I think I can...

I sat down last night to write in my pregnancy journal, given to me by Ms. Jay. I love reading about the pregnancy progression as it happens because Peanut is growing so fast in such a short amount of time.

Each week gives you a topic on what to write about, and the topic this time was "How do you feel about having a boy or girl?" In complete honesty, I want a girl really badly. But I won't be disappointed in the least if I have a boy. There are things that are engrained in your head that are just hard to knock loose, and I always just thought I'd have a girl and then a boy, just like in my family with me and my cousins.

Through my journaling I started thinking about this beautiful baby growing inside me and what she/he might become. I realized that even though I want a girl, it could be a boy. Even though Aaron wants a boy, it could be a girl. But that doesn't mean that we have to push traditional roles on them. I want this baby to be whatever it decides to be, whoever it decides to be. She can become a plumber. He can become a seamstress. She can play professional hockey. He can dance in the ballet. She can gut a fish. He can bake a cake. We are not going to allow societal norms dictate who our child will become in life. We want to allow her/him to form opinions, explore life, test the waters, create a path through the world that is unique and individual and full of wonder. We want to be the kinds of parents who give their children wings through support and understanding, allowing them to fly while staying grounded.

Whatever gender is developing inside my body, we will love it through and through from the second it takes its first breath. After all, I've loved it since the doctor said "you're pregnant".