We are not finding out the sex of our baby.
GASP!
It's usually the first question people ask us, and the responses typically vary from, "I could never do that, I'm such a control freak." to "I'm such a planner. I needed to know what colors and clothes to buy." I get it. We live in a society with a got-to-have-it-now mentality. We're all inpatient. I am, too. I'm a control freak and I'm a planner. I just can wait to find out the sex of my baby.
I'll tell you why it was an easy decision for me: I'm excited about the surprise. When Christmas rolls around you won't find me snooping through closets looking for hidden gifts. And you certainly won't see me tearing through wrapping paper on Christmas Eve because I just can't wait. I like to savor the what's-under-the-tree surprise for as long as I can. The sex of our baby is a lot more valuable information than what's in a gift box, but I'm applying the same logic here. Finding out in the doctor's office feels like cheating. I want to learn the sex of our baby the old fashioned way.
While I knew I wanted to keep the sex a surprise long before I even thought of having a baby, I was almost certain that it would be a long, hard wait. But it's really not. For starters, not all baby stuff comes in pink or blue. The really, really important stuff that we need to have ready before we head to the hospital—like a car seat and stroller—come in gender neutral shades like gray and black. In fact, other than one Graco stroller that came in purple, I didn't see many baby travel accessories or seating options that came in gender specific colors.
Nursery prep proves to be more of a challenge but I'm ready to tackle that, too. There are very few cute gender neutral bedding sets out there. And I have clicked on the "It's a Surprise" tab on many company's websites only to be shown the same blue crib sheets that are also listed under, "It's a Boy!" Huh? Luckily, I'm not dying to buy an entire bedding set. I'm more of a mix-and-match type of gal. And I'm also planning to skip the side bumper since many doctors say these are dangerous for babies. Right now I'm designing the perfect sanctuary for us. I plan to use peaceful shades of white to create a room that's just enjoyable to sit in at all hours of the day and night. I don't really like any of the boy-centric zoo animals or the girly butterfly quilts that are stocked at most baby stores anyway, so not knowing the sex has not made nursery planning impossible. In fact, I would probably keeps my plans the same if we did find out!
The one thing that not knowing does make difficult is clothes shopping! I know that I don't need to start off with a TON of clothes. Baby will likely spend his or her first few weeks is snugly onsies. I hear that most babies grow so fast those first weeks that they are onto the next size range before most moms can change the laundry. But I really love clothes and I want to start buying mini-sized versions of my favorite things!
I guess I'll just have to practice my patience and wait. We'll get our surprise, and then I'll get to buy baby clothes! And what's the rush for anyway? After all, aren't baby clothes and nursery colors just a minor thing in all this? Isn't having a beautiful, healthy child what we want? I do think so! Till our baby comes I'll just have to direct my inner control freak towards other baby matters—like obsessing over the birth date!
What do you think? Am I crazy for not finding out the sex? What would you do?
