Meet Julia, Part I

If you had to describe Julia in just one word, that word would be "exuberant." When she smiles not only does her whole face light up but her whole body gets into it too, kicking out her feet and swinging her arms. If you walk by her crib after she's woken up from a long sleep, she'll put on a performance to try to get your attention and coax you into picking her up. Julia looks like Mark, but acts like me since we're both outgoing and love to be around people. When we drive to a restaurant, after the twins wake up from their car-induced nap, James is always a bit cranky but Julia is all ready to catch other patrons' eyes. My mom says I was also a flirt when I was a baby.


Notice how Julia's whole body is happy. (4 1/2 months)


Julia dances a spritely little jig. (4 1/2 months)


Julia holds court with her grandmothers. Being the center of attention is how she likes it. (3 1/2 months)

The rule of thumb for most babies is to let them drink until they're done because inately they're good at self-regulating their intake. Julia, on the other hand, in her first months, would guzzle and guzzle milk from the bottle, and burst out crying when we'd stop her to burp. In the beginning she was very prone to spitting up, even after we learned not to overfeed her, and we were concerned she wasn't getting (or keeping) enough food. We also think she had frequent gas pains and for her first few months she cried a lot; her sad cry broke my heart and Mark used to call her "Sad Face." Fortunately she grew out of this within a few months and into the wildly happy baby that she is now.

She was born a pound lighter than James (4 lbs. 9 oz. to his 5 lbs. 9oz.) and for the first several months acted more newborn-y, often crying for no discernible reason (to us, anyway) and wanting only to be held. She was a nice holding size (and still is - she just melts into your chest). Despite being around the 50th percentile for her age in height and weight, she still pales in comparison next to James. He's only a couple pounds heavier now but looks more so, perhaps because of his massive cranium.


Little Julia, only a few days old


James and Julia go head to head. Note James's longer body and um... sizable head. (3 1/2 months)

Julia still loves to be held and would rather interact with us - either being held or sitting in a Boppy pillow next to us - than play by herself. Up until a few months ago when she got fussy the only thing that would calm her was being walked around the apartment with frequent stops to look in the mirror, her favorite thing. (I don't mean to imply that she's going to be narcissistic. I'm sure it's just an innocent interest in the mirror.) We referred to her as our prima donna and our temperamental diva since she always wanted attention. And when you'd try to put her down for a nap, even though her eyes were closed, she'd know as soon as you put her down. (Sometimes both babies will clutch your shirt while falling asleep so you can't put them down without waking them.) While James was initially our easygoing baby, Julia lately has been even easier than James, mostly because she's easier to put down for a nap, and has been a general delight.


Let sleeping Julias lie. (3 1/2 months)

Julia's my pretty girl. There's no question that Julia resembles her Daddy. Bubby says she even recognizes Julia's expressions as "looking like a Pilloff," particularly Mark's dad. Julia looks like a little pixie and has had a cute little mohawk for several months now. The first several months she had wild eyes because the whites of her eyes were visible above the pupil, but now she looks less feral. It's funny that James looks like me but has very masculine features, and similarly, Julia, who most resembles Mark, has feminine features. Of course she's cute now, but I think her features will make her a stunner when she's older. She has almond shaped eyes, very long eyelashes, a delicate mouth, and is generally dainty with long legs. And she has big feet so we predict that she will be tall. (Big paws predict a puppy will one day be big so I assume it's the same for humans!). The soft spot on top of her head moves in and out when she breathes. She and James both have widow's peaks which were very visible when they were born. Because of that they looked alike for their first weeks but never again after (except for the pale skin and blue eyes).


Daddy and his Mini Me. (3 months)

Julia, crazy eyed killa. (1 1/2 months)

Where did Julia's mouth go? (2 months)


Julia chillaxin' with her cord stump. Note her blond widow's peak. (A little over one week old)