Strangely Familiar

It's odd to look in the face and observe the actions of your child and see people you know all "mosaically" combined into one tiny little body. It makes me think of those little capsules I got when I was a child, that were stuffed with dried out sponges in cut into random mystery animal shapes. I would drop them into a warm bathtub anticipating the results, and slowly, the capsules would dissolve and the sponges would absorb water and take the form of a familiar animal, although obviously, since it was a sponge, looking a bit different. Gwyneth is like those "magic" capsules, albeit better - way better. She started out an almost blank slate, and as she grows, she takes on form, partly her own and partly those of others - her papa's smile and auburn hair, her mama's big forehead and funny feet, her granny's and great-grandpa's left-handedness (we're pretty sure about that one), her grandpas' relaxed, easy-going spirits, the determination of her uncle, the sweetness of her aunties...and I'm sure characteristics of generations past that I wouldn't be able to recognize. She's very obviously her own person, but in a sense, it's all strangely familiar.