My daughter is only 4 1/2 years old and my son is only 9 months old, but I can already tell they are so very different!
Taylor was a very easy, very gentle baby. When she was a newborn, being held and cuddled didn't really appeal to her all that much. She was so content to just lay in her cradle in front of our living room window or to be in her swing...I think she would've lived in that thing! When she learned to sit up well, I'd put her in the floor and surround her with toys and she'd play contentedly with or without me by her side. Once she was able to crawl and "cruise", we had to reprimand her about certain things she couldn't touch, but once we told her, she was usually fine about it and wouldn't constantly try to go after it. She also had very good high chair manners. She was so neat. Didn't try to blow raspberries while she was eating and absolutely never tried to grab the spoon or put her hands in her mouth while I was feeding her. In fact, if she got any baby food on her, she would make a disgusted face and hold her chubby little hand out to me for me to wipe. Ha, ha, oh such a silly little girl. She's still like that though...she's not one to be dirty or messy, which is so nice!
I wouldn't call Rylan a difficult baby by any means, but, wow, he is just a lot different than Taylor! He definitely keeps me on my toes a whole lot more than she ever did. He, as a newborn, needed constant attention, it seemed. He was ok with the bouncer or the swing, but usually not for more than a few minutes. His absolute most favorite thing to do was be held and cuddled. If he wasn't being held, he needed a constant change of scenery or activity. Once he learned to sit up and play in the floor, he wanted company. Thankfully, he had a big sister who didn't leave his side much :) . If he was by himself for too long though, he'd let you know about it. That's another thing, he's SO passionate. That kid smiles ALL the time. He's so happy and smiley, but if something doesn't go his way, he's just as passionate in the other direction. It was hard to get Taylor to smile as a baby. We'd basically have to stand on our heads and act crazy to get a smile from her. She was too busy studying and taking in everything. She'd just stare at people where Rylan immediately smiles at someone if they even just look in his direction.
Now that Rylan is mobile-and, boy, is he ever mobile! He is everywhere and into everything!-I'm constantly having to check on where he is and what he's getting into. If I tell him not to touch something, he will look at me, smile and keep reaching for it...such a booger! He's just SO active! He's also so rough...we've had to stay on him about being "easy" when he pats us or plays with my hair. I feel like he's learning and making progress though so that's good.
Taylor never really went through the "terrible two's" or "terrible three's" that so many people talk about. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's not a perfect kid and I'm definitely an imperfect parent so we've absolutely had our issues, but, all in all, she's very well behaved and agreeable and pretty much always has been. I'm afraid Rylan might be a little stonger willed than that. I have a feeling he's going to be my one to throw himself down in the floor with a tantrum...whew, that'll be interesting. Check back in a year or two (or three!) to see how I'm handling it-HA! ;-D
I'm so blessed in so many ways with my "one of each." I'm thankful all the time that God has given me this opportunity.
Sweet pictures of you and your children!!
ReplyDelete