Ellie is my clock. She has always been and she remains to be a TOTAL routine girl! When she was Josie's age (2 months) she was already on a very predictable schedule. Eating every three hours, staying awake for a bit of play time and napping at very consistent intervals. She went to bed after her 7:30 bottle and other than one "dream feed" before I went to bed, she would sleep until 7:45 on the dot each and every day. As long as we didn't do anything differently, she didn't do anything differently. She is my clock! She still wakes up at 7:45 almost every day and likes her precise routine. If she's going to get into her high chair, you can best she will have to (a) get her stool to help her climb up and (b) sweep out all of the crumbs before she climbs up. She will then (c) clap for herself every time. You name the activity, I will tell you how Ellie does it day in and day out without fail.
Then there is Josie. She is my thermometer. She wants things to be just right, but "just right" seems to change. She's affected by the time of day, the day of the week, and most likely the cycle of the moon :) I am confident that she can sense my stress, and if I'm stressed, she almost never naps well. She is a super sweet baby and very happy most of the time, but I struggle to know exactly what she wants, when she wants it, and how she wants it done. What worked today, very well might not work tomorrow. She is doing great overall- on a very good schedule for most ofthe day (She sleeps through the night from 10:30 pm to 7:30 pm!!! already!!) And then is getting to be pretty consistent until 4 pm. But from 4 pm to 11 pm she is a mystery :) You just never know!
I've spent the past two months getting to know her and of course falling in love with her- and I've learned a LOT! I know that the poor girl likes to sleep in her car seat (often sleeping better when we're out and about than when we are home), she spits up a lot, she loves being rocked, she prefers to be held on your chest/shoulder rather than cradled in your arms, she likes her pacifier SOMETIMES, she likes to be swaddled SOMETIMES, she likes to lay on the changing table and smile SOMETIMES, she likes tummy time SOMETIMES, .... do you get what I'm saying? :) I love the fact that she is so sensitive to what is going on around her but sometimes it drives me crazy that she can tell when I'm stressed. I find myself rocking her and telling myself "relax your shoulders, take deep breaths, hide your stress" but she sees right through it every time :) She's my sweet little thermometer that is going to help me learn what "just right" looks like for her!
I guess The Lord has a sense of humor- as much as I'm a little clock who loves routine, I'm a total thermometer- as I'm a picky person with seasonal food tastes, changing preferences, and an ever-evolving "just right".
As they say--- Like Mother, Like Daughter :)