From the moment we found out that I was pregnant with boy #2, we knew that they were very different. I remember being at Zachary's ultrasound and he was so calm and relaxed, the technician took beautiful "portraits" of him with his face staring right out at the world. Karsten on the other hand, was wiggling and squirming so much, the technician could barely get good measurements of him. She gave him the "wiggliest baby" of the day award.
Though we probably couldn't tell for sure that his personality would be different, we certainly sensed it. Zachary mostly slept in the womb. I felt him roll around in there once in awhile and when he was moving a lot, it was usually because he heard music. He seemed to love church when the worship started and became very active at that time. When it was time for him to be born, Zachary wasted no time. My labor started during the day as I shopped and that night, we headed to the hospital when he was born three hours later at 12:34 pm.
Karsten was different. He seemed to move around all of the time and felt as if he was trying to swim inside of me. As I neared the end of my third trimester, I was positive that I had bruises inside of me from his constant kicking. He was running out of room in there and he used to kick so hard it would stop me in my tracks. Sometimes, I would try to push his foot out of my rib as he stretched out. I ended up going to the hospital with false labor with Karsten. I had strong contractions that were minutes apart but it all slowed down as soon as I was hooked up to the monitors. When I did go in for the second time, I labored all night in the hospital before he was born at 8:30 am the next day.
Now that they are five and almost seven, they show distinct differences in their personality. Interestingly enough, it gives them great balance as brothers. Here are some of the ways in which they differ quite a bit!
Zachary: Night owl (he was born after midnight!). Zachary loathes going to bed. His bed in the morning looks as if the blankets have encountered a tornado during the night.
Karsten: Morning person (born in the morning!). He pops out of bed early with barely a yawn and a stretch. His bed in the morning, looks as if someone peeled back the covers a tad for someone to crawl out.
Zachary: Easy-going. Zachary rarely gets really upset. And when he does get upset, he cries and it's because his feelings have been hurt.
Karsten: Intense. Karsten likes things a certain way and he tends to melt-down faster. He cries easily and tends to voice his frustration verbally and with a lot of emotion.
Zachary: Turtle. This goes with the easy-going part. He tends to really take his time doing everything. His bed-time routine takes a very long time and his morning routine takes even longer. He's rarely in a hurry and for those of us who are, we tend to get irritated with his turtle mode.
Karsten: Rabbit. Karsten is always ready to go. He wants to get going and while Zachary is slow and I am somewhere in between, he tends to get irritated with anyone who's not as fast as he is.
Zachary: Sentimental. Zachary loves to show that he loves you by drawing or creating something. He tends to be more artistic in that he takes his time to create something beautiful for the people he loves. He doesn't get really "gushy" but once in awhile, a feeling or thought inspires him and he will come over and throw his arms around you. One night he came up to me and said, "I love you so much," as he hugged me really tight. But usually, a hug and a squeeze is all he needs and doesn't cuddle often.
Karten: Affectionate. Karsten is very gushy and enthusiastic about telling you how he feels. He loves to tell you that he loves you, often. He likes to hug, kiss and cuddle. He tells you how wonderful you are and that you're the "best." When he gets in trouble, he always wants a hug and kiss to reassure him that everything is still OK.
Zachary: Let's go out. Zachary loves to be around people 24/7. The most exciting place for him is where people are. He doesn't seem to need a lot of down time alone and he cherishes time with people he loves. He likes to go places and see and do things. He likes being home, but he prefers to have someone over to visit.
Karsten: Can we go home? Karsten loves being home. When he comes home, he shouts: "I'm home!" And he expects people to come and greet him. When someone else comes home, he gives them the welcome he expects. He comes running down to the door and will say, "You're home! I missed you!" When we visit somewhere or are out and about, he will often say, "Can we just go home?" Home is his favorite place.
As much as the boys are very different, they are also the same. They both love super heroes and love to play dress up. They both love people and are very accepting. They love to be with each other, even when they are fighting with each other. When one of them is gone, the other one asks constantly when he will be home. Zachary and Karsten look out for each other often. Zachary invited Karsten's best friend to his own party because he knew that Karsten would like having him there. When Karsten got his shots at the doctor, he got four stickers, one for each shot. He decided he was going to make sure Zachary got some too.
I am so thankful that God gave us such great boys. They make us laugh and smile everyday. Even when we're driving each other crazy because we're all different!
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