Opposites

When I was pregnant with Serena, I had often wondered if she would look like Calli. Well, I should say I wonder if she or he would look like Calli since we didn't know she was a girl until her birth. My sisters and I all favor each other quite a bit. My middle sister, Allison, and I have been asked on numerous occassions when she visits if we are twins! We don't think we look quite that much alike, but I guess we must be wrong for so many others to think so! I see pictures of Brittany, my youngest sister, and am blown away by how much she looks like I did at her age. So naturally, when we had our second daughter I wondered if they would follow the same pattern. I think that is some of the fun in being a parent; looking at your children and not only seeing how they resemble the two of you but seeing how they resemble each other as well.

After Serena was born I didn't get to see her for a few minutes. Well, I am not actually sure how long it was to be honest because that is all a big blur to me! Being eight days overdue, she had a bowel movement in utero and there were several extra nurses and doctors on hand for her birth to make sure she was okay. As soon as she was born and the doctor suctioned out her mouth and nose and said "it's a girl!" they whisked her to the corner basinett to tend to her and make sure she was okay. So now that the mystery of boy vs. girl had been solved I was impatient to see what she looked like! I sat there wondering if she would look like Calli, just wondering what she looked like period! Finally they pronounced her just fine, bundled her and brought her over to me. Seeing your child for the first time, whether your first or tenth (I'm sure) is truly amazing.

The first thoughts in my mind were "wow, she looks nothing like Calli did!" And it was true at the time. She was two pounds heavier so naturally her cheeks were fuller and head was bigger. She had a whole mess of dark hair, where Calli only had a small amount. And she had many whiteheads on her face, which was completely normal. She was also lacking the stork bite (birthmark) that Calli had between her eyes. Her eyelashes were much more sparse than Calli's had been at birth. I admit, I was a little shocked that they looked so different, I thought surely if I did have two girls they would look very much alike.

It took just two weeks for me to finally see the similarities. Serena's eyelashes grew in full and thick just like her sister's. Her cheeks have always held a bit more chub, but they were similar. As time went on and she got on the move crawling at five months, she started to thin out more. And although you can see in her legs there is more chunk than Calli ever had, they still look alike. When our screen saver of pictures comes on the computer I sometimes have to do a double take to figure out which baby I am seeing.

It is really fun to see Serena's little personality developing. Because although our princesses may be similar in looks, they are complete opposites in termperament. As a newborn, Calli was extremely fussy and cried a lot. But as she got older she became an easy, happy baby. I look at all the photos we had taken at Sears and she is always smiling. Even at four months she gave the photographer this huge belly laugh! She was just happy and outgoing with a smile or a hug for anyone. And she has turned into the same kind of girl. She is quite a chatterbox, eager to make friends, a leader. I won't even mention the exhausting energy the girl has! My parents have commented more than once how they can't believe she is my daughter. Calli is the exact opposite of me as a child; I was very quiet and reserved and she is not.

And then there is Serena. She was a good baby from Day 1! She has always been the most terrific sleeper and didn't cry much as an infant. But as she has gotten older she has been a bit more difficult. If you look at her pictures from Sears you would be hard pressed to find more than one of her smiling (and even that one was a fluke!). She is much more guarded around strangers and if someone looks at her for more than a split second she is usually in tears begging me to hold her. She is more cautious with her smiles and love to people she doesn't know. I have had to learn to adjust to this personality because I have been so used to Calli all these years.

It is a little fun to see that Serena is turning out to be more like I was and it's nice to have one who clings to me a bit. We visited Sea World again over the weekend and while Richard took Calli to do BIG GIRL things, Serena and I sat in a play area for babies. She plopped herself down on my lap and refused to get up and play. Finally I managed to coax her off my lap, but not far. It took awhile, but she started playing. She would never venture far from me though and always came back a minute later. I can already see the first day of kindergarten for both my kids: Calli, who has been talking about kindergarten for months already despite the fact that she is three, will be the one to forget to hug me goodbye. She will run to her classroom excitedly without so much as a backward glance or a "see ya, Mom!" Serena, on the other hand, will be the clinger, the one who will cry uncontrollably and not let me leave her side. These are my predictions, it will be fun to see in a few years if I am right!

I am so mad that I cut off Calli's head otherwise this would be a cute picture!

Smiles!
Peek-a-boo!

Serena randomly looked up at the screen door and started waving to no one.

Goofball!

Our little ballerina

Daddy and his girls

Calli was doing sit-ups like Daddy

Serena was fascinated by them doing jumping jacks

This is about the best picture I can get of them together nowadays!

Sweet girl!

This is what happens when you say "go give your little sister a hug"

I think I may have another bookworm on my hands!

She is constantly taking my cell phone! Guess you can never start them too early ;)

This picture is way too bright, but I love her big smiles!

If the camera is not pointed at Calli, she isn't very happy. She loves to be the focus and center of attention and is constantly saying "take a picture of me!" So this is what happens when you tell her you are going to take a picture of her baby sister. When I finally pointed the camera at her though to capture her true pout, she couldn't help but smile through her fat lip.