Best Things About Having a Daughter

One of the most exciting times of a parent’s life is finding out their baby’s gender. Whether you did an early ultrasound, waited until 20 weeks, or even waited until Baby was born… it’s a moment that changes your life forever. This time last year, we were preparing for our sweet baby girl’s arrival. And I’ve been reminiscing on some of the best things about having a daughter.

How We Found Out We’re Having a Girl

When I was pregnant with Colton, I knew he was a boy. The 20 week anatomy scan seemed less like “finding out” the gender and more like a confirmation. I remember telling my husband I was pregnant, then next sentence, “I think it’s a boy.”

Not so much with Blair. I bounced back and forth for the first 20 weeks of the pregnancy. I remember thinking at one point that she must be a boy because I kept craving Taco Bell, and I just didn’t think any woman should want Taco Bell this much. In hindsight, probably no [sober] human should crave Taco Bell that way.

I also had terrible acne with her, and I remembered that old wives’ tale of how baby girls steal your beauty. Maybe she was a girl after all.

[Sleep Sack // Dock-a-Tot]

So at 20 weeks, we go in for the anatomy scan and she’s healthy [thank goodness!], we can’t quite tell the gender, and have a nice day.

What?

The ultrasound tech said she thought “it might be a girl” but “it’s hard to tell.” So she started wiping the cold goo off my belly and I was all, “Could you please check again?” She obliged and had me roll and maneuver in a few different ways. Finally, confirmation: a definite girl.

I knew what to do with a boy. We’d successfully raised a boy to 2 years old, so you know, our boy parenting skills are pretty solid.

The first thing I said after Blair’s ultrasound was, “I’ll get to go wedding dress shopping!”

And from then on, I started thinking of some of the best things about having a daughter.

Decorating a Girly Nursery

[Play Kitchen // Metal Pots + Pans [similar] // Crown Pillow // Personalized Wall Sign // Quatrefoil Wall Hooks // Personalized Swaddle Blanket // Black Macrame Wall Hanging [similar] // Lamb Pacifier Holder // Denim Bubble Romper // Hair Bow]

If you love decorating, one of the best things about having a daughter starts right away: decorating a girly nursery.

Blair’s nursery isn’t super girly, since I decorated it in mostly black + white. But it’s been fun to add some girly touches here and there. Honestly, I move a lot of the decor back and forth between Colton and Blair’s rooms. They’re both decorated in monochrome, so I switch a lot of things around frequently. Or even throughout the rest of my house, too.

Here’s more of Blair’s monochrome baby girl nursery, my favorite ways to personalize a nursery, the best rugs for a baby nursery, and how to design a sibling-friendly nursery. Whew. I’ve written a lot about her nursery. It’s my favorite room in our house, probably because it’s the only room that’s fully decorated. Even though we’ve lived here 5 years.

Mom-Daughter Tea Parties

Tea parties are one of my favorite childhood memories. My mom collects china, and she would pick out different patterns to set the dining room table. I felt so grown up sipping on tea and eating little cucumber sandwiches.

One year, I even had a tea party for my birthday party. My friends all wore their frilliest dresses and my “birthday cake” was petit fours. I also remember that party being extra super fancy because we designed and printed invitations on a computer. Does anyone else remember printing “greeting cards” on a computer and folding them in fourths?

Anyway… I knew I’d want to have tea parties with my little lady, too. I often enjoy a cup of tea as a pick-me-up during the day, so I bought Blair her very own tea set so she can play along.

Total Tea organic chamomile is my tea of choice. Since becoming a mom, I’ve been much more conscious about what goes into my body, especially while breastfeeding. I love that Total Tea’s chamomile tea uses all-natural ingredients and no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. And it’s caffeine-free, since I try to limit my caffeine intake while nursing.

Total Tea offers lots of varieties of tea, including a gentle detox tea that I’m looking forward to trying after Blair weans. It has a ton of positive reviews on Amazon [which is basically how I make all shopping decisions], so I’m excited to give it a try.

Mom-Daughter Twinning Looks

There’s nothing better than matching with your mini-me. I love coordinating with my son, too, but there are much fewer options out there for the boy moms. [Trust me, I’ve looked!]

This classic black diaper bag is one of my favorites, and I love that they offer the mini version for the little ladies.

I foresee many, many more coordinating looks in our future. At least until she’s too cool for mom.

Dance Classes

Growing up, I spent almost every night doing dance or gymnastics. I can’t wait until Blair is old enough to take lessons, too!

She even had this sweet baby ballerina outfit for her first Halloween party. [Then, we wore our Ms. Pacman and Ghosts family costume for trick-or-treating!]

I’ve listed a lot of my favorite things about having a daughter, but I feel like I need to make a couple things clear. Because this is the Internet.

1] I’ll never force Blair [or Colton] into hobbies they’re not interested in. I enjoyed tea parties and ballet as a little girl, and I want to introduce those things to my daughter. If she prefers trucks and football, that’s fine with me.

2] I don’t like having a daughter more than having a son. Or having a son more than having a daughter. There are aspects of both that I enjoy and I love my kids equally. Most of the time. Actually, my favorite child is whichever one isn’t whining at the moment.