Colton v. Levi Round 2

Back when Levi was about 2 weeks old, I did a quick comparison of my 2 boys.  Considering 8 months have now gone by (!), and the boys similarities and differences have become even more apparent, I thought now was a good time for a little rematch.

Colton: circa 8 months

Levi: 8 months

If we talk looks, I don't think the boys look as similar as I once did. Levi has maintained his beautiful blue eyes...and has light brown, maybe even blonde, hair...and then, of course, his fair skin.  Levi is also a bit more solid than I remember Colton being.  Both of my boys tend to sway to the lower ends of the weight/height charts, but Levi doesn't seem as small!  We often joke that Colton will grow up to be a quarterback ("pretty boys are quarterbacks" according to my dad), while Levi will be on his offensive line protecting him!

Part of Levi's perceived "bulk" may have to do with their difference in appetite.  Feeding Colton was (and still is) a constant challenge.  He was/is a temperamental eater and we would often struggle to get a meal in him.  Levi, on the other hand, is a tank...the boy eats anything and everything and can never quite get enough!  Our only food challenge with Levi now is that he is much more interested in eating the real food off our plate or his brother's rather than his pureed junk!

Movement-wise, it is amazing to me how similar the boys are.  Levi started crawling about a week shy of his 7 month birthday....almost the exact same age (like within days) of when Colton started crawling as well!  And with both boys (and I'm assuming most babies), once they discovered how to move, they were off and running.  With mobility, it is really interesting to me to see Levi repeat some of the same mischief that Colton used to: our fireplace is his favorite roaming spot (on a side note I remember Josh wanted to put up foam or something along the fireplace to protect Colton, but Levi is the quintessential second child, and we are much more relaxed as he explores there), we have had to block off our liquor bottles again after Levi was caught pulling them out of the bar (our bar is open, so I guess it's pretty tempting for baby hands), and then there's this:

Colton: 8 1/2 months

Levi: 8 months

Please tell me someone else's children do that?

While they seem to reach their motor skill milestones at the same rate, Levi does seem to be more advanced with his verbal skills than Colton was...although that's not saying too much because Colton has been very slow on all things verbal his whole life!  But Levi is a babbling machine, probably because he has an older brother he's trying to keep up with!

And speaking of that older brother, I think that's the major factor in their other differences.  For the first 6 months or so of his life, Levi was much needier than Colton ever was (my guess being because he was trying to steal some attention away from his brother).  Once he got mobile, though, and could join in on the action/mischief, he has been much more content and is fine as long as he can find me when he wants me!  Levi has become a very good independent player, but also loves being around other children (something I don't remember Colton was more ambivalent towards).  

But Levi's most favorite friends are his brother (and Chipper).  The boys are developing a real friendship.  I can already tell they're going to be real trouble in the months and years ahead, but they also really enjoy each other and I'm so happy that they each have a forever friend.