Last week I got some pretty exciting news. My second child, who is now about half-way to being born, is going to be a GIRL! I was totally surprised by this news, primarily because everyone I spoke to (including a psychic) predicted that this time I was for sure going to have a boy! When we left the ultrasound appointment the technician had refused to tell us the gender. She did graciously print a photo of our baby's legs spread wide open, allowing us the joy of trying to decipher what the picture actually represented. Using Facebook and lots of online searching I discovered that there's something called 'The Turtle Sign' which apparently indicates the fetus is a boy. I searched for the little 'turtle' but truthfully had no idea what I was seeing, or looking for.
Impatiently, we emailed the photo to my husband's cousin (a doctor in Ottawa) who forwarded it on to his friend (an obstetrician). Later that night we got a text message that read: "110% girl!" I still didn't believe it. (Side note: I now feel just a little bit guilty circulating such a 'private' photo of my daughter's lady bits via text and email to so many people! That'll be the last time that ever happens!) The next day my doctor's office called to confirm the gender of our baby: female.
Eeek! We're having another girl. I couldn't be more excited. I love girls. I spent most of my life surrounded by boys (two brothers, way too many male cousins, and two nephews—so far) so I think I'm more than deserving of two daughters! And, while I know there's been lots of talk about gender preferences and whether or not it's OK to admit you're excited about one gender over the other, I'm going to come right out and say it...I'm thrilled to be having another girl! And here are my top five reasons why:
5. Dollar cost averaging: My daughter is a girl. We have more girly clothes, toys, and dolls than we know what to do with (see the photo below for just a glimpse of my living room). In fact, my parents' condo locker is filled with bags and boxes of Willow's hardly-worn clothes. I'm thrilled that all of those adorable baby outfits will get to be worn again. And think of all the money we'll save! (That is, until our daughters become teenagers!)
4. Getting my kiddo excited: When we told our toddler that the baby in my tummy was a girl, her reaction was priceless. It went something like this:
Me: Willow, guess what? You're going to have a sister. The baby is a girl.
Willow: A girl? Not a boy? Thank you Daddy!! (big hug!) Thank you Mommy!! (big hug!) I SO excited! Three girls in our family: Mommy and Willow and baby!
I truly think that it will be easier getting my soon-to-be three year old on-board with the whole sharing her life with a new baby, now that it's a girl. She'll have a real-life doll to dress up, and play with! I just have to figure out how to prevent jealousy from forming between them. I never had a sister, so I don't know much about these things. But I'm certainly going to be looking for good advice.
3. I LOVE pink! What can I say? I've always been a bit of a girly girl. I always had a pink room. I've always loved pink clothes. There's nothing more fun than being able to dress up a little baby girl in cute frilly dresses and lots of pink! Plus my office (which I'm soon going to be transforming into a baby room *sigh*) is a beautiful lilac/pink colour, so now there's no painting necessary.
2. No bris: This one just had to be said. When I thought I was having a boy, I started giving more thought to the whole circumcision issue, and the fact that Jewish boys are supposed to have a bris (a ceremony celebrating this religious milestone, usually paired with bagels, lox, and cream cheese). Now that I'm having a girl, I don't actually have to get into my feelings on the subject. Nor do I have to defend myself to relatives and friends. Instead, I get to bypass the whole thing altogether. And for that, I'm extremely grateful!
1. Names: My husband and I have been wracking our brains trying to come up with a good boy name, assuming this baby was going to be a boy. With a kid named Willow we felt as though we owed it to our second child to come up with something original. But when it comes to boys names my husband is 'traditional' and likes names that are biblical and, well...sometimes just weird. I prefer unique names, ones that elicit the response: "Wow! What a cool name." Let's just say we were at odds when it came to naming a baby boy. Once we found it we were having a girl, this opened us up to a ton of amazing names and combinations of names that we both loved. We've almost settled on one that will be perfect, but have a ton of back-ups too! For us, naming a girl is way easier than naming a boy.
So, while I know I'd love any child that I gave birth too, I must admit, I'm pretty excited to bring another pink bundle home from the hospital this spring.
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