BTDT

Today, we are officially BTDT (Been There, Done That) parents! Today Eli is the exact same age Malachi was when we got him! Don't ask me why reaching this date was so important, maybe I am just weird.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to do a little comparison of the boys (since this is the first day we can actually do that!) Now, I am not going to make a regular habit of comparing them as they are individuals but I thought this would be fun for today :) Also there is about a 5 lb weight difference between both boys at this age :)

Malachi in the bumbo the first time I ever saw him!

Elias in the bumbo:

Daddy holding Malachi:

Daddy holding Elias:

Walking with Malachi:

Walking with Elias:

Bath time for Malachi:

Bath time for Elias:

So parenting should be a breeze from this point on right? I think back to when we were picking Eli up from the NICU and the nurses were concerned that maybe he shouldn't be coming home yet as he was choking a lot while eating and his face would change color when he did that. The doctor looked at us and said, "well, they have a little one at home, they know what they are doing!" I was thinking, ummm doctor there is a big difference here. You are sending us home with a fragile 5 lbs 3 ounce newborn and we started our parenting adventures with a 17 lb 4 month old - BIG DIFFERENCE! Well, fortunately we all survived :)

I also think about how attached Eli is to us. We know him very well and he knows who mommy and daddy are. I just can't imagine how hard it would be for him to get ripped from everything he knows even at this young of an age. It gives me a new perspective on everything Malachi went through. He was such a trooper!!!

So here we go, embarking on familiar territory as BTDT parents. There will definitely be similarities but I also know things will look quite different as Eli makes his mark as his own person and follows Malachi just 9 short months behind :)