give her a book and a toy

Those were my exact words to Natalie.

Charlotte was a little grumpy just as it was time for me to start dinner.  So in the crib she went ... for some binky sucking and relaxing ... and containment.  I needed her to stop fussing and to stay put.

At the time, Natalie was happily and busily playing in her room.  Blissfully unaware.  I mentioned my plan to start dinner and told her she was not allowed to climb into Charlotte's crib.

As soon as I got to the kitchen and grabbed the ground beef from the fridge, I heard Natalie call down from upstairs ... which wasn't  necessary because I had the monitor on and could hear everything.

"Mommy, baby sister wants to play."

'No, Natalie, leave baby sister alone.  She's resting."


"But, I'm going to give her something to play with."


"Okay, honey, give her a book and a toy."


A lot of commotion in the monitor tipped me off that something was going on.  I dumped the meat in the pan, turned on the burner,  and headed upstairs to find ... this ... 

Apparently, what she heard was, "Give her EVERY book and EVERY toy in her entire room!"

I was so busy being shocked, cracking up laughing, and grabbing the camera that I completely forgot about the meat, which burnt to a crisp!  The whole house smelled awful and my dinner plans were effectively ruined.

Leaving us only one choice ... Chipotle!

The Gender Decision

Everyone knows that at 20 weeks - during an ultrasound - mommies and daddies are given the opportunity to find out the gender of their little bambinos.

I totally understand that for some mommies and daddies there is no decision to be made. Expectant parents tend to fall into one of two categories: "We must know so I can plan every last detail and make sure the nursery is super fabulous." or "There are so few surprises in life; why not be surprised?"

I guess I am somewhere in between. Because I really can't decide. I am agonizing ... just a little ... over this gender decision.

Just today, in three separate phone conversations, I was faced with this decision at point-blank range. My friends Missy and Laurie and my mom, all three of them, asked me specifically about whether or not I intend to find out the gender of Baby V 2.0. And I just don't know!

We did not find out with Natalie, and I was/am so very happy with that decision. I loved not knowing. I (secretly) loved knowing that the "not-knowing" drove my mom and several others crazy. I loved thinking she was a boy and calling her Jack (based on a hunch) for almost the entire pregnancy. I loved having her revealed to us at the delivery. I decorated the nursery in primary colors and the alphabet (with the help of family and friends), and I absolutely love it. I can't imagine Natalie in a pink nursery. I had neutral clothes for when she was first born and then a whole slew of pink arrived shortly after. Yes, that was definitely a decision I was happy with.

For me, the nursery is not a concern. Baby V 2.0 will take over Natalie's current nursery ... as clearly, it's gender-neutral. While the practicality of getting rid of the girl clothes does make sense to me, I am not in a hurry to part with Natalie's early wardrobe. I've heard the suggestion that it may be nice to prepare Natalie for having a baby brother or sister. Thus far, that's the most compelling argument. I can see that would cut down on some confusion. But really, she's a two-year-old, so I am not sure I'll base my decision on her.

I don't know how else to explain this ... I like not knowing as much as I like knowing.

Alright friends, strangers, ... if you are reading this ... what do you think? Give me your two cents. Share your experience. Give me advice. Help me make this decision!