When Alphonse was small, people would remark on his uncanny resemblance to me. So close was the likeness that they dubbed him Ponky, a close approximation of my real nickname. Fortunately, the nickname didn’t stick. (It really sounded quite atrocious!)

On second thought, however, maybe it would’ve been better if it had, for then, Alphonse would not answer favorably to names like Malfoy, Folmoy, Folmonz, Fonzy, Totoy Bato (pronounced toh-toy bah-toh), Buguy (boo-gooy) and Buknoy (book-noy)! Talk about name confusion!

Alphonse in my baptismal dress.

Now that he’s a lot bigger, I hardly see the resemblance anymore. I think he looks more like his dad, and I am glad. (I happen to think my husband’s a stud! Hi, honey!) Still, there appears to be some disagreement with my own assessment. What do you think?

Alexander, on the other hand, started off life as a copy of his father. When the obstetrician who delivered him laid eyes on the scrawny, premature, fuzzy baby, he declared that the boy took after the father’s side of the family, and not mine. (The Ob-Gyne is my uncle and he was also the one who delivered me.)

Papa and Baby Alex: notice the gleaming foreheads, the receding hairlines, and the arched eyebrows, with the almost identical pug stance

If you ask Alex today who he takes after in looks, he has a patented answer: “From the neck up, I look like Papa. From the neck down, Mama.” You’ve got to love smart-aleck answers!

Sorry to disappoint you, son. You didn’t get all your looks from your father. Looks like I get to have a say in the matter too.