Baby number two is a boy, so no "girly" hand-me-downs

I'm 5 months pregnant and just learned that it will be a boy, a little brother to my ultimate princess of a daughter. Like every parent, my primary wish is to simply have a healthy baby but many parents still speculate on their baby's gender or even wish for one or the other.The second time around, I didn't really care whether it was a boy or girl - or so I thought.When I was pregnant with my daughter, I would've been happy with either one but for some reason I was convinced she would be a boy. Not only was she a girl, but for my perpetual entertainment, she has been a pink-loving, dress-up girly girl.

Since I was completely wrong last time, I had no predictions or strong preference this time. I thought having another girl would be nice because my daughter and her sister might share the same interests, such as princesses and fairy tales. However, a boy would be favorable because it would be our first son and a new experience.

While I'm very excited about the prospect of having one of each, a little something has been nagging me since I learned that this child will not be a girl. Today, I that because we're not planning to have any more kids, instead of giving my daughter's dresses, dress-up stuff and dolls to a younger sister, they will be donated or given to a friend. I half expected that the clothes I've kept since my daughter was little would stay in the family one more time, but it won't be happening and it makes me a little sad. I was taken by surprise to discover such an attachment to her baby clothes and dresses, but i guess it makes some sense because I've kept some of these items for nearly 4 years to just get rid of most of it now.

I plan to keep a few of her old clothes as mementos or may even attempt to transform them into a keepsake blanket or something. And I'm sure the hope and anticipation of a healthy baby, and a new frontier in parenthood, will quickly overwhelm this nostalgia. I'm also trying to take a cue from my daughter (who originally was pining for a baby sister) who said, "If I have a little brother, he can be a prince when I play dress up!"

Originally Published By Sandra K. Lee on April 6, 2010 on the New Jersey Mom's Blog.

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