Valentines 2015

Valentines 2015

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Our beautiful differences =)

When we are out and about with the girls, at least once a day (usually multiple times a day!) we are asked "oh, are they twins?!". When we answer yes, at least 60% of the time the follow up question is "are they identical or fraternal?". I like to say that our girls are "very fraternal". Apart from the (I think) obvious differences in their appearances, they are also very different in terms of their personalities and individual development.

And I LOVE those differences.

Miss Olivia can single-handedly light up a room - instantly offering a huge smile and making friends with everyone around her.

Miss Brianna is more shy and reserved, will cower behind mom and dad, or refuse to be put down around strangers. Well - until she gets to know you - then she is a fireball! Always wanting to be the star of the show.

Miss Olivia does an excellent job of listening to what is said, and following instructions.

Miss Brianna listens about 50% of the time, and follows instructions less than 10% of the time. She likes the additional attention she receives when she has to be asked or shown something repeatedly (sneaky little lady).

Miss Olivia knows what she wants, and she wants it NOW. Patience is not a skill she posesses at this point. She becomes frustrated quickly, and will act out by hitting or screaming, when she doesn't get what she wants.

Miss Brianna is pretty patient with her sister and other kiddos. She doesn't love to share, but she will usually do it to keep the peace. Like Olivia, Brianna also knows what she wants, but she is more likely to incessantly sign the word "please" over and over again while whining until she gets what she wants then she is to hit or scream.

Miss Olivia dislikes getting in trouble. Time out is her arch enemy. She cries and cries the whole time she is in time out.

Miss Brianna lives on the wild side, and will push her limits right until the very end (right before she would get in trouble or get time out) then would stop. Time out does not seem to be an effective deterent for Brianna. When put in time out she plays by herself or talks. She rarely cries or becomes upset. This could be a challenge later on!

Miss Olivia gets SO excited about things - for instance - we adopted a new kitty (Dora) last week. Olivia LOVES this kitty. Every time she sees Dora, she does this high pitched scream and barrels toward the poor cat. Luckily Dora came from a home with children, so she is relatively familiar with this procedure and doesn't freak out as much as she would otherwise.

Miss Brianna is pretty even keel. You can tell she is excited, but it isn't quite as obvious. She gets a great big smile and becomes very affectionate (hugs and kisses). The kitty and the pugs both really like Brianna.

Miss Olivia is a very independent little toddler. She is happy to play on her own, without much direction from others. If she wants you to read a book to her, she will bring it to you and ask. She expects your full attention while reading. After you are done reading, she is content to go back and play by herself. Affection from Olivia is rare.

Miss Brianna is has more of a dependent personality. She is okay playing by herself for a short period of time, but she prefers to be involved in activities suggested/regulated/directed by others. She is happy to sit in your lap and read books for hours, and doesn't mind if her sister wants to sit in your lap too. She is content to share her space. She also LOVES to cuddle and give kisses.

Miss Olivia is very particular when she eats. She loves food, but only certain kinds of food (currently crackers, cheese, and macaroni and cheese) She prefers to remain relatively clean, and hates to be cleaned up after meals.
(Picture caption - I'm done!! I'm dirty! Ewww! Get me out of this chair!!!)

Note how clean Miss Olivia is - her hands, her face, and her tray...items are still relatively organized....

Miss Brianna LOVES food! She loves how it feels between her fingers, how it tastes when mixed together, how it sticks to the walls or feels in her hair. She too has become a bit more particular with what foods she likes (macaroni and cheese has been a massive hit over the past week) but she spends more time playing with it and flinging it than she does eating it. Not that she is starving in any way...we have big healthy girls =).
(Picture caption - I'm happy just being messy!!!)

Note how very dirty Miss Bri is...food all over her hands, arms, face, in her hair, all over her tray, and whether you can tell or not, there is actually rice on the wall!

It's these differences, along with many others, that really make me cherish each girl as an individual. I love their beautiful differneces...every one of them...even if sometimes they frustrate me or drive me absolutely batty =)

I really feel like instead of having "twins" in the traditional sense/belief (alarmingly many people think that twins are simply two of the exact same child) we have two siblings who just happened to be born on the same day. They will have a very special bond because of these circumstances, naturally, but my expectation will never be that they will be "the same" person. They are so very very different.

Do you love the differences is your kiddos? Are they incredibly apparent like ours, or are they more subtle?

Until next time -
Megan

14 comments:

  1. My girls are so different in looks and personality too! The comments we receive from strangers follow along the same lines. It gets so tiring to hear the same comments over and over (especially "do twins run in your family"). They look so different I can't believe people would ever mistake them for identicals. One of the worst comments I received was "while they are adorable, I'm sooooooo glad I didn't have twins".

