Rachael Rachael, a mom of two daughters, is a freelance editor and writer who enjoys gardening and dreams of keeping chickens in her suburban St. Louis backyard. In her spare time, she helps to edit her husband’s science fiction books. Read more of Rachael's work at www.rachaelsjohnston.com or contact her by emailing rachael@mumblingmommy.com.

 

My daughter, Halle, will crawl for food.

After you have a child, you get an array of questions and comments from friends, family and even strangers. Most commonly, you hear, “What did you name him?” or “How big was she?” Then comes the question of who she looks like. There’s also the proverbial, “What a cute little boy!” People often mistake the gender, calling a baby dressed in a head-to-toe pink ensemble a boy, or calling a baby dressed in a sporty outfit a girl.

As far as looks go, though, most people think both of our children look exactly like my husband. It’s kind of like I just carried the children, but they popped out looking exactly like him, with my DNA and chromosomes nonexistent in their physical features. I am okay with that as I realize their looks will change as time goes by and, really, does it matter who they look like?

However, lately I have noticed some behavioral traits my children possess that are one hundred percent “me.” It is great to see some of these traits shining through in my children during our everyday interactions:

For example, a popular pastime around our house is a little game called, “I’ll get you.” Pretty self explanatory, but basically Max, my husband and I chase one another around the lower level of our home. During a recent rendition of the game, my son was laughing so hard he could barely contain himself when he ran smack into the wall, leaving a big bruise on his forehead. This is not the first time he (or I) has been injured during this game. It appears that he may have inherited a little of mom’s clumsiness (but luckily I am pretty coordinated, just often not paying attention, so I hope the same for him!).

Here’s another example. Halle is obsessed with food. The word obsessed barely touches her love for anything she can consume. She just turned 9 months old, and the first few times she crawled were only because she was trying to get to a snack her brother was eating. If we tried to encourage her to crawl to one of us, or to a toy, she would make her way there leisurely. But man, this girl will crawl for food! If you have a bowl of Cheerios in a ten-foot radius of her, she’ll be there in warp speed and will grab fist full after fist full and shove them in her month. Like her mama, she has an appetite!

Max and Halle don’t look like me, but we share personality traits.

Also, just like me, Max loves car rides. He doesn’t mind hopping in the car and taking a drive. As long as we are equipped with snacks, a blanket and some tunes on the radio, he’s a great passenger.

Max also shares my love of basketball. Of all our toys, one of Max’s favorites is our child size basketball hoop. While I was a cheerleader, I have always had a place in my heart for basketball. After all, I am a Hoosier, born and raised in Indiana. Before spending seven years as a cheerleader, I actually tried to play for the basketball team, but due to being vertically challenged, I didn’t make the cut. Luckily this led me to my true calling of cheerleading, but basketball has always been a sport I loved and still very much enjoy. Hoping we have a future point guard on our hands!

Finally, both of my kids love to laugh. So do I. Don’t get me wrong; my husband is always up for a good chuckle. But laughing is my forte. I love hearing my children laugh, making them laugh and joining in their laughter. We laugh about anything and everything. Why not? Laughter is the best medicine. And there truly is no sound like baby laughter.

I really enjoy seeing my kids develop their own little personalities, both their sweet and ornery sides.