similarly different

when i was pregnant with ada i naturally wondered who was in there and what would they be like. would they be like cohen, or something completely different, not just in looks, but in there makeup, who they were. of course we are all our own individuals, but it seems that children fall into a few different categories when it comes to temperament and personality. i think i expected that this new baby would be something altogether different than cohen. looking at other families i knew and those that i read about online, it seemed as though most second children were different than the first. i was wrong. i know that it is too soon to tell, but the similarity between ada and cohen at this age is uncanny. minor things, like a preference for sleeping in the big bed with me, (both will/would wake over and over until you brought them into bed and then they will/would sleep all night), or how they both sleep with their legs and arms spread out as far as possible and take up the entire centre of the bed, with mom and dad perching on the edge (thank goodness cohen doesn't insist on sleeping with us anymore or i would be camped out on the floor). ada hates being covered by a blanket and if she isn't in a deep sleep she will wake to kick off any covering that is on her, it is only later, when she has been asleep awhile that you can cover her, no matter how cold it is, cohen was exactly the same. ada, just like cohen as a baby, is an efficient nurser that never takes more than 5 minutes in any one feed and is always quick to smile, her laugh is easy and gregarious, and her feet are ticklish.

even the bigger things seem to be close. she is tough. cohen likes to play with her and he isn't always gentle, choosing instead to try and ride her like a horse or "help" her play his piano. he doesn't hurt her, but he isn't using kid gloves either. she hasn't minded one bit. in fact, it seems that the more in her face he is, the bigger her grin. not to say she doesn't cry, because she does, when she wants to be held or is way overtired, but whenever cohen is there she doesn't bother. she is the perfect sister for him. i was a little worried that if the new baby was over sensitive or less physical that things could be sticky for awhile, but it just isn't so. she is strong, so very strong. she is already bringing herself up onto all four and sometimes just her front arms and the tips of her toes, she is itching for mobility and will for sure be an early crawler. i can see it in her eyes, the admiration for cohen, and i know that one day she is going to mimic his active and tumble ways. i wonder where they got this? marko i guess. by all accounts he was an active and mischievous toddler. maybe they didn't "get it" from anyone, maybe it doesn't work that way. all i know is that i am going to be operating from the edge of my seat with these two for a few years to come. or maybe i will be wrong in the end, maybe she will surprise me and be bookish and introverted, but i wouldn't bet on it.

cohen's big thing in the last couple of days is saying "cheese". last weekend when i was taking a picture of him i told him he should say it when he smiled, and i guess it made an impression. check out his "look take the picture already!" expression on the last cheese.



oh and my computer was fixed that same night so i am back to being cool again...phew.