As Different As Night and Day

As my boys get older I am becoming starkly aware of the differences that make them each an individual.  The differences that make them who they are. 

Liam is very serious.  He worries about everything.  He can often be heard saying things like, "Be careful on that step!" or "Mommy what if..." and that what if usually has some huge, unlikely catastrophe related to it.  Most recently his worries got the better of him during a fire safety presentation at school.  Knowing that this type of thing would set his mind going a mile a minute, I remember leaning over and whispering to my aid, "This is going to put Liam over the edge.  He will ask me a thousand questions about it later."  Sure enough when he was getting tucked in for bed that night I heard, "Mom, have you changed all of the batteries in all of the smoke detectors?  You are supposed to change them when you change the clocks you know." 

Liam is also very artistic.  He spends hours a day creating pictures of all kinds.  His most recent favorites feature Inspector Gadget and Super Mario.  Our house has paper from one end of it to another at the end of most days.  Liam loves to learn.  He comes home from school and wants to write stories, read books, play reading games on the computer, and make "chunk words."  He can also be very particular and organized.  He likes to make lists and plans, he likes his art supplies and desk set up a certain way.  That is not to say that he actually keeps things clean and neat, he just likes to be organized. 

Personality wise, Liam is pretty easy going,  He tends to be very low maintenance.  He is respectful and cheerful most of the time.  However, he has a lot of difficulty rolling with the punches.  When things do not go according to his plan he is totally devastated.  He throws spectacular fits.  But he can also be very friendly and helpful.  He is an awesome big brother.  He takes care of Aiden like he is his own.  He can be a bit controlling, but what oldest child isn't?


Aiden is a whole different child.  He has been since the womb where he moved constantly and made my back scream out in pain for the last 20 weeks of pregnancy.  Aiden is a busy, busy little boy.  He needs to be entertained at all times.  Just today he was in the backyard begging Shawn to play in the dirt with him because Liam wasn't home.  Oddly enough, when he is on a play date or at a party where there is more than one child for him to play with you will often find him off in a corner playing alone.  He seems to be overwhelmed with the noise, arguing, and craziness of many children at once.  However, he doesn't come out to me and hide from the crowd, he just blocks it out and plays quietly by himself amongst the chaos.  The child who can have the whole world crashing down around him and not even notice. 

Aiden loves to snuggle and give kisses.  He is very affectionate and will actually lose it if he thinks he isn't going to get to give you a hug or a kiss.  Aiden will bonk his head lightly all the way out at the swing set and make his way all the way up the stairs to the porch (tears having stopped by then) just to get a kiss for his boo-boo.  Tonight I fell asleep on the couch and Aiden had to give me a million kisses and snuggles and tell me he loved me as I lay there.  Needless to say all this love woke me up, but it was very sweet.

You could also set a clock by Aiden.  He is up every day at 6:00.  He wakes up in a very delightful mood and is ready to conquer the day, unlike his mother who needs a cup of coffee, darkness, and quiet until at least 9 to function appropriately.  As soon as Aiden is up he has to be busy.  He is building with Lincoln Logs or playing Leapster or begging to watch TV.  Something has to be going on immediately.  He can't even snuggle in bed with us when he first wakes up because he can't lay still.  He fidgets and fidgets and fidgets til we just give in and get up with him.

He is also quite the talker. Much like his body, which he has "trouble settling down" (as he has told me more than once) his mouth moves constantly.  He NEVER.STOPS.TALKING.  And if you do not acknowledge what he has said to you he will repeat it continuously until you do. 

He is the more thoughtful of my boys and probably the more helpful.  He is quick to clean up his messes or help out around the house.  The other day I asked him to run upstairs and grab my book.  He came down with my book and my slippers because, "I thought your feet might get cold, Mommy."

Where Liam is organized, Aiden is a hoarder.  He currently has 5 stuffed animals, 3 blankets, and 20 books in his bed. His favorite toy of the day is, no doubt, on the nightstand waiting for him to play with in the morning.  And he will probably get up at least once after being tucked in to gather up one more thing that needs to be close by while he sleeps.  We set up a tent in the livingroom over Christmas vacation and Aiden hauled down at least 4 trips worth of junk from his bed just to sleep in the tent.  I looked at Shawn and said, "When he's done there won't be any room for you in the tent."  He responded with, "Someday we are going to be digging him out of his house (like on that show Hoarders!)"  At his age, Liam wanted any non-essentials taken out of the bedroom before falling asleep!

Aiden also has a memory like a steel trap.  He can recall anything ever said to him, any trip ever taken, absolutely anything.  He will often bring up things that I hardly remember and yet he can recall every detail.  He is has quite the  independent streak as well.  Where Liam will ask me to get him a snack or a drink, Aiden will pull over his own chair and do it himself.  Quite a feet when you are 30 pounds and 3 feet tall.  He is curious, often wanting to know how things work or why they happen.  And of course impulsive, not always thinking about what will happen before he does something...hence the red crayon and sharpie on all of my walls.  There is also no bending of the rules in Aiden's book.  If he must follow a rule, everyone must follow that rule.

It just amazes me how two children, raised by the same parents, from the same DNA, can be so utterly and completely different.  I am amazed by each of them every day and look forward to learning about our new little boy and his personality very soon.

Cloth Diapering #3

I have decided to use cloth diapers with our new baby.  I have never used them before but have always been intrigued.  When Liam was born, I had no way of laundering them.  When Aiden was born I didn't want to make the investment.  This time around I just decided to do it.  After all, diapers are $30 per case these days and cloth diapers only cost you once!

So I did some research, asked a few friends, and then searched Ebay for a good deal.  I found 17 diapers on Ebay for a one time investment of $250.  They came in the mail today and I spent a good hour stuffing them and snapping them and just playing around with them.  I am super excited to begin this new chapter of my life.

I know there are lots of reasons to cloth diaper, such as the impact on the landfills and that they are actually softer and more cushy for sensitive skin.  But my main motivation was the cost.  I am holding out a little ray of hope that I can take a year off from work to be with the baby next year.  Diapers would be an extra expense that we would have to find money for.  This way, we won't have to.  Plus, they are super cute!  Love all of the colors and the fact that they don't look cheap.

I am hoping some of my readers can offer me some cloth diapering tips and support.  I have chosen the Bum Genius 4.0 one-size with snap closures to begin my cloth diapering journey.  I have inserts and doublers.  I have stuffed the diapers and feel ready to use them.  So lets hear from others out there that cloth diaper.  What brands have you used?  What were the pros and cons?  What other products have you purchased to help you in this journey?  Any words of wisdom?  My biggest concern is leakage, especially at night because I would prefer a child that sleeps through the night as soon as possible and do not want leaks waking him up.  What are your thoughts on night time diapering and leaks?

As soon as our little guy is here I will update you all on this adventure and our progress.  I'm sure there will be a learning curve, I'm sure we will have our share of mishaps, and I am also sure that there will be an occasion or two when I reach for my old standard disposables.  But I really want to try this.  So, here's to cloth diapering!