Having two kids is definitely interesting, to say the least. One of the things I was really looking forward to with a second kid is to see how the kids are the same, and how they are different. Even though Oliver is still pretty young, I can already see how different the two of them are. Note that I’m comparing Oliver at the age he is now, to Evie when she was his age. Obviously there would be a lot more differences between an infant and an almost-3-year-old!
How they are the same:
- They both liked baths – Oliver is generally a grump in the evening, and spends a lot of time crying. Not during bath time! Nothing is more sure to make him smile than letting him kick his legs like a maniac in the little bathtub. Evie was the same way.
- They both loved looking at the light and ceiling fan – This is probably the same for all babies, but they both could stare for hours at pretty much nothing at all.
- They both liked hearing Old Macdonald – I remember we used to sing this in the car to Evie for like hours at a time, saying every animal we could think of. We would even have variations of animals, like a bird is different than a crow, or a dog sounds different than a big dog. The same is starting to work for Oliver as well. It’s like a switch: turn off singing, turn on crying.
- They both had a blocked tear duct – This just means that you are constantly wiping away those little “eye boogers” from the corner of their eyes. Sometimes wiping it away will cause him to cry, and I just think, “Oh man, it’s just going to come back now!” Obviously Evie’s cleared up after a time, so we’re just waiting it out at this point.
- They both loved pooping with their diaper off -There must be some biological reason for this, but the second the diaper comes off, watch out! Of course this isn’t a big deal now that we are used to it. You just need to move fast and get something in position as soon as possible. Sometimes I don’t even have a chance to take the old diaper off, I just need to lay him down and start to unfasten it!
How they are different:
- Oliver sleeps a lot – The first thing people generally remarked about Evie when she was an infant was that she was so alert. Oliver spends a lot more time sleeping, at least for the first month or so. He has more and more (happy) awake time during the day, but after Evie he still seems like a sleepy head.
- Oliver shrieks like a banshee – Oliver can (and will) give out this bloodcurdling screech that sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard before. He has quite the vocal range. They always say in books and movies that you can learn what a baby wants by his cry. In my experience that is not true. Evie had pretty much the same cry for everything. Oliver has many different cries, but I don’t think you can really interpret anything by them. He usually gives his horrible-bloody-murder-pain-shriek for pretty much anything.
- Poop velocity – Evie could hit a bee’s eye at 40 paces, and routinely coated the wall, or anything else not quick enough to get out of the way. Oliver more or less keeps it in the diaper. I can only think of one truly disastrous poopy diaper of the kind that Evie had like once a day.
- Oliver doesn’t like to be held – Okay, this is the weird one. I thought ALL babies liked to be held? If Oliver is crying, one of the first things to try is setting him down somewhere. Most of the time he’s happier on his own. Even when you’re holding him, he likes to sit up in your lap and face outward, not be cuddled or anything like that. He does sleep better if you’re holding him, but he still spends decent chunks of the day in the bouncy seat or lying on a blanket. It certainly can be convenient, but I’ve never heard of a baby who’s happier not to be held.
Shane Halbach 
This is a fascinating post. Follow-ups are encouraged!
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It’s a hot summer! Maybe Oliver just likes to keep cool. Don’t take it personally. 🙂
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Oliver’s preference to not want to be held or cuddled, preferring to be by himself in his seat or on a blanket, and wanting to ‘face outward’ when being held (I read this as wanting to avoid eye contact) worries me. His screaming could be another indicator. Consider temporarily removing DAIRY from his diet to see if that reduces the screaming and improves his level of alertness. Also – please consider having him evaluated by a developmental pediatrician. It could be nothing, but your comments are enough to me that it’s worth having him checked out. Either way, keep close track and document his development, and if you see anything else that seems out of the ordinary, follow up with your pediatrician. Do NOT be content if your regular pediatrician says all is well, all babies are different etc, you really need to have him evaluated by a developmental pediatrician, especially as he grows and if you see anything else of concern. Feel free to email or call me if you wish to discuss further. – Colleen
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Hi Colleen,
Perhaps I was being a little overly dramatic, for entertainment value. 🙂
Oliver definitely seeks eye contact. Also, in terms of his crying, I was commenting more on the occasional tone of his cry. I actually think he cries less than many babies.
We don’t have any developmental worries at this point, but it’s something we do watch. Sara keeps a Denver developmental scale in his bedroom and keeps notes on it regularly just like she did with Evie (seriously).
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your concern, and we are sensitive to these issues as well.
Shane
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According to my mother, I didn’t like to be held when I was a baby. Someone told her not to feel bad, because if I didn’t want to be held when I was little, I would probably want to be held when I was older. They were right; I still like to be held.
On a less-related note… Also when I was little, I didn’t talk for a very long time. My parents took me to a child psychologist who concluded that I was probably slightly mentally retarded. I’m inclined to disagree.
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No comment… 😉
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😛
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Your emoticons are less than ideal. That was supposed to be much less happy than it appears!
:- P
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