Monday, April 06, 2009

Twins - Two very different babies

The twins are going to be a whole year old this month. I can't believe how quickly this time has gone by... I am enjoying this twin mama stuff so much! We are seeing more and more of the babies' very different personalities, and it is a blast! Most people now realize right away that they are not identical, even when I have them dressed in matching outfits. In fact, more and more people comment on how 'each of us (Scott and me) have one', referring to the thought that there is one baby that looks like each of us.

Dennis definitely looks like his daddy (it's all in the eyes and those eyelashes!), but I am not so sure how Daniel looks like me just yet. I am not so sure any of my kids look so much like me really. Dennis and Kynzie favor one another, and Daniel and Max favor one another in looks. Personality-wise, Dennis and Daniel are so different from one another as are Kynzie and Max. I am not sure who favors who in this category yet.

It has been interesting to witness these babies have the same influences at the same time and see how differently they respond. It is a wonderful example of how God imparts definite personalities in each of us. There is much to be said about how environment (parental training and nurture as well as other household influences in our case) affects the outcome of a child's character. But seeing what God has placed in them from the beginning seems to be more evident when we have these two side by side than it was raising one at a time.

With one at a time, it was easier to say "Well, we did this or that differently with this child or that child, so that could be why they act this way and the other acted that way..." But here we are doing the same thing with two different little people at the same time. How marvelous to experience this phenomenon!

For example, both babies understand "no", but respond to it almost directly opposite from each other - one says I can get past this no stuff, and one says no means no. While the first baby may not want to obey 'no' just yet, this baby is also the one who seems to want our approval more. The baby who seems to understand it is best for him to obey 'no' seems to not care whether we give him our approval or not. I am interested to see how this continues to develop over time.

We also teach a little bit of sign language for help in early communication (although admittedly, we have not been as diligent in this with the twins). One baby enjoys the signing and tries to imitate it, and the other baby ignores it and makes up his own signs. One baby is better at self-comfort, and as a result, is seemingly more patient and more cuddly but not as smiley or interactive. The other baby wants to be first to get your attention when he wants it, and is sure to give you lots of smiles and interaction as your reward if you comply.

Anyway, it is no wonder to me that twins and other multiples are the subjects of so much study... there is so much we can learn!

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