Not cut from the same cloth

So in amongst all the celebrating of my middlest angel I couldn't help but stop and think about how truly different all three of my girls really are.  I mean you raise them the same. Read them the same books. Teach them from your same novel of parenting.  But darn if those little buggers aren't so darn different and special.  

Case in point...I couldn't help but think about one of my favorite Alex stories the other day.  Alex had to be 5 and Gabby 6.  We had come home only to find that one of their fish had departed to the big fish bowl in the sky.  Rick wasn't home, so I gathered my thoughts and decided I would go with the shortened circle of life story.  I pulled them both up onto Gabby's bed close to me, told them about how this sort of think happened, the fish had a nice life with us, etc. Heck I was crying myself.  I look out at the audience and we have Gabby, eyes full of tears and sorrow.  Her face is expressing true mourning for the fish.  I half expected her to break into one of her spontaneously written songs, with musical accompaniment of course.  Then I look over at Alex.  Or should I say Dr. Alex.  Her eyes are dry.  At least she isn't smiling and she does let me finish before asking the only question that was on her mind, "when can we flush the other fish?".  Uh...yep mourning time over.

And then we have the more recent story of me getting breakfast ready and telling Rick about some new songs we had downloaded, but how first I wanted to share a video I had seen at the gym about quadriplegic soccer players.  So I'm telling all about this story that I found so interesting and inspiring and everyone is nodding and seems interested.  I'm almost done and then my little sweet Alex looks at me and says, "But what about Usher?".  She was referring to wanting to hear the new Usher song we had downloaded the night before that I had mentioned playing.  God love my sweetheart, she definitely knows how to stop a conversation.  Luckily she also has a great sense of humor since 'what about Usher' has become our new favorite joke when someone abruptly ends a conversation or just says something weird. 

Now so we don't think she has some sort of aspergers or social disorder, there are a million other examples I could think of when she has let that big heart of hers shine.  But even as an infant she has definitely made you earn that heart.  She isn't like Gabby or even Jess for that matter.  Her first inclination is not to run up and give you a hug, but I can tell you that over the years I think we have broken her down.   She is always the first one to give me a big hug in the morning now.


So I keep on reading from my same books and giving my same speeches on rights and wrongs, but when I do my tuck ins at night I'm still kissing my dramatic nature lover, my overly intelligent sensitive soul, and my energetic stubborn wild child.  But that's what makes this ride so fun.  They get along, but are oh so different.  Definitely never boring.