The pose...

It's funny, in a sad kinda way, how few people recognize Jacques (above) in Jake. Most people can only see me in him, which I guess is natural since I'm the one with him, but to me, there is absolutely no denying that this boy is Jacques' son! He is so unlike me in so many ways. Yes, he has my colouring for now, but as a child, I was actually a lot fairer then he is. His hair colouring is much more like Jacques' as a child and I'm pretty sure that, with time, his hair will also go dark.

He also definitely has Jacques' build - short legs, long upper body. Although Jacques was 6'4" and, barefooted, I only took him up to his shoulder, his hip bone was little more then an inch higher then mine. Jake's legs are his father's to a 'T'. Jake just has so much of Jacques in him, I almost can't believe that people don't see it. But then again, it is more then appearances and I guess I do pay closer attention to the details when it comes to my own child.

Take this pout for example...

And this shaved hair...

But it's more then that. Jake has Jacques' sense of humour through and through - he'll turn a hose on you in a second, tickle me any chance he gets, or smack my bum as I'm getting into the shower! He's also a total tease, especially when there are girls around. He loves a good laugh and will do just about anything to keep me happy. He hates it when I'm upset over something or if I'm cross with him. It's hard to stay angry when you're frowning and some one's blowing kisses and winking at you!! Without following any example, it's exactly what his dad would've done. He's a charmer and has us all wrapped around his finger. He's also quite competitive, which he definitely gets from Jacques. While Jacques was very involved with sport throughout his life, I used to play sports like social volleyball, where we were usually able to convince our 'coach' that we had a lot of homework to get through and spent the lesson doing that instead. Jake still has to learn that it's all about having fun and not just about winning. You should've seen his face during the races at swimming yesterday - he just had to come first. I'm not competitive, so it's quite funny to watch him...

All that said, I don't think he's very much like me at all. Especially not when he sits on the stoep to enjoy an ice lolly in his underpants like this...