It's Easy Not Being Green

I started hearing it the minute we had Zach: "Oh my gosh, what beautiful eyes!"

Typically the speaker would simultaneously be sneaking glances at my drab, grey orbs with a puzzled expression on his or her face.

"They're Mom's," I'd explain, as a look of relief mixed with apology greeted my words. "Hers are big, green, and really amazing."

This scenario has played out too many times to count during the past twelve years. Hearing the same sentiments so often, it's been tempting to take them for granted. But when I stop and really look at my kids' eyes, I appreciate them what they are: updated versions of what attracted me to my wife in the first place. And on that level, I can say without embarrassment that yeah, they are pretty gorgeous.

Before I met Kelly, I was, frankly, partial to blue-eyed blonds. But the moment I set eyes on her, those amazing, clover-colored peepers drew me in and wouldn't let go. They hypnotized me, and overnight, I became a green-eyed lady kind of guy.

So, when my first kid came issued with carbon copies of Mom's peepers, I was neither surprised nor disappointed. Hell, I was grateful. And overnight, I couldn't take Zach out of the house without receiving constant compliments on his eyes. Never mind that he had long, luscious lashes any model would die for. That only sweetened the deal. That they were the hue of fresh-cut grass reminded me every time I looked at him that I'd married the right girl.

When Zoë came along, she emerged the same big eyes and long lashes as Zach. Soon, I was getting compliments directed at her as often as I was about Zach, even if, for a time, it seemed Zoë's eyes might stay blue, as they had been at birth. But as she reached toddlerhood, they began to mimic her brother's. Blue became turquoise and then green, and that's where they stayed. The Middle Z's eyes are expressive beyond belief, and though I'm biased, I've got a feeling some lucky guy is going to fall as deeply into them one day as I did into her mom's.

With me outnumbered three to one, I wouldn't have been terribly disappointed if Zienna had joined me in a blue-eyed coalition of two. At birth, she did just that, though her eyes were as big and hard to miss as her siblings'. Of course, I knew that most Caucasian babies' eyes start out blue before gaining pigment that determines their ultimate color. Yet, as her second birthday came and went, Zienna's eye color had deepened, giving them a sapphire-like appearance. Fairer skinned than Zach or Zoë, it was looking as if she'd be the kid who most resembled me, tone-wise.

But it was not to be. It was Zach who, a couple of weeks ago, noticed quite out of the, um, blue that his younger sister's eyes had suddenly followed his and Zoe's lead, taking on what has by now become a Z Kid trademark: an emerald-like cast. I was startled when I saw that he was right, given how quickly—and late—they'd changed. But change they had, and it suddenly seemed well and right that the kids I adore should share the physical trait that had first attracted me to their mother. And overnight, people who knew us—neighbors, the checkers at the grocery store, and the like—were suddenly noticing Zienna's new look, often with surprise.

Early in my parenthood, I felt left out when people made comments about how much The Z Kids resembled Kelly. Over time, though, I've come to realize what a huge compliment it is. Yeah, I see a bit of me in each of them. But given the choice to look at mini mes or variations on my gorgeous wife's appearance? That's not a tough call. So, as I've said to Kelly so many times before for so many different reasons—and I'll say many times more before the story we're writing together is done—thanks, sweetie.

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day, too.