Actually She's A Girl

I've found myself needing to tell people this lately. I could just let it go when they say what a cute little son I have (when referring to Emily), but dang it...I don't want to.

But, I have actually done the same thing before, guessed a baby's gender wrong based on what they were wearing (c'mon moms, don't dress your infant girls in all blue). Ok, so I have done that, too. In fact, Emily was in blue pajamas on her first night in the hospital. I was saving the pink girly ones for the "coming home outfit." Numerous hospital staff complimented me on my handsome new son.

Being that I am not much of a girly girl myself, I typically go for comfort rather than fashion in how I dress her. Dresses are only worn to church and parties or special occasions. Most of the time now that the weather is colder, (sorry to all of you still sweaty Floridians) she is in pants and a long sleeved onsie. And I try to shy away from pink, though she still wears it quite a bit.

Anyway, after having her called a boy 3 times in one weekend (and she was in lavender two of those times), I went out and bought her a collection of hair clips.

Now if someone dares to make that same mistake again, I am going to tell them to look at her frickin' hair clip. Now I better understand why some people/cultures pierce their baby girl's ears. Not that I would do that but...

I realized today why her gender identity is so important to me. Why it is not ok for people to think that she is a boy. Funny, this is something that I had almost forgotten about until now. I had short hair from age 5-10. Not a cute sassy bob, mind you, but really short, boy hair. Hideous. I remember being called "sonny boy" by an old man in the grocery store. And I did not like that one little bit. I may have been a tomboy with short hair, but I was NOT A BOY.

Neither is my little Emily. She's a girl and she is beautiful.