While I'm not a biologist, and I haven't drawn out any Punnett squares, I have thought a little about what this kid will inherit, both good and bad.
- We both have seasonal allergies, but different seasons. Josh struggles with pollen mostly in the fall. I have early-summer allergies (I know, weird.) Will our kid be sneezing half the year? Or will they get by without any trouble?
- Josh has food allergies. Are these inherited? If they are, can they be prevented by delaying introducing the foods until later? I've found mixed answers in Dr Google to these questions.
- I sunburn easily. Josh gets a great tan and rarely turns pink like I do. Whose skin will this baby get? Let's hope I'll get to skip the massive amounts of sunscreen I had to use as a child.
- My family's fairly tall. Josh's is average-height. Will our kids be tall or short?
- Josh's family has amazing musical ability, both on instruments and singing. I have none, zero, zilch. Will this kid follow in their dad's (and grandparents, uncles, first-cousins-once-removed's) footsteps and not be entirely tone deaf like me?
- Neither of us have much athletic ability. I played basketball from third grade until freshman year of high school, but was no star. Will this kid somehow be an athlete, with no help from our genes? Or are they doomed to embarrass themselves in gym class like I did? Will a klutz make our auto insurance rates go up?
- We have about the same color hair- I'd call it a "light brown" or "dark blond". Will all our kids have the same color hair, too, or will they have darker hair like some of their grandparents- or really, really blond hair, like an uncle and cousin?
- What personality traits are genetic? I know "nature vs. nurture" is an age-old debate, so we may never know if our child is mimicking us, or is hard-wired to be like us.
I seriously can't wait to meet this kid, and see who God is creating right now, a little individual that may or may not remind me of myself.
Did you see what your child inherited from you when they were a baby, or did it take longer to "see Mom & Dad" in them?
Did you see what your child inherited from you when they were a baby, or did it take longer to "see Mom & Dad" in them?
7 comments:
I think it can go either way. Pretty much from the day he was born, my nephew was the spitting image of his mother, my sister. It was crazy that such a tiny newborn could so closely replicate her personality, mannerisms, facial expressions, everything.
With my other nieces and nephews, the similarities were more subtle. I have a niece who grew up to be exactly like her mother, but it wasn't until she was older (4 or 5) that those traits really started to show up.
It's definitely interesting! I can't wait to find out either.
it's weird...although i see glimpses of us both in Sam, he really just looks like his own kid. i don't think he looks exactly like either one of us.
re: allergies, both food and seasonal...there's been studies done that show that breastfeeding can reduce the likelihood of both food and seasonal allergies. but, i was formula-fed don't have allergies, and tim was breastfed and gets seasonal allergies really bad, so who knows. but definitely for the food allergies, breastfeed for as long as you can. and you might need to go on an elimination diet if your baby appears to have signs of allergies...i.e. tummy troubles, eczema, etc.
personality-wise...Sam definitely gets some stubbornness from his mom and dad, but that could just be because he's not quite 19 months old. :)
Re: food allergies - I can't remember where I read this, but the studies that have been done on delaying possible allergens have not found a significant connection. There was even a study that found that introducing peanuts earlier reduced likelihood of a reaction! I think it's another case of something getting into the media/culture without much evidence to support it.
I think it's another one of those things that has been overblown in the mommy wars, everyone wants to make sure they do the best for their kids, but it probably doesn't make a difference. I did find one lay article from a few years ago http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9646449/
Studies have been conclusive that not introducing solids before six months reduces chances of allergies though. It's so hard to find the truth with all the misinformation out there!
From the research I did when Savannah started solids, it seems that the only two things you should wait for a year are honey and milk (some people say all dairy). New research has shown that delaying things actually is causing more reactions. My cousin, a med student, said that exposure helps prevent allergies. I spoke at length with a mom whose kids all have food allergies, and she only waits on honey and milk.
I thought Savannah had my skin, but when she got out in the sun this summer she just got darker and darker like her Daddy. I don't even need to worry about sunscreen that much unless we're out in the direct sun.
Immediately, we could tell that Savannah looked like her Daddy - comparing baby pictures you can really see it. I love that. :-) And she has his laid-back personality too. We'll see if she continues to be that way, or if she'll be more like her type-A firstborn mom as she gets older.
I just know that Johnny is WAY cuter than I expected. I was a really dopey looking baby and toddler. But I think Johnny is cuuuuuuuute! Musta got that from his dad :).
I'm just starting to see some of my personality coming out in Jer. But that may be from being around me all day!
And his blond hair is definitely inherited from uncles, though it will more than likely turn dark, as theirs did.
Matt and I have discussed this: Baby B will come out with a keyboard in his hands! Be careful what you do before they turn 3. After that their personality and all of your great and not so traits are pretty much set in stone with them. Kevin is so Type A and Kaden is so Que Ce Ra (sp?) Whatever will be will be!!! lol
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