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    1. I'm the same way! I sincerely think that as the girls get older and look less alike that we will get fewer of the "twin" comments and questions. Instead, people will simply assume they are sisters, likely born very close together.
      I actually think that may be bittersweet for us...not that I have any desire for the girls to be labeled as "the twins", but I think the girls like the attention they get from the public being twins (although it can be very overwhelming sometimes).
      I hate the soooo glad I didn't have twins....I have managed to hold my tongue while thinking in my head, ME TOO! Now go away!

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  2. Mine sign "please" like that too!!
    Very rarely do I even call them twins... and it sounds weird when others do. They are obviously not identical bc they are b/g and they have very different personalities that I LOVE!!
    Great pics!

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    1. LOL! I think it's that they have figured out that they get more stuff if they "ask" please for it, so they use it like mad! It's hilarious!
      I don't call the girls twins either, they are "the girls" to us. I suppose when little man is born they will collectively be "the kiddos" or "the three amigos" or something silly like that =)
      I love the differences, I really do! So glad some of the other mommas out there do too! =)

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  3. I really enjoyed this post Megan!! Your girls are absolutely adorable and it's interesting to read all the differences between them. I think it's lovely they are so different! I am sure they will grow up the best of friends having each other.
    Your pics were funny, the food smeared everywhere makes me smile, why do babies do that? Lol, My kids have always done that, although I do notice how Liam likes to get it cleaned off!
    Thanks for sharing and thank you for visiting my blog the other day!
    Have a great day :)

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    1. Thanks Kerry! It's amazing how different they are...literally night and day differences in personalities...I love it!
      And I don't know why babies smear stuff all over either! I think it's funny, and I like to think that maybe, just maybe, they are learning something by messing with the different textures and mixing the different foods together =). Brianna hates getting cleaned off though...she made the mess, she wants to sit in it! HA! That girls is nuts!
      Thanks for visiting my blog!! =)

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  4. Yes, yes - I LOVE that my boys look different & they are so different in personality too! Good to hear that other MoMmies enjoy the differences as well. Each has their own reaction/preference in a different situation & event though one is usually easier to deal with than the other...I embrace the differences.

    Mine will also sign please like "mad" when they really, really want something - hilarious!

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    1. Haha! Your boys sound pretty similar to my girls! I love when they sign like mad because they want something - it cracks me up every time! They will not only sign "please" like mad, but they will also sign "more" like crazy too. The only problem with that is, we often can't determine what "more" it is that they want! HA! Just when we think we are getting ahead because they can communicate with us we hit another roadblock - lol =).
      You go momma! Happy to embrace those differences with you!!

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  5. Yse! Yes! Yes! My little Amelia (or big- she's over 30 pounds!) is a snatch-and-grab kind of kid but Claire will sign "Please!Please!Please!" and I'm like "Baby, I want to give it to you, but I have NO idea what you are asking for!" On the other hand, I end up giving her things I wouldn't otherwise because she asks so nicely. The other day she brought me a bag of marshmallows and signed "please" and said "peez" so she actually got some marshmallows. Never thought THAT would be a snack that was allowed at this house!

    Your comment about people possibly not realizing that they're twins as they get older cracked me up because we were at the doctor's office the other day for Amelia and one of the nurses asked me what the age difference was between my girls. I said 6 minutes and she looked so confused. She thought I said 6 months! Anyway, I'm enjoying reading about your girls! We also use the phrase "very fraternal" but people keep asking us if we're sure. LOL Yep. I was there when the doctor put two embryos in me.

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  6. I love finding the differences in my girls. Throughout my pregnancy we suspected that they were identical, as they shared a placenta. Even after they were born the looked a lot alike, and the preliminary findings from the placenta exam showed that they were probably identical. However, you've seen my girls on the blog! They look like sisters, but not like twins! Their personalities are so different too, which I think makes things super fun!

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  7. Love this post! You'll appreciate having this info later (and maybe because they will have traded roles!) My twin sis and I are completely opposite and so are my girls! I think maybe twins "jive" better that way - instead of both being the same way. (And thanks, Megan, for the thoughts and prayers for us! You're a sweet friend! And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our paths cross this year during our travels!!)

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  8. They are each their own little person! I think people just feel like they have to say something about the twin thing. I think its also funny how different siblings are regardless of their twinness. LIke how one will be so outgoing and the other such an introvert. Or one who is a great sleeper and the other a terror. :-)

    They are going to be amazing big sisters!

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  9. Awww..precious girls! My boys are very different as well. And it is bizarre that people think twins are the same person. I love seeing the differences in the things they get excited about at the moment. One of the munchkins is into birds and Tigger, while the other is into watching the path different objects take when he uses thema s projectiles ;)

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  10. This is a great post! Your girls will love to read about their personalities when they are older! My girls are identical but their personalities are very fraternal :)

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me!