The Reveal!

When I first got pregnant, I had no feelings one way or another as to the gender of the baby. After a while I began to feel like it was probably a girl. As time I went on, I was more and more convinced it was a girl. But no one was more convinced than Little Bean, who has insisted since the day I told her she is going to be a big sister, that the baby is a girl.

I kind of hoped the baby was a boy because I would love to give my husband a son, and because all of the grandbabies on my side are girls (Little Bean is the only grandbaby on Hubs' side). I longed to bring the first boy into my side of the family, especially since this is it for us. We're not trying for any more babies after this.

The day after we got home from Disneyland last month we had our NT scan, which lasted about an hour and a half. The baby wouldn't sit still so the sonographer could get a good peak at the gender, still, she hazarded a guess at a girl and said she wouldn't tell the doctor to see what the doctor thought. When the doctor came in, she said she thought the baby was a boy, and she got a couple of really good shots to confirm her theory, shots the sonographer was unable to get. Even after the doctor was so sure the baby was a boy, I didn't want to start buying any baby gear yet, simply because sonographer thought the opposite. I had to be sure.

Funny enough, I cried for about two days after that appointment because I had gotten used to the idea of having another girl, so it was hard to change my way of thinking. Whenever I would tell people the doctor thought it was a boy, I would choke up. Not because I didn't want a boy, but because it just seemed so perfect.

Since that appointment, we have been telling people we think the baby is a boy, but that we weren't positive yet, so we were withholding confirmation of team blue.

But the anatomy scan and big reveal was today. I'm surprised I was able to sleep last night, because every time I thought about our appointment during this week, I would get butterflies in my tummy. I couldn't wait to find out!

But before I tell you what we're having, let's see the Belly Pic of the Week.

18 Weeks, 1 Day

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for... this baby is playing for....

TEAM PINK!

I have to admit, I was surprised. After our NT scan, I had gotten used to the idea of a little boy and pee pee tents and everything blue. But most of all, I had gotten used to the idea of bringing a son, grandson, and nephew into the family.

I asked the sonographer if she was sure about five times, and asked her to look again at least three. I know she hates people like me, but I had to be sure after our last appointment where we were told it was a boy. When she confirmed again and again, and told me she was almost 100% certain it was a girl, I started to cry. I was a little disappointed, and again, I had to change my way of thinking.

Now don't get me wrong, I am over the moon no matter what this baby is. I am so happy and excited that we are pregnant, and that we are FINALLY adding to our family. I am just so full of emotion, and going from girl to boy to girl is kind of a lot to take in. You get used to this idea of how your life is going to be with one gender, and then have to re-arrange it, which is a lot for a highly emotionally charged pregnant woman.

Just like after our NT scan, every time I told someone the gender of the baby today, I would choke up. It makes me laugh. When I checked out at the doctor's office, the receptionist congratulated me on a girl, and I just started bawling. It was quite comical. One would think I didn't want a girl, but again, the reality of the situation is it is a lot to take in and I am just so happy this baby is on its way into our arms.

I asked Hubs if he was happy, sad, or indifferent. He said indifferent. There were pros and cons to either gender. He did say he is disappointed for one reason though: we now have to come up with a middle name we can both agree on, which has been no easy task so far.

So we're having another girl! I really am excited and happy. I get to do pink and frilly and bows again. Little Bean has been ADAMANT that this baby is a girl, and she is having a sister. Turns out, she was right! She went with us today, and when I told her she was right, she ignored me, as if to say, "Well, yeah. Duh mom! I've been telling you that all along!"

I have been jonesing to buy this since we found out we were pregnant

but refrained until we knew the gender for sure. Today, I finally bought it!

A baby girl.... I am a happy mama with a happy little girl, all set to be the world's best big sister. It just doesn't get any better.

I Went Home

I thought it had only been a week since I posted, but apparently it has been two. Goodness the time flies.

Last Wednesday night after work, I flew home to spend some time with my dad before he went back in for surgery. I got the added bonus of spending time with all of my siblings for a couple of days. I spent some good, quality time talking with my dad and just being together, got chocolate from my favorite chocolatiers (and the best in the country), had tasty Chinese (because we don't have any around where I live for some reason), got to see the mountains, and even had a bit of snow.

The one downside to the trip is I can now tell you where I experienced the rudest TSA officers. I travel a lot, and have been through a lot of airports. When I asked to not be put through the full body scan, due to being 5 months pregnant, the agent acted like I was out of line. I told her there was no way I was putting my unborn baby through that scanner, so she made me stand aside until another agent could come give me a pat down. Luckily the officer who patted me down was very nice, but I still didn't appreciate having my time wasted.

