As most of you know, I am expecting my first little girl this August. As the mother of two boys, this will be quite a change in our household! Especially for someone who was never the frilly-girly type to begin with! I have never liked pink or purple, and so my family (and friends) have been taking advantage of this opportunity to bombard me with any pink, ruffled, princess-looking item they can find! Last week my mom and aunts threw me a baby shower at my house, and from now on I will refer to that day as “The Pink Invasion”. They arrived early in the morning, toting bag after bag of pink items—toys, clothes, blankets, decorations…even the food; the entire dessert table was pink and purple! They were all dressed in pink, as well, and had informed me that I had to wear pink for my shower (which involved a trip to the mall, considering I don’t own a single item of pink clothing!). We even had my cousin and her daughter come over and give all of us pink manicures and pedicures. Yes, they went all out!
Now, before you make any assumptions, I am not writing this post to complain about the pink invasion! I am writing about it because I am grateful, very grateful. I’m grateful for a family and a group of friends who love me, who can’t wait to see my little girl, and who love to tease me! So many people don’t have this in their lives, and I try to remember that when I’m having a bad day. I am so lucky to have all of these wonderful women in my life to support me and love me, no matter what. As I sat in the aftermath of the Pink Invasion, with my living room covered in pink and purple gift bags and my sons’ faces covered in pink and purple frosting, all I could do was smile. As I carried the stacks (yes, stacks!) of presents up to my little girl’s room, my smile got even bigger. Her room started out with a lot of orange and green (planned by mommy) and has slowly become more and more pink. And yet, every time I walk in there I am happy—excited to meet her, to hold her, to have a daughter.
I hope that all of you mommies who read this blog are lucky enough to have so many special people in your lives. Whether it’s throwing you a baby shower, or just taking you out to lunch on a Tuesday afternoon, I really do believe that we couldn’t make it through this life without our fellow mommies, and the women in our families. I know I couldn’t! Another thing I’ve been thinking about is how to pass that along…in other words, am I as good of a friend, daughter, niece, etc. as they are to me? I will continue to try my hardest to return those feelings of love and happiness that they all give me, because they deserve it just as much as I do.
How about you? Do you have a network of women that you just can’t live without, whether it’s friends or family or both? Why do you think this is so important for us as mommies? Or just as women in general?
And one last thing…for all of you mommies with daughters, any advice? Any warnings? Any stories I need to hear? Please share!
Where’s the picture of you wearing pink
very funny, stephanie!
Advice from a mommy of 3 girls-enjoy the sweet moments. Boys are wonderful, but girls are so different. They are sensitive and sweet. They can be so gentle and innocent! And when they are so much fun to dress! Girls are just so very “pink,” to take from your blog, and I love seeing my own self in my girls.
Now when I have 3 teenage daughters, it may be a different story.
thanks rachel…you are such a great mommy of three girls, and i love how you said you “see yourself in them”. i am excited about that part…i see so much of matt in the boys, i hope the girl resembles me, either in looks or in personality!
your response made me even more excited to meet her…only 2 more months!
We were blessed with our daughter last year and we did not find out the sex of our baby beforehand, and when they said “its a girl” after her birth, a little part of me was like wait a second i cant afford a girl, but another part of me was so happy to have a daughter. I love everything about her, especially her learning everyday. She is funny, smart, and can bring joy and smiles to me every time!! I love dressing her up and picking out her outfits! Wishing you all the best as you welcome your little bundle of “pink” joy very soon!!!
thank you so much for those kind words, katie! and congratulations on being a mommy to a daughter now! i have to admit…if we waited to find out until the birth, my husband would be a much BIGGER version of what you mentioned…the expense of girls! at least this way he has a few months to prepare himself! don’t get me wrong, he is VERY excited, and he definitely wanted a girl this time. we can’t wait to see our little pink bundle of joy!