Jeff and I are amazed by the little baby next door's personality. He is amazing on his own, but what amazes us is how different his personality is from Lucas's. Finn is such a happy and mellow baby (from what I see). If Ele ever comes over Finn will stay quietly in her arms and grin at us the whole time they are here. Lucas, on the other hand, has NEVER been so content. He was quiet for about 12 hours after his birth and then screamed for 2 days until my milk came in. I remember one time that we were able to take him to out to eat when he was about 6wks old... the only time he ever sat quietly in his car seat while we ate. We couldn't go on stroller walks because I would always end up holding him and pushing the stroller. I have no idea how many times I had to pull over and nurse him in the backseat to soothe him from the oh-so-horrible experience of riding in the car. He knew when I left the house - even when he was sleeping. And speaking of sleep, there wasn't much of it for his first two years.
I was grateful to read that Dr. Sears had a name for babies like Lucas -"high needs child". He said the downside to this is that it is hard on the parents, but the good side is that he demands your attention, which makes attachment parenting a must. For two years Lucas demanded our constant care and we gave it to him. Then he started Montessori School and it all started to get a little easier. Being around other kids and being on the same schedule every day helped him to eat better and sleep better... which had a direct effect on me since he was still nursing more than once during the night. At the same time Lucas was learning to talk and his school has only helped with that as well.
Now at age two years and four months, Jeff and I really, really enjoying spending time with Lucas. We've always enjoyed it, of course, but now it is more fun and less work. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is that he is still so serious and never mellow : ) He concentrates so hard on the task at hand with his lips pierced tight. In these pictures below he worked for about an hour on setting up these pictures in a particular order. When he had 5 pieces left he called me over and asked me to "sit down mama" as he pointed to the chair. He handed me the pieces and then told me where to put each piece. I was honored to finish this project with him : ) You can see his serious face in the first picture...
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Ha ha ha - I have a theory here. I have theorized that from a biological standpoint, Finn is laid-back because he has a high-strung Mom, and if she were pushed over the edge, it would not be to his advantage, from a survival standpoint. Lucas has a very patient Mom, and therefore he can afford to be more demanding. :) Using this train of thought, I suspect Baby #2 will know her place, and therefore be more agreeable in a effort to not rock the boat.
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