Emerging Personalities

I have been noticing lately that the personalities of my little guys are coming out more and more. I've always known that Michael was a pretty laid back dude and Tommy was a little more sensitive, but as they grow and develop I am noticing a lot of changes.

Michael is a funny kid. He shocked me and my family when he suddenly started saying "Yaw" instead of "yes" as though he were a Swedish mountain man. He thinks it's pretty hilarious and he works hard to make people laugh. He is very observant of people's reactions and he uses that to his advantage when he feels it will produce a chuckle. He is still laid back, but I am beginning to see a more sensitive side to him as well. He is quick to retaliate when his brother is picking on him, but also quick to apologize for any wrong doing.

Tommy is starting to emerge as the more dominant of the two. More often than not he is the ring-leader in the circus that is our day and will very loudly voice his opinion on just about anything. This surprised me a little because he was always my sensitive cuddler, but considering Michael's laid back nature, I guess it makes sense. He loves to boss people around, right down to telling Michael to "wake up!" when he decides nap time is over. He still loves to cuddle, but he now has a very stubborn streak. He will repeatedly (and loudly) refuse to apologize, refuse to say "thank you", refuse to clean up toys, and so on.

I'm sure a lot of this personality development has something to do with the magical age of two and all the wonderful discoveries they are making about the world around them. Their vocabulary grows by the day and I love listening to them have quite extensive and thorough conversations with each other about Santa Claus, cars, Daddy going to school, Mommy going to work, and what Ruby is doing that is naughty.

Another development that surprises me is the role of Big Brother that they are starting to take on as they learn about their Baby Sister that will be joining us soon. The other day we were talking about their Baby Sister and how she was sleeping in Mommy's belly and growing strong so that she would be able to come out soon to give her Big Brothers hugs and kisses. They responded by poking my belly and saying "Wake up Baby Sister! Wake up!" Then they took turns giving my belly hugs and kisses. For some reason, I believed they were too young to really grasp the concept of what was to come. Once again, I was reminded that a child's understanding far surpasses what we give them credit for.

I know this is just the tip of the iceberg, and I can't wait to make these discoveries with my children as they grow into the men and women they will become.