it's so interesting to see that while they are SO much alike in some ways, in other ways, they are complete opposites.
laney is a "hugger" through and through. that girl will hug anyone and anything. if it's a tangible object, she'll kiss it. no questions asked. she is very affectionate and always wants to give her daddy "loves" and gladly hands out "sugars" to anyone that asks.
libbi, on the other hand, would much prefer a high five to a hug. don't get me wrong, she has her moments where she loves to snuggle and show affection, but that's just what they are: her moments. it's always on her terms and if she initiates it. she does not like being asked for a hug or a kiss, she almost always turns down the offer. but if she approaches you for a hug, you better believe she'll squeeze you and love you till you're blue in the face.
libbi is very cautious. she's brave, but cautious. she likes to assess the situation before she jumps in. she is quite the perfectionist and wants to make sure she knows exactly what's going on before she attempts something new. laney, however, would dive into a pool of sharks without thinking twice if it looked like something fun to do. she watches libbi scale the furniture and leap off and immediately she's attempting to do it, too. i can't tell you how many times she face planted off the couch as she yelled "JUMP!" because she was just that sure that she knew how to jump off (clearly, she didn't). libbi is constantly surprising me with what she can do and how skilled she is at doing it. laney is constantly surprising me with what she'll attempt next.
both girls love to dance. dance parties are very popular at our house and can happen on a nightly basis. they love to dance around the living room and sing. but while libbi prefers to do her "ballet" or dance with daddy as her prince (to princess songs, of course!) laney would rather "freestyle" all over the place to "i like to move it, move it."
it definitely makes for a diverse dance party!
libbi is an observer. you can tell that she's always watching what's going on around her and taking everything in. she listens to everything (especially conversations that she is NOT involved in!) ;-) and pays attention to all the little details that sometimes we don't even notice. laney on the other hand, is a "doer" she likes to try new things and dive in head first. she doesn't worry about the ins and outs, she just knows that she wants to GO!
libbi can be shy, but she's really good about going new places and meeting new people. she may be timid at first, but she's okay with being dropped off in the childcare at the gym, or going to sunday school, or joining a ballet class. she's especially adamant that she does NOT want me to walk her into school.
laney still screams every.single.sunday when we drop her off at church. she's been in the same class with the same teachers at the same church every sunday for over a year and she still screams every time. thankfully, she now calms down and we're no longer paged, but it would still be nice if she didn't act like we were leaving her for dead every sunday.
...and i'm sure if my mom is reading this she will probably say it's just "payback" ;-)
laney has one volume and one speed. she is always at a 10 and never stops moving. one of her first words was, "go!" and she definitely wants to "go!" all the time. we sometimes (lovingly, of course) call her "shrek" because she is just so loud and rough. she stomps all around the house and pretty much yells instead of talking. she is always yelling, "BIBBI!!!!" or "MOMMMMMA!" and "DA-DA!" just because she can. and she has NO hearing problems. her ears have been checked, her hearing is perfect. she's just a loud talker. laney wakes up (at 6:30am, thankyouverymuch) and is immediately ready to go. there's not snuggling, no lying in bed, no downtime. as soon as she wakes, she's ready for the day.
now libbi, well, she can "veg" with the best of 'em. that girl loves her a good movie night or a nice pallet on the floor. she could lie in my bed all day and watch tv... and she's always been like that. when she was laney's age, she used to go get her lovey and her paci and tell us "nigh-nigh" and she was ready for bed. we'd take her upstairs to bed and hear her talking and laughing over the monitor for the next 30 minutes or so. we'd laugh and say that she just needed her "alone time" and truth be told, she did. and she still does. there are many mornings that she wakes up and will just stay in her bed for a while relaxing. you do NOT mess with her in the mornings. she will speak when she's ready, she will eat when she's ready. and she'll let you know if she's not.
the list of differences could go on and on. our girls are one of a kind, that's for sure. but there is definitely one thing that they agree on...
sisters make the best friends.
