Heritage

Heritage has always been something that has fascinated me.  The knowledge of where we come from and who made us is a quest that many people make.  I have spent time over the years compiling my genealogy and the genealogy of The RacDad.  Much of the time, though, the information that I search for eludes me.  It's a matter of finding that person who just happens to have the answers to your questions; sometimes it's an elder in your family or someone close who has also been searching and finding answers.

There's one website that I found that I really love to use.  It's called "My Heritage Family Tree Builder".  It is made as a program that you can download to your computer to input all your information and photos.  This program is also connected to an online interface where you can store your data and you can also network with other people that use the same software.  There is a free version, which is basically just use of the downloadable program and access to the online account.  Then there is the premium version also which gives you more access to other people and useful tools.

One thing about heritage is not just knowing where and who, but also seeing traits of your heritage show.  Especially when it starts to pop up in your kids.  The RacDad and I are mainly of European descent.  I am not completely of European descent though.  My Great-Great Grandmother was Native American.  I love seeing the dark chocolate colored eyes from Sweet Pea which could come from the Bohemian heritage on my mother's side.  I also love the curly hair on Little Man that likely comes from the Irish heritage from The RacDad and my Grandfather.  I also love Little Man's jade green eyes that he gets from both The RacDad and my Dad too.

The most interesting trait has shown up in Peanut!  Peanut has a Mongolian Spot.  Our doctor was giving Peanut her 1 week old exam and she turned her onto her stomach with her diaper off.  I saw the spot and asked her if it was a bruise.  She looked at it and then asked me our descent.  I rattled off that The RacDad was Irish with a little German and that I was Bohemian, English, Irish, Norwegian and a compilation of other European nationalities.  Then I said, "And I'm also a little Native American."  Before I even finished my sentence, she snapped her fingers and said, "That's it!"  She told me that it is a birth mark that mainly affects people of Asian or Native American descent.  She also said that it usually goes away with age and that it does no harm.  She also told me to make sure to let nurses, daycare providers and other care givers know that she has this so that we don't get accused of child abuse.  I thought that was really interesting and I went home to do a little more research.  Now I carry the Wikipedia information in our diaper bag....just to be on the safe side.