When illnesses went around the boys' infant day care room, they both seemed to get it at the same time. This is how I became a confirmed "rip the band-aid off" parent. Inevitably they were both going to get sick, so I may as well clean up puke/stay up all night with feverish babies/administer medicine all at once. It also meant the house could be de-germified faster and there was no waiting around for the other kid to get sick.
As they grew into toddlers, they actually... gasp... got immune systems (either that or they caught every possible bug EVER in the first two years of their lives). One kid may get something and the other kid never gets it. 99% of the time, Alex is the one who catches the bug and stays at home sick. This is not surprising to me as he is very tactile, touching everything and then putting it into his mouth.
Nate's pink eye is the first illness in awhile where he has stayed home alone. While Jon and I make a concentrated effort to get alone time with each boy, it is rarely a full day. After yesterday, Jon and I have an all new appreciation for Alex. Poor Alex, getting bossed around by Nate ALL THE TIME. I love love love Nate but that kid CAN TALK and he will not stop talking until he gets what he wants.
After just one day alone with Nate, I completely understand why Alex has become such a fast runner - he needs to get away from Nate's talking. I also understand why he's developed the habit of giving in to Nate's demands - it might be the only way to shut Nate up. And I also understand why Alex gets so cranky when we give him a lot of commands - yet two more people bossing him around?!
As the boys have gotten older, I've started to take for granted how much interaction occurs between the two of them that does not involve us. Having Alex out of the house amplified how much verbal interaction Nate needs and how much of that interaction Alex provides for Nate. It was a good reminder what a special relationship siblings have. And it was a good reminder how twins rule in every way.
7 comments:
Hahaha...you made me laugh with the comment about Alex running fast to get away from Nate. I don't have twins but two of my boys have such drastic differences in personality and one is the like your two, one talks ALOT and one doesn't. I thought of you this a.m. as I was approaching 3 miles on the eliptical machine....only 10 more to go....kidding - I couldn't do that but admire you for your run.
Melody's our motormouth, and the last time she was home sick with Daddy, he made similar comments!
I get Mel by herself all morning tomorrow for speech therapy for swallowing. Let's see how I survive the endless talking!
LOL. Poor Alex. Maybe you could get him some ear plugs? Then again, Nate would end up talking to you instead.
I love this post Laura! You capture your kids' personalities so well. Regardless of age differences, this really makes me think about how siblings affect child development. So would it be safe to say that not only does Nate resemble you and Alex resemble Jon, but that their personalities reflect you both as much as their looks? LOL.
This is why my twin sis and I still to this day have a very annoying habit when we're together -- we both talk AT THE SAME TIME. I think it started when we were little because I was super talkative and my sister wasn't, so one day she figured out if she just started talking over me at least she'd get a word in edgewise. We can hold whole conversations this way...it drives everyone around us crazy LOL. I don't even realize we're doing it until someone points it out.
Thanks for delurking on my blog! This post is great! It definitely caught my attention when reading it. Glad to meet another twin mama in my area. You're just a hop skip and a jump away.
So THAT is what Lana needs--a twin! Nate sounds so much like Lana--the incessant talking, the stubborness!
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