On Getting Excited About Baby

And a more palatable baby from this less scary website

What our baby will look like according to this sadistic website

  

I am finally over my cold/flu/bug thing (took about a week) and went swimming with Murray last night which was wonderful.  So despite having little and interrupted sleep last night (I got up at 2am and watched Once Upon A Time), I am feeling  a bit better than when I last posted.

To keep (our) spirits up, and also because of seeing friends wee ones recently, we've been talking a little about what traits we hope this baby will have, and what we hope she really doesn't have.  And Murray is getting more and more nervous about having a little girl that, due to sensible biology, looks just like him for at least a few years.  I can understand why!

First off looking at the issue of hair - we're hoping like hell that despite the changing-behaviour-entirely-at-full-moon she doesn't actually look like a werewolf.  This is a distinct possibility if she takes after her dad.  We are hoping she inherits my appearance of hairlessness (very fine, very blonde body hair).  Even though I colour my eyebrows in to feel like a regular human, it's MUCH easier and less painful than waxing, apparently.  Not that we wouldn't love her if she were an un-waxed werewolf - I've never waxed, I only know it's painful cos Murray told me*...

It seems unlikely there will be much variance in the hair colour department - I have honey-blonde hair, and Murray has light ash browny coloured hair.  She'll have to take after someone further back to get anything less muddy as a grown up, although she'll likely be blonde as a small person (we both were).  Eye colour is kinda the same - the options are hazel or brown.  With skin there is a little room for variance, and I'm hoping she gets Murray's.  Murray's Mum's family have this lovely skin tone - slightly olive and tannable.  I have typical English Rose skin which is almost translucent, is freckled and burns if the sun winks at it.  I'm also allergic to a bunch of things, and have that lovely stuff affectionately known as 'chicken skin' on my upper arms and face.  It's less noticeable now I'm older and know things I can do to minimise it, but it was a horrible thing to have as a teenager.  Murray's skin = lower cancer risk and possibly less angsty teenager to deal with down the track.

I don't really don't think it matters too much how tall she gets.  I am well below average height, and apart from making some things more difficult (reaching stuff), it being annoying at concerts (can't see stuff) and often receiving some light hearted ribbing, it's really not that bad.  It would be nice also if she doesn't get to be Murray's height - I think it's almost harder for the taller ladies - but that's unlikely.  Our metabolism is similar, but Murray's is better, so that'd be nice for her to inherit - although I like my physique (I like having T&A, but it's not everyone's thing, especially these days thanks to stupid modern media).

And outside of looks I really hope she gets Murray's family health.  Mine's a bit muddied with lower mortality rates, a higher risk of breast cancer and heart disease, gynae issues, asthma, and food allergies being par for the course.  No matter what happens, she'll probably be clumsy  - Murray fell over in the shower the other day and popped his shoulder out - just a reminder that we sometimes forget how unco he is.  And everyone seems to have no trouble remembering how unco I am.  So it's great that we are both first aid trained and usually calm in emergencies.

We hope she gets our smarts.  We hope she inherits our shared love of problem solving, games and reading.  I hope she has an imagination - with us as parents it seems unlikely that she won't.  I hope she likes school, and that it works for her, but we'll be ok if it doesn't.  I hope she likes cooking, like I do, and likes eating, like her Dad does - although maybe a little less obsessed with burgers and pies.  I hope that despite what will be a suburban upbringing (weird to me) she likes playing outside and running about exploring (safely).  I hope she likes animals and doesn't scream at our cats or pull their tails too much.  I hope that if she ISN'T a nerd (for whatever strange reason), we can support her in her non-nerdy endeavors.  And if she IS a nerd like us, I hope we can prepare her for living a positive nerd life ie: how to ignore/ discourage haters.  I hope she inherits my feistiness, and I hope we can cope with it!  I hope she's also as logical as Murray, although that won't aid us in arguing with a teenager...

The biggest thing I hope for our baby is that we learn how to do what's best for her no matter how she turns out.  That we can balance boundary setting with freedom, tolerance with reason and give her continuing love and support no matter what.  I hope that we can set our ideals aside and help her carve a path for herself.  

I also really hope she doesn't look like the baby morph baby at the top left - cos there is clearly something wrong with that baby.  I would probably send that baby back.  That baby is evil.

                                                                                              
* No weird frat boy antics - he used to cycle at a pretty high level - funny given how unco he is...

And if Murray had a baby with Hermione (Emma Watson), it'd look like this.

And if Hannah had a baby with Bruce Willis, it'd look like this.  Morphing is fun!