People talk a lot about studies comparing characteristics and success of first vs. middle vs. last children -- "did you hear that first borns are bolder and more successful?" -- which really bugged me since I am a younger child. Now that I have 2 kids...I wonder what all the fuss about these studies is -- of course the kids will be different. Its really a no-brainer and you wonder how anyone got funding to do such a study! By the time the second child rolls around, every little smile and poop doesn't carry the same sense of amazement and awe. Yes, they are still adorable and wonderful and have their own little quirks that your older child did not have (or had differently), but between taking care of a baby, a toddler, and reassuring the older one that they are still very important and your favorite eldest child, you really don't have time to sit and gaze. This struck home to me this week when I thought about writing something in the blog (mainly to post pictures) and I realize that I really have very few photos of Aliena, whereas I shot a good 50 or so of Adrien every day for the first three months (or longer...ok, so I exaggerate a little...but not much). I just don't seem to have the time to gaze and take photos -- she doesn't really like to be put down by herself (arms are way more comfy) and when we do put her down, its usually to make dinner or play with Adrien. And all that is with the extra hands and help of Grandma-Pam! So second kids don't get the benefit of fully bi-parental attention 24/7, have to listen to their older siblings who have a greater mastery of...well...sound (language or speech for the talented), and don't feel as much like a star since they are less often exposed to the flash of a camera (maybe that makes them less likely to startle?). With that said, my sense of guilty second-child neglect (relative to the first one) put me in a short lived photo-frenzy. Today's post has a few photos of Aliena, Adrien playing with Aliena (well...she is a captive audience in her electric-chair...for about 5 minutes until she realized that it was not a human bouncing her around) and other interactions with her.
Adrien has been enjoying school -- he went 'swimming' (in 6 inches of water) on Thursday afternoon with his class and he stayed for a full day on Friday (he napped there...which he no longer wants to do at home...even if we still try...since we really want..or need...him to). I'm not sure if its school or if he is getting to that age, but Adrien has also gotten really into letters.- tonight he blew us away by cracking open yhe 'Attachment Parenting" book (not the most riveting reading...and rather lacking in the illustration department) and fishing for letters he knew. "A" for Adrien, "M" for mommy, "P" for papa or Pam, "Z" for zebra, "B" for baby, and "S" for stinky. I have no idea where he got this from, since we laid off the letter games after a brief stint at 1.5 years when we finally realized that it must be too early. He the amazed us by pointing out that a "b" and "p" are "similar" - WOW!!!! Then we realized that use of the concept "similar" was a lucky guess when he proceeded to say that every other pair of letters was similar. Next on the list of things to learn is how to not blow your cover when you make a lucky guess! Adrien's also been playing with a chateau that a neighbor lent him (from his own childhood 50 years ago)...along with a borrowed dragon that eats soldiers, cars, and Buzz Lightyear! Definitely a boy!
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