break through those glass ceilings.

"Here's to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them."

Today is International Women's Day. A day that used to pass by with little to no recognition on my part.  I've always felt proud to be female, but I never felt the urge to shout it from the rooftops or to fight for change or equality.  And then, I became a mother to daughters.  

A few months ago I was talking to Aaralee about what she might be when she grows up. I went through a list of possibilities, until she stopped me mid-sentence with "I can't be a pilot mom, I'm a girl."  

Pardon me?!

How, at only 4 years old, did my daughter already exclude herself from certain careers based solely on her gender? We had a long discussion about how she could do anything that boys can do, and in that moment I made it my mission to raise empowered, confident girls who will never grow up restricting themselves to certain roles.  If they want to be a stay at home mom, that's great. If they want to be an astronaut, a doctor, a pilot or the prime minister... that's okay too. 

Now that I'm pregnant with our third baby, I'm taking the opportunity to show my girls just how incredible women really are. We can travel the world, have careers and play sports. We can do anything that men can do, but we can also grow and birth babies.  We are strong, we are capable, and we are amazing. 

We don't know the sex of our baby yet, but I've lost count of how many people have wished us luck to have a baby boy this time, or assumed that that was the very reason we tried for a third.  To imply that we'd be anything less than thrilled to have another daughter is crazy. I'd consider myself incredibly fortunate to be given the opportunity to raise 3 girls, and there won't be even a hint of disappointment if that's the case.

And if it's a boy? That's just fine too.  We'll love him, be excited for the new adventure, and most importantly, teach him how to respect and treat women. 

We've come a long way as women, and we still have some obstacles to conquer. I hope that my daughters grow up to be fearless women who stand up for themselves and never hold themselves back or think less of themselves because they are females. I hope that they support and empower other women and know that they can do absolutely anything.