Mom Jean Confessions: Are You Girl Enough?

So it’s been a few weeks since we broke the news that we’re expecting a girl, and I thought it would be fun to share what first went through my mind when I found out. I still can’t believe that nowadays they can do a simple blood test as early as 10 weeks to reveal the gender, and a friend of mine told me that they literally just call you up and tell you what it is. Well she wasn’t lying, and when the nurse asked if I was ready to know all I kept thinking was “oh I already know it’s a boy.” Well, not so much. When I heard her say “girl” my first reaction was, “Really??” Then, I had to ask how accurate it was because I knew Grant would want to know, and she reassured me everything is pointing to a girl. So of course I got all teary-eyed as I called my mom to tell her, failing miserably at trying to keep cool swinging my 3 year old at the park. I then got so excited because I’d been devising a plan to surprise Grant with balloons and girly looking desserts when he got home from work. When he walked through the door it was that classic look all those dads on the Youtube videos have when their sneaky wives film their reactions – at first it’s shock, and then just the sweetest look of contentment. I sent a pic to Grant’s family and they all said it looked as if he were blushing 🙂

But after all the excitement settled, my mind then started to race with all kinds of questions. So I enlisted the help of some of my fellow mommy friends with girls, to see what went through their heads when they first learned they were having a daughter. And here’s where we landed:

• What in the world am I going to do with a girl? All I’ve known how to talk about for the past three years has been trucks, monster trucks, firetrucks, garbage trucks – ok, you get the idea. Will I even remember what I liked playing with as a little girl and will she even want to do those same things? The general consensus though among all my fellow mommy friends is “Girls are so much fun to dress!” Well, given that I’ve already bought three outfits, one headband, ten pairs of socks, two bonnets, and a pink hooded towel – I’ll go out on a limb and say they’re right.

• Is she gonna be a girl version of Grant/Garrett? I know it seems like a silly thought, but a friend of mine who had a girl first, remembered thinking if she would be a mini me or look like a female version of her father (as first children tend to look like dad). I have another friend who has two girls and she agreed that her first born looks like hubs (they call her baby James), but that their second seems to look more like her. The suspense is killing me people.

• “Will Garrett miss out on not having a brother?” A friend of mine who had a 17 month old boy when her daughter was born, said she felt a tinge of disappointment. They thought another boy would be so great growing up being so close in age. But then she also felt thrilled to have a girl, to have one of each, and to know she has a big brother that will always be looking out for her. I will say that the big brother/little sister bond that I had growing up is so special too, and I can’t wait to see what an awesome big brother Garrett will be. He’s already going around announcing “I have a baby sister coming!” and loves to hug and kiss my belly (which kills me, in a good way).

• Will I know how to do her hair and all the sweet girly things my mom did with me? My mom was the queen of school-shopping excursions, hour long picture day crimped hair/sponge-roller sessions, girl scout cookie/camping/troop volunteering, and the list goes on and on. I do know that she thought I was gonna be a boy, cause after having my two brothers it’s just what you expect, and she survived. So I have that going for me.

• “Am I going to be just like my mom?” Now I promise I mean this in the nicest way possible, and she gave me so many wonderful examples on how to be a mom. It’s just only natural to wonder how my relationship with my daughter will be any different from how my mom related to me. I do know that I want her to talk to me, since I always struggled with being open with my mom. I guess you really can’t answer this, because every daughter’s personality is different. So we shall see.

• And finally the kicker – “Am I even girl enough to have a girl?” Ok, just hear me out on this because I know you’re all thinking – you are the girliest girl I know. Wrong! Yes, I have girly tendencies, but for the most part I’m more of a guys-girl. I grew up with brothers and was super close to my dad who taught me about cars, how to play sports, and who I borrowed rugby shirts from instead of dresses from my mom’s closet. I even talked to a friend of mine who felt the same way, because she was that girl who had no idea how to do make-up, played golf in college, and just in general wasn’t the girliest of girls. And yet, here she is, a two-time mom of girls. It’s almost like there’s this new generation of moms who are defining the way they raise their daughters to experience both sides of the spectrum, and I’m excited to see what’s to come for mine.

p.s. We had the best time during our little family photo session, and my lovely friend Marlo offered to also snap some maternity shots for me. See how I styled one dress four ways with some simple accessorizing.

