Different Strokes

I’m not sure if this is the case for all siblings when they are babies, but I’m amazed by how different Kavya and Karthik are from each other. Infact, I think its safe to say that we are yet to stumble upon a single aspect in which they share the same traits(except for the fact that they're both incredibly cute:-). From who they resemble to their physical attributes like weight to their feeding habits to their disposition, the two are as different as chalk and cheese. People who just see them would be hardpressed to believe that the two have the same set of parents!

Ofcourse the most obvious difference is in their disposition. Karthik is just a very happy baby. One look at me, his mom or his big sister and he instantly breaks into this wide, toothless smile that lights up his whole face. Even if he is in a serious mood, a simple smile or a “cluck” is all that is needed to bring forth that smile. And its not just us. “Smiley Baby” is his recent nickname among our friends since he gives a smile the moment someone as much as looks at him. And "Giggly Baby" is how the other parents at daycare describe him. So taking pictures of him smiling, like the 2nd one above, is a breeze.

It wasn’t the same with Kavya though. She was one unfriendly baby! Her parents and grandparents were pretty much the only people she smiled at until she was about a year and a half. None of our friends have carried her until her 2nd birthday and she has literally driven our friend TVS and his wife (who also had a baby and who we used to meet almost every week) out of the house with her unabated crying. Naturally, taking photos wasn’t an easy thing. Remember the monkey routine Kamal did for Sridevi in Moondraam Pirai? That was pretty much my state whenever I had to get her to smile for some pictures! So most pictures I have of her as a baby have her staring like in that first picture above.

I’ve heard people say that raising the second baby is easier since you’ve already been through it all before. Not for us though! Bringing up Karthik is turning out to be a completely new experience…