Again and again I have read that identical twins eventually become shaped by their environments--differently shaped by their indivual experiences and interactions. We have seen evidence of that in Matthew and Jonathan in the past few weeks.
Jonathan has always been a little more mellow than his brother, but his broken leg has emphasized that part of him. It is most obvious in the way he plays with the Little People's doll house,a toy they inheritted from their siblings.
In those first few days, when he had not yet learned to walk on the cast, Jonathan discovered new things about that house. He discovered that he could do more than just open it up, lay it on its back and attempt to sit inside it.
He began walking people through the door (cars too!), sitting people in chairs and laying them in the beds.
Meanwhile, his brother learned how to open all the drawers in the kitchen. Matthew also learned to slip his fingers through the cracks on locked cabinets and pull small things through. He learned to use stools, backpacks and diaper boxes to reach all kinds of things on countertops and dressers.
Then Jonathan became mobile on his cast, and even started to run. I thought Matthew would be distracted, his energy sources drained by brotherly wildness. Jonathan isn't all that fast, but he's pretty darned good. And he can jump and climb too.
But it wasn't enough.
Matthew still craves action.
He walks or runs aimlessly. He "fake" cries in hopes that I will pick him up and flip him upside down. He tumbles on top of Jonathan when Jonathan is sitting quietly, playing with a car, some blocks or a baby doll.
He goes nonstop.
Jonathan gets frustrated.
Jonathan enjoys the rough-housing, but he kind of likes playing quietly sometimes now.
He still has his moments--I just caught him trying to dump a loaf of bread onto the kitchen floor--but he has learned the value of imaginative play.
Matthew has taught him how to reach things he never thought possible (coffee cups set way back on counter tops are a favorite). Now we can only hope that Jonathan will teach Matthew a thing or two (and I'll be able to relax and drink that coffee!).
3 comments:
I love how their personalities seem to develop the older they get. Mine seemed to switch personalities for a while but seem to have settled - Matt is the quiet, more laid back and Jon is the outgoing more helpful one. I think I will need to post on their behaviorisms...
Isn't it wonderful they have their own personalities?! I can't wait to see mine develop and/or express theirs.
Was Jonathan Baby A and Matthew Baby B? I read somewhere that Baby A's (usually the first one born), are like your Matthew and Baby B's are more like your Jonathan. In all my ultrasounds I can see Baby A is the more active one, she is always moving, and hitting and kicking her sister, and Baby B is usually laid back, she moves but she isn't as active as Baby A.
I enjoy reading your stories, it kind of gives me an idea as to what to look forward to.
You guessed it right! Matty was twin A (born the traditional way) and Jonny was twin B (born via c-section because he tried to do a pike dive out of their -- head and foot first). Congrats on making it to 25 weeks. That's a huge milestone.
Jay-say, my guys do the same thing. Jonny tends to be more laid back, but he can get in just as much trouble as Matt. He just likes to let Matt do the work.
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