Comparisons

Though each child is of course unique, it's hard to resist comparing them, especially when Patrick is such an unknown entity at this point. Face it, babies don't have much of a personality when they're less than two weeks old. We like to think of it as the "blob" phase, where all they do is eat and sleep, with occasional periods of alertness. So, here are some observations of what we remember of William at this age and how Patrick is shaping up.

1. Patrick is not a ghost baby. This is a good thing! William was so fair, we constantly worried about him getting sunburned, which was stressful because the pediatrician said not to use sunscreen until he was 6 months old. Patrick's skin tone is darker than mine, so hopefully he'll take after Greg and tan rather than burn immediately.

2. Patrick spits up. A lot. Burp cloths were a nice accessory for William; we could use the same one for days on end "just in case." I think we go through about 3 or 4 a day with Patrick. But, no worries, it's just regular baby spit up. No one is concerned about digestion issues.

3. Patrick has really long fingers and toes. If he were a girl, he'd be all set for ballet since his second toe is longer than his big toe (good for pointe shoes!). He's not a girl, though, so perhaps he'll like playing the piano ... put those long fingers to a good use! William just seemed to have normal length digits.

4. Like William, Patrick naps better on his tummy - preferably when his tummy is on my tummy. He doesn't like being on his back unless he's at a 10+ degree angle - otherwise he seems to spit up more (which, obviously, wakes him up and makes him mad!). Case in point: he just woke up as I was typing this (I had put him in his baby basket on his back), cried until I picked him up, proceeded to spit up, and then went back to sleep on my shoulder.

5. Patrick has less hair, and it looks blonde-ish now. I was always surprised how much hair William had and that it never fell out. Patrick looks a little bit more like the baby pictures of me and my sisters - just a little fuzz on top! Only time will tell if he will be a chunky baby (like me, Beth and Nancy) or a skinny baby (like Greg and William).