But he seems uniquely equipped for snuggling. His whole body just beckons hugs and kisses and cuddles from everyone. The random lady at the Zoning and Planning Department today reached over the counter to try to cuddle my son over a 5-foot counter span. His little jolly self, coupled with deliciously plump body just invites that response all the time. He is not "Sumo-Boy" as he was once not-so-kindly called by a family member who forever wounded me, but he is a solid little munchkin and so doggone cute. He used to resemble a Boobah without the colorful "fur", but now is shooting up in height and simply looks like an adorable cherub. Definitely large enough to pass for a 2-year old boy, but with a precious 13-month old grin and innocent eyes. He is my baby. But my baby is a BIG BOY. And my little girl is a LITTLE GIRL.

So one of these things is clearly NOT like the other.

I am convinced this disparity in growth rate of my children was caused by Dr. Pepper. Hear me out.

I carried these precious little ones about the same amount of time (37 weeks for LaLa vs 39 weeks for JoyBoy). I nursed them for almost the same amount of time (12 months for LaLa, 11 months for Joyboy). I feed them the same foods in the same environment. In all critical ways, their life experiences have mirrored one another. BUT - when I was pregnant with LaLa, I was admittedly a bit freaky (She was my first baby. That, coupled with my already slightly neurotic tendencies ~ in a likeable way, usually ~ made for a VERY sterile pregnancy environment. Let's just say I nearly resorted to wearing a lead apron in my kitchen to protect my baby from the evil microwave) and would NOT drink anything but water, 100% fruit juice, and nonfat milk. My beloved Dr. Pepper was sidelined for not only the 9 months of pregnancy, but also the first 6 months of my nursing. By that point, I figured that horns or the dreaded third eye, rumored to be caused by caffeine, was not going to afflict my precious girl and guiltlessly gave in to some serious cravings.

With Joyboy, I had so relaxed my approach to gestation and was so sick with morning sickness until week 28 that I figured whatever I consumed wasn't staying with me all that long anyway, and imbibed liberally on Dr. Pepper from conception to birth and beyond. I am convinced that it ALONE is the reason my children are growing so differently. Dr. Pepper - fuel for future linebackers AKA 27-pound one-year-olds everywhere.

Well, I suppose it could also be attributed to genetics, on a lesser scale. I guess there is always the chance that this is all in their genes. That could be a factor. Sigh. Maybe that IS more likely than soft drink sponsorship of my son's growth. Shoot. Thought I was really onto something there.