Genetics

I love genetics. When I was in high school biology I remember a lesson that started my love for them. We were learning about dominant and recessive genes and used eye and hair color as examples. Since that lesson I've always been interested in gene make up and it came into play a lot when I first became a Mom.

One lesson I remember learning was that blonde hair and blue eyes are recessive genes, whereas darker hair and brown eyes are dominant. When J and I began dating (I was still in high school) he had dirty blonde hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes ever. His hair has since darkened to a light brown, but his eyes are as penetrating and arresting as ever. I, on the other hand, have hazel eyes that change color depending on my mood, and dark brown hair, bordering on black. So when we married and talked kids, in the back of my mind I just assumed due to genetics and percentages that we would probably have dark haired, hazel eyed kids. Especially seeing as I do not know off the top of my head anyone in my family with blue eyes. I assumed both genes passed on to me from my parents were the dominant darker gene.

So imagine my surprise when Xavier was born, and he had Js eye color hands down, and they never changed over the months that baby eyes tend to. If what I learned back in high school was correct, it meant that I carried the blue eye gene too, but have hazel eyes because of the dominant gene. And as his fuzz grew in at a year old he was definitely blonde blonde blonde. And I remember thinking to myself then, how funny that genetics works out this way, and here we have a child with a 25% chance (now that I know I carry the blue eye gene) to have a child with blonde hair or blue eyes, yet we have a child with both! I thought it was great, but that he would probably be our one and only carbon copy of J.

Then Ashe arrived. Same startling blue eyes, same blonde hair though with a tinge of honey color to it. And I thought, how odd, who would have thunk that we could get 2 children with the same recessive traits from two adults, one of which (me) carries the ever dominant dark hair dark eye genes?

Then we got pregnant with Soren. And I half jokingly said there was no way in hell we would have 3 for 3 in regards to coloring. This baby would have either dark hair and blue eyes, or blonde hair and dark eyes, or dark hair and dark eyes and one child would finally look like me. There's no way I could be the only dark haired dark eyes person in the family, especially seeing as I was destined to be the only female in our family unit. But when he was born and turned those big blue eyes to stare fuzzily into my face I knew it was to be a false hope. True to form, he has Js eye color and his fuzz is just as blonde as his two older brothers. He's beautiful. They all are.

I started searching for what part of me I passed on to my kids when I noticed each one looks like J. People say they look like me when they see us together, but almost every person who has said that and then sees them with J has retracted their statement and agree they are carbon copies of my husband. I take that as a major compliment because J is pretty damn good looking. But in the (almost) 8 years of being a Mom I can think of only one time someone saw us all together and they said the boys look like me. In fact it only happened a few months ago and I remember being excited, poking J in the arm whispering "Did you hear that? Wow! He said they look like me!!" The only statement I get often I can agree with is they have my eye shape. But thats about it in the physical category. However they definitely carry some of my genes in the personality department.

Xavier is stubborn as hell, just like me. He gets it from the Baran side of the family ( my paternal side) where stubbornness comes as easy as breathing if not easier. He has a penchant for talking.... nonstop...about nothing. Like me. Ashe is outgoing like me and unlike J. Soren is still developing so I cant say yet what he taken from my side of the genetic pool.

J knows I search for things in the kids to somehow prove these Nordic looking children really did come from me, as way to somehow prove these are my kids. So when the boys do something outrageous he loves to point at them, look at me and mouth "Your side of family." And that brings me to why I blog today.

Early this morning Ashe woke up and wandered into our bedroom looking for a glass of chocolate milk and to ask if he could watch tv. J stumbled out of bed to comply then came back to snuggle into the warm bed covers for a few more minutes before getting up for the day. It's quiet and we're both almost back asleep when the door bangs open and Ashe proudly declares "HEY DADDY! I FARTED! I FARTED DADDY!!!" then runs off giggling, slamming the door behind him.

J turned his face to me, groggily opened his eyes in little slits and said "That comes from you." and rolled back over while I chuckled softly..... Now that I think of it, he better have meant Ashes sense of humor.....