Geminis

My sister Robin (Aunt Ra Ra) told me when I was pregnant with Colin and Claire that if they were born early they would probably be born as Geminis instead of as Cancers, and since I was having twins, and the Gemini is the sign of the twin, I'd really be having 4 babies. That means I have 7 personalities in this house.

Now I'm not sure yet if the twins have dual personalities like their sign would suggest (I am beginning to suspect that they do), but I do know they have very strong personalities.

The twins are now 4 months old, and I marvel daily at how much has changed... and how different these guys are. They share a birthday, are approximately the same size, have the same adorably pointy chin like Adam, adore each other, and are both very social - their favorite "toys" are smiling faces and the mobiles on their swings.

Aside from that, they couldn't be more opposite from each other.

That awkward moment when you really just don't want any pictures and then all of a sudden there's photographic evidence of wiping your nose on your sister's face.

Looks
Claire has my almond shaped eyes, my fairy-like ears and barely-there white blonde hair. Her eyes are a deep, rich blue - almost navy blue. Claire has a long torso, long legs, long arms, long fingers, and a shorter neck.

Colin has Shannon's big, round eyes, a long face, and he has longer, darker hair that is almost red. He has sweet little full lips and his ears stay pinned back. His ears are a shade of blue I've never seen before. They are like mirrors. If he's looking at blue, they are blue. If he's looking at green, they are greenish. They are almost a slate blue.

Colin has a very long torso, but shorter legs, shorter fingers, and a long neck.

Smiles
Claire has no dimples and when she smiles, she smiles so big you think her cheeks hurt, and it takes her zero to 2 seconds to pop open that grin.

Colin has two big dimples, one on each cheek, and his smiles are slow but long... you can see him study you, give a little half grin, give a full close-mouthed grin, then a big dimply grin, then a huge wide mouthed smile, and he'll smile and smile for minutes if you keep talking to him.

Sleep
Claire is a good sleeper... once she falls asleep. She prefers to sleep on her back but will often roll to her side if it's to cuddle with Colin. But she will fight and fight and fight sleep... get mad at it, try to punch it... grunt at it. She is just like Adam was, except I might even say she is more adamant that she doesn't need to sleep.

She will cat nap during the day and then crash around 6 pm and be annoyed that you woke her to make her finish one last meal around 8. Most of the time she won't take it. She wakes up 1 to 2 times a night, but is rarely consistent.

When she sleeps, she is constantly moving. She is constantly on attack mode, moving her legs and arms like she's an olympic highdiver doing some kind of duck and dive. When she does finally calm down, her arms are flung out wide (and usually one is on Colin's face).

Colin is an excellent sleeper. He sleeps well at nap time and extremely well at night. He prefers to sleep on his stomach and does when he isn't at daycare. He will cry before going to bed but it's not for long and usually just as long as it takes for him to settle in and get comfortable.

He usually sleeps from about 7 pm (ish) to 4 am on the dot, and then will go back to sleep for as long as you'll let him.

When Colin falls asleep, he doesn't move. You sometimes have to get really close to make sure he's still breathing. He will occasionally pick up his head and look in the other direction, but that's the extent of it. He sleeps with his arms relaxed by his side.

Eat
Claire has decided that she doesn't like to nurse. She'd rather starve. She also will reject breast milk from a bottle. She's a hungry girl, so she is already in love with rice cereal and oatmeal. She picked up eating with the spoon quickly and on the 4th attempt had it down.

In fact, she now thinks every meal should be oatmeal, even at 3 am feedings, and chews on her bottles instead of drinking them like a normal person. She's very silly and can go from sad and hungry and rejecting a bottle to grinning ear to ear the second she tastes oatmeal on the spoon. I'm almost afraid to give her the sweet tasting things like sweet potatoes or bananas, or we'll never get her to drink formula again.

Colin, on the other hand, loves to nurse. He likes it so much he doesn't know when to quit, and will also accept breast milk out of the bottle. When it comes to eating from the spoon, he thinks you may very well be trying to poison him and could "chew" it and swallow it, but finds that his energy is better suited for spitting every last speck of it out of his mouth (which is also pretty talented). We are letting him put it off, but my suspicion is that it is less that he isn't ready for it and more likely that he thinks it's disgusting.

You want me to do what?

Let's discuss this...

I don't want to do it even if Adam says it's fun.

Exercise
Claire likes sitting up (with a little help with balance) and standing up (with help). She hates tummy time. She would prefer to sit up all the time and has an incredibly strong core. If she could exercise every second of the day I think she'd be happy.

Colin "likes" tummy time (as much as any baby would) and does it very well. He likes sitting up and standing up but is not as amused by it as Claire. He is starting to be more motivated to use his leg muscles and is incredibly strong, but uses his strength when he feels like it is necessary. He's all about efficiency.

Socialize
Claire loves to talk. She coos, squawks, flat out yells, and is always wanting to join the conversation. If you're talking, she'll join in. If Adam's being loud, she'll help. She has all kinds of "words" and sounds. Her giggle is energetic and intoxicating.

 Colin likes to be talked to. He has a few common sounds, including one that sounds like "hi," and he'll make loud noises to join in with the group, but mostly he's content to grin and grin while Claire, or Adam, or Mom or Dad talk to him. In fact, he'll fuss and cry if you don't talk to him long enough. He loves it. His giggle is soft and friendly.

Playing Trucks with Adam

 

Talking to each other

Here is Colin listen to Claire tell him a riveting story.



and here is Colin smiling at Adam...



Learn
Claire explores with her hands almost by habit - she always wants to be grabbing something - her pacifier, her blanket, her bottle, your hair... and she has two facial expressions: "OH MY GOD I'M SO FREAKING HAPPY AND YOU'RE SO FUNNY" and "I'm very concerned about what is going on here."

Colin explores with his eyes and makes a myriad of facial expressions while observing the world around him. Even while checking out the football game, you'd almost swear that he is concerned about the outcome of the game.

AHHHH! What is that?!

Favorite Things
Claire wants something to hold on to, always. She also LOVES her pacifier. She loves to tell stories.

Colin is content without any lovies and rejects the pacifier completely. His favorite thing to do is to chat with family members who want to tell him stories.

I am starting to see ways in which each of them has dual personalities, and will probably continue to see them as they grow. For instance:

Claire's nicknames are Cupcake (because she's just a sweet little doll) and Ninja (because she is fast and athletic and won't sit still).

I call Colin my little Bear (cause sometimes he's growly) and also my Champ (because he's so laid back and content)

If you get this post by email, here is the link to the blog to see the videos: http://thehams2010.blogspot.com/2012/10/geminis.html