Big Red?

As many of you know, we recently had a baby boy, whom we named Eric.  Eric has been a wonderful addition to our family--he has the sweetest smiles, makes the cutest sounds, is happy and easy going, and sleeps much better than any of our other babies ever did. 

 

But this isn't necessarily what other people see, especially when they first meet Eric.  In fact--based on our past two months' experience--we can be 100 percent sure that when people first see Eric they will comment on his RED hair, his HUGE size, or--more likely--both. 

 

Like Alaina and Ben, Eric was born with reddish hair.  While both of his siblings quickly became blondes, Eric has stayed sort of red. 

 

 

In the sunlight his hair looks copper, like a really shiny penny--and other times it just looks a bit strawberry blonde.  

 

 

While, personally, I think redheads are adorable, I can't help but worry a little that our slightly red-haired Eric is going to go through life known as "Eric the Red." 

 

Since my fourth child's birth I have done a bit of internet research and found that the historical Eric wasn't necessarily called "the Red" because he was a bloodthirsty Viking, but more likely because the famous explorer also had red hair (that was a relief).  But I guess I'd rather call my little guy something more like Eric the Honorable--or, at least for now, Eric the Cute. 

 

 

We should not be defined by our hair color, right?  (Coming from a smart girl who hated all the dumb blonde jokes back in the 90s!)

 

Now on to Eric's other defining feature--his size.  As soon as Eric was born, the nurses in the room said things like, "He's a BIG one!" and estimated his weight as being over 9 pounds (he was--in fact--a little under 9). 

 

 

When I look at my now two-and-a-half-month old boy, I see a baby who is still quite small.  In my eyes, every one of his features is tiny and cute. 

 

Others, however, can't look at him without commenting on how GINORMOUS he is.  In fact, today at church at least a dozen people who hadn't seen Eric yet told me that he was HUGE . . . sometimes almost suspiciously, as if I was trying to pass off a six-month-old baby as a newborn.  But he really is relatively new! 

 

Admittedly, Eric has a mature, filled-in kind of look that makes him look "further along" than other babies . . . and his eyes are rather large,

 

 

(the better to see the cake with!), but he is still my little guy. (And--for the record--at his two-month check-up both his weight and length fell into the 50th percentile.)

 

So, will Eric's hair change color as he grows?  Will his build start to look as average as it measures?  Or will he end up being called Big Red?

I guess time will tell.

But in the mean time, I have bigger issues to deal with.  Have you ever tried walking down the street with four children, for example?