Baby #3 Is A...

Last week I put together a post with some gender predictions for pregnant mamas.  Most of these pointed to the baby being a girl, but I know that none of them are based on hard scientific evidence.  What I did know was that this pregnancy was different than my first two.  With the first two, I had pretty bad nausea that lasted the first trimester.  But the day that my first trimester ended, the nausea was gone too and I felt pretty good overall.  That has not been the case this time.  While I don't have bad nausea all day now, I do not feel great.  I still feel very dizzy, weak, and worthless for the most part.  And while other signs have hinted towards a girl, I have tired to guard my heart.  I've tried not to let myself hope and imagine actually having a girl because I didn't want to be disappointed with a third boy.  I know that sounds horrible.  I love my boys.  I wouldn't trade them for anything.  I know I would love a third child no matter what.  But somewhere deep in my heart, especially this pregnancy, I have desperately longed for a girl.  When I imagined being a mom as a little girl, I was a mom to a girl (probably because my mom only had one child - me).  I don't care about dressing a girl in cute clothes or doing her hair... I just wanted the special bond that a mama and her baby girl have.  So - being perfectly honest here - I wanted a girl!  I kept telling everyone that I thought it was a boy to try to keep myself grounded in reality.  

This morning was the morning of our ultrasound!  I've been counting down the days for a month and I've been looking forward to it with great expectation.  I've been both anxious and excited.  I've been anxious because I just want everything at the anatomy ultrasound to look normal.  More than a boy or a girl, I just wanted a healthy baby.  And then I've been anxious and excited about knowing the sex.  How would I react if it were a boy?  Would I be excited?  Overwhelmed?  Sad?  What if I was actually pregnant with a girl?  How amazing would that be?  I've been having dreams about the ultrasound for a solid week.  Last night had several dreams - dreams about boys and girls.  And finally, at 4:30 this morning, I couldn't dream anymore and I was awake for the day. I was sweating because I was so excited and my stomach was in knots.  I was hours away from seeing my sweet baby and knowing for sure if we were going to have a boy or a girl! 

When we arrived to the office, we waited for a few minutes before the tech called us back. I could hardly sit still.  My heart was beating so fast and I was considering pacing because sitting was killing me.  When she came to get me and Ray, she asked if I needed to go to the bathroom first to empty my bladder (it's best to do it empty because they push on your belly quite a bit) - even though I really did need to go to the bathroom, I lied and said no because I wanted to get to the ultrasound as fast as possible.  With James and Luke, the tech was able to tell within seconds that they were boys.  Both of them were head down and had their legs spread wide open.  When she pulled this baby up on the screen, the baby was laying sideways and the baby's hand was covering the private parts.  The tech tried right away to prod and move baby because she knew how badly I wanted to know, but this baby wouldn't move.  Since baby was being stubborn, she decided to get pictures of the heart.  Then, finally, the tech got quiet (we were chatting some before) and I could tell that she was scanning the area between the legs and I could tell that the baby's hand was gone.  I was looking hard and I had Googled several images so I knew what a girl v a boy looks like on an ultrasound.  I kept looking for a penis and I didn't see one!  Then the tech finally said, "Ok.. Are you ready to know?"  And I said "Yes!" and she typed "It's a girl" on the ultrasound screen.  I just couldn't quit smiling and then my smiling quickly turned to tears.  I was shocked, blown away, and I know I will remember that moment as a highlight of my life. I looked over at Ray and he was just kind of taking it all in.  He didn't say much, but he doesn't usually say much in front of others.  The tech finished the scan and everything looked perfect and she was able to see everything she needed to see.  

After we finished the ultrasound, we had an appointment with Dr. Stringer, the OB who delivered Luke.  He is an amazing care provider and I'm so thankful for him.  I plan to see him a lot this pregnancy.  Later, I saw Vicki, my favorite midwife at the practice, in the hall and I yelled out to her that I was having a girl.  I was so excited and wanted everyone to know!  Here's a profile picture with her hand up at her face...

After the appointment, I went to MOPS and I got to share the news with lots of other mamas.  They greeted me with sequels of joy and it was so fun to celebrate with them too.  

It's so strange to refer to this baby as "she" and saying "her" - it's bizarre.  But I am so looking forward to raising a GIRL!  Ray and I are truly both so excited.  We put the boys to bed early tonight and celebrated by making our favorite pasta dish.  We love you, sweet little girl, and we can't wait to meet you in five 

months!

Here's a picture from today - 18 weeks!