For the past couple weeks, more and more people have said to me, “You know, M. is really starting to look a lot like you.” S. has a theory that roughly 90% of all first-borns end up looking like their father, so it appears we’re just living according to the odds. Also, I greatly resemble my mother, who was an attractive woman, so I know it’s not necessarily a bad thing that M. favors me.
What is strange, though, is to look into M.’s face now when she’s awake and interactive. I don’t see myself all that much. Or at least I don’t see the same image I see when I look in the mirror. I do see a strong resemblance to my baby pictures, though. It’s a very weird sensation to see something so familiar not just looking back at you, but also smiling, laughing, “talking”, or crying. Part deja vu, part movie, part dream. I suppose in time I’ll get used to a Mini Me running around, but it’s going to continue to take me aback for awhile. S. bases her theory on the idea that first-borns look like their dads to ensure the dads have a strong bond with their babies. In a vertigo-like way, that’s certainly happening in this house.
When she’s not keeping me awake all night (S. works tonight, so we’re in a Baby Fuss Watch), M. is really a happy baby. She has roughly three different laughs now, and it seems like she has control over them rather than simply making involuntary noises. She has a low grunt, a sharp squeal, and a half giggle. We have a tickle game we play with her in which she moves from the grunt to the squeal to the giggle as she gets progressively more worked up. She “talks” more and more. We can put her into her crib with the mobile on and she immediately smiles and laughs at the faces that rotate above her. When she hears familiar voices, she searches the room for the face to match, then grins when she finds it. We’ve took her to Mass Saturday night and held her in our arms. She looked around at the lights, the backlit stained glass, and smiled at all the people around us. Even last night at Costco when she was tired and cranky, we took her out of her seat to get her upright and she immediately started flirting with all the people who passed her by. The books and my pediatrician friend tell me that in the next few weeks she should start initiating interaction with people rather than just reacting. I have a feeling she’s going to be one of those kids that is everyone’s friend. I doubt she’ll be inheriting my shy genes.