It's a girl!!

Please welcome
The Girl
4-11-07 at approx. 7:30 pm
38 lbs. 6 oz. and 45 inches long

When I was pregnant with The Boy, I wanted a girl very badly. The sonogram did not show which sex the baby would be so I spent 9 months hoping and praying. God has a funny sense of humor. I spent the next 10 1/2 years learning all things boy. I learned about circumcisions, trains, that worms still live though cut in half, about Power Rangers, farts, shrinkage and all things sports.

Then came the day of my next sonogram in which I discovered that my second born would be a girl. Saying that I was overjoyed is putting it mildly. Gone would be the days of finding frogs in pants pockets and soon there would be days of sundresses, matching purses and tea parties. No longer would I be out numbered or left out. I would have an ally. A partner in crime against all things testosterone.

Enter The Girl.

I learned that you can have an 18 month old's ears pierced but she'll figure out how to take them out, locking mechanisms be damned, if she really wants to do it, until her holes close over.
I learned that you can lead a two year old to a dress but you can't make her wear it.
I learned that you can buy all the tea sets you want but if she'd rather fling the plates frisbee-like at her brother's head then have a party, that's what she'll do.
I learned that helping your daughter progress her fine motor skills only enables her to free herself from the braids, barrettes, and/or ponytails that you so lovingly styled and lets her fling them across the room, out the car window, at her brother's head, or be flushed down the toilet.

I've also learned, that if you are very very patient and very very good and wish very very hard…

I arrived at the end of day last Thursday to pick up The Girl from preschool and found her in a dress. A real honest to God dress. And tights. And patent leather shoes. And a hair band.

So I ask one of the teachers, "Uh, where's my daughter?"

The Girl danced up to me stating that she looked beautiful, which I totally agreed with.
The next day I arrived at the school to find her in her standard issue sweat pants and t-shirt. I kept my disappointment to myself as I swept her up into my arms, at which time she stated, "Daddy said it was too cold to wear a dress today."
Jesus wept!
The weekend was a steady costume parade of dresses (all 3 that she owns, all hand-me-downs from her cousin. I had given up buying dresses more then a year ago) and hair accessories. Saturday night she discovered the wonderful world of barrettes and Sunday she spent watching in the bathroom mirror as I braided her hair. I washed her dresses so that she could wear them to school this week if she chose to do so…which she did.
Then last night…

It happened…

A moment that will live in my memory forever…

The Girl came to me…

And asked me…

If she could paint her nails….

I think I'm going to cry.