 

 

 

Shop the Looks:

Marshalls, Lila Rose Bodycon Dress non-maternity (similar here, here and here)

Marshalls, Me Jane Long Vest (similar here, here and here)

Crossroads Trading Co, Vintage Faux Fur Vest (similar here, here and here)

Saks Fifth Ave, Ale by Alessandra Hat (similar here, here and here)

H&M, Scarf (similar here and here)

Zara, Denim Jacket old/no longer available (similar here and here)

All Saints, Ankle boots old/no longer available (similar here, here and here)

Forever21, Chain Tassel Layered Choker

Mom Jean Confessions: I Was Wrong

Garrett’s 3rd birthday came and went this week, and like most important life events – the build up is way bigger than the actual thing itself. I mean, I kept telling myself/repeating what I’d read from the mommysphere “the 3rd birthday is the one they start to remember.” That’s all I needed to hear and it was on. I picked a theme – construction, naturally. If you know my son I feel like his obsession with trucks is at a whole other level, so I felt like my creative skills needed to be kicked up a notch. I did the late night Pinterest binge to get the juices flowing, and hit up the trusty party planning spots the next day – Party City, Dollar Tree, Target and Hobby Lobby. I included photos below from his party along with all the décor and where I found them – hope it helps for future bday party ideas!

But similar to the reflection I did on his 2nd bday last year (see HIMYM), I felt compelled to do the same this year. So I’m fessing up to all the ways I’ve realized “I was wrong” on this road to motherhood (and yes, I can almost hear the hub’s ears perk up in the other room, ha), so here goes (in no particular order)…

1. I thought work wouldn’t be rewarding after a child. I was wrong.
2. I thought if I did everything for my son, I was protecting him from the world. I was wrong.
3. I thought disciplining him would come naturally. I was wrong.
4. I thought my husband wouldn’t want to do all the “mommy type” duties. I was wrong.
5. I thought we needed a great big house instead of our small one bedroom to make a home. I was wrong.
6. I thought living in a city would be more well-rounding than the suburbs. I was wrong.
7. I thought only girls were sensitive. I was wrong.
8. I thought all boys were loud, rambunctious, balls of energy. I was wrong.
9. I thought dressing a boy wouldn’t be as much fun as a girl. I was wrong.
10. I thought my son wouldn’t remember half the things we say to him. I was wrong.
11. I thought chronicling our lives online would bring criticism not support. I was wrong.
12. I thought my friends didn’t understand how much my life had changed. I was wrong.
13. I thought I couldn’t talk about the anxiety I felt in the beginning because I was the only one. I was wrong.
14. I thought my  mom wouldn’t be able to sympathize with how I felt as a new mom. I was wrong.
15. I thought our relationship as a couple wouldn’t be any different after a child. I was wrong.
16. I thought I couldn’t confide in my husband on all my fears as a parent. I was wrong.
17. I thought yelling would get my point across and correct behavior. I was wrong.
18. I thought my husband had everything figured out as a parent. I was wrong.
19. I thought I would miss our freedom. I was wrong.
20. I thought I couldn’t be any happier than we were when it was just the two of us. I was wrong.

 

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Party décor:

Party City – You can find a ton of stuff online, but I was told they don’t carry any in the store so mama had to get creative. I found the construction worker hat first in the Halloween costumes, then came across a pack of construction trucks, and the caution signs  I found in the “over the hill” aisle but just had to peel the “senior” part off of it. The napkins/straws I thought I’d go with black & white to compliment the orange/yellow. For the table treats I got popcorn bags and buckets for candy. The bubbles, whistles, slinkies, bouncy balls, and Tonka truck tattoos I used as décor but then reused in yellow gift bags I ended up passing out to the kids at his preschool bday party.

Hobby Lobby – Hobby Lobby was always my go-to growing up, and they ended up having the cutest construction themed plates, signs, cupcake toppers and banner which were perfect to tie my theme all together. I saw a cute idea on Pinterest to use hard hats as snack holders which I filled with chips, gold fish and candy corn which doubled as traffic cones. They also had actual traffic cones that I just placed on the table, and I totally lucked into the dump truck piñata that I found on clearance. Tabletop construction stickers and construction truck erasers I also used in the gift bags.

Target – I bought all of the food here including bags of Boom Chicka Pop popcorn which I got the idea from Joy Cho of Oh Joy! to top with rainbow sprinkles which was a huge hit with the kiddos!

Dollar Tree – I knew they had Matchbox construction trucks, which I just wanted as extras on the table for the kids to play with and Garrett loves them. I snagged some accent yellow balloons, and wrapping paper/cards at a great price.