I think the best part of my trip was when I showed my dad his pictures I had scanned in from his time in Australia back in the mid-60s. I had forgotten to take my thumb drive with me, but Hubs saved the day by getting the files to me. The look on my dad's face was priceless, and worth every second spent scanning over 300 slides. It was fun to look through them with him and see how many people and places he still remembered, even after all these years.

On the baby front, I finally found the heartbeat with my doppler! Last night I let Little Bean sleep with me, so she got a listen too, and she loved it. I had an OB appointment on Monday, and we scheduled the anatomy scan for next Thursday. We get to find out a bit early what we're having, and I'm excited. I wish we could have had a scan on Monday, since I'm supposed to get them monthly and my last one was over a month ago, but I suppose I have to take what I can get.

I have been getting weekly prenatal massages, which is always awesome. I plan on doing that all the way until this little one is born. I got nearly weekly massages when I was pregnant with Little Bean, so to me, there is no other way to fly.

As far as symptoms go, I have a lot of heartburn while sitting in any semi-reclined position, and especially when laying down. Just when I thought I was done with the achy hips, they have started back up again. The thing I love most is being able to really feel the baby move. The first night I found the heartbeat with my home doppler, the baby kicked the doppler so hard, my stomach actually moved. This baby is a strong one for sure! (And probably has lots of hair sprouting.)

I can't wait to find out for sure what we're having so I can actually start shopping. There are a couple of things I am jonesing to buy, but I can't get them until I know the baby's gender. Soon!

Hello and Goodbye Energy

I was starting to get a bit of energy back this week. For the first time in a long time, I came home from work every day this week and actually stayed awake until bedtime. On Tuesday, Hubs took Little Bean to the gym with him, and I was siting here on the couch all alone, my house still clean from the weekend, wondering what to do with myself. Then I remembered I hadn't touched my blog-to-book in a long time, so I started working on that again.

I have 4 years worth of blogging on that blog, and I've only managed to make it through the first two years. The book is going to be 12" X 10" and I'm already up to page 183. The publishing company I am going to use to print it has a 300 page cap, so I am going to end up breaking the blog up into two volumes. Then I have the other blog I wrote in for about 2 years, which will make a third book. And of course, then there will be this blog, book 4! I always was a writer. I took lots of writing classes in high school and college, so the fact I will have so many books from my blogs is no surprise.

At any rate, all of that energy I had back is now going away because my hips are starting to spread and is making it painfully difficult to sleep at night. I had kind of forgotten about this symptom from my first pregnancy. I can sleep on each side for such a small amount of time before I have to roll onto the other side to alleviate the pain. I end up on my back half the night, which always worries me because you aren't supposed to sleep on your back during pregnancy.

I asked Hubs if I could get a memory foam mattress topper, but he won't let me get one without researching the crap out of it online first, cause that's what he does before he buys anything. Which means even if I did get one, it wouldn't be any time soon, so there is no relief in sight for me. The only place I can sleep at this point is upright on the couch, propped up by a pillow. I might just tell him to stick it. I NEED SLEEP!

In Little Bean news, tomorrow is the first day I am sending her to school with a home packed lunch. She goes to a daycare that is essentially a private school, and where lunch is separate from tuition. We can pay extra to put her on their lunch program, which we have done up until recently when her teachers told us she wasn't eating her lunch. After some discussion with Hubs, we decided to try packing her lunches on our own.

Little Bean is so excited to take her lunch box and thermos. We went shopping for lunch supplies on Saturday, and Little Bean wanted to buy everything in the store to put in her lunch box. In the end, all that is in there for tomorrow is milk, a tuna sandwich, a couple strawberries, grapes, carrots and ranch, a jell.o cup, and some yogurt-covered raisins. It might me too much for her to eat, and it might not. The good thing is we can tailor her lunches as we go.

Also this week, I am going home to see my dad. Hubs and Little Bean are staying here to hold down the fort. I haven't told Little Bean yet because I know it will just upset her every day until I go. I don't tell her in advance when I go on business trips either. I have found it is easier on her this way. She gets over it a lot quicker and then doesn't end up being upset for days on end. I wish she was going with me, but the trip was short notice, and I don't know that I want to try to deal with her and all of our luggage on my own.

Well, I guess that's it for me. Off to get ready for yet another painful, sleepless night!