pink vs. blue

Sylvia and Rafael look quite different. From day 1, she has had a very feminine look, very delicate, porcelain doll-like, while he has had a very masculine look, like a bruiser or linebacker.  I don't know if I'm selectively choosing things to focus on, but they also have exhibited gender-stereotyped characteristics.  Rafael pretty much just wants to eat and sleep, he eats quickly and voraciously and is incredibly messy, and his physical development has exceeded his social development--he likes to stand up (assisted) and grabs things, but doesn't social smile yet.  Sylvia, on the other hand, loves to be held and is generally unhappy otherwise, she is very social and smiles and coos, but doesn't have much interest in motor skills.  I've always bristled at gender stereotypes, but I do find these developments fascinating.  I don't think we've done anything this early on to reinforce gender stereotypes, although I admit I think it's eventually inescapable. 

Interestingly, to me, anyway, we inherited quite a bit of clothes from our goddaughters, almost all of which is pink.  So, Rafael has often sported some very girly outfits because we felt like we would be better parents if he were clothed in pink than left naked and so we'd grab whatever was clean and accessible.  For whatever reason, I've been hesitant to take him out in public or take photos of him dressed in pink, so I've always changed him into something more "appropriate".  So, no embarrassing photos for his future rehearsal dinner--yet.