My friend Mark (http://daddyballerina.blogspot.com/) has been blogging recently about discovering who his 4-year-old daughter is and is becoming. It has me thinking a lot (with a fair bit of excitement, I might add) about who and what my sons will be in the near and far future. At 19 months and 3 1/2 months, they're already so different:
Owen insisted on having a light on at night from birth, while Levi has always been satisfied with his little night light.
Levi ignored the dangling elephants above his pack-n-play, where Owen studies them, talks to them, kicks vigorously to make them swing.
Owen is already a confirmed thumb-sucker. Levi never found his thumb or even took a pacifier.
Levi was bigger at birth, but has grown slowly since. Owen doubled in size within two months. At this point, Levi is less than 10 pounds heavier than his "little" brother, and I fully expect them to be the same size before too long.
I'm eager for the upcoming developments -- when will Owen roll over, sit up, get teeth? when will Levi dress himself, master the spoon, use the potty? when will either of them begin to talk? -- but even more so, for their personalities to emerge. [Don't misunderstand me: I am not pushing to get past the baby years. I am quite content right where we are. I'm simply curious how long it takes for various milestones to be reached, and how my boys will differ in when and how they reach them.]
Another friend tells me that her husband prays that God will gift their children in specific ways, and that they (as parents) would be wise in shepherding those gifts. What an incredibly scary prospect! Will Levi's attention to detail have him following in his daddy's exegetical footsteps? Will Owen's jolly sociability put him at the center of the crowd for years to come? Will I be able to adequately guide them through childhood and beyond, while still allowing their Creator to mold them as he will?
Big questions with no immediate answers. That's okay: it's fascinating to watch it all happen. As terrifying as parenthood can be, I must admit that I also find it terribly, wonderfully fun.
Owen insisted on having a light on at night from birth, while Levi has always been satisfied with his little night light.
Levi ignored the dangling elephants above his pack-n-play, where Owen studies them, talks to them, kicks vigorously to make them swing.
Owen is already a confirmed thumb-sucker. Levi never found his thumb or even took a pacifier.
Levi was bigger at birth, but has grown slowly since. Owen doubled in size within two months. At this point, Levi is less than 10 pounds heavier than his "little" brother, and I fully expect them to be the same size before too long.
Levi at 4 months
Owen, same play mat, same sleeper, at six weeks
I'm eager for the upcoming developments -- when will Owen roll over, sit up, get teeth? when will Levi dress himself, master the spoon, use the potty? when will either of them begin to talk? -- but even more so, for their personalities to emerge. [Don't misunderstand me: I am not pushing to get past the baby years. I am quite content right where we are. I'm simply curious how long it takes for various milestones to be reached, and how my boys will differ in when and how they reach them.]
Another friend tells me that her husband prays that God will gift their children in specific ways, and that they (as parents) would be wise in shepherding those gifts. What an incredibly scary prospect! Will Levi's attention to detail have him following in his daddy's exegetical footsteps? Will Owen's jolly sociability put him at the center of the crowd for years to come? Will I be able to adequately guide them through childhood and beyond, while still allowing their Creator to mold them as he will?
Big questions with no immediate answers. That's okay: it's fascinating to watch it all happen. As terrifying as parenthood can be, I must admit that I also find it terribly, wonderfully fun.
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