It's happening...

Slowly but surely, it's happening. Some days it's easy. But others, it's much more difficult that I thought it would be. Sometimes it happens with someone that I know. Other times it happens with strangers. That was the case today.

I took the day off from work to hang out with Otto today. He started coughing this weekend and wasn't napping or sleeping well, so I thought some quiet, one-on-one time might help him kick his cough to the curb. He slept in and took a longer-than-usual morning nap. When he woke up, I needed to run a quick errand to make a deposit at the bank. I had a bunch of coins, so we went inside, rather than just pulling up. Of course the tellers (all women), swooned over Otto. He's (in my completely biased opinion) adorable and has the biggest grin and bluest eyes you could ever ask for. I knew the question was coming. It always does, and it did with Mae, too. It's the natural thing to ask when you're talking to strangers about their baby..."How old is he?"

It is in that moment where I have to make a decision. How will I react when they react? Will I be an advocate? Will I use this moment as an opportunity to teach?

Today, Otto is nine months and two days old. He weighs 14 pounds, is 24 inches tall and wears 3-6 month clothing.

When I answer the question (with just a simple "nine months"), I see the wheels spinning in the teller's head. I'm sure in her line of work she sees a lot of babies. I'd venture to guess she asks many parents the ages of their children. She might even have a child of her own. Maybe she has a son that's also nine months old. Whatever the case, once I speak, she searches her mind for an answer, but doesn't say a word. In fact, that's the end of the conversation. It usually is, unless I choose to offer an explanation about why his age and size don't quite add up.

And so, it's happening. The world is starting to notice Otto's differences, starting to compare him to other children. Today, it happened with a stranger and it was hard. Not because the bank teller was rude or wrong to strike up a conversation with me. But because...because. My hope is that, in those instances, especially when it feels difficult for me, that I'll choose to continue the conversation, to be an advocate, to educate the world about how wonderful our babies are no matter how "average" or "different" they are.

best buds.

This post was written on April 13, 2015 and edited and published today. :)