My Boys

Today I thought I would write about my boys, afterall they are the entire reason for my existence, the reason I get up in the morning.  I am such a lucky mama to have them and they are so special to me. 

For as long as I can remember there was never any doubt in my mind that I would be a mama.  In fact, sometimes I feel like everything else I ever did before was just buying time until the day I was ready to have children.  It was hard to be patient, I would have had kids ages ago if I could have.  But I did my best to wait until the time was right, and it was.

I love having two boys, and I love that my boys have each other.  There is something very special about siblings, and it's even more wonderful that they are the same gender and close in age so that they can share many interests.  I can already see how much they love each other and enjoy each other's company.  I don't doubt that there will be many fights as well, but that is all part of having a brother.

Of course it's hard not to compare them.  As moms we are always comparing our children, to other children but also to each other.  It's so hard not to.  I remember though in the early months after F was born, I compared in more of a negative way.  Because T was my first, and because he was such an easy baby, I kept feeling frustrated that I wasn't having the same experience the second time around.  Then I would feel guilty because it was not fair to F to feel that way.  However as he has grown into such a little person, I've grown to love everything about him and wouldn't want it any other way.  Now I compare my two out of interest, because as I watch them grow I am constantly amazed by them and also by how similar, and different, they are.

T is my textbook boy.  If ever there was a definition for a textbook child, he is it.  He hit all of his developmental milestones right on time - rolled at 3.5mos, sat at 6mos, crawled at 9mos, walked at 12mos.  He got his first tooth at 5mos and had all his teeth in exactly by 2yrs.  He has always been easy going, good natured, happy, and outgoing.  As for sleep, he didn't start off as an amazing sleeper, but as we worked towards good sleep habits he always made steady progress and before a year he was sleeping well and has every since save for times of teething or developmental leaps. 

F is, well, F!  He is my mysterious reflux baby, mainly textbook in nature but with many different sides to him.  Initially I thought he might be a bit touchy, but I now realize that was likely due to his reflux in the early months.  Now that he is outgrowing it I am really starting to see some spirited traits coming out!  F was not an easy baby.  He didn't sleep, he cried most of the time.  For the first 8mos of his life I cut dairy out of my diet because he seemed to be sensitive to it which just added fuel to the fire.  Developmentally he has been quick to learn many skills.  Initially I thought he'd never move from one spot since he hated tummy time and being on the floor.  But as soon as he could sit independently at about 7mos, he took off.  Literally.  He was crawling and pulling up by 8mos, and at 9.5mos he took his first steps and never looked back.  I think he's trying to keep up with his big brother!  F is like Jekyll and Hyde.  He can often be the happiest baby there was, and when he's happy the laughs just keep on coming.  But when he's having a grumpy day, oh boy watch out!  These things make him so endearing.

T is daddy's boy, and F is most definitely mommy's boy!  While T didn't have any separation anxiety ever, F has always been very attached to me.  He likes me to be around all the time and never strays far.  If a stranger looks at him the wrong way he is likely to dissolve into tears.  He is very weary of new people, while T on the other hand will walk up to just about anyone to say hi.  It is sometimes draining to have a baby who is all mommy all the time, but I would be lying if I said I didn't secretly love how much he wants me around.

T didn't really talk until 18mos.  I don't think he had more than 1 or 2 words before then, but once the ball got rolling he really took off.  He speaks quite well now for a 2.5yr old and is very chatty and inquisitive.  Right now he is always asking, "Mommy, what's that sound?" for ever little noise.  F still has no words and I expect him to be similar to T in terms of language development, although maybe as with the mobility he will surprise me and start spitting out words soon after he turns 1!

Sleep, oh sleep.  Well, let's just say we have never been lucky enough to have sleeping babies.  Like I said T didn't start off sleeping very well, but we worked at it and because we developed good sleep habits with him early on, he is now a fabulous sleeper.  I had really hoped though that I would catch a break the second time around and that F would be a better sleeper than T was.  I was so wrong!  He has been a challenge to say the least.  His poor sleep has obviously been in part due to reflux issues, but overall he has been tricky, and sleep training has been harder with two children.  But he did learn to sleep independently from a young age so in that respect has always been very easy.  He would go down easily but wake often.  Now, coming up on a year, he is still waking at least once.  But coming from where we were, that is amazing!

In the nap department though F is definitely a much better napper than T was.  F is already successfully on one nap, and most of the time it's a good long one. 

As for eating, both my boys are ok eaters.  T took to solids a little better.  Even now he eats well, not always large quantities but he doesn't usually refuse foods and is willing to try new things.  F was slow to take to solids and refused to eat baby food altogether, so he went straight to table foods.  He doesn't eat a lot, but he is getting better because we give him the freedom to have control over what he eats.  Despite his picky eating habits I have never been stressed out about his eating, as I know he just needs to get there at his own pace.

As a toddler I must say T has lived up to his easy-going personality.  He is still a very easy guy to deal with.  I don't think he had a single tantrum until he was about 21mos old, and even since then he doesn't have them often and is easily distractable.  He has a bit of a sensitive nature to him but overall is happy and adventurous.  He is certainly a barrel of laughs and always keeps us in a good mood.  I consider myself very lucky that he is such an easy guy.  I doubt I will be so lucky once F hits toddlerhood at the rate he's going!  He is already entering tantrum territory.  I think I will have to put a lot more thought into discipline with him in coming years than I have with T who has really not needed much at all. 

They are both very active boys and love to run, jump, and climb.  Well, they're boys!  Sometimes it's a handful since they are both so curious and into everything, but I think it's a great thing.  Just have to make sure I keep up!

I could talk about my boys all day, and it really is interesting for me to see the differences between the two.  Well, what can I say they are my whole life!  They are the most beautiful things I have ever seen and I am so lucky to be their mama, and I'm also so glad that they have eachother to go through life with.

Here are my amazing boys, the other two loves of my life. xx 

My Big Guy, the senstive soul

My Little Dude, so full of life