It's amazing to watch each child grow up! They can be so much alike, and then they can be so different. I have never been good at writing down all the "1st's" that my children do. I think the best I did was with Isaac. For the first 2 years of his life I scrap booked often. This allowed me to document some moments of importance. However, poor Marina was born during the time, when I was finishing my undergrad and was looking for a job and moving back to Denver. I was very preoccupied with life, and didn't have time for a hobby (like scrap booking). Needless to say, there is not very much recorded about her early years. And then Esaias coming at an entirely different time in our lives and with the innovation of "the blog"...so much more has been recorded on his behalf.
So today's blog is intended to help capture not only a few moments of Esaias' life, but bring in information to be remembered about Marina and Isaac as well.
ALIKE:Wow do they look alike! Although Isaac has big brown eyes and dark hair, the boys look so much alike as young babies. And if you have seen Marina, well then you have seen Esaias. Same gray blue/green eyes, same dark blonde almost brown hair with hints of red and gold in the sun. How can this be possible to look like both of them?
DIFFERENT:We do have to note that they all have/had differing amounts of hair. Isaac born with black curly hair, lost it and grew it back within a few months. He needed his first haircut @ 7 months old. That was even with letting him have a baby mullet, leaving the long curls in back (at the request of my mother-in-law). I look back now, and am a little embarrassed for him. Now I know why some people called him a girl.
This is Isaac at about 18 months. I had cut off his locks by then. Look at all that thick hair.
Poor Marina born mostly bald with blonde hair, didn't get her beautiful locks until 4 years old. It took forever for her hair to grow in. And many mistook her for a very cute boy. Now that we have Esaias, it will be difficult to tell them apart in baby pictures. I put a headband and bows on her head to help the situation. She was still very cute, just bald.
Marina at @ 18 months old. See the difference in hair?
And she sure looks like Esaias or Esaias looks like her!
And Esaias is in the middle. He has more hair than Marina had, but hasn't needed his first haircut yet. Thank goodness. I get tired of all the boy haircuts in this family. Danny and Isaac have enough hair to share with a few baldies in the world.
Esaias 10 months old.
I didn't keep track of teeth for the older kids, but from what I can remember I think they are all on the same track. Although, Marina still has only lost 2 teeth. She does have a couple loose ones now. Esaias has 3 in, with 4 more close behind.
Isaac at 1 years old. See 3 bottom teeth?
Isaac watched and absorbed everything as a baby. He loved being around people. He was happy to go to anyone anywhere. I don't remember him being afraid or upset to ever leave Danny and I. I had to worry about him going to strangers so eagerly.
Marina, polar opposite, still gives strangers the evil eye. I remember a specific time when we had gone out to eat, and the hostess looked down at Marina about 2 or 3 years old, smiled at her and called her a princess. Marina's response should've been captured on tape. If looks could kill! I had to apologize for her rudeness, and spoke to Marina about it being okay to tell the lady thank you or that she could smile at her. Marina as usual did not seem to care that I was concerned about this ladies feelings.
Esaias somewhere in between. With stranger anxiety usually peeking at 10 months and again at 18 months, the verdict is still out. However, he seems to act like he wants me and is going to cry, but he is easily distracted by other fun (dogs for example usually override his need for me quickly). He has a new babysitter and just loves her dog "Shelbi" so much that he forgets that I am dropping him off for the day. Other children are nice distractions as well.
ALIKE:All of them slept through the night around 4-5 months. That was probably for my sanity. I don't think I could handle it any longer than that. Even the 4 months is pushin' it! Although Esaias tests this off and on, and Marina retested this at about 4 years old. I am never very happy without my necessary sleep.
Isaac 3 1/2 & Marina 9 months. Look at that round face, hard to believe she was so tiny!
Two busy busy babies! Marina and Esaias are the movers! Both are on the go. However, Esaias has them all beat. He is 10 months standing and walking with help already! He wants to walk. Marina was just barely doing this at her 1 year old birthday. She was walking within a month or so. It's hard to imagine that E. is going to wait too long before taking off on his own. Marina was very content to be held being a whoppin' 14 pounds at 1 year old. I think that's the only reason she waited to walk. Then there was Isaac. He scooted on his butt in order to move around (even on cement). You should see what cement can do to a disposable diaper when scooting around on it. Isaac did not walk until about 14 or 15 months old. He was not too eager to get up and move all that weight around (all 30+ pounds that he weighed back then). He was a monster! I was more than ready to have him walk on his own. But you should have seen my biceps from carrying that baby around for 14 months. So, Esaias is his own man here. Weighing in around 20 pounds, although if he'd hold still for longer than 3 minutes at a time he might gain some more weight. His length or height really sets him apart. He's got them all beat. Maybe he's taking after his 6'1"dad, and my 6'4" brother and uncle.
Busy is right! Here Esaias has gotten himself stuck under his highchair.
Esaias doesn't like the flash on the camera. It's very hard to get him to open his eyes when he sees the camera coming!I would rather not have to include this one, but it seems as though Esaias is following in Isaac's footsteps of asthma. After getting pneumonia once already this season, I took him to the doctors when he sounded terrible again. Well good news is he doesn't have pneumonia. Bad news, he needs to have nebulizer treatments, and is on the watch for asthma, due to the last couple of recent breathing concerns. Of course this is not an official diagnosis yet, so we can cross our fingers and hope that this doesn't progress down the same path as Isaac. There are worse things. I just didn't want to see another child struggle with this.
I love them all alike or different, makes no difference to me!
What is March without a little green celebration. As usual, Grandma Chris and Papa Joe came bearing a few strange green gifts to mark the season. The kids impromptu celebration came a day or two early but boy did they catch that Leprechaun bug.
The only green we all seemed to catch was getting sick. We have spent over half the month with some illness or another. Esaias got the worst of it. He got bronchitis again, but this time instead of pneumonia (like the previous month) it landed him a night in the emergency room and oxygen for a week. He hated every minute of it. He is doing much better, but it has been a slow recovery. The first night he slept through the night, was the night Isaac took to the bathroom for an all nighter. It's been a rough go around. And we sure hope that Spring brings us some good health. It has definitely been our year to get everything. I hope the year is just about over!
Watch Marina waltz. She is simply delightful!
