Similar and Different

(Note I'm actually posting this Monday about 4:30, not sure why it says Sunday...)

People have asked me about how baby E compares to the kid. It's funny to remember now, but the kid was actually the most laid back baby. Yes, that's right. My busy, busy, active, talkative, wild little boy, was once a quiet, undemanding, still, chill little being. I know. It's hard for even me to believe. He didn't sleep in the car (ever), still doesn't. I mean, is he the only kid ever who wouldn't sleep in the car??! At least he was generally content. He was fine with us laying him down to entertain himself for short periods of time. He wanted nothing to do with sleeping with or on us (trust me, I tried. I'd have done anything to get him to sleep longer). He had absolutely no interest in pacifiers, really, he didn't want to suck on anything unless he was eating. As for nursing, he could take it or leave it; he didn't care how he was fed, as long as he was. He loved baths from the first and never fussed because water got in his face; it often made him grin and giggle. He never once pooped in his sleep, and he could have cared less if we ever changed his diapers; he was perfectly content to sit in a dirty diaper all day. He never had the first diaper rash. He liked to stay awake at night, and has always been an early riser ("Hello, world. It's 5am! You should all be up by now!"). He was rather serious and made you work to get a smile out of him. He loved for me to sing to him and would get quiet immediately, though would cry again as soon as I stopped.

And baby E...? Well, baby E is a whole different creature indeed. He, too, is a pretty easy baby, but so much different from the kid. Baby E nurses with a ferocity and would suck on our fingers the whole livelong day if we let him. He wants to be held all the time, and though he does sleep pretty well in his bed, he'll sleep even longer if we're holding him. He is not happy if we put him down and doesn't entertain himself - he wants us to do that for him. He has two reactions to the car - sleep, or scream. There is no quiet contemplation about what's going past. There is no compromise. He gets pissed if his diaper is dirty and though will sometimes continue to sleep, he lets you know that he's not particularly happy about it by grunting and whining every couple of minutes. He has had a diaper rash for the last 2 weeks (suggestions please on what to try??!!!!). He has days where he smiles, like all the time. He's only 3wks old, y'all, and he smiles all the time. He gives them away freely, indiscriminately. He is not particularly a fan of my singing, which hurts my feelings a bit, I must admit. He only just tolerates baths, though he, too, doesn't mind water in his face. He sleeps pretty well at night, once we get him to sleep, because my baby E is certainly a night owl. He sleeps his longest stretch after his 4 or 5am feeding.

Now, I never thought my children would be the same. I didn't expect them to act just the same, like the same things, or respond the same. But I guess I've been surprised at how different they are, especially since I'd consider them both rather easy babies. Once the kid started moving, all bets were off and everything changed, as is often the case. So I'm interested to see what happens when baby E gets a'movin' - not that I am in any way trying to hurry that along!

Today's lesson - the magic radio station actually sucks and has no more power than any other radio station. Stupid radio non-station. However, moving the baby back to the middle, where you can reach him and stick your finger in his mouth, that is actually magic. And rather uncomfortable. But not nearly as uncomfortable as listening to screaming.