This morning as I was dressing Katrina, she exclaimed, "Look! A Seven! A Seven!" pointing to, of all things, a folded-up set of number sheets that we got Gabriel 3 years ago for night-training. Gabriel was so into numbers that the idea was that he wouldn't want to pee on them. That flopped, of course. (I'm happy to report that both boys have been dry for 3 straight mornings without being woken up!)
Dave and I have both noticed independently how attracted Katrina is to numbers. She frequently points them out, says she's counting (not clear she really is counting), and recites them into the teens, semi-correctly. Then yesterday when Dave picked up Katrina from Tonya's, Tonya told Dave that it was remarkable how much like Gabriel she is -- including her affinity for numbers. Outside confirmation -- it's not just proud-parent rose-colored glasses.
Interesting! Ironically, if I were a first-time parent, I'd say her attraction to numbers doesn't mean much, kids go in and out of phases. But I've seen how an early interest can persist -- Gabriel's interest in numbers never faded, and Julian is still very verbal and articulate and talkative. Julian never showed a preference for numbers; indeed he's never really had any persistent strength or weakness (early language and reading yes, but those are transitory), he's always been very well-rounded.
With three kids, I'd expect three very different experiences. But while of course all three of our children are very different, the similarities in raising Katrina and Gabriel are striking. Thank goodness Julian showed me that not all toddlerhoods are fraught with tantrums!
A fascinating road is unfolding in front of me, seeing how alike my firstborn and lastborn are, while increasing my gratitude and awe for my slightly uniquer middleborn.
1/27/09
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