i've been thinking a lot today about the differences between micah and rowan. just for fun, i'm going to list them... because there's nothing more fun than listing all the neat, unique characteristics of one's children. : ) that's my opinion, anyway.

• as an infant, micah required swaddling, walking, bouncing, humming or singing - sometimes all at once - to calm down and/or fall asleep.
• by the age of 12 mos, josh and i could have full conversations with micah, and she showed signs of having a strong personality and many independent thoughts and intentions.
  
• by the time she was around 12 mos old, micah would cooperate when we asked her not to do something, or needed to redirect her to something else. her persistence didn't show up until she was older.
• during her toddlerhood, micah pretty much played only with her books and toys - she wasn't that interested in remote controls, cell phones, pens, electrical sockets, fireplace tools, etc., so we didn't have to watch her like a hawk at other people's houses where those things could be found lying around.
  
• up until very recently, micah almost always woke up unhappy, whether from a nap or in the morning. she would also, until recently, lie in bed and cry until i came to get her. now she wakes up peacefully (notice, not "happily") and comes to me, but still needs to cuddle and nurse for quite a while before she's ready to face the day.
  
• until recently, micah was never that keen on giving or receiving lots of hugs and kisses - especially if it wasn't on her terms.

• as an infant, rowan never needed to be swaddled or bounced - he rarely fussed, and fell asleep easily whenever he got tired.
• at the age of 17 mos, he is only saying "da-da" and "bye-bye" but obviously understands most of what we are saying to him - we can tell because he will follow directions, go where and do what we ask him to, etc.
• rowan has always spontaneously hugged and kissed us, and kisses are a great source of comfort for him - if he's hurt or scared, the first thing he does is grab mine or josh's face and pull us in for a kiss.
• rowan has always woken up cheerful, ready to play from the get-go. he doesn't cry upon waking; he just climbs down from the bed and comes and finds me. if he gets woken up from his nap or in the morning before he's ready, sometimes he's a little cranky and needs to be nursed and held for a while.
• when we visit other people's homes, rowan will ignore all the cool toys and head straight for the remotes, lamps, appliances, bookshelves, potted plants, anything breakable, and everything that's plugged into a wall socket.

that's all i can come up with for now...