I never saw myself as a boy mom

I never saw myself as a boy mom. I always imagined having a little girl. I would picture myself picking out dresses for her, braiding her hair, and enjoying all-things-princess together. I would always tell myself before becoming a mother that I could not wait to one day enjoy spending time in the garden with my little girl. Anyone who knew me at the time would joke and say they could not picture me with a little boy.

The thing was, neither could I.

I remember finding out I was pregnant with our second child and not really considering the possibility that I would actually have a little boy. It never really seemed like it was in the cards for me. We found out I was pregnant when our daughter was 14 months old. I remember that morning when we had our anatomy scan wearing a pink shirt because I was just sure we were going to have baby girl number two.

My mom came over that morning to sit with our daughter while we had our appointment and she looked at me and said, “You’re having a boy.”

Up until that point, I guess I just assumed it was a girl. After all, what was I to do with a little boy? Who was going to re-wear these adorable outfits that Mary wore as a newborn? I was a girl mom, and I would not have the first clue what to do with a little boy.

A couple of hours later, I am in the middle of the anatomy scan where it was confirmed that I was in fact pregnant with a little boy; one with a large head, I might add.

I remember my first reaction was absolute and complete gratitude because we were told the baby was healthy, and that was our greatest fear, especially after two miscarriages. Once the relief started to calm my nerves, I remember still not fully grasping that our tribe was adding a little boy to the mix. We always said that if we had a little boy, we would name him Patrick after my dad, so that was a no brainer, but deep down I never thought it would really come up because I was a girl mom.

As the months of my pregnancy began winding down and we started decorating his nursery with race cars, sports, and Star Wars, I started to not only grasp that I was about to have a boy, but I began to be really excited. I just pictured this cute little boy stomping around with dirt on him in a baseball cap and that’s exactly what I got.

Here we see a curious Pat . . . possibly on his way to jump in muddy puddles. (Photo provided)

I always envisioned gardening with my little girl, but for some reason I didn’t with Pat. I guess the backwards gender roles of my mind did not lend itself to picture a little boy saddled up next to me in the garden and taking an interest in flowers and planting, but boy was I wrong.

Pat loves any chance he gets to be in the garden. He wants to help plant, dig, and water our flowers. He checks on the vegetables he planted each day. He sits next to me with a shovel when I’m pulling weeds. He planted seeds in the garden and frequently checks to see if there are any green sprouts popping up from the dirt.

Before my eyes, I’ve seen him go from a baby to a boy. He oozes personality and has an unmatched belly laugh that can make anyone crack a smile. When he’s quiet, I immediately know that he’s up to something. No matter how many times I tell him not to, he loves dumping the dog’s water bowl in the middle of the floor and says he’s “Jumping in muddy puddles!” He treats the toilet bowl like a water table. He has a temper and gets mad when I try to wipe the dirt from his face. Nobody hugs me quite like Pat.

I’m a boy mom to a sticky, sweet, stinky, and perfect little boy. At one point, I did not know what I was going to do with him, but now I can’t imagine what I would do without him. He was always the missing and final piece to our family’s puzzle, and I love my Paddy ever so.