APPLES TO ORANGES

It is amazing to me how very different two siblings can be. Of course, I shouldn't be too amazed since I grew up with a sister just 18 months older but, in some things, light years away from me. We were very similar, but, oh so very different, too. I just don't think I realized as a child that we were different from the beginning. From day one. From before we were even born. That our personalities and temperments were with us before we were even a gleam in our parents' eyes.

Now that I have two of my own, I understand.

I think once you have one kid you think you've got this parenting thing down. Like, the one baby survived so the next one should be a piece of cake. You would be wrong. The next one will not be anything at all like the first one. The one who survived. What I'm trying to say here is that The Boy may not make it.

Example One: My daughter was sleeping through the night almost from day one. In fact, we had to wake her up to eat during the night for her first six weeks (newborns need the calories more than parents need the sleep). After that, she would go 8-9 hours a night. At four months, it was up to 12. Sometimes 13. This boy of mine, however, is nearly 16 months old and still wakes up at least twice a night. Or as much as five times, if we are lucky. It is so bad that, when I hear that sweet cry and realize I've only been asleep for 45 minutes since the last time I was up, it is all I can do to not start crying myself. My husband and I spend most of the night hitting and kicking each other, trying to force the other one out of bed so they have to be the one to deal with the Great Night Owl. We come up with amazing deals and trade offs just to get one precious night's sleep (the latest was me promising a whole week of sleeping through the night if my husband would take our 3 year old up in sacrament meeting to bear her testimony. He kept his end of the bargain. I did not.) So, here I am, a mother for the second time around, but dealing with sleep issues for the first time. And hopefully the last.

Example Two: This boy, this one that cannot even walk yet (correction: this one that WILL not even walk yet) can push a chair anywhere in the house and climb up on it and get into things he absolutely should not have. Which is why we put them in out of reach drawers to begin with. My daughter was one of those that needed one stern "No!" and never even looked at the forbidden object again. Today, I walked into the kitchen and found my son taking dirty dishes out of the sink. Or sometimes he tries to climb up on the window sill (scary when you live on the second floor). Or, how about the time we found him rooting around in the drawer with all the knives and cheese graters and such in it? That was awesome. When you tell this child "No," he just does it even more, except now he has a huge smile on his face. Fortunately, he has yet to discover how to climb out of his crib. And now I've just jinxed us all.

I don't know if it's a boy vs. girl thing or a first-born vs. second-born thing. Or maybe this is just the way they were programmed. To not let their parents get too comfortable with their parenting skills. To not let us sit back and think, "I don't really have to pay attention anymore because I've got this raising kids thing down pat." Because it's when you start thinking things like that that the real trouble starts.

Of course, this son of mine is quite the cuddler. He just snuggles and loves and gives hugs and kisses like there's no tomorrow. My daughter, on the other hand, could barely stand to be held. She just wanted to be off and doing all the time. But not my sweet boy. He will just sit on your lap (or your hip) all day long. He is in no hurry. He has no place to go and nothing to do.

Except maybe to see what the view is like from the top of the bookcase.