It's a GIRL!!

For weeks, everyone asked me what I thought we were having. In the first few weeks of pregnancy, I called our baby a boy. But since I got to be about 12 weeks, I began to refer to Pudge as a she. I wasn't growing very fast (although I have definitely gained weight!!), and something inside me just felt like I was having a girl. But I didn't make a broad proclamation about it. To tell you the truth, I can understand now why people always say they just want a healthy baby. Because if you really love your child, unconditionally, it won't matter to you whether it is a girl or a boy. You may want one or the other because of all the things you can share with one vs. the other, but when all is said and done, you will love either one. And I didn't want anyone to think I was disappointed if I found out I was having a boy. I would have loved our little guy just as much as I will love our daughter, Rachel Louise.

The doctor asked what I thought it was, and I said I thought it was a girl, but it could have been because everyone was telling me that's what they thought too. She said "I think the majority might be right." And she went through all the other measurements and confirmed that it is 100% a girl!! I kept looking back at Duane (he also suspected girl) to see his reactions to things. His face was in awe of what he was seeing on the screen.

As we were leaving, I asked him how he felt. He was in a funk because we had waited for soooooo long to go back to have our ultrasound. The person in front of us had her whole family there and they didn't go back until it was almost time for our appointment. So as we left, I asked him how he felt. I think he was numb at first. He called his parents when we got to the car and kept saying "It was this..." and I told him "You can say she now!" Once he heard that, I think it started to sink in.

My parents are thrilled. They would have also loved a boy just as much as a girl, but they are beside themselves to have a granddaughter. Aunt Jen (my sister-in-law) already bought Rachel a onesie that says "My Aunt loves me" and I bought one for her that says "Daddy's little cupcake." My sister was excited, and so was my best friend Kim. She is having a boy (Aiden) in March, and she is already raving about them getting married. She gave me a scrapbook page and a balloon that says "It's a Girl." My brother reacted in his normal way, but everyone else seems pretty excited. I am already hearing about all the pink and lavender we will get. Gracious. I am not a pink fan, and it sounds like this girl's closet will be the color of Pepto Bismol! I am not a girly girl, so I really hope she isn't too much of one either. She doesn't have to be a complete tomboy, but I don't dig the whole Hannah Montana scene either.

It is hard to say how Duane is taking the news. Everyone asks me, but he is a hard read. I talk about Rachel all the time. Referring to her as my daughter thrills me to no end, and with every kick, I talk to her or about her. But Duane doesn't have the physical symptoms of pregnancy, so I think until the baby is here, it will be hard to understand what she will mean to him. I hope she will be a Daddy's girl.


And here I am at about 20 weeks. Still not much tummy yet, but ever since we found out about her secret (at 21 weeks), she has popped out quite a bit. I will post some more pictures on that in my next blog entry.