And So I Begin...

Okay, I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while. I have lots of ideas, lots of pent-up writings, lots of opinions and ponderings, and plenty of photos. But no audience. So I have decided that's okay. For now, my blog will be for me, my own online journal until I have more of a purpose for sharing. If nothing else, it will serve as a record of parts of our lives.

So here's something I was thinking about today: how alike and how different my two boys are. Here's a comparison:

Robby:

• likes to eat crackers
• wakes up early
• slow eater, small appetite
• likes to be neat and clean
• is timid and cautious around water, even the bath
• likes to sleep under his blankets and with his socks on
  
• probably has a better vocabularly than some 6 year olds and can already spell (out, no, yes, Robby, Joey, Mommy, Daddy, Nana, stop)
  

Joey:

• likes to eat cheese
• sleeps later
• passionate eater
  
• doesn't mind being messy (case in point: tonight he used his yogurt and oatmeal to paint his face during dinner!)
• thoroughly enjoys the water, especially splashing in the bath!
• likes to kick off any blankets and takes his socks off any chance he gets
  
• makes his mind known with brief commands (mine!, stop!, wanit!)

In many ways, they are very similar too -- silly jumping monkeys who are quite the mama's boys -- but I think some of their differences are really perfect complements to each other. One likes cheese, the other crackers, and together they make the perfect snack, so to speak. Their differences also encourage each other to get out of their comfort zones. Robby sees Joey having fun splashing in the bath, so he starts splashing too. Joey sees Robby reading books all the time, and wants to try it out too.

It's fascinating watching them grow as individuals, and as brothers and companions. It makes me so happy to see them having so much fun together, being silly, Joey copying everything he sees Robby do, Robby trying to teach Joey things, an actual friendship growing. It's interesting to consider how much is related to birth order and how much to innate personality. And mostly it all just raises the question: what if we have a third child?