In his first twelve days outside the womb, Dylan has exhibited a rather low-key demeanor. I know it's too early to identify any permanent characteristics, but it's interesting (to me, anyhow) to see how Dylan's appearance and temperament already seem to be so different from Aiden's.
In stark contrast to Aiden, Dylan appears to be willing and able to sleep just about anywhere. Whereas newborn Aiden wouldn't sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time (and that was on a good day) unless he was being held upright in someone's arms, Dylan is perfectly content to take hour-long snoozes in his new little Moses basket (a gift from his Grandma Kathy) or in the Baby Papasan (a gift from the boys' Aunt Laura back when Aiden was born), or splayed across a pillow on top of someone's lap. Dylan does love to be held, though, and he snoozes so peacefully while being held in someone's arms. His snoozing has magical sedative powers upon the person holding him; allow Dylan to nap in your arms and you'll likely find yourself nodding off with him. He's a very cozy little bundle.
As I understand it, most newborns initially struggle with all the bodily functions that were theretofore handled for them in the womb. In Dylan's adjustment to his post-womb existence, his primary difficulty thus far seems to be burping. In comparison, Aiden's challenge was pooping. Aiden responded to nature's call by trying to hold everything in, and it took him awhile to recognize that was not the path to relief. Dylan fights burps in the same way. In a few years, Aiden and Dylan will probably decide that burps are really funny, and I may have to request a "cease fire" on all the burping in the house. But, for now, getting Dylan to burp is a big challenge.
As for physical differences between Aiden and Dylan, Aiden had a massive bruise on his head from labor, which (we think) was the catalyst for the jaundice that required his readmission to the hospital. Dylan had a little bruising on his head, and very slight jaundice that disappeared quickly with no medical intervention. Aiden had the classic pointy-headed newborn look, with some broken blood vessels around his eyes, but an otherwise smooth complexion. Dylan was born with a beautifully rounded head, but he has some baby acne on his face and the skin around his eyes is really puffy (both conditions are temporary and have been steadily improving). Also, Dylan was born a little bit smaller -- Dylan was 6.5 lbs, 19 inches; Aiden was 7.0 lbs, 20 inches -- but he seems to be rising to the challenge of matching his big brother's hefty beefcake stature. Just five days after he was born, Dylan had already exceeded his birth weight. (Most newborns lose about 10% of their weight after they're born, and our pediatrician said they like to see it regained within 2 weeks of birth). But this may also speak to my prowess as a nursing heifer. Moo.
Anyhow, I could go on and on about all the quirky and precious characteristics I've observed about Dylan thus far, but this post is already epic. He seems to be a very sweet little guy, and much more low-key than Aiden (which is neither a good thing nor a bad thing, it's just different).
