Same Parents, Different Kids

It's amazing how different two children from the same parents can be. First off, Jack and Dani look virtually nothing alike, other than the fact that they have dark hair. But even that is different. Jack's hair is dark brown but it is much more brown than Dani's. Dani has little hints of red like I do and the color is a softer brown. Jack got at least a little of Paul's coloring, making him look perpetually tan. Poor Dani got my butt-white skin. Jack has brown eyes. Dani's are still blue. We're hoping they stay that way, against all odds but at the very least, I don't think they'll wind up as dark as Jacks.

From a personality standpoint, there are also some significant differences. Jack has always been very observant. He observes everything before diving in. And his actions are usually pretty deliberate. He thinks about almost everything before he does it. As a baby, he was always very happy but often, in new situations, he would get quiet and shy as he assessed the situation. He loved to read almost from the start and could, even at a very early age, have the patience and desire to sit through numerous books in one sitting. He rarely cried--only when he was hungry. He has always been very schedule oriented; eating, sleeping and napping like clockwork. He ALWAYS fell asleep without any fuss.

Dani jumps into situations with both feet. She loves being in the middle of all the action. Her eyes light up and she loves to babble. Though a baby of her age can't really think about and reflect on new situations, she is happiest when she is around people. She does love to watch everything around her and observe but she just seems a bit more ready to jump right in from the get-go. She doesn't have the patience for reading yet. If we're lucky, we can get through a book or two. But most of the time, she is trying to eat the book or she wants to watch you talk as you are reading, rather than focus on the pages. After a book or two she would rather be put on her back on the floor and just watch. She flies by the seat of her pants. Though she is a great sleeper at night, we never know if she is going to wake up at 6:00 or 8:00. She might go all day napping for a couple of 30 minute naps or she might take two naps of 2-3 hours in length. You just never know. And she doesn't seem any crankier when she doesn't get the sleep. She mostly eats well, wolfing down 7 oz every 4-5 hours. But sometimes she decides to take a little diet and drink 3 or 4 ounces. She loves her rice cereal (which Jack got over really fast) and has happily eaten entire containers of green beans and peas (Jack hated peas!). She is mostly very happy but can go from super happy to super cranky in seconds, which happens primarily when she is tired. But it also happens if she is frustrated (she keeps trying to put one toy on her Exersaucer in her mouth but it's attached and she can't move it) or overstimulated (which usually happens when she has a toy in her hands--she starts screaming with joy and then it gets to much and the screams change to those of anger).

But they do have a lot in common too. They are both extremely happy. They are/were very easy going babies. They are good. And they are both ridiculously adorable and fun!