Tanner's Temperament

Tanner and Abigail may share a birthday but their personalities are as different as night and day. From the beginning Tanner was much more low maintenance than his sister and he is the more independent of the two. Recently Tanner has taken an interest in putting small objects inside large boxes and shaking them. He also spends lots of time pushing his truck "Chuck" around on the rug. He enjoys banging things together and shaking toys that make noise. He likes music and is often seen bouncing up and down when standing or wiggling his body to a tune while seated on the floor.

For the most part Tanner is the easier of the pair to get to sleep. In the beginning we could put him in his bassinet or crib, give him his pacifier, and he was out for the night. He did resist naps at first, but once his body got into a sleep rhythm he went down quickly and quietly. Tanner has always cried a lot less than his sister. He was rarely fussy so when he does cry we know something is wrong. To this day he only cries if he is overtired, overwhelmed, or in pain.

Tanner is a kind and forgiving toddler. Abigail is CONSTANTLY crawling across the room to take whatever he has away from him. It could be a pacifier, toy, or piece of lint...she will go out of her way to get it from him. He simply makes two frustrated fists, lets out a yelp, and quickly gets over it. While I appreciate that he doesn't haul off and hit her (I think someday he may do just that) or sit there and cry for hours I hope that he will learn to stand up to her (and others) when things like this happen in his life.

Tanner has always been a laid back, easy going baby. In February both Tanner and Abigail got their first MAJOR colds. Abigail had a fever, had been fussy for a few days, and was constantly pulling at her ear so we thought she might have an ear infection. When I called the pediatrician's office to make an appointment for her they asked if I wanted to make one for Tanner. Since Tanner hadn't really shown any signs of discomfort I hesitated, but since I was going to have to bring him to the doctor's office with me I made an appointment for him to get checked out too. Once they were examined the doctor told us that Tanner, who had been acting fine, had a DOUBLE ear infection! If it hadn't been for Abby's abnormal behavior I probably wouldn't have made an appointment, and here he was with a DOUBLE ear infection! Matt and I think that he must have a higher tolerance for pain than his female counterpart. I wonder how this will translate to teething pain...since he still has NO teeth...only time will tell.Being home everyday I see Tanner and Abigail grow and develop. I wonder if some of their differences are due to their boy/girl chemistry or if it just their personalities blooming before my eyes. I can't wait to share with them all the things they did as a toddlers!