Today in Big Lots, we walked down the toy aisle and a lady that was working there, stacking the shelves said "that's a girl in there, isn't it?"
"I'm not sure, we didn't find out"
"Oh" then SHE ROLLED HER EYES! "I bet you're hoping for a girl"
"Actually we don't mind either way"
And she rolled her eyes AGAIN! It's bad enough that she couldn't control her facial expressions the first time, but to roll her eyes at me TWICE! You bet I was pissed!
Then, when we were walking home, a middle aged man was going into the Chinese restaurant as we were passing it and held the door open to ask if we wanted to go in, I politely declined and thanked him and he responded with "I hope that baby's a girl, then you can be done!"
The worst part is, this isn't the first time that I have had this sort of exchange with people throughout this pregnancy and I find it extremely out of line.
I think what really gets to me, is that this didn't start with this current pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Kennen, people would ask me if I was hoping for a girl, when I would tell them that we wanted a boy, so that he could be a playmate for Lachlan, they would ask me why. I had people ask me if I was disappointed that I was having another boy. Literally from the moment Kennen was born, I had people telling me that I needed to try for a girl. The implication that my family will not be perfect without at least one of each gender is so bizarre to me. That's part of the reason we didn't want to find out this time around, because apart from the clothes that he/she will wear, it doesn't matter to us one iota what gender our baby is.
I have even had people ask me if this baby turns out to be a boy, will we try again for a girl?
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind when friends and family tell me that they are hoping that our baby is a boy or girl or even a velociraptor (thanks hubby!), they know me and I know it's all in fun, but when a complete stranger on the street or in a store tells me that my baby MUST be a girl, it drives me completely insane, ESPECIALLY when I tell them that we don't have a preference and they look at me like I have two heads.
To set the record straight: we are not planning on this being our last baby. Yes, we would love to have a girl (or two... or three...) eventually, but we also want another boy at some point, so whether that boy comes along now or years in the future, we will be overjoyed.
When strangers tell me that they think I am having a girl, or that they hope my baby is a girl, I feel like what they are actually implying is that they think my child will not be perfect if he is a boy, or that they think we will not be happy unless it is a girl.
You can rest assured that this baby will be perfect for our family, no matter what is in his/her diaper. Our Heavenly Father knows us, he knows what is best for our family and he knows that whoever it is that will be joining us in the next week or so will be the perfect addition to our family and will be loved beyond measure.
As for whether we will be done if it is a girl, or if we will try again for a girl if it's a boy, the answer is no. No we will not be finished having kids if this baby is a girl, we want a big family regardless of how many boys or girls we have. No we will not "try for a girl" if this baby is a boy. Yes, we will try for more kids, but we will not try for a specific sex. We will never be disappointed by whether or not we have a boy or a girl.
We trust that the Lord knows us best and He will give us the perfect family, no matter how many boys or girls we are blessed with. Our children's sex will not ever determine whether or not our family is complete.
