A little brother or a little sister?

This past Monday was our 20 week ultrasound for baby #2!  We decided not to find out baby’s gender when I was pregnant with Wade (and we enjoyed the experience of finding out when he was born), but this time Philip and I both felt excited to find out if we were having a boy or a girl at our ultrasound.  I can’t remember where I got this idea—I know it wasn’t my own—but we decided to have the ultrasound tech privately write down our baby’s gender on a little note card during the appointment so that we could open it when it was just the two of us.   Let me first just state the obvious—it was so wonderful to see that little person—our little one—up on that screen.  Having taken care of one out of the womb, there is something special about seeing your child in-utero that I appreciate in a new way this time.  I can imagine a little more of what it might be like when they are here (though I expect my imagination to fall short of what this baby’s arrival will be like in reality!), and honestly, they’re so easy to take care of when they’re in your tummy!  They seem so content just to move around peacefully :)

So, we left our appointment with our baby’s gender written down on a card that was tucked away in my purse.  And do you know what the whole day felt like?  Christmas Eve.  And I really like Christmas Eve.  I probably like it more than Christmas day itself.  There is just something about expectation and the anticipation of something wonderful and great that I really love.  And that is what all of Monday felt like.  Our plan was for the big reveal to occur over dinner, so Philip and I went out to lunch and just had a great time thinking about and wondering about what we would read when we opened that card.  (My parents were keeping Wade in Lynchburg—thank you Mom and Dad for the vacation!!!—so the day was really relaxing!)  Due to house projects taking longer than expected that evening, we didn’t actually make it out to dinner until 9 o’clock!  We ate at the most perfect little spot right outside of our neighborhood—Bacchus--it was cozy and intimate and just the right place for us.  And as crazy as it may sound, I just couldn’t hardly bring myself to open the envelope!  At Philip’s urging, I finally opened it for both of us to see, and we both gasped when we read: 

“GIRL!”

I had thought maybe it was a girl based on how my pregnancy had felt, but Philip was really expecting another boy.  A nurse had also commented several weeks earlier that the heartbeat “sounded masculine.”  And there is just something unexpected about learning that you will have the gender different from the only one you know!  And we are simply thrilled!  I absolutely cannot wait to be a mother to a daughter!  I have so much to tell her!  (well, I take that partly back—I can wait a little bit, because I know life is going to get harder!  eek!!)   

Here are some pictures from our dinner:

Pre-opening, can you tell I am excited? 

I just read, “Girl”!  (if you look closely, you might be able to make it out)

Philip is looking at a picture of his daughter and talking to my dad about how he’s going to pay for her wedding :)

And I’m a couple days late, but here’s a belly shot for the half-way mark of this pregnancy (my first belly pic of this pregnancy!)

{The shirt is a bit loose and probably not the best for capturing the true bump’s size!}