GAYS MILLS - There has been a lot of talk around our house lately as to what our newest addition might look like.

Anyone who has ever seen Thatcher knows that he looks nearly identical to me. In fact, it was clear from the moment he was born that I was given a miniature version of myself. To which, as I held my fresh newborn, I cried and apologized to Chasca, “I’m sorry he doesn’t have red hair!” I should have however, been apologizing to myself because I am the only one in the family who desired a redheaded baby. Chasca was, and still is, completely content with Thatcher’s current good looks.

As time goes on though, it’s almost bizarre how much the kid looks like me.

 The other day after his shower, to celebrate the return of dry skin season and the woodstove, I was slathering a thick layer of lotion on his limbs. It is here; I should add that although he looks like me in the face…his crazy long limbs belong to his dad.

 Any who, as I was buttering the baby up, I was examining his arms and legs, as I suppose a mother does. Apparently however, I have not done this in quite sometime because I was shocked to notice he had developed some freckles on his limbs.

Furthermore, I was even more shocked to notice that his freckles were in the exact formation as mine, even the exact same locations.  When his dad got home from work that night, I immediately reported the findings. Greeted with the same shock I felt, we proceeded to examine the poor sleeping kid’s limbs by dim cellphone light, until the threat of his waking became too real.

Again, considering how much the guy looks like me, we probably shouldn’t have been so shocked. And the fact that he was born with a cute little birthmark freckle on his neck similar to me, should have reminded me that I apparently have very strong genetics.

We certainly didn’t look like matching infants however. I was a bit premature, weighing in somewhere around five pounds and looking exceptionally tiny and fuzzy.

Thatcher however was of a fairly average weight, a svelte seven pounds and nine ounces. But it was the short 19 inches that gave him somewhat of a ‘deflated’ look as his Grandma Abby remarked.

He quickly grew into those little limbs, becoming quite the exceptionally long kid. He never even really took on much adorable baby chub. Offering barely a fat baby thigh to lovingly pinch.

This is where visions of his dad as an infant come in. Poor Chasca, I am often less than kind in describing his baby looks. Luckily, he developed into an incredibly cute toddler, child, and handsome man. But as a newborn–yikes! At nearly two-feet long and eight pounds, Chasca was all limbs with a little round baldhead, not unlike a Caucasian alien.

Part of me wonders if all of this teasing of the long-suffering Chasca is going to come back and bite me. Causing me to birth a funny-looking alien baby myself. Luckily, if things go like they have with Thatcher I won’t have to wait long for him to ‘cute up’ a bit. 

I had only one ultrasound for this pregnancy, and was so excited to learn that the hospital offered 3-D visions of infants in the womb. For those of you who haven’t done one of these, if you have the chance, wait until a little later in your pregnancy until your little fetus plumps up to do so.

The ultrasound took a very long time, before we were able to get to the moment we had been waiting for. It took so long, in fact, that Chasca fell asleep listening to the woman tell us all about the baby’s fine features. This caused a tad bit of pregnant lady upset, leading me to swat him with my flip-flop, when the tech stepped out for a second.

Finally, the big moment came. We were going to see a 3D visual of our little person. Suddenly, the cheery tech became very serious.

“I just want you to know, these images are always a bit….different,” she said. “Take it with a grain of salt and don’t be upset if he doesn’t look how you were thinking.”

 Lights, camera, action and the image slowly became clear on the television screen.

I immediately began laughing uncontrollably at what I saw. It appeared I was carrying a little creature that was a combination of Mr. Burns from the Simpsons and Gollum from the Lord of the Rings.  Printing out the photo and happily presenting it to us, we packed it away to present to family members later.

Chasca’s aunt is an ultrasound tech herself and was eager to view the photo. She excitedly reported that it was an exceptional 3D ultrasound photo, very clear and very good quality over all. Making me feel less reassured that my baby had the promise of being a model.

All jokes aside, no matter if he comes out looking like me or Chasca or even like Mr. Burns, I’m sure we will believe he is the most exceptionally beautiful baby the world has ever seen (next to Thatcher, of course!)