There is an old saying, "comparison is the thief of joy". I am here to tell you that is not always true. While it holds true in some things like comparing your life to the seemingly perfect lives people project in their instagram squares or comparing your body to those airbrushed ads in a magazine, it absolutely does not apply (in my opinion) to your kids during the adorable tiny stages (obviously school age is a whole different ball game).
I have found myself constantly comparing Natalie and Everett. It started early in my pregnancy. The two pregnancies were so similar: no morning sickness, breakfast binges, watermelon and pineapple cravings. I often wondered how similar the two kiddos would be... I was also convinced because my pregnancies were so similar that Everett was a girl. I could not have been more wrong!
Now that Everett is on the outside, I still find myself comparing them: their likes and dislikes, their sleep habits and facial features and expressions. I swear, if you put a bow on Everett and took his picture, you wouldn't be able to tell which of my sweet babes it was! I compare eating habits and appetites, first foods and favorite foods.
I find that I am remembering things about Natalie as a newborn that I had completely forgotten about, like how she would sleep with her arms above her head in her little touchdown position and how she very quickly took a loving to her paci (something Everett didn't do until almost 3 or 4 months). Her bedtime routine was so different than his - she loved to snuggle in for books before going into her crib awake, he likes a bottle and to fall asleep being held. They crawled within weeks of each other - Natalie hitting the milestone first. Neither of my babies enjoyed tummy time; however, Everett had the advantage of tummy time with his sissy and I loved to watch her cheer him on. He took to it much faster than she ever did.
His milestones almost seem bigger than hers because he is the last and because he has her watching. I love how excited she is for him when he does something. She is his biggest fan and I absolutely love what a little mama she has become. Natalie loves talking about her milestone moments as we discover Everett's and it is making me see her in a new way. She has grown up on me so much in the last year and I was just not prepared for it, at all.
I know there will come a time when the comparisons will not be so innocent and I will have my children forever rolling their eyes at me, but, for now, I will soak in these tiny firsts for the last time and remember the first firsts while I do.
Age: 11 months
Weight: B weighed him this morning and (unofficially) the little chunk is weighing in at 24lbs, which means he apparently did not gain any weight in the last month. He is wearing size 18 months clothes and size 4 diapers (size 5 at bedtime).
Likes: Sissy, trucks and cars, Dada, eating, stealing Mama's water cup, taking all the snacks out of the snack drawer, Hank
Dislikes: diaper changes, staying still, taking a nap on the weekend
Milestones & Big Moments: We are still cruising along. He is standing unassisted for a couple seconds and then down goes Frazier. I keep thinking his first steps are right about to happen, but he seems perfectly content not walking yet and I am totally ok with that.
We had a surprise visit from Unkie this past weekend which was so dang nice. The kiddos absolutely adore their Uncle Evan, we all do.
Looking forward to: We have a lot of fun planned in the next month. Everett's first 4th of July is right around the corner! It's hard to believe that's his last first holiday. Cue the mom tears. I am especially looking forward to a visit from my college girlfriend, Emily, and her boyfriend. It will be the first time she is meeting Everett and the first time she has seen Nat in 3 years, which seems crazy. Oh, and you know, celebrating Everett's first birthday is right around the corner.
• • • • • • •
Sometimes I have these moments with Everett where I feel like I don't know him. I feel like we're just keeping all our heads above water. It really hit me when Natalie went to her first sleepover for her best friend's birthday. B, Everett and I went to the grocery store. It was the first time since we delivered him at the hospital that the three of us had done something together without Natalie. B and I have done so much divide and conquer in that one of us runs around like a crazy person doing all the things and the other person is a crazy person trying to entertain both kids. It doesn't leave much time for quality interactions, so recently we've been trying to divide and conquer in that both kiddos get 1:1 time while we run errands or gets things done around the house. Here's to hoping that it helps us all feel a little more connected and, perhaps, a little less crazy.
It's so funny when I sit and think about the kiddos. Everett is much harder than Natalie was; however, he is still a pretty easy baby. Natalie was just a dream boat first baby. She slept through the night. She went into her crib awake and put herself to sleep. She was the queen of quiet play (and honestly, still is). She took scheduled naps. Everett is just all boy. He doesn't want to miss a single moment so he refuses to nap for us. He takes a bottle before bed (something Natalie kicked around 8 months - she stopped bottles altogether by 10 months). And I'm not really sure how weaning the bedtime bottle will go for Everett, or me. It's something I love about our bedtime routine - it gives me a chance to savor these last baby moments with my last baby.
