The Ginger Baby...

Here we see the redheaded child napping on his
non-redheaded mother's chest.

My child is a redhead. A carrot top.  A ginger.  Always has been, hopefully always will be.  My husband is not.  Neither am I.  And know what else I’m not?  A geneticist.  So, no…I can’t tell you exactly where my kid’s red hair comes from.  A light Google search indicates that since neither my husband nor I have red hair, we must both at least be carriers of the gene.  Beyond that, I’m still unclear how it all works.  And honestly, I just don’t care enough to research it further.  I feel like somehow we won some kind of genetic lottery, and that’s pretty much all the explanation I need.

However, there are multitudes of people out there that are just not satisfied with that level of explanation.  It is for those folks that I’m tempted to get this web address printed out on cards to pass out as the need arises:  http://www.myredhairgene.com/page1/page1.html.  I can’t tell you how many people—friends, family, and complete strangers alike—have stopped and asked me, “Where does the red hair come from?”  Some of those people have asked me more than once…as though they expect me to have done my homework since we last spoke and be able to give a more satisfactory answer this time.

Redheaded children sometimes enjoy reading.

I don’t know why this bothers me.  I really don’t.  I understand that most people are just trying to display friendly interest in my adorable little boy.  Red hair isn't super common.  I get it.  But sometimes, it irks me.  Especially when I encounter a complete stranger who feels they need to know.  Why?  Why do they care where the red hair comes from?  They don’t know anything else about me, but the only thing they WANT to know is why my kid’s hair is red?  Really?  Ok.

I’m not unfriendly, per se, but I do find it quite difficult to talk to strangers.  I’m shy.  I’m introverted.  Catch me on a really good day and I might be up for a brief chat with a random stranger, but generally speaking, the thought kind of scares me.  Maybe if I was more outgoing, none of this would bother me so much.

But then again, maybe it might.  Because what are they really trying to say by asking me that?  Are you asking if my husband is NOT my son’s father?  Well…that is none of your business.  Although, really all you need to do is look at them both to know the answer to that.  Sammy is his daddy’s little clone.  When people ask us when we’re all together, Hansen sometimes likes to joke that Sammy is the mail man’s baby…to which I always reply, “We have a mail lady.”

A redheaded child can have a non-redheaded father!

Maybe I’m reading too much into all of this.  Chances are, like I said before, people are just trying to be friendly.  They see my cute kid.  They want to say something, because hey…that’s a cute kid!  And the first thing that really jumps out at them is his hair color.  Deep down I know this is probably what really prompts the question.  Which is why I always smile, shrug and reply, “Well, there are a couple of redheads in Hansen’s extended family, and my dad had reddish hair when he was younger.  My hair has copper highlights…or it did before I started dyeing it.”  No one ever seems really happy with that answer, though.  They always walk away with a slightly baffled/disappointed expression. 

Ginger babies enjoy playing at the park.

So…I think I have come up with 3 exciting new ways to respond.  Here they are:

1.)     Pass out the aforementioned cards with the red hair gene website printed on them.  Let people do their own research.  Could include other facts/myths about redheads, too.  For example:  Redheads do, in fact, have souls.  They do not steal other people’s souls.  They do not become vampires when they die.  They do not, in my experience, bring bad luck.  They are not conceived out of “unclean” sex.  They are not going extinct.  They may or may not have bad tempers…just like people of any other hair color.  They are not witches or wizards (Ron Weasley not withstanding).  

a.       Pros:  Minimal awkward interactions with complete strangers.
b.     Cons:  Could be costly.  Would probably come off as rather unfriendly...or possibly crazy.

2.)     Act really awkward.  Avoid eye contact.  Mumble that “we don’t really like to talk about that.”
a.       Pros:  Might be fun to see how people react to that.
b.      Cons:  Would probably make both myself and the other party feel really uncomfortable.  And I’d feel guilty for implying some sort of family drama that doesn't really exist.  On second thought, probably won’t go through with this one.

3)     Tell people I dye his hair.
a.     Pros:  The reactions to this one would likely be really funny.  And of course I'd tell them I was kidding.  Probably.  This one has some real potential.
b.     Cons:  I'm not sure I see any.

Anyone else have any ideas for me? 

One thing I found out in my recent, half-hearted research… Denmark believes it’s an honor to have a redheaded child!  I am not Danish, but Hansen is.  So his family gets it!  One thing is for certain…I love my little redhead.  All the awkward inquiries in the world couldn't make me wish that ginger hair away!

My adorable little carrot top.

The lost months...

Easter Sunday, 2015

A happy belated Easter to anyone who still happens to stop by this utterly abandoned blog.  I think of it often.  And that's usually as far as it goes, because when I have to choose between giving my time to my child or giving it to my blog, the child wins every time.  Were my blog capable of screaming, throwing food around my kitchen, giving adorable, germ-spreading, open-mouthed kisses, or giggling angelically, choosing between the two might not be so easy.  But as things stand right now, there really is no contest.

So it seems another quick update is in order.

January - It was cold.  There was snow.  There's really nothing to say for it.  January is awful.

