Night and Day

My two sweet girls seem to be night and day...very different in looks and personality.  My pediatrician laughs when I call (or on a visit) make comments like, "Caroline didn't do that" "Caroline likes X, I wonder why Ann Parker doesn't."  She always reminds me that I two different children, not two of the same child.  I guess I just assumed that they would be more similar.

Caroline is very tall with straight strawberry hair.  Ann Parker is shorter with (what we think will be) curly blond hair.  Their overall looks are pretty different as well...here are some comparison shots.

Photo by Stacey Gresham of Simple Color Photography - AP 6 mo.

Caroline 6 mo.

Caroline at 13 mo.

Ann Parker at 13 mo.

Caroline has never been a good sleeper.  She likes to stay up late, sleep in late, and gets up a few times in the night.  Ann Parker couldn't be any better - she goes to bed early, wakes up early, and hardly ever wakes up in the night.  Basically, Caroline is little Adam and Ann Parker is little me.  On Saturday mornings, Caroline and Adam sleep in my bed (because C has gotten up at some point in the night - maybe a couple of times - and somehow made it in our bed) and Ann Parker and I are up early making breakfast.

Caroline is LOUD.  She always has been, even when she couldn't sit up.  She likes to sing, dance, and put on a show.  When we say she is active - that's what she is doing.  Ann Parker is much quieter.  She gets into more things though.  When I say she is active - I am referring to her constantly getting into cabinets, drawers, trash cans, baskets, dog food bowls, etc.  She pulls anything and everything out albeit quietly.

Caroline eats some strange things for a little kid.  She loves pho,tempura, lamb saag and other Indian dishes but won't eat "normal" little kid food like macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese.  She also eats like a bird, four and five bites and she's done.  Ann Parker on the other hand eats adult sized portions and she cannot get enough of the "normal" kid food.  She could live off of macaroni but she's more hesitant about the "strange" foods.

I had a love/hate relationship with Caroline's sleep schedule, or lack there of.  On one hand, it seemed like we were always fighting the good fight at bedtime trying to get her to sleep.  On the other hand, we could go anywhere with her.  She was so flexible that we could go out to eat or to a friends house and she was fine.  Ann Parker will sleep and we hardly ever put up a fight for her to go down each night, but she is so regimented that we have to be home by  7:30 or we are probably headed for a meltdown.

I find their differences so interesting.  They certainly have some similarities too.  Both love sweets, playing outside and in the water, and both tend to be daddy's girls.  It will be interesting to see how they are alike and different as they get older too.  I often wonder what a third child will be like - will they sleep like Caroline or like Ann Parker (praying for the latter)?  Will they be tall or short?  I already have such different girls, so it's hard to imagine where another one would fall.  We're not expecting another one right now - so don't read too much into that.  It will be a little bit longer before another baby joins us - I just wonder how different he/she would be.

I love my little girls - for all the ways they alike AND for the all the ways they are different.  It sure makes life interesting around here!