I'm feeling (not so) blue

Okay, let it be known that stupid things bother me. Here is my pet peeve. Infant boys are boxed into girly blue, green and yellow colors. There is sky blue, baby blue, light blue, mint green, neutral, middle of the road yellow. I will admit my boredom with dressing my son in clothes that question his gender, even if they are "blue". When I see my boys in true colors like red and orange and dark blue, hunter green, I just love it. I love little polo collars around their necks.

So, I entrust my dear mother-in-law to shop for the boys with specific color instructions. And, by golly, she does it. She finds the cool orange shirts. She digs up the clothes that makes my boys look like boys.

Well, then there is Ian. Who decided to get an opinion of his own in the last few weeks (months?). Mommy doesn't get all the say anymore. Mommy chooses the handsome button down shirt and Ian chooses the Thomas the Tank engine that he has worn every other day. Mommy chooses a cute collar shirt with little geckos and Ian chooses to remain in his pajama shirt. We all have what we like.

Connor is still within my fashion clutches, so he wears whatever my little heart desires. I reach for the colors I think make him more vibrant. I labeled my sons with colors, which is probably going to be cause for therapy for all three of us someday. I really don't know what this post is about. If it's my passionate distaste for baby colors. Or my need to control something for just a little awhile. Or the inevitable question of someone asking me "is it a boy or a girl?" What mother doesn't secretly hate that question???

Strolling in the baby section of a local department store today, I noticed winter coats, heavy fleece Halloween costumes....perfect for Arizona (note the sarcasm). I looked at the marketing heavy boys section filled with characters my son loves. The baby section replete with baby blue stalking me from all angles. The girls section that seems twice the size of the boys section. And I walked away, nothing to buy and nothing to really want, except someone to recognize that boys are more than just the color blue.