My Folks

Want to know the second thing I said after Violet was born?

The first thing being, "I can't believe it's a girl!"

I said to my Mom, who was my official right leg lifter and umbilical cord cutter, "She has your nose!" And she still does. I'm glad for that since I did not get my Mom's cute little, proportionate, button nose. Oh, Kimmy did, but I'll let that go for now. I simply must resist the urge to accuse my Mom of playing favorites while she was growing us in her womb. After all my Dad was half the chromosome show, and he did decide one of his daughters should have his nose.

Don't mistake me, I like my nose, it is just not as cute as the noses of my Mom, Kimmy and Violet. It is a more obvious nose, a stately nose, a, dare I say it, intelligent seeming nose.

Plus, I got his lips too, and I will tell you with unabashed pride......we have great lips. And these same lips are the ones Violet received as well.

What has led to this seemingly mindless diatribe?

When I was pregnant Tim and I would talk about what our child may look like.

Of course, we would say things like, "I hope the baby has your eyes and my nose, and I hope they have straight teeth...." that kind of thing. Well, it never entered my consciousness to think that obviously, our parents would have offerings as well.

She is absolutely an individual with features that I know are all her own, but it has been fascinating to realize all the many people you can see in your baby.

She definitely has my eyes, but most of her expressions, as well as her ears, are 100% Tim. Every now and then she'll make a face and I just laugh at how very similar their faces are. But that nose, all Grammy. And those lips, thanks Grampy, from both of us.

And if you want to know where Tim's family factors in, it's from the neck down. My family is of hardy stock, probably descended from nomadic mountain people, or farmers. We all have small feet and hands, and a low center of gravity.

Tim's family is wispy, probably descended from ballerinas or Amazons. And so is Violet. So very tall and lanky at barely 3 months old.

Which makes me think of something I heard on Will & Grace......

They are talking about their Fathers, and Grace tells Will:

"The only thing my Father ever gave me was feet the size of canoes."

I shuddered a little, because I know that even though Tim will give Violet so many more things through his parenting, he most likely did give her feet the size of canoes.

I mean seriously, she never even wore newborn socks. Already finding clothes for this kid is hard work.

But all that aside, I love my folks. I appreciate them for the people they are, and the people they were to me as child. They gave me so much and still do. Becoming a parent has made me really see them in a different light, and boy is it bright. Not everyone is as blessed as me and my siblings were, and I just hope that along with the lips, I got a fair helping of the ability to nurture Violet into a wonderful addition to our fair planet.

Thank you for tuning in to my stream of consciousness for Friday.

Party on.