Charlotte: An 18 Month Old Boy?

You really can't go anywhere with a baby without someone coming over to say hello. (I established this phenomenon fairly well in a previous entry.) But I've also noticed that everyone feels the need to guess my baby's gender and/or age. For instance, I had one woman approach me and ask if my (then 8 month old baby) was 18 months old. Granted, I have an adorably chubby baby with the cutest chunky cheeks and thighs, but she is also somewhat petite... there is really no mistaking her for a child twice her age.

And it's almost worse when it comes to gender- because people don't always ASK if it's a boy or girl...they just take one brief, summary glance at what my baby is wearing and declare, "Oh what a sweet boy/ girl." Now I admit, when it comes to clothing, I'm not really one for pink frills and tiaras, so it can occasionally be a challenge to tell that my daughter is a girl based on her clothes. But there have been plenty of times when she has actually been wearing pink, or at least a flower and heart splattered outfit, and people still say she's a boy.

It doesn't really bother me when people assume she's a boy, but it does create a dilemma: Am I going to let this be awkward for me, or for them? With the former plan, (which I often use for sweet old couples that probably can't see the pink embroidered flowers on her brown sweatshirt), I simply go along with the gender they select. When they ask how old "he" is I just give an age...no pronoun. When they say, take good care of "him" I simply smile and nod. This plan will inevitably keep the other people from any awkwardness, unless of course they ask what "his" name is...and I say Charlotte. I'm actually considering using her nickname "Charlie" in the future if I get myself into that pickle. (Oh what a tangled web we weave, eh?)

Then there's the later plan...in which I simply state that my baby is, in fact, a girl. While this option is much more straight forward, people tend to get very flustered and apologetic when you correct them...and most of the time I figure I'll never see them again, so it doesn't really matter if they walk away and tell their friends they met the cutest little boy in the world.

Anyway, the point of the story (yes, there is a reason for this rambling) is that if you ever see a mother and baby- it is better to ask than assume, no matter how much blue or pink the infant is wearing. And for heaven's sake, don't try to guess a baby's age- fat rolls will throw you off every time.