My Girl Mom Era Started This August

Im excited to become a girl mom. Im not gonna lie, after I had my son I had gender disappointment but I grew to love that boy like no other. however, I am now expecting my first baby girl and final baby in august and I could not be more excited.

There’s something about finding out you’re having a girl after already being a boy mom that hits different. With my son, I didn’t know what I was missing because I didn’t have anything to compare it to yet. This time, I already know what it feels like to fall in love with a baby the second they hand him to you. So now I get to imagine that same feeling, but wrapped in pink, in bows, in tiny dresses I never got to buy.

I want to be honest about the disappointment because I think too many moms feel ashamed to admit it ever happened. Gender disappointment doesn't mean you don't love your baby. It just means you had a picture in your head, and reality looked different for a minute. For me, that minute passed the second my son grabbed my finger in the hospital. He became exactly who he was supposed to be, and I couldn't imagine him any other way. So when people ask if I'm scared the same thing will happen with a girl, I tell them no — I already know how fast my heart can rearrange itself around a baby I haven't even met yet.

This pregnancy feels different in a lot of ways. Maybe it’s because I know this is my last baby. Every kick feels a little more sentimental. Every appointment feels like something I want to remember instead of rush through. I find myself slowing down more, soaking in the last few months of being pregnant because I know I won’t get this specific feeling again.

I’m excited for the things I didn’t expect to care about — picking out a name that feels soft and strong at the same time, imagining my son as a big brother to a little sister, wondering if she’ll have his same stubborn streak or be the complete opposite. I’m excited to watch him meet her. I’m excited to see who she becomes next to him.

This August, our family gets its final piece. And I can’t wait to meet her.