Opposites

When our son Nathanael was born we didn't know what we were having. We chose to have a surprise. I was convinced the baby was a girl because my pregnancy had been so different from my pregnancy with Noah. Almost everyone thought we were having a girl - everyone except his Daddy. Josh knew all along we were having a boy (I think he secretly was hoping for another boy because he always wanted a brother). On November 29, 2007 Josh announced with excitement, "It's a BOY!!". Nathanael Thomas was here. To our surprise, he didn't look anything like Noah. First of all, he was 2 lbs. bigger. He had a different nose, different shaped eyes, and a lot more dark hair than Noah did. The nurse handed him to me and one of the first things I said was "he doesn't look anything like Noah!". I don't know what I was expecting if I had another boy, but I guess I thought if I did that he would be a lot like Noah...because that's all I knew. When I was pregnant, I was also secretly concerned...would I be able to love another child as much as I loved Noah? I had heard from others that your heart grows and expands with each child -it was just hard to imagine. The love that I had for Noah was like nothing I had experienced before. All those concerns immediately vanished when I held my newborn son in my arms. I remember I just couldn't stop kissing his little face. He was beautiful, he was here, and he was ours.

newborn Nathanael

Fast forward 3 1/2 years...our little Nathanael is still "opposite" from Noah. Not only do they look opposite, their personalities are completely different. Where Noah is "spirited", Nathanael is Mr. laid back. Nathanael takes things slowly, with stride. And, he's already girl crazy (help us all) - where most of the time Noah doesn't pay attention to girls. Luckily his favorite girl right now is his Mama and let's hope it stays that way forever  for a long time.  Yes, they are opposites. But, they are also best friends. I love it. And I love them.

brothers and best friends