I should have known better during the 13 week ultrasound when the technician said the baby was curled in a ball making it difficult to take measurements. But it looks like a girl to me, she said.
I should have known better during a 14 week ultrasound when the next technician said the baby kept crossing its legs. But it looks like a girl to me, she said.
(Ahhhh yesss…I thought to myself. Simply being a modest little lady.)
And I should have really known better when I woke up this morning and finally felt the motherly hunch so many women claim to feel about their baby’s gender during the early weeks of pregnancy:
It’s totally a boy, and I’m totally unprepared for that news.
The goo went on my belly, the lights were low, the machine clicked on, and within seconds, “Well, that’s certainly obvious,” said the technician, pointing to the screen.
A BOY. IN MY BELLY. I JUST ABOUT FELL OFF THE TABLE.
“Are you sure?!?” I said. I’m sure she thought I was a total dummy questioning her judgement.
“99.9%” she said.
And then I giggled, and gave Jonathan a high five. A boy! One of each! How could we be so lucky?
Admittedly, it’s taking me a little bit of time to process this news. (After all, I was already picking out baby girl names in the late evening hours before bed.) But whenever I replay that room, those low lights, that blobby image on a screen… the surprise of it all makes me smile again, and again, and again.
Everyone I’ve told today says the same thing: baby boys are the sweetest. And I know this is true, even though my experience has been that baby girls are the sweetest. I can’t wait to get my hands on this little one, and put him in a soft green nightgown, and wrap him in navy, and drink in his good smells before they become nasty boy smells. But mostly, I am thrilled to see my husband as the dad of a boy. I am thrilled he gets someone to throw ball with someday (not that girls can’t) and someone to take to Seahawks games (not that girls can’t) and someone to teach to golf (again, not that girls can’t.)
There is something special about a dad and his girl.
And there is something special about a dad and his son.
July can’t come soon enough. Although, I definitely have some shopping to do before then.
photo credit: cute moccasins can be found on etsy.
