The odds

Cooper isn't at particularly high risk for any inherited diseases, that we know of. Matt and I have relatively healthy backgrounds with only the most classical of family characteristics- some cardiac problems, cancers, etc- but nothing that is a red flag for really high risk.

But one thing that I'm fixated on for no good reason is his risk for being colorblind. I don't know why I care so much. Really, it isn't even a disability. You can't tell someone is colorblind in an everyday setting. But he's quite high risk. Because he's a boy, and he has a colorblind great uncle, he had about a 1 in 16 chance of being colorblind. That's about three times the average chance for a caucasian boy.

If you want to know how I figured this out, it is not too hard if you remember your "wrinkly peas" from high school. His great uncle (my mom's brother) is red-green classically colorblind, but my mother is not. That means that my mom has a 50/50 chance of being a colorblind carrier. Which gives me a 1 in 4 chance of being a colorblind carrier. Which gives Cooper a 1 in 16 chance of being colorblind, or slightly higher, depending on some interesting new theories of gene expression that I won't get into.

Also, Cooper had a 50/50 chance of being the bright little towhead that he is. We seem to have won that coin toss (gosh he's cute!). I'm genetically half towhead, half dominant brown while Matt is double towheaded and was a sparkly bright white haired youngster. I do wonder if Baby Two will be a blondie or brown. It'll only be obvious around 4 to 6 months out, if Cooper's hair history of going brown- strawberry blonde- towhead is any indicator.

And then there is the fact that we could, potentially, get a redhead. That'd be awesome. Unlikely, but both Matt and I have redheaded relatives, so it is in there.

Fun stuff. Anyone want to flip a coin on Baby Two's hair color?