#BoysAreDifferent

One thing that people said after Etta was born (and then kept saying after Mae was born) is, "Boys are different!"

It really rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, come on people. Can't we be a tad bit more enlightened than that? My girls are not into pink, princesses, hearts, glitter - anything even remotely "girlie".

But then we had a boy.

And then another.

I have to say ...

Boys.

Are.

Different.

If I had an Instagram account I would probably be posting many a picture daily with #BoysAreDifferent.

Because they just are.

When Etta was a toddler we would spend hours outside (not necessarily all at once) studying bugs, flowers, dirt, leaves, birds, etc. She is the one who slowed me down and made me realize that you can look at a tulip for 20 minutes. Or that watching a robin fight and eventually conquer a worm is definitely an acceptable reason to push back bed time for at least a half an hour.

But all the things that she did she did while staying fairly tidy. (Unless it was mud play. She did not stay tidy during mud play.) And while listening to directions. "Etta, stay in our yard, don't go in the street and don't touch anything you're not supposed to." And she wouldn't.

Now you hear me saying things like, "Russell!! Get out of the street and put your pants back on!!!" Or Bob's voice from outside the other day, "Russell!! Don't pee on the dog!!" Hence #BoysAreDifferent.

The example from today that finally prompted me to write this post.

We walked Mae to preschool and dropped her off. Russell was crying because he didn't want to go home. [Alone. With his boring old mom.] So I was trying to distract him.

Me: "Russell!! Look! A bug!"

Russell: "Bug! Bug!"

Me: [Poking the roly-poly causing it to roll up] "Where did the bug go?"

Russell: [Eyes light up when he spots it.] "Right dere!"

STOMP

Russell: "I got it!!"

#BoysAreDifferent

This pic has nothing to do with my post. But I've had it for awhile
and I just adore it.

I totally know that there are girls that don't follow directions and probably try to pee on their dog too. And that there are boys out there who love to sit still and follow every direction that they are given. This is just an example of my personal experience with two girls and two boys in one family. We also throw in a bit of nature vs nurture with our adoption. I did read the book "Why Gender Matters" a few years ago. Boys and girls are different. And that's okay. I personally don't believe that clothes, hair cuts or toy choices define what a boy or girl is. But there are some definite hormonal differences that make each individual person unique. If you haven't read this book, I completely recommend it.

9 Month Annibirthery

I did take the 9 months pictures on the 17th. But then didn't get around to posting them. The pictures are pretty much worth 1,000 words.

That's Russell's hand over there. He was trying to figure out how to get in the picture.

He would lay down but then pop up again to see
the picture - before I could actually take any pictures. He
was becoming quite the nuisance so I put him in his crib.
[I like how Ethan is laughing at him.]

Being in the bed resulted in an epic melt down.
[Picture proof for all of you who think he is a happy angel 24/7.]

A short pause to see if I was paying attention and if I was going to
rectify the situation.

Upon realizing that I was not going to get him out he fell back into a
pit of despair.

I got back to the photo shoot.

Again laughing at his trapped and unhappy brother.

Finally a grin for mommy!
[He would not straighten his legs out for me.]

Then I released Russell and the wrestling commenced. It is a favorite for both of them.

This is a new face that Ethan has been making. This was the first time he made it
actually. And I can't get him to make it "on demand". But every once in awhile he
will bless us with ultra-cuteness.

Rawr! The brother-monster!

Brotherly love.

We go in Wednesday for his well-baby check up and stats. I'll edit later.

Etta at nine months.

Mae at nine months.

Russell at nine months.

Ethan is becoming a more confident sitter although he is still showing zero interest in rolling. The other day we were on the floor together and I was trying to entice him to roll. It is almost as if he is afraid of rolling. His eyes get big and he contracts all of his muscles so I can't move him. We think that he was five weeks premature and that does make a difference. But it is a major mental shift for me. Especially since Russell was so mobile so early. But reading about the girls; Etta could crawl but not sit up on her own and Mae could sit up on her own but not crawl. Each child is unique and perfect in just their own way.

Day 16 - Voice

I have discovered that boys. are. different. I was told that about a million times when the girls were small. It always rubbed me the wrong way as I do not have "girlie girls" and how different can they possibly be?

But ... I have discovered that they are indeed different. Russell has been proving that to me quite a bit. In numerous ways that I won't get into right now. But one of the things that I have learned since adding boy #2 to the family is that boys love to rough house. Even boys who can't quite rough house themselves yet. They liked to be rough housed by others. There isn't much else that Ethan prefers more than being wrestled by Russell.

I mean, look at that smile.

I was trying to get Russell to really lay into him but didn't get far.  But the grin is still there.

Over the last few weeks Ethan has really found his voice. If he feels that you aren't paying enough attention to him, he will try to get you to.

A picture of Russell just being Russell. No pants, crossed legs and his new favorite water bottle. What a guy.