Comparisons

The logical part of my brain knows you're not supposed to compare a child to his or her siblings or friends. Growth charts are simply a tool and the ranges for normal are wide because every child is unique. The other part of my brain can't help but compare my firstborn to my secondborn.

Not that I'm worried about either one being normal or abnormal. It's just that it's fascinating for me to watch how different they are and how two vastly unique people are both considered normal.

Johnny was always a very active baby, even before he was born. He kicked the living crap out of me, and by the end, I couldn't wait for him to be born, just so the pummelling from within would stop. He rolled over at three weeks, started sitting briefly at three months, pulled to standing at seven months and took his first steps at ten months. By the time he was the age Maureen is now, he was running around. One of the first toys he mastered was a shape sorter, months befpore most other babies his age, and he has always been an accomplished climber.

However, while he seemed to be mastering physical milestones easily, he didn't wave or point until after he was a year old, and didn't show much interest in coloring until after he turned two. Even now, at three and a half, he scribbles for a bit but is much more interested in turning his crayons into boats or seeing how far in the air he can throw them. He said his first word a couple of weeks before he turned one. He didn't have much else to say until he turned 15 months, and then his language development took off. I used to write down the new words he said everyday, but at some point I gave up because I couldn't keep up. He started putting words together at 18 months and hasn't stopped talking since then.

Maureen kicked me plenty, but she didn't perform the uterine gymnastics that Johnny was so fond of, preferring instead to stick her foot up under my ribs and then settle in to take a nap. She too rolled over early, but she didn't sit until she was closer to eight months, didn't pull up until almost a year, and at 14 1/2 months, is not walking yet. She gets around just fine with crawling and cruising, and while you can see her considering if she should let go, she's been a much more cautious child than Johnny ever was. Practically as soon as she could grasp the magnetic pen, she started scribbling on the Magna Doodle, and she's accomplished at toys that require her to sit in front of them and pay attention. She's getting to the point where she also likes to climb, but she's not as wild as her brother.

She's also a great talker. She said her first word at 10 months and has already been putting words together. She says, "Bye bye, Jameson," "What's that?" "This big!" and "There she is!" She clapped, pointed and waved much earlier than Johnny did and seems to have favored less physical milestones.

Johnny is a picky eater, Maureen eats anything and everything.

Johnny was never a great sleeper and quit napping at age 2. Except for a couple months as a young baby when she had a hard time settling down for a long nap, Maureen has been a much better sleeper.

For having different personalities, they get along fabulously, and I just love to hear them laugh together. And I love watching them grow and develop, each in their own way.