My husband Joe is all man. I know that sounds silly, but he's truly a guys guy (except for when he's scared of the dark…sorry, Joe). He's athletic, has memorized every NFL roster, likes beer, listens to Howard Stern, golfs…you get the picture. As we discussed having kids, I don't think he ever pictured himself not having a son and passing along all of his manly traits. Almost all of our friends have both a son and a daughter, so we assumed we'd follow suite.
We had our first daughter, Isabel, over three years ago, and she and Joe quickly formed a very special bond. We recently welcomed our second child this fall, and while we spent nine months certain we'd have a boy, surprise…it was a girl! Though Joe was thrilled to have another daughter and so happy Kate arrived safe and sound, I sensed a bit of disappointment. The guy who said, "Two kids are plenty!" suddenly was saying, "Well, maybe we'll try for a boy," within minutes of Kate's arrival, and it took him a few days to fully grasp that he was now the dad of two beautiful daughters.
Maybe Joe was just meant to have girls. We often hear from friends that they've always pictured Joe surrounded by daughters. He's so caring and patient with our girls that it's even hard for me to imagine our lives any differently. But I do worry that his contentment will change in a few years when he's at princess parties instead of baseball games. Will he envy the dads coaching football? Will he wish that he had a son to take fishing trips with? We had decided to stop with the baby-making when I was pregnant with Kate, but should we reconsider and try for a boy?
We recently passed a local sports field overrun with young boys in helmets and football jerseys. I asked Joe whether it bothered him that he wouldn't be "that dad" one day?" His response surprised even me, "I love our girls. You and I are both athletic so who's to say Isabel and Kate won't be great athletes too? Besides, there's no guarantee a son would play football or baseball. I love our life, and I'm happy with what we have."
So have we 100 percent closed the door on our attempt for a boy? Not completely, but it certainly makes me feel better to know he isn't disappointed in me (and himself) for not carrying on the family name. He's adjusting to the mass-amounts of glitter and dress-up clothes that have taken over our house, and he's slowly perfecting a pony tail. Boy or girl, he's an amazing dad, and I couldn't imagine anyone else raising our daughters. They are "daddy's girls", and I wish any guy that attempts to date them good luck!
