The Dominant Gene

Earlier this week, Pat's mom was over and stuck a few old pictures up on our fridge.  When Colin saw them, his eyes lit up (as they always do when he spots something he can get his grubby little hands on), and he pointed at one in particular and exclaimed:  "It's Jackie!" 

 

Side note; she also posted a priceless one of Pat and his four older siblings posing by their swimming pool, and the only thing Pat was wearing was a head full of blond curls! 

No matter how many times I attempted to correct him, he just couldn't fathom that this picture wasn't his little brother, but rather his dad, about 31 years ago!  "No.  It's Jackie. See?"   Colin told me with utmost certainty pointing at Jack, then the picture, then Jack again. Alright Colin.  It's Jackie.  Why argue, right?  Toddlers know it all...

I can't really blame him. It's pretty much a dead ringer.  Jack certainly got the dominant Beirne gene. You look at everyone in Pat's family, and you know they are a Beirne. Apparently Polish genes just aren't quite as strong as Irish ones!

It seems like anytime a baby is born, conversation in the hospital immediately turns to; "who does the baby take after?" And, just like every ultrasound appointment I've ever had...where I crinkle my nose and try to figure out what the hell I'm looking at...I can never see it.  When people say, "He has your nose!" or "She looks just like her mama!" I usually smile and nod.  Babies look like babies.  I can't say I've ever looked at a newborn and thought, wow, that looks exactly like my 30 year old friend/sister/co-worker, etc.  Am I the only one here?   

However, right from the get-go, Jack was compared to Pat.  The same eyes, hairline, head shape.  Everything really.  In the photo below, they are both about a month old.  I tried to convince Pat to grow out a mustache so we could replicate the photo...He just smiled and nodded. Even personality wise, Jack is Pat.  Calm, relaxed, full of laughter, and most importantly, loves to sleep.

I am grateful for one deviation...Jack *only* weighed 8lbs 7ooz at birth vs. the 12+lbs Pat did....

 

The photos below are of Pat at close to one year, and Jack at 9 months.  Hilarious. They just look more and more alike!  I'm curious to see if by next summer Jack will have those same blond curls that Pat did growing up?

 

 

A few years ago I saw a psychic.  I know, I know - something totally out of character for me.  But, I did.  And to be completely honest, it was very interesting.  I won't go into some of the parts that still give me chills (in a good way), but one of the things he said was; two of your children will have the same face.

So, either there are twins on the way at some point in the future, or this guy is full of bologna, because Colin and Jack couldn't look any more different from each other.  Case in point:

 

What's weird is, nobody ever says Colin looks like me (except me). They almost always say that he looks like Pat.  And then in the same breath say that Jack looks like Pat.  Huh? I guess it's that dominant Beirne gene.

Beirne boys might not wear jean shorts...but they carry some strong genes!