2 year stats

Sienna had her two year well check-up last Friday, and she is doing stellar.  Her language skills are above the level of where she should be at 3 years old.  By 3 years old, kids should be speaking in 5 word sentences, know how to count to 5 and know 5 shapes.  Sienna speaks in 7 - 8 word sentences, knows how to count to 10, and knows several shapes.  Go, Sienna!  Also, she continues to be above average in height.  She is 35.5" tall (90th percentile) and weighs almost 29 lbs. (75th percentile).  She is the average height of a nearly 3 year old -- no wonder people ask us all the time if she is three!  The doctor predicts she will be 5' 9" tall.  If he's right, she'll surpass both Scott and I!
Sienna knows how to kick a ball and is trying to catch balls, but doesn't quite have the hang of it yet.  She is still pretty cautious.  She wants to hold our hands going down the stairs, and she isn't very daring.  I'm hoping this means no trips to the ER!  Our pediatrician said that most first borns are cautious, and most second borns are daring.  Medical associations have done a lot of research to determine the cause of this behavior, but there really is no explanation - interesting!
Also interesting, our pediatrician said about 45% of children in Kansas City are obese.  Not just overweight, but obese (20 lbs. or more over their ideal weight).  I thought that was sad.  Not because I am obsessed with being the perfect weight, but because those kids are starting off life with an uphill battle to be a healthy teenager and adult.  Our pediatrician also mentioned the weight epidemic was not limited to a certain social class or race.  He believes parents' busy schedules and reluctance to tell their kids 'no' are the main contributors of the problem.  It was a good reminder of me that our job as parents is to guide our children to the path that is best for them, not just the easiest -- in all areas of their lives.  But don't get me wrong, we enjoy chicken nuggets at our house from time to time.  :)