Looking Back
With Alexis' third birthday just "two sleeps" away, I've been thinking back to her birth quite a bit lately. This year is strangely reminiscent of 2006, given the Steelers are headed to the Super Bowl again this year, and the fact that Alexis was born smack dab between the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl in 2006. It's a little like deja vu, but without the giant belly, constant kicks to the lungs, and inability to ever get any sleep. Wait--the inability to sleep is EXACTLY the same.
Anyway.
Three years ago today, we didn't know if we were going to be having a boy or a girl. I wanted a girl because I had no idea what you do with a boy. Mr. Husband liked the idea of a boy because he had no idea what you do with a girl. It was my decision to let gender be a big ol' surprise, and since Mr. Husband couldn't promise he wouldn't accidentally spill the beans, he had to go along for the ride.
I didn't want to know for many reasons. There is no greater surprise than that one, and waiting was fun. I have a terrible hatred of pink, so if it were a girl, I could hopefully temper for the quantity of pukey pink in the closet (little did I know that's nearly impossible for the first year or so) by not giving people advanced notice. There were plenty of other reasons, but it boiled down to I just didn't want to know ahead of time.
But I did.
Not because of an ultrasound, or anything like that. Because I knew.
I remember the exact moment I realized I knew. I was walking through Macy's after a fourteen thousands eleventy kajillionth trip to the bathroom. As I strolled (this was well before the waddling stage) past the teen girl clothes, I thought to myself, "I am NOT looking forward to dealing with that crap." Then I froze in my tracks, pondering why I was so certain that I would be dealing with that crap. I couldn't figure out a reason, but I was 100% positive.
There were days when I wavered in my surety, like the time I barfed up beloved Jumba Juice during a flight south. Surely only a BOY would torture a mom to the point of puking on a plane when there were no barf bags in the seat pocket. But, most of the time I was POSITIVE we were going to be adding a girl to our family.
Now I'm positive I would have it no other way, even with the never-ending battles over clothes.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Reader Comments (33)
That is the cutest outfit ever. Alexis is cute too :)
Moms just know. They just get it.
It is a gift.
And it'll come in handy for the rest of your life :)
So I'm told.
LOVE that outfit!!! I can't believe Alexis is going to be 3. I won't tell you how Kassidy was way more defiant at 3 than she was at 2. That would just be mean of me, huh? :o)
I KNEW with both my kids. I KNEW Charlotte was a girl around 10 weeks or so and I KNEW Sawyer was a boy almost immediately. I don't know how I knew; I just did.
She is ROCKING the awesome outfit! I love it and SO need to get it in my size :)
My kid's been 3 for two weeks. It's already been...uh...interesting. Yeah. We'll go with that.
:)
I 'just knew' with all of my kids. Even my first when I was told it was a girl, I knew. Just like you, it was walking through the clothes department past the baby clothes in penney's when I saw the most adorable little suits...I knew then...it was the first time I'd paid any attention to 'stupid coys' stuff.
Happy almost birthday Alexis! Funny, Evan is here with me and when he saw her pic he said, "who's that?" When I told him her name was Alexis, he said, "I like Alexis too!"
She's growing up, no?
And I always envy people who "just knew". My 6th sense about such things is obviously broken. I was wrong every.single.time. This time I won't even hazard a guess. It's too humiliating! I like the surprise as well and my DH likes to be the one to announce it to the world!
I wish I just knew the right one. I "just knew" mine was a boy & bought boy bedding..... I just felt it. Then we got the ultrasound and he was a she. OOPS. I am happy your radar was better than mine.
Kudos to you for not getting the gender confirmed. I love that surprise at birth, and so few do that.
Of course, when you *know*, it makes it a bit different, doesn't it?
I love her boots. Happy birthday, Alexis!
All of mine were surprises. In fact, I learned to smock while pregnant with Little Guy, hoping he'd be a girl
I just knew with Skye! I didn't want to know until she was born either. With a 20 year old now, I can honestly say it's an adventure. I wouldn't trade it for the world though.
