Eoin Meets the Family

Christie sent out a bunch of photos on Snapfish, from which I shamelessly downloaded some of my favorites to show and share. I assume Mike was the photographer on most of them, with Christie taking a hand in the last one here. I have no idea who shot the group photo...maybe Mike's mom Jeanne.

Regardless, here are "official" photos of Eoin meeting his immediate family for the first time. Evie, as I mentioned before, declared herself satisfied with her baby brother. She certainly does look pleased in these several shots.


I'd say the whole family looks pretty pleased here. We are, too!

"Welcome home, baby Eoin!"
Some have commented on Eoin's features and how well-formed his face looks. I agree, he does look handsome. As I also mentioned before, his hair and skin tone is lighter than Evie's, so I think his Celtic side is going to be prominent in him. I wonder how much red he'll have in his hair when he is grown?

It's never too early to start reading to your kids! Good on you, daddy!

Comparisons - Part 2

It seems to be a universal truth that parents find Mohawk hairstyles cute on their kids. After all, there's not all that much one can do with short, baby-fine hair. Plus it is a time honored way of getting really good blackmail pictures to keep unruly teens in line or embarrass them in front of their dates. Whatever the impetus, it keeps recurring down through the generations.

The photo above was taken of me back in early 1955. Mom seems pleased with her bouncing baby boy, but I don't look particularly happy in that shot. I probably saw my reflection in the mirror and was horrified by the hair style that graced my dome.

But of course, I blithely helped perpetuate the injustice in 1975 on my poor, unsuspecting daughter, below. Christie was probably a couple of months older than I was in the first photo. She was a very happy baby, too, as can be seen here. Actually, her mother loved the Kewpie-doll hair more that I did, but I have to confess, Christie was pretty darn cute in it.

And now we come to 2007 and a new generation of incriminating photos. Christie decided Evie needed to try the style out in turn. Unfortunately, she looks like a punk rocker more than a Kewpie Doll - and not at all convinced this was a very good idea. Still, you gotta love it. I'm looking forward to seeing my next grandchild sporting a Mohawk, at least for a picture or two.

Comparisons - Part 1

The sense of Deja' Vu that I mentioned previously is heightened by the inevitable pull of genetics. There is a reason I feel as if I've been there, done that before. The natural comparisons between parent and child are more magical for me now as a grandparent because I can see the lines and appreciate them more than when I was a child or a parent myself.

I keep telling Mike that Evie looks so much like Christie at about the same age. While I've shown that previously, it is interesting to follow Evie's growth to see how much she remains in that image. At certain angles I see Mike's traits, but more often than not I see Christie's, probably because I'm more attuned to her features and more willing to see them in Evie. But I don't think it's all wishful thinking - the resemblance is unnerving at times.

The shot below of Christie was taken at about the same age as Evie in the top photo this past December. It's there, and I continue to marvel at it.

On the other hand, I'm seeing a departure from what I looked like. I do see flashes of me in Evie occasionally, but they are becoming less apparent to me the older she gets. She is definitely her mother's child, and her daddy's as well. Grampa's traits are starting to fade rapidly, but not unhappily so.

The photo below is of me at about the same age as Evie, perhaps a couple of months older. Maybe it's the black and white photo combined with the costume, but I look more Asian in this shot than I think I've ever looked before or since. I wonder if that trend made my dad sad? He was the parent, after all, and not the grandparent.

That is Dorlinda beside me. Didn't we clean up well? It's especially interesting when compared to some of the other photos of me from that age where I look like a refugee from the 1930s Dust Bowl. I'll post those sometime later.