particulars

The experts say NEVER to compare your children, right?  But don't you think that deep down you always notice the differences (as well as similarities)?  Sure, I've read lots of research & articles & books about sibling personalities, but have just recently really been noticing some things lately between Thomas & Abbigail that I just can't ignore.  Those differences have to do with their eating and their sleeping patterns and what I'm realizing is they are quite different.  I'm also noticing that they are each... well... particular.

Beside the fact that there is a two year age difference and that we are talking about a boy and a girl, which all may account for these differences, they each are set in their own ways and want things their own way.  Here are a few examples:

When eating a meal, Thomas will:

• always go for the yogurt & waffles first at breakfast
• would prefer pancakes (or panpakes as he calls them) over any other breakfast
• always eats his sandwich first at lunch
• will absolutely NOT eat any grapes that have the vine "hole" (which means that I cut them in half & half of it gets wasted).
• finish his snack juice before he even starts eating his snack... which always ends with him wanting more juice.
• would prefer having shrimp, crab, pizza or any kind of noodle dish for dinner

However, when eating a meal, Abbigail will:

• always go for the grapes first (or apples or bananas) & is not friends with yogurt at all
• is not a big fan of pancakes, waffles, bagels, etc
• always eats the grapes, apples or fruit first at lunch
• insists on having her sandwich "smooshed" down before she eats it
• does not like her food to blend together.  There must be ample space between foods
• would eat cheese (slicked, string, yellow or cut) any time of the day
• would prefer having steak, steak, steak, any "meat," shrimp, or any kind of noodle dish for dinner

If these particulars aren't enough for the Mommy waiter to remember and dutifully abide by, the bedtime routine also has some particulars:

Getting ready for bed, Thomas:

• prefers his zipper PJs or fleece PJs
• must have his baby bear with him
• likes to read a book using a flashlight
• wants to be covered up when he goes to sleep
• falls asleep listening to the purr of a small fan near his bed

However, getting ready for bed, Abbigail:

• prefers her zipper PJs or something pink or with hearts on them
• must have exactly 2 NUKS of her choosing with her (I guess one is to hold and then use in the middle of the night if the other one gets lost)
• likes to have 3 blankets placed over her when Mommy and/or Daddy is saying goodnight
• falls asleep listening to lullabies playing on Mommy's iPod which sits on her nightstand

Amazed, confused, and amused that these two have such funny & cute quirks.  I just gotta love 'em!