Girls are so much more fun to dress than boys, any day.(Hugs)Indigo
the drama king was the only surprise (well, his older brother was too, but in a different way).
the other two i wanted to know. just another indication of the control freak in me. ;-)
happy birthday (early), alexis!
They say that women just "know" but I NEVER have. I am completely clueless. I was wrong every time. Hahaha! So much for my mommy sense. ;)
She is just adorable. That outfit is so cute!
Heh. I thought I was the only one who didn't want to know the gender to possibly avoid/delay/reduce the onslaught of pink. And then we got a deluge of pink hand-me-downs anyways... Alexis is totally adorable in that outfit! Happy almost-3rd-b'day!
I think if I have another (which I want to, just gotta convince Z) I will have it be a surprise.
I knew I was having a boy the second I found out I was pregnant. There wasn't a doubt in my mind. And then the ultrasount confirmed it.
I love her outfit. At least the battle over clothes ends up being okay because she looks cute in ANYTHING. That picture is great--you should frame it :)
I knew. And, I get how you did. It's the mom intuition thing. LOVE the picture - PP? And, her pressy is on the way - finally.
@Anglophile Football Fanatic--Definitely Picture People. They rock.
Dude. Your almost-3-year-old has a better wardrobe than me . . . though as a stay-at-home-mom it isn't hard to do! Funny how a mother's intuition works!
(I always want to know the gender for the simple fact that I am as anal as they come and like to plan, but all the concerns that this baby has brought has me wishing for nothing more than a healthy child - penis or no penis.)
BTW, the outfit was from Hartstrings. It's available http://www.hartstrings.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.detail/_/Woven-Skirt/productID/b1460fc9-8f5a-4147-af18-29674ee38648/categoryID/e04135e8-c912-4da7-a5fb-6fa50e6382e1/" REL="nofollow">online, but it was a lot cheaper at the outlets in Washington County. It was a total of $12 for the shirt and skirt. Alexis just picked it out on Friday, so I'm sure there is still a lot there. 80% off FTW!
She's beautiful!
My grandma never missed predicting what anyone was having. Until me. She said girls for the first 2 and I was thinking boys, she told me I was wrong. I was right all 3 times. Hubby missed it with the first one, but got the other two. Mom's just know.
Hmm ... very similar to three years ago, eh?
You're SO pregnant. WITH TWINS.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
You're welcome.
She is so cute. What a great story on how you knew she would be a girl.
aawwww she's a doll baby! And that outfit could be soooo much worse, count you lucky stars that she seems to have an inate fashion sense...LOL
@Qweenie--She does have good taste (most of the time), but I thought for sure I was screwed when she insisted that she get a skirt and shirt. No dresses. No pants. A skirt and a shirt. Thank goodness we struck gold!
Wow! What a great picture! She always has the cutest clothes, and since I know that you never pay full price for anything, it makes it that much more impressive!
It's okay, I didn't know with either of my two - even though they could have told me with the ultrasound. I think it's one of life's sweetest surprises to let you discover your baby on his or her birthday.
For the record, I think you and your husband got the best of both worlds. You got a very girly little girl who loves hockey and football. What more could you ask for? :-)
Peace - D
aw Happy Birthday to Alexis :)
Happy Birthday Alexis.We will celebrate my daughter's birthday tomorrow. I love the picture.
Look at that big girl standing there! ACK! ; )
I knew with all of mine too. When my daughter was pregnant every one was talking boys. I remember saying they're all going to be very surprised when that little girl pops out. And they were.
Now if you could just get the Steelers to accommodate and be in the Super Bowl every year. :) Wait, what am I saying I'm a Broncos fan. Nevermind.
Alexis looks adorable in that picture, well in pretty much every picture, but I love this one. Who knows, maybe in the next few years girls fashion will go to a new Victorian age. Or at least somewhere in between. :)