size matters

Our triplets were born at around the same birth weights.

But with time, they have grown at variable rates. For the first year, William was the largest in the trio, with his sisters always a few pounds less. But once the kids hit around two-years-old, Carolyn has shot up like a weed.

While we strive to make mostly home-cooked foods, with a lot of variety and we offer the children a little bit of everything that we are serving, the kids have totally different eating habits.

Elizabeth will eat anything, but in very small portions.

William is partial to yogurt. But he will also tolerate drinkable yogurt and frozen yogurt.

Carolyn loves carbohydrates. But not just any carbohydrates. Her forte is bread and cereal. She won't touch most vegetables and the only way she'll eat a potato is if I have it cooked as baked wedges.

A few weeks ago, when I woke up early for work, I happened to walk past the girls' room and noticed that there was a funny looking bump in their bed. When I pulled back the covers to investigate, I found Carolyn with a loaf of bread. She was hiding at the foot of her bed, under the quilt, eating the entire thing.

The heels, the crusts and everything in between.

I've written before that I've noticed Carolyn is outpacing her siblings in the growth department. Because where William and Elizabeth can both still wear size 4 clothing, Carolyn fits comfortably in a size 6/7. And sometimes, size 8. But considering Charlie comes from large stock, with one of his nieces measuring 6 feet 2 inches tall, I've always thought that our daughter was graced with tall genes.

During our annual appointment on Thursday, Elizabeth was 43 inches tall and 37 pounds. William was 44 inches tall and 39 pounds. Carolyn was 48 inches tall and 58 pounds. William and Elizabeth are both an average height for five-year-olds. Elizabeth is slightly below average for weight, William is right on target. Carolyn is completely off the charts for both height and weight.

Our pediatrician was surprised. Shocked, almost. He said that in all of his years, he hasn't seen that kind of variable size distribution across a set of multiples, who had all started out at approximately the same size.

To the general public, the triplets don't look like triplets anymore. While William and Elizabeth could possibly pass as twins, Carolyn looks like she is two or three years older.

This is starting to become a very delicate situation for me.

I've become hypersensitive to the way that I am treating the kids. For example, whenever I see the kids after a day away and they coming running towards me, I'll scoop Henry, William and Elizabeth - individually - and swing them around in the air. With Carolyn, I kneel down and embrace her in a tight hug and cover her cheeks in kisses. I wish I could still lift her up and swing her around. Sometimes, I still try. Even though it hurts.

I've become hypersensitive to her feelings. Because while the girls could once share clothes, they no longer can. As such, outfits that they would wear, interchangeably, that now only fit Elizabeth, is sometimes a point of contention. I've taken Carolyn on her own one-on-one shopping trips where we've bought all kinds of new clothes, just for her, but that doesn't stop her from wanting clothes that she once could wear and that her sister still does.

(Take THIS you little peanut!)

I've become hypersensitive to what she is eating. While I know that she is growing faster than her siblings, I know that she requires more fuel. But, this is a fine line - because I've also noticed that she is growing wider than taller and I'm slightly concerned about an eating disorder. So I'm limiting the bowls of cereals that she can have for breakfast - I'm reducing bread at dinner - and I'm trying to offer everyone more fresh fruit instead of crackers with lunch.

I've become hypersensitive to keeping the kids active everyday. Riding their bikes - going for walks - swimming - playing tennis - running around after a soccer ball in a huge field. I've tried to expose them to all the various events that Charlie and I participate in, so that they appreciate the world of sports and what it means to live a healthy life.

I've become hypersensitive to my own thoughts and actions. I strive to treat the children all the same and I don't like to talk about the size difference across the triplets when I'm in a group of people. But if it comes up, I will say that Carolyn is beautiful and she is blessed and lucky to be tall, because one day, she'll be able to reach items on the top shelf.

While I believe that each child is growing at their own HEALTHY pace, I don't want for my daughter to have a complex about her body. I know that most girls do at some point in their lives, I just don't want it to start when she's five.