1.27.2010

Why did no one tell me?

When I was pregnant with my son I was told by many people, friends and strangers alike, that I was in for a lot of fun, a lot of love and a full heart of love when talking about my future son. The one thing no one honestly told me, was just HOW different raising a boy would be to raising a girl.

First of all, the clothes are harder to find and nothing's as cute for little boys as it is for little girls! I felt lost in the boy's department after shopping for pink for the last 4.5 years!

Secondly, no one told me that the nausea he gave me while I was pregnant wouldn't stop when he was born! Since birth the boy has kept me on my toes and I am constantly worrying about him in one aspect or another...the heartburn and indigestion stayed, too.

And how about finding a name!! You have to be so careful it's not too pretty, can't be mistaken for being feminine...I wanted something strong but not burly. The arguments over names ranked with WW2. And to this day, I'm still not 100% sure about what we picked!

And when you're pregnant with a girl, how many times do you and your husband fight over the cosmetic surgeries she may or may not have after birth? There were no major discussions before with the two girls but throw a boy in the mix and now not only is name picking harder but you have to pick a penis, too!

I could probably go on, but I'll spare you all. If you're a mom of girls and then had a boy, you totally know what I'm talking about! But then all moms of boys know this: that a boy fills your heart with a kind of love that you can only have for your son. Something about how they are constantly creating near death experiences for themselves (and you) brings you closer together. Something about this rough and tumble little kiddo giving you hugs and cuddles pulls at your heart strings so differently.

I always worried, after having my first that I could never give as much love to another child as I had given to her, and yet, two kids later, I've learned that your heart grows and grows, and gives and gives, even after you think it's at capacity.

Was there ever a time in your pregnancy/pregnancies that you wondered what you had gotten in to? How did that change after having your baby?

4 comments:

Ashley said...

Girl, I wonder that EVERY pregnancy. haha. What have I gotten myself into??

But amazingly enough, you manage. You learn from each one something that only they can teach. And it builds you up more for what's ahead. :)

Kate said...

You definitely do! I know that the hardest transition for me was going from 1 to 2 kids. I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. But once I got the hang of juggling two, adding the third was a piece of cake!

dani' said...

I nearly choked on "pick a penis!" I'd never thought of it that way. That wasn't hard for us to decide. I said "hell no" and DH said "ok dear" lol.
Though I've only had boys, and if I were to get pregnant with a girl, I'm sure I would panic!

Kate said...

Hahaha! You know, it was obviously a non-issue with the girls and for me, it was a non-issue with my son, but I had to talk my hubby in to it at first...he thought they should match...silly daddy.