Soon to Be...Mommy of Three

Well, the countdown is on! In T-95 days, I'll officially be a mommy of three girls!

If you’re a member of our family or a friend IRL, you’ve already known about our pregnancy news for quite some time. It's no secret that my husband and I both became so comfortable with two children, we never imagined a party of five.

A month or two into my pregnancy, a third child only became palatable because I had convinced myself and everyone else  -- after two little girls -- that this time I was having a boy.  I mean why not? We’d already had two daughters. I married a man who came from a family of all boys, and ladies we all know men determine the sex. The odds were certainly in our favor. Everyone's got at least a 50/50 shot, right?  Well, apparently not the case for our family.

Life is certainly full of surprises. I can't deny that baby #3 isn’t one of them. But, what was really shocking? Finding out two days before Thanksgiving that this little bean (now a hothouse cucumber!) was in fact, another girl.

For many reasons, I believed a male child was owed to us since I'd already had two daughters. For one, having two hormonal teenaged daughters is enough for any mom…let alone three! It is almost cruel. Also, this pregnancy was an oops baby. A blessing for sure, but definitely not planned. (And, if you’re acquainted with me, you know that I try to plan every detail of my life as meticulously as possible.) So, to discover I was pregnant unexpectedly, took a minute to get used to. But since I just knew this one was a boy, getting used to it wasn't so hard after all.

As a woman, I thought I possessed the perfect blend of feminine chic and delicate masculinity ideal for raising boys. A former tomboy myself, I imagined myself a "cool" mom. I relished the thought of having a son, so I could sit down on the couch and play video games, sign him up for little league, practice throwing a football, take him to his first Ravens' game, teach him how to drive stick, demonstrate how to mightily take a shot of whiskey without passing out, purchase him his very first porn mag (at the appropriate age of course!) and show him how a lady likes to be treated. I figured for these reasons and many more I was created for raising boys...and girls!

But, alas my husband and I were chosen to raise girls and only girls. I wholeheartedly appreciate the little blessings we do have and am thankful for both of our daughters...as well as the one I'm carrying. As it stands now, our girls are innately feminine and girly, which is beautiful, precious and sweet all on its own. Instead of little league football, it looks like we’ll have our fair share of ballet recitals, princess parties and Barbies. And, while I know I can get our girls involved in sports too (thanks to Title IX!), I know it’s not likely they'll ever play football.

While I'll always mourn the son I'll never have (at least until our girls get married someday), I do understand that it is truly a blessing to parent any child no matter the gender. That's why I’ll no longer ponder the question, why all girls? I realize now that I was chosen to mother all girls -- and those reasons will become crystal clear to me throughout the next 18 years of their lives. Not discounting the two precious, love bugs I already have, I am sure three will be a privilege.