Monday, June 17, 2013

Two Peas



  • Two peas in a pod - thats how most people described my children just after Tully was born. Despite Flynn being a boy and Tully a girl, they did look very much alike when she was a brand newbie, so 'two peas in a pod ' it was. However, now that she is almost ten months, its becoming apparent they are not as alike as some people first thought.

    For starters, Tully is growing into her own face - she looks much less like Flynn than she did when she was first born ( and, in fact, is starting to look very similar to myself at the same age ). They've also hit - or not hit - milestones differently. Flynn crawled at 9 months; Tully is 10 months this week and has developed a hybrid crawl/bum shuffle type thing, but can pull herself up and cruise along the furniture like a pro ( which Flynn couldnt do til just before he turned one ). Flynn got his firs tooth at 6 months old and had 8 by the time he turned one; Tully got her first teeth at 7 and a half months ( the bttom two popped up within a week of each other ) but has had nothing since.Tully hit the first words milestone before Flynn did ( though both are proving to be very vocal regardless of vocabulary! ).

    But the one difference that has hit me most this week is a difference in personality - Flynn, at 10 months old, was a very affectionate baby. He was always up for a cuddle, gave the biggest, sloppiest kisses and if he was even remotely tired he would burrow his head into my shoulder, stroke my hair and fall asleep. Tully? Well, she seems to be more of the Miss Independent type. She does give cuddles sporadically but her version of cuddling is to nuzzle her head into your neck - no arms involved - and her kisses, though as equally as sloppy as Flynns, are very few and far between. Dont get me wrong - Tully does show affection, by reaching out to be picked up, or cruising along the furniture till she's tapping happily on your legs, or by calling out and waving. Its just that, after having a super affectionate child like Flynn ( who, at 3 and a half, still randomly kisses me during the day or asks for a hug ' just because ' ), Tully seems obviously less so.

    Sometimes i do wish she'd just curl up on my lap and snuggle, or that she'd give me a big, drooly smooch hello when i pick her up from daycare, and i'm hoping she may grow into that behaviour a little more as she gets older.... but i may also have to acknowledge that the Miss Independent thing is just her way. In the meantime i'm going to relish the chance to rub my cheek on her fluffy head while she has her bottle, to give her cheeks a few tickly kisses everytime i pick her up, and to lie my head on her tummy after a nappy change and let her play with my hair, while i still can. Goodness knows time flies that quickly i dont know how much time i have left before either of my kids are too big for that sort of thing....

    Are your kids affectionate, or quietly standoff-ish? Do you have 'peas in a pod ' or very different little people? Do you sometimes wish they were different either way or lovingly accept them as they are?


    Linking up with IBOT over at Essentially Jess!

10 comments:

  1. Very different people, but that's because they are very different people. And you wouldn't have them any other way....

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  2. I have three, they are all different and I'm glad they are all special in their own little way. I love cuddles from them, one is a morning cuddler, one is fleeting cuddler and one, at nearly 21, is a hugger and still tells me he loves me.

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  3. They get much more affectionate as they grow I reckon, my oldest 3.5 and 5 years are very cuddly, 21 month old - no so much - but I reckon they get better :)

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  4. My first three were big snugglers like Boatman, but not the last one. She is me all over and will only have a cuddle on her terms. It's funny to see their little personalities develop like that. :)

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  5. K and my nephew looked like two peas on a pod. K was never very cuddly - even now she will sometimes hug you without using her arms - just rests her head on your shoulder and that is considered a hug - other times she sqeezes until you go 'uh' !!!
    Have the best day !
    Me

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  6. My two kids are like chalk and cheese, although when they were newborns they DID look alike ... but since then, definitely not! Mr 19 has always looked like his Dad. Miss 16 was very much me as a toddler but now she looks more like her Dad. Personalities are completely different - Mr 19 is quiet and introverted, Miss 16 is outgoing and strong willed!

    Fortunately they both still have a soft spot for their old Mama and even give my hugs sometimes (but not in public!)

    Visiting from #TeamIBOT

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  7. I have four - two boys and two girls, and they're all insanely affectionate and loving, pretty much because their father and I are like that too, and that's how we raised them, and I wouldn't change a thing!

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  8. All my boys are loving and affectionate-hope they stay that way!

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  9. My three are all very much their own people. Ol is my snugly bear, he would cuddle all day long. Flynn likes to snuggle on the couch but only when he feels like it, and Annie is not a snuggly baby, I agree I also wish she would be a little more snuggly. She was when younger but these days is just too busy to snuggle. I must admit I've been bringing her into bed with me for an early morning bottle and she often snuggles in and falls asleep after which I relish.

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  10. You know I gotta say, I can't wait to be able to answer this question properly! Punky is definitely little Miss Independance and not he most snugly or affectionate of kids. The snuggliest she gets is when she is sick or super, super tired but apart from that she is just go, go, go from the moment she wakes to the moment she sleeps and just doesn't seem to have much time for affection. A she gets older she is starting to a bit more though, like when it's time to say goodnight to Daddy when he's going to bed after a night-shift, she'll climb on to the bed and give home big kisses and a hug, but it's a bit of a game for her. By sometimes, out of the blue, when lift her off the change table after a nappy change she will just throw her arms around me and give me the biggest, tightest hug, for no reason and I love it! I hope this next bubs is cuddly, as Punky was cuddly as a baby, just not so much as a toddler.

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