Differences

  It's amazing how two children from the same gene pool can be so very different in so many ways.
It's been a while since I've had a toddler in the house, after all, there is a six year age difference between Georgia and Toot.  But I've been around lots of kids my whole life and know that it's almost impossible to completely toddler-proof any home...especially when Tootie lives there! :)
  Genevieve was actually due on Georgia's birthday, which is also my sister Robin's birthday.  She was 5 days late and probably would have been even later had the doctor not scheduled an inducement.  Both girls were born in April which is difficult timing when you work for a circus.  We left the show we were on early to go home and prepare for Toot's arrival in early April 2009.  My due date came & went so inducement was scheduled for April 19th.  Robin and I checked into the hospital early in the morning.  The pitocin did it's job because 5 1/2 hours later baby Genevieve entered the world!  An easy labor compared to the day and a half with Georgia!  The girls were only 2 ounces apart in weight and look so much alike that many of Georgia's baby pictures have been mistaken for Tootie's.  The similarities up to this point of their lives pretty much end with their looking so much alike.
 

Top: Toot & me at home
Bottom:
Georgia 4 months old C & M Circus



  Georgia always was a little on the feisty side but she got over it soon and was always easily occupied with her favorite stories, toys and tv shows.  She learned to talk early but got off the bottle late.  Toot on the other hand is demanding when it comes to getting attention.  (This is a behavior I am trying to balance with tolerance and discipline.)  Toot gave up the bottle a month or so ago very easily and never once asked for it.  Her vocabulary is limited right now.  She says random words and phrases here and there but no complete sentences.  Toot doesn't mind having her hair washed at at all, but Georgia still gives me a hard time when I wash her hair.   And while Georgia would eat almost anything I put in front of her, Toot is more selective and eats at random times of the day.  I can't coax her to eat at meal time no matter how enticing I try to make it look to her.  So, I don't win that battle, it's ok, she still eats good.  Georgia loved to play with her toys.  And do I remember a few times I would have to pry her down from the top of a counter, but she never had much of a desire to get to things out of her reach or play with things that weren't toys.  Toot on the other hand is a different bear altogether!!  Georgia and I like to say that there is nothing off limits from Tootie!  If she wants it, she will find a way to get it!  Some of the things she's moved, stacked and climbed on to get some little something...it's amazing and scary at the same time to see the wheels working in her head.  She's very calculating when it comes to getting an object that is seemingly out of her reach.  (As I type this I see Tootie has opened the closet door and move three large boxes to get to a pair of show shoes she's tapping around in. :) )  When I moved everything back into the trailer in preparation for traveling, I was very careful to store all of the cleaners in cupboards high up and in baskets.  I tried to make sure Georgia's and my jewelry were stored in locations unreachable to Toot.  I see now as time has gone by that I need to find another storage place for cleaners and jewelry.  My worst fear is for one of my kids to get into something that could seriously hurt them.  And I do my best to take every precaution again accidents and injuries and yes, I know stuff happens...but I really do try hard to prevent stuff from happening. 



Tootie



  Georgia has always been a little tall for her age, and Tootie's always been a little round for her age.  Georgia loved flowery girly toys when she was a toddler.  Toot prefers toy guitars, keyboards, blocks and balls.  Georgia always sat still to let me fix her hair while Toot does not.   Georgia played dress up in big girl clothes while Toot plays dress up in my costume show jewelry.

  I remind myself often that childhood is outgrown all too soon.  After all, Georgia it seems was two only yesterday and Toot will be eight before I know it.