When I found out I was having boy girl twins, other twin moms warned me that I would still get asked if the babies were identical. They were right. It happens all the time. When I do get asked if they're identical I'm always tempted to say, "Well, Grant is a boy and Grace is a girl so...." But usually I just smile and politely say no.
But seriously, Grant is ALL BOY and Gracie is ALL GIRL.
Exhibit A: stuffing of face with birthday cupcake
on 1st birthday
Exhibit B: Delicately testing the frosting, followed by dainty licking of the fingers
on 1st birthday
Beauty and the Beast
(I mean that in the best way Grant!)
Grant and Grace are the perfect poster-children for gender stereotypes. Grace is all talk, talk, talk, giggle giggle, giggle. Grant is SMASH, CRASH, BOOM!!
I know they say you should never compare your children to each other...especially twins. I think that is really good advice...that I am totally going to ignore right now because I want to remember how Grant and Gracie are different from each other. We call them the "babies" and the "twins" and I will be forever grateful that they have each other and came as a pair. But I want to make sure I remember them as individuals. Because their little personalities are different and it is so fun to watch them develop.
Gracie is smaller, more petite and more delicate. Sweet is a great word to describe her. She makes cute little sounds, plays intently with toy phones and Little People. She is very aware of feelings and of what is going on around her and does not want to be left out of anything! If Chad or I ever try to get Grant to walk, or something new she bee-lines it right over to us and tries to do the same thing! She almost never takes toys away from Grant and often just finds something else when he confiscates what she was playing with. But she is not a pushover. If there is something that she is particularly attached to Grant has almost a zero chance of getting it from her little hands. Her "evasive maneuvers" are getting pretty impressive. She'd make a great running back if she ever decides to walk. If Grant DOES manage to steal something she really wants she throws such a fit that she always gets it back (thanks to my intervention!)
(12-12-13)
this photo is already outdated
She LOVES her pink bear named "Annie" and rubs her noes into it the exact same way Jack did with his bear. She loves her bottle but drinking is a private affair for her. She'd rather drink her bottle in the crib than in my arms. She holds the bottle in her mouth with one hand and Annie over her face with her other hand. So.stinking.cute. She's not clingy or fussy, but a little more attached than Grant. She is more reserved around strangers and takes time to warm up to people...but she isn't grumpy...just reserved. She's also more cautious than Grant. Grant would willingly launch himself down the stairs with out a second (or even a first) thought. Once at a friends house, Gracie had made her way to the top of a very long flight of stairs then patiently called for me until I realized where she was and ran to get her. That said she's a lot braver than Grant. We call him the "Cowardly Lion" because he's all brash and bold in his actions but if a new toy appears or something makes a strange sound, or Chad tries to toss him in the air he is terrified! Grace on the other hand is completely un-phased. She just learned to "give five" and it thrills her to no end. She isn't much of a wanderer- but if I loose sight of her for a few minutes I usually find her in the laundry room calling for me because Grant followed her in and closed the door...locking them both in!
(also 12-12-13 and outdated. Since this photo the curls have multiplied exponentially!)
Grant is full of life! Wild and soooooo physical. I have to remember to keep Gracie's high chair out of his reach because he takes food from her tray and if he can reach her...he has been known to pull her sleeve so far that her arm came out of her shirt and on more than one occasion he actually bit her! Grant would sooner walk through or over something rather than have to go around. He LOVES to head-butt Chad but anyone will do. knocking over Marian while she's trying to practice the violin is another favorite activity. His head is like a brick. He gave me an honest to goodness black eye last month. Grace tends to play in the same general area but Grant is all over the place and usually crawls or steps right over (or on) Gracie to get where he is going next. If Gracie is playing quietly with some toys Grant is frantically chasing a ball (that he is throwing himself) all over the main floor of the house. OR he is pushing the toy walker or fire truck around the house as fast as his little legs will go.
Due to his exploratory nature and really flexible hips Grant can already climb into the tub and on the couch. Once on the couch he can jump with both feet in the air while holding on to the cushions. We seem to have a little athlete on our hands.
.JPG)
He LOVES to empty out cupboards and is not too happy when he finds one with the knobs rubber-banded together. I haven't found a way to keep him out of the drawers so several times a day he empties out the Tupperware and kid dishes and climbs right in! Gracie likes to join in the fun too but she is not usually the instigator. Now I know why the bottom drawer was broken when we bought this house! When we go to Costco Gracie greets everyone who comes up to her with a cautious smile. Grant treats them as his new best friend and as as a result gets a lot of attention from strangers. The head full of curls doesn't hurt his popularity either. At church Grace will crawl up to people and shyly smile at them and then crawl back to me. She LOVES to smile and make eye contact with whoever sits behind us...but likes to do it best from my lap. Grant on the other hand, crawls up to people, smiles at them intently... until they pick him up and play with him.
At this age Jack, Marian, and Lucy had clear favorites when it came to stories and songs. I'm not gonna lie...I couldn't even begin to guess what books or songs Grant or Grace like best because truth is we don't get much story time in and I have not been very good at having one on one lullaby time with these two. I will need to work on that. But I can say that Gracie seems to be more interested in books. Sometimes if she seems not quite ready to go to bed (I keep both babies on the same schedule so they kind have to just roll with it even if they're not tired) I'll give her a book to look at in her crib and she looks at it happily until she falls asleep. The last time I gave Grant a book to look at in his crib he ate it. I'm not kidding.
Their different relationships with their older siblings are fun to observe too. All the kids love both of the babies and I honestly don't think any of them love one more than another but they each seem to be drawn more to one than another. Marian...lover of all things girly- is drawn more often to Gracie and loves to talk to her in her little "mommy voice". She carries Gracie around everywhere (totally ignoring the "no carrying babies" rule) and is quick to defend Gracie if Grant is taking her stuff. Either as a reaction to the Marian-Grace relationship or just sheer preference Lucy tends to interact more with Grant. Grant LOVES to pounce on Lucy and maul her and Lucy loves it. They rough house with each other in their mostly gentle way and it is actually a pretty fair fight. Jack is enamored with both babies and it is interesting to see that he treats them differently. He is sweet and gentle with Gracie and more rough and boy-ish with Grant.
Grant has been an absolute joy since he was born. Grace has been an absolute joy since she was born just one minute later! So grateful to have these two sweet babies in our family!
