**IT'S A GIRL

My husband's family comes from a long line of boys...boy after boy after boy. The last girl born in the family was a sister to my husband's grandfather. Let me also explain that he had about a zillion brothers and one sister (okay, I think it was something like 16 boys and one girl). Genetically, sex is determined solely by the male.

When I got pregnant with my first child, I always assumed it was going to be a boy. I just assumed I would only have boys, and to me, that was perfectly fine. I don't think I really gave it much thought.

My husband's grandfather had two boys, his two boys each had two boys, those two boys also each had two boys (except for one who hasn't had kids yet), and here we had our one boy with plans for more.

So my beautiful baby boy was born and he was the light of my life. I couldn't love him any more if I tried, and when I got pregnant again right as he turned 1, I almost hoped for another boy because my love for the first was so intense, I figured I wanted to feel the same for #2.

But did my world explode into a sea of confetti when they said "IT'S A GIRL!!". I had no idea how much that would affect me until it started to happen. When she was placed in my arms, wrapped in pink, and I saw the little sign on the crib that said "It's a girl" in pink, it took my breath away. I can't even begin to explain the things racing through my head - things I had never even thought of before. Like that one day maybe my grandchild will grow in her, that I can do her hair and buy all those cute dresses, she can take dance classes and wear makeup one day and have girl talk with me....

Now this may be sounding kinda sexist to you, but believe me, there are many things I felt I could do with my son too, and equally as fun, but somehow, all of as sudden, it was different with her. And a kind of different that I hadn't at all anticipated.

When I got pregnant the third time, I had no desire for it to be one or the other, and actually kinda hoped it would be a boy just to bridge the bigger age gap between the first and third a little better, but either would be just as thrilling to me. Now I have my two perfect boys and one perfect girl, and life is good.

Of course, naked pictures needed to be sent to my husband's family right after birth in order for them to believe that there was a girl in the family. I think they thought it was a joke. Frankly, so did I. And still, every single day I look at her, seven years later, and can't believe I actually have a daughter.