February - It was cold.  There was snow.  After one particular storm, we brought Sammy out into the snow in the new snowsuit he'd received from my parents for Christmas.  He sat in his car seat and was delighted with the falling snowflakes as Hansen and I shoveled the drive way and cleared snow off of Hansen's car.  When his little nose had turned red and we were just about ready to take him inside, we plopped him in a pile of snow and got his first "playing in the snow" photo. 

First time playing in the snow.

From my Valentine.

Other than that cute little photo op, and the Red Velvet Oreos and roses that Hansen got me for Valentine's day, February was useless until the very last week, when we left Illinois and went to Florida to visit my grandpa.  If you must be alive during February, I recommend doing it in Southwest Florida.  We had some great weather, and lots of fun visiting with my parents (who came with us) and my grandpa.  Sammy got to go in a swimming pool and a hot tub for the first time.  He preferred the hot tub! We also visited the Naples, FL botanical gardens, Corkscrew Swamps Animal Sanctuary (where we saw lots of wildlife...including a couple of alligators!), and, of course, the beach.  Sammy LOVED the beach, but did not care for the cold ocean water, so we mostly just played on a blanket in the sand.

Living the good life on the beach!

Sammy and Poupon fishing from the pier.

Sammy and Daddy in the pool.

Sammy and Daddy in the hot tub.

Sammy prefers the hot tub at night...when it's warm.

Picking an orange off of my grandpa's tree!

Unfortunately, the unfamiliar surroundings messed Sammy's sleep schedule up, so Hansen and I did not get quite as much rest as we had hoped for.  But we made the best of it, and the fact that my parents were there to help out was definitely a huge blessing.

I only read one book on vacation.  In years past I used to read 7 or more.  I'd average about a book a day.  But I think those days might be gone...if not forever, then for many, many years.

The only really crummy thing about the whole visit was the return flight.  We got to the airport around 8 PM for what was supposed to be a 9:56 PM departure.  However, as soon as we got there we were told that the flight had been delayed until something like 3 AM.  Then, after waiting around the airport for over an hour, we found out the flight was outright canceled.  So then we were scrambling to find hotel accommodations near the airport.  That was a nightmare.  We ended up at a Days Inn in the seediest part of Ft. Myers, surrounded by all night massage parlors, in a room with two double beds, which we shared with my parents.  Hansen crowds me to the very edge of our queen size bed pretty frequently, so you can imagine how it was with the three of us (Sammy included) sharing that nice little double.  I kept a foot braced against the wall for part of the night to keep from falling off into the narrow gap between the bed and the wall.  Also, Sammy woke in the middle of the night crying, so I paced him back and forth in the dark for about an hour, trying to keep him quiet enough for everyone else to sleep.  Not my best night on record.

The next day our flight was again delayed, so we spend most of the day waiting around, first in our hotel room and then at the airport.  Waiting around all day at an airport with an 11 month old baby is not as fun as it sounds.  Eventually, though, we did make it home.  And supposedly we're getting free round trip tickets out of the whole ordeal.  I haven't called the airline about that yet, but it's on my never ending to do list.

March - Things got a little warmer in Illinois.  The snow melted and we went on a few walks. 

On the H.U.M. Trail

The most notable piece of news about March was that Hansen installed a dishwasher!  I've never had a dishwasher.  It has changed my entire life!  I don't think I can go without one ever again, and Hansen is my hero.

Hansen and I also got new cell phones.  Kind of expensive (gulp), but so far we really like them.  And Sammy is thrilled that he gets to play with our old phones once in a while.  I'm trying not to let him have them too often, though.  I want them to remain somewhat of a novelty so that I can use them to distract him when things get a little hairy...like when we're stuck in an airport all day or something.

Just delighted with his new toy...Daddy's old cell phone.

April - Sammy turned 1 year old on April 1st!  It was a beautiful day.  I took a half day off of work and we went for a walk with his Granny in the afternoon.  Later that evening we had Granny and Poupon (my parents) and Grandma (Hansen's mom) over for dinner.  Sammy had a great day...opened some presents, ate destroyed some cake, and took some unsupported steps!!!  I just can't believe that a year has passed.  It some ways it seems like Sammy has always been with us.  And at other times I look at him and think, "We have a kid!  How did that happen?  When did that happen?  And when did that little 8 lb. 7oz. baby I remember get big enough to start walking?"

Filled with birthday joy...and chocolate cake.

And then came last weekend...Easter.  This was Sammy's second Easter and he spent much more of it conscious than he did last year.  After church in the morning, he got to go on an Easter egg hunt at his great grandparent's house.  Mostly he just picked up the eggs that I and others found, but he seemed to enjoy it.  He also got a few birthday gifts.  We postponed his birthday party until early May, when his uncle will be in town from San Diego, but a few people were too eager to wait until then.  Sam's great uncle Steve made him a beautiful, Sammy-sized picnic table out of repurposed cedar wood, and his Aunt Barbara and Uncle Tim got him a stuffed puppy that lights up and plays music.  Sammy was thrilled with both.

Sammy with his picnic table and puppy toy!

So...that's all the news that's worth sharing.  Or all that I can think of right now, anyway.  My mind is not at its sharpest these days.  I'm fighting off some kind of illness and I'm super tired.  Hopefully it won't last long.  Spring is here and I want to have enough energy to get out and enjoy it when I can!  It was long in coming.