Both Lisa and Áine already have one child each, both sons. Áine had a baby girl in January and Lisa is due a baby girl in March. I'm not breaking a confidence here, you can read all about Lisa's "sweet surprise" here.
Yesterday, Aoife added the letter M from her post at Pomp to our word jumble to keep Lisa and Áine guessing about what surprise we have for them at the end of this celebration. So far M, M, R, Y, Y, S, U, E, P, N, M, U have been revealed and I can reveal that S is today's letter. Any idea of what the surprise might be?
So, what do I have to say to the two motherbloggers?
Well, I say build an ark for you and your loved ones so that you might avoid drowning in the ocean of pink that you will find yourself in. Before my first daughter arrived our next generation consisted of my two nephews. My sister had kept all their baby clothes so I was all ready for Sadie's arrival with the boys' old clothes and blankets. However, we still found ourselves in an ocean of pink and all its variations as the presents flooded in. I kept Sadie in the old blue clothes 99% of the time but when it was time for a photo or a visit I'd dress her in something new and pink so we have lovely photos that make it seem like we weren't constantly cleaning up puke.
I like the pink. I like when I meet someone with a baby and I can ask what his name or her name is because I can see the pink or blue clothes or accessories. But I remember wondering why it was pink for girls and blue for boys and finding out that it was the opposite or no specific colour until around the 1940's and interestingly, as this article explains, before colour associations crept in, it was standard practice to dress both boys and girls in white dresses until they were about 6 years old. At that stage boys and girls were almost indistinguishable since a child's first haircut was usually done at this age too.
I like the idea of the white too. I think it emphasises innocence and allows a child to be a child for their early childhood years. I like my children to be able to play outside when possible though so I'm not sure if the white dresses would fit in with their love of removing their wellies before jumping in muddy puddles and lying down on the ground to be a slug. That's my girls all over: A bit more slugs and snails and puppy dog's tails than sugar and spice! But, like all children they are all things nice.
Now I want to wish congratulations to Áine and her family on the arrival of Miss Mouse and to send my very best wishes to Lisa and her family on the upcoming arrival of Little Woman. I hope you find yourselves in oceans of all things nice.
It's all so exciting for us at the Irish Parenting Bloggers Group and we hope you'll stay tuned for the rest of the posts in our blog march. Tomorrow, Caítríona will add her post from Wholesome Ireland.
You can check out the Irish Parenting Blogs Facebook page for the full details of how the virtual baby shower celebrations ended. The word jumble letters revealed YUMMY MUMMY PRESENTS... Suffice to say our sponsors really looked after Lisa & Áine and there were also gifts from a few of the blogmarchers too.
If you've come late to the party and want to catch up on the other 17 posts you'll find the links below:
Mind The Baby, Wonderful Wagon, That Curious Love Of Green, Debalicious, My Internal World, Awfully Chipper, Go Dad Go, The Dare Project, The Clothesline, Dreaming Aloud, Kate Takes 5, Ouch My Fanny Hurts!!!, Pomp, Wholesome Ireland, The Nest, Proper Fud, The Daily Muttering
Thank you Joanna! I'm not sure I'm prepared for the sea of pink. Just one of the differences I'll have to get used to!
ReplyDeleteI have no clue what the surprise is - I'm terrible at anagrams. I'll have a go at figuring it out though. :)
Thank you so much for all your hard work on this blog march. You have outdone yourself and really blown me away with it!
You're welcome, ye deserve it......You'd never know maybe the surprise is just our good wishes!!!! ;)
DeleteJoanna, I particularly like the slug bit, I have to admit, I like your children's style!!
ReplyDeleteThe first time I saw them lying dead still on the grass I nearly had a heart attack, now I know when I see it that they've found a slug and are joining in his game!
DeleteIn Germany, red is also considered exclusively a girl colour. My friend had her baby boy there and he wore a lot of red becuase it suited his colouring and his granny in the US often sent her clothes for him. People were constantly asking her what her daughter's name was.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, I've been out with my baby girl in a pink sleeper under a pink hoodie snuggled up in a pink blanket and still been asked if it's a boy or a girl. I don't know whether people are thick or just want to make a point of not assuming. It's sort of annoying either way, so they can't win, I suppose.
I love the slugs too. Mabel was making a mud pie yesterday. At midnight she was awake wanting to look out her bedroom window to see if it was still there.
Oh yes, there would be differences depending on the country or location too! If I'm not sure I usually ask, "what name did you pick?" and then hope that it's not a name that could be for a boy or a girl. That is so cute about Mabel's mud pie...she's right to keep an eye on it!
DeleteInteresting post Joanna,white is a big no-no in this house, I can't even wear white without there being a chocolatey/dirty handprint on it within 10 mins :P
ReplyDeleteJust want say well done on organising the online baby shower, amazing job x
Oh I'm the same...my children are always wiping their hands and faces off me! Thanks for your lovely comments.
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