Boys vs. Girls

I've had many people come up and ask me how I like being a mom to boys. I don't really know how to respond other than, "It's great!"- Truth is, I don't know any differently but I suppose I like it as much as I'd like being a mom to girls...or boys and girls...or monkeys and boys...or just apes. Sigh. It's a hard question to answer really. I don't want to get personal with them because Brian and I feel like it's no one's business, except for close friends and family, to know our situation.
Here's the deal- We have 3 children. Two boys- Ethan and Caden here on earth with us and a girl-Isabelle who is in heaven. I don't dwell on it a whole lot. Why? Because I'm cold-hearted? Nah. Not really. I don't dwell on it because I trust God. He hurt and cried with us and only He knows what we've been through. We are moving past it and looking forward to the future. This is an amazing thing. After August 12th, 2009, we are in a place we never thought we'd be. What we've both learned is, we are more than grateful for the healthy, smart, beautiful children we do have and enjoy our time with them immensely.
The problem I have is the pitying looks and the "Ohh yeah are you guys gonna ever try for a girl?" comments. Um no. We have a little girl. She just isn't physically here with us. We don't "try" for anything. We accept the gifts our God has given us and we relish in the privilege of being parents to these gifts.
My deal lately has been with the negative comments from strangers about how much better it is to have girls than boys and why it's so much better. I don't begrudge them their opinions. My kids are freakin' awesome. The comments from I get from people bother me more than they should though. It's like sharp little digs as if to say that somehow having two boys instead of two girls is some sort of punishment. (I know, what?!) I'm pretty sure they don't mean to say these things but it still sucks, nonetheless. Here's the deal: My mom gave me some valuable advice when I asked her what I was supposed to do with a boy/boys to raise. I mean, how do I raise them?? She told me, "Duh, Christina. You raise them like you would if they were girls. You have the same expectations of them and love them the same. The only difference is the plumbing...and a few other things."
Sound advice.
I love my boys. I know God put them in our lives for a reason. And because of the shenanigans my boys get into, He must want to bring back the Laurel and Hardy-type comedy teams because, friends, that is exactly what we are living with.