Baby 1 to Baby 2

I don't think children should be compared to each other as we are raising them, but we should instead embrace the positive uniqueness that each individual child brings to the world. That being said, it can still be interesting to compare how each of our babies are similar and dissimilar to each other. It seems natural for my husband and me to make comments about how much our second child is like our first and comparatively how they differ. Here are a few things we have found when I think about Payton and Riley as babies:

Similar

*Happiness: both babies are generally very happy

*Love Baths: coincidentally, they put you both to sleep. I happen to have no problem with that.

*Dark Features: You both had dark hair and dark eyes at birth. Now, Payton has hazel eyes and blonde hair. Only time will tell with Riley what he will end up with. I'm hoping the dark features stay!

*Cuddly: With Payton, I didn't think a child could want more constant affection than Payton does. Cue Riley. Both kids loved to be held 24/7, rocked to sleep, holding hands, and holding our constant attention.

*Tummy Time: Both babies have had a huge dislike for tummy time

*Eating: Both babies were breastfed and, despite a learning curve with each, there haven't been any major issues for either child. Payton struggled initially with a good latch, but we were able to correct that relatively quickly. I, on the other hand, have battled mastitis at some point both times.

Different

*Sleep: Payton struggled with sleeping, both at night and with naps. She is a rockstar sleeper now, but those newborn/infant nights were hard! Riley has been a great sleeper overall. At 4 months, he typically only gets up 1 time.

*Ticklish: Payton was not very ticklish but Riley is. He loves to be tickled by his chin, sides of his belt, and the bottoms of his feet.

*Watching TV: Payton had really no interest in the TV. Riley learned to roll over and spin himself around in his exersaucer so he had prime positioning to see the TV. So, despite how turned away I keep him from the TV, he finds a way to watch!

*Size: Payton was our petite baby and almost always fell below the 20th percentile at check-ups. Riley is not so tiny and at (almost) 5 months is weighing in close to 17 pounds and ranks closer to the 65th percentile.

*Traveling: Although traveling is hard for both of you, Riley seems to have a higher tolerance for road trips than Payton did as an infant.