It's the hair.

Yesterday evening at the grocery store I finally caught a clue about something that's been bugging me.

With this pregnancy, as with the previous three, complete strangers have been coming up to me and asking "what I'm having--"  you know, what's the baby's gender.  One thing that's different this time is that I know the answer; I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago, my first one.  

But another difference has been the frequency -- I hardly ever appear in public without someone coming up to me and saying, "I just have to ask you -- do you know what you're having?"  And I'll say yes, a boy, and they'll shake their head and smile.   Why so much?  Have people gotten more forward in the past three years?    I don't get it.

And then yesterday a woman who asked me the question supplied the missing piece:  after I said "A boy," she said sympathetically, "Wow, four boys!"

And I realized that all these people have been looking at Mary Jane and assuming she was a boy too.  Therefore it is necessary that I be interrogated to determine if I will be saddled with the fourth boy.  This explains the questioning, and also the sympathy.

*I* don't think she looks like a boy.  She was wearing a red and white striped dress yesterday, for pete's sake.  But... I guess I can see where someone might think "boy" looking at her.

From left to right:  XY, XY, XX.

Comments

[Cathie B]

It's a short hair thing. My sister and I were always mistaken for boys because we had short hair back when little girls didn't have short hair. My mom had this liberal bent about her AND since she worked she claimed she didn't have time to mess with long hair. I guess that doomed us to the clippers whether we liked it or not ;-). Short hair is not unusual now, so I'm surprised people aren't taking in the whole picture (dress included). But, that's just the way it goes...You need to let her wear a princess dress to the store, then all that odd questioning will stop. Then there'd be no mistakin' she's a girl! JK.

[Sara]

Honestly, people have no sense. She could be wearing a pink dress and they wouldn't see past the short hair. Not to mention the fact that they can't see how wonderful 4 boys could possibly be! Or 4 children, no matter the sexes.

[Kelly]

When you posted a picture of them a while back, I initially mistook MJ for Milo because of her hair, but also because you don't post pictures often enough for me to remember how big Milo is.

People just don't pay attention to details like whether or not they're wearing a dress. I've been asked more than once whether two of my children were twins, and they are years apart. If one is crawling and the other is saying "Mama, can we please leave now, because I'm hungry?" then they probably aren't the same age. :P

[Christy P.]

See, Zoey's not the only one who harbors gender stereotypes. More importantly, why were you at the grocery store? I thought that was a Mark job.

[MrsDarwin]

Just while I was looking at this post, my 6-year-old came up behind me, glanced at the photo, and asked, "Who are those boys, Mommy?" So I guess it's just an instant short hair assumption. Maybe it's because it's kind of a boyish style?

[bearing]

Christy P, we went out of town for the weekend and stopped at the grocery store on Sunday evening before going to our house. I had no choice, I had to go along. :-)