I find myself utterly amazed lately watching these girls grow. What a gift to be mom to these wondrous little creatures, such gifts from God! I marvel especially at the twins as they give us a fascinating view that you simply don't see when raising a single child. Two little girls born at the same time in the same place to the same parents, raised in the same home the same way and yet they couldn't be more different from one another. And though we relate to them in slightly different ways, I would say that most of that is because of their vastly different personalities...
Julia, our "peace baby", was born 17 minutes before Annelise. She weighed 1.4 lbs less (6.3 lbs) but is now the bigger girl. She is chubbier than any baby I have ever had, with the rolliest thighs, calves and ankles imaginable. She has Michael's pale complexion but resembles me more. She is peaceful, very sweet, more thoughtful in the way she interacts with her toys, content to sit and play quietly for long amounts of time. At 7 mos. she sits very well, completely unassisted, though we still wrap a boppy around her since she likes to lay back in a lounging fashion. She is not crawling yet, though she has mastered the skydiver position (laying on her belly, arms, legs and head up in the air). She startles more easily and loud noises or fast movements have been known to make her cry, though her big sister is helping her to overcome this (Rachel is an energetic, loud and boisterous toddler!). She is shy with new people and clings to Mommy or Daddy when entering any new situation. Even Uncle Tom gets little more than a smileless stare when he comes over. Usually she will sit and stare at him for 10 to 15 minutes, unflinching, though she loves her Aunt Jody! She is the good sleeper (12 hour nights by 12 weeks) and napper, falling asleep without any props as she simply lays in bed quietly until she nods off. And she is the baby who lets us know when bedtime is near. She wakes up like her mommy, very slowly. I usually wake her by opening her door and talking to her a little, but then letting her lay there to wake up over the next few minutes. She also loves television and if we turn it on, she loses interest in anything else and wants to stare at it.
Annelise, our "joy baby", weighed 7.7 lbs at birth and had the fattest little newborn face ever. Now, however, she is built like an athlete. And although the girls seem to weigh the same, around 17 lbs, Annelise is firm, far less rolly, and feels much lighter and more compact. She has my olive complexion but resembles Michael, and Rachel, more. She is always moving, practically crawling now (at 7 months), scooting around the floor like a champ. She stands really well and has for a couple of months, though she isn't trying to walk yet, thank God. She does not sit well unassisted and we believe that this is simply because she has no interest in sitting still! She is joyful, always smiling big beaming smiles and laughs very easily. She has a playful personality, and though Julia is playful too, Annelise is often trying to make us laugh with her funny faces and goofy antics. I am amazed that a 7 month old is already clowning around! She has no fear in new situations and is the first that I hand off to new people, who she quickly woos with her joyful little self. She is bold in personality and will often squeeze her little fists and scream a tense but happy scream (and sometimes not so happy). She will also lay in the playpen for good amounts of time playing quietly with her toys. She is not such a great sleeper and at 7 months still has me up every few hours. She falls asleep more easily than she used to (finally!) though not without her pacifier. I am glad to see, though, that when we put her in her crib she will usually lay there and play with her blanket, or hands, or her paci, quietly, until she nods off. She wakes up very quickly, with an immediate smile and push to get up and get going. And though she does not let us know when it is time for sleep, she has always been the one to sound the food whistle! She couldn't care less about television, most of the time, and will peek at it for a moment but then go back to playing.
With all of these differences, I see funny little similarities too. For example, Julia has a new little toy, a giraffe that vibrates and plays a song, and when she holds it, she makes the funniest face and lets out a little sound that is almost identical to the way Rachel used to react, at this same age, to a "spaceball" toy we had. How amazing! And Annelise has so many of Rachel's characteristics and mannerisms, she is truly a spitting image of her big sister. Her funny scrunch face, that she makes often, with fists tightly curled, blowing air in and out of her nose loudly, reminds me of Rachel's slightly less dramatic baby scrunch face. And come to think of it, Stephanie had a nose-blowing baby scrunch face too! (Do all babies make a scrunch face or just the ones that spring forth from my womb?) Though Julia has yet to make a scrunch face, so maybe not all babies do this.
And though both Julia and Annelise love and enjoy Mommy and Daddy, we already see that Julia lights up when Daddy is in the room, whereas Annelise wants Mommy much of the time. Julia may be a Daddy's girl just like Rachel (and I may get one for myself, for a change). Both babies delight in Rachel and laugh when she comes into view. How blessed these girls are to have sisters! Having only one sibling myself, a brother 6 years older who never wanted anything to do with me, I have to admit that I am extra thrilled to have three little girls who are so close in age and will hopefully also always be close in their relationships with one another. They are blessed little girls...and I am a blessed mommy!
