A boy-mom.

I am a girl-mom.

The provider of pink and princesses and pretty things. I prefer Dora over Diego, skirts over shorts, and purple over green. I make hair bows, for crying out loud. And wear probably too much pink.

I don't like getting dirty, smelling like "the outside", or hearing gas-induced noises. (See, I don't even like the word "fart".) I think air shows are ridiculous, find the 4th of July hot dog eating contest repulsive, and go to sporting events just for the food.

I am an especially girly girl-mom.

But in roughly 3 weeks or less, I might be a boy-mom, too. And the scary part? I have no idea how to be the mom of a boy!

I have 4 brothers, so I grew up around boys. Thanks to them, I know that being a boy means lots of Legos & Playmobile when you're young and basketball & video games when you hit junior high. In our house, it also meant a lot of wrestling/physical fighting (not the emotional games that us girls engage in.) Plus, a lot of bodily fluids/functions that I am just not cool with (i.e. spitting, sweating, burping, and the aforementioned f-word I don't appreciate.)

And I have a husband, so I've picked up a thing or 2 about the opposite sex from him, too. Thanks to him, I know that being a boy means producing 4x the volume of laundry of a girl, especially in the summer (and especially if you're in 2 softball leagues). And it means a lot of History Channel and Fox Sports over TLC or Bravo. And far more excitement over illegal fireworks than I could ever understand.

So, I mean, I guess I have a little bit of a clue as to what boys entail. It's not like I'm going to put rocks and sticks in front of my son and call them toys. Or freak out the first time he eats dirt. But, at the same time, I just don't feel 100% confident that I am going to know what to do with a little guy. I have doubts... Will I be able to pretend that Mommy enjoys playing with trucks just as much as she does playing with dolls? Will I be able to be convincing enough that I actually care about the silly sports stat he just told me? Will I be able to let him win when we play Mario Kart together? (Because, honestly, I'm pretty good...)

When I really think about it, I didn't really know how to be a girl-mom when Brooke was born. I just knew how to be a girl, so I had an advantage from the start. The mom part ended up falling into place as time went on. As I'm sure it will this time, too, regardless of this kiddo's gender. And, if it is a boy, I have absolutely no doubt that I'll love him enough or be able to fulfill his needs. I will jump right in and learn to love the dirty fingernails and Tonka trucks and animal-adorned clothing (though this last one is going to take some serious getting used to...) I am going to look into those eyes and fall madly in love with who I will affectionately call "Mama's boy".

Boy-mom? Bring it.