almost twins

One of my favorite things about parenthood so far is when people proclaim that Millie "looks just like you!!!" 

On the one hand, I feel like that's just one of those things you're supposed to say to people toting around babies. It's not something that I normally say to folks, because I happen to think that most babies look alike (and cute, of course) and that very few babies actually resemble adults. Sometimes I think that babies look like their older siblings. But I'm terrible at gazing at an infant and seeing Mom's eyebrows and Grandma Mildred's nose. So I will normally stick with a safe "aww, he's adorable!" and call it a day. 

But sometimes strangers will instantly declare that Millie and I are basically twins, and that always makes me laugh. Are they saying it because it's just something to say? Or do they really think we look alike? And if it's option B, then should I either blow their minds or embarrass them by informing them that there's no genetic reason that we would resemble one another, or just smile and agree? For the record, I pretty much always go with the nod-and-smile-and-thanks. Because Millie is undeniably gorgeous, so by saying we look alike...well, they're basically calling me a supermodel. Basically.

But sometimes it's not strangers that say this- often times it's folks that know us, know her, and know our story. And so with them it's not just a toss-out phrase...it's spoken (or written) with a certain measure of awe and how cool is that?-ish-ness. And I completely concur. How cool is that?? I certainly did not expect to parent a child that resembles me. I long ago gave up that hope and expectation for family resemblance. We wanted to be parents, period- we finally came to a place where we didn't feel a deep need to share genes with our kids. And so I fully anticipated that our family would have more of a 'melting pot' look- even up until the day Camilla was born. Her birth parents look nothing like us. Millie is multiracial- I certainly thought that would be a little more apparent to the naked eye. And maybe someday it will be- she's still tiny (although growing less tiny by the day, SOB). Her features will certainly mature and change and maybe one day we will look a little more melting pot-ish. But for now, oddly enough- I guess we really do look kind of alike! Or as alike as babies and adults can, I suppose. It's easier for me to see it when I look at my own baby pictures. 

Behold: the Almost Twins!

I don't know. I sort of see it, but then I also think that any two random white babies with dark hair and dark eyes might look equally alike. ;) 

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. It's fun, it's trivia, it's intriguing, but it doesn't really matter. Love has nothing to do with looking alike physically. It does have a lot to do with dressing alike, though, which is why Matt and I have always enjoyed coordinating our outfits- a practice we now include Millie in, of course! And I love when people notice and exclaim "Oh wow!!! You both are wearing moccasins!!!!"...like they just grew off the end of our feet like that? Uhhh...yes, it was definitely part of my plan. ;)

And while I was busy digging through old photo albums, I did come across something pretty hilarious.

Check out that sweet diaper cover! Ha!! No wonder everyone in my parents' generation stares at me with shock and disgust when I mention that we choose to cloth diaper our child. If this is what you're imagining...well, yeah. I don't blame you. I'm glad that CDing has come a long way since then!!

Much cuter! But also, this was probably 6 weeks ago...she was so tiny! The diapers don't look nearly this huge on her now!

Before we go, I have a very important issue that you need to weigh in on. If you've been around here for awhile, you may recall my post from October 2011 called "babies should not be dressed like clowns." It's one of my favorite posts and it contains some of my favorite and creepiest Baby Erika pictures (spoiler: I'm dressed in a clown costume). I later had a follow-up post, "so maybe babies should SOMETIMES wear clown costumes," wherein I shifted my position slightly given some new information. So here we are today- I finally have a baby of my own, and I also have in my possession the very same clown costume I was wearing in those pictures- the one my mother made for HER baby (me!!) back in 1983. Obviously the question is this: should I dress Camilla up in the clown costume? Would this be the creepiest and most disturbing thing ever OR would it be a most incredible opportunity for side-by-side twin clown pictures?? I could go either way here, so feel free to weigh in. It probably doesn't matter, but for the record, the costume will probably be really big on Millie- I was almost a year old when I wore it, and I was huge for my age. So...take that into consideration, if you must.

Have a fabulous weekend!