It's a...

22 weeks

 

It's a GIRL!!!!

 

We're very excited to announce that we'll be welcoming another little girl into our family early this summer.  This will be our second daughter, making our family of six almost completely equal...2 boys, 2 girls and our male dog Cody (now we just need a female dog -ha!).

I've never been so excited to know the gender.  For those of you wondering we've always found out what we were having (although with baby Jack it wasn't exactly planned).  I guess I'm one of those people who likes to be prepared, plus I can't stand not knowing!  The funny thing is, before I got pregnant with #4 my hubby and I had decided if we had another child he or she would be the big surprise...this was in part due to our experience with #3.  During my pregnancy with baby Jack, we actually managed to go 39 weeks without knowing whether we were having a boy or a girl, then in the final days I accidently opened the envelope the doctor had given us nearly 5 months prior.  We had asked for the gender to be written down and placed in a sealed envelope...unfortunately at some point it was accidently opened (long story).

Then this past fall we were delighted to find out we were indeed going to have the family of 6 I had always dreamed of.  Due to some complications early on I had several ultrasounds during the first 5 months in order to monitor the baby.  To my surprise, at an ultrasound I had during my 13th week, the technician asked if I wanted to know what we were having.  I immediately thought to myself if you can see "it" this early, it's obviously a boy.  Then she showed me on the screen and there "it" was (or so we thought -ha!).  Although I had hoped to keep the gender a surprise, knowing we were having another little boy was also very exciting.  I decided to keep it a secret from my hubby and on Christmas morning I gave him the good news.  In the days and weeks that followed we decided to share this knowledge with our immediate family and close friends.  It all seemed to make sense...I had gained very little weight and in addition my skin, which is normally prone to acne had suddenly cleared once I became pregnant.  How I looked was a sure indication for me, that I was indeed carrying a boy.  My pregnancy with our daughter Georgia was very different - I've never felt so unattractive (not to mention I gained nearly 65 pounds!).  We went so far as beginning to donate a few things we knew we wouldn't be using anymore.  I even started planning ideas for the new nursery and began purchasing a few items.  We were very excited about the news and completely unprepared for what happened next...

At 16 weeks I had another ultrasound.  I explained to the technician that we had already found out the gender but since I was there, I was hoping he could confirm it.  Unfortunately he wasn't able to.  He explained that it was still very early and that they would look at the gender during my next scheduled ultrasound.  To be honest I didn't think much of it...although the thought did cross my mind that perhaps he didn't want to say anything because he felt it wasn't a boy.  Regardless we waited another 3 weeks and continued with our plans to welcome another little boy.

Then it was time for the big ultrasound (18-20 weeks).  For the first time I had a new technician that day.  He was very professional and showed little interest in any form of conversation.  Finally after about twenty minutes, he started to warm up a little (probably because I wouldn't stop talking -ha!), but remained hesitant to answer any questions regarding the gender...he insisted that was for the radiologist to confirm.  I literally tried begging him to tell me what he thought we were having - with no luck.  However after some pleading he finally agreed to show me the screen and let me determine what I thought it was.  I'd been there, done this so I figured it would be obvious.  "What do you see?" he asked...after several minutes of staring at the same picture I surprisingly responded "nothing???".  I turned to him hoping for some direction and all he said was "exactly".  Oh my goodness, I thought to myself...it's a girl.  I left feeling completely shocked and couldn't stop laughing when I called Jord to tell him the news.  The truth is we really didn't care either way but now we felt like we were back at the beginning - not really knowing.  

Within a few days my doctor had received the final report and indeed the radiologist had confirmed it was most likely a girl, however based on the location of the umbilical cord (which fell directly between the legs), my doctor clarified that it was very unclear.  Well that being said I began to consider the possibility of a 3D ultrasound.  With Valentine's day just around the corner my hubby and I decided it would be the perfect gift to give each other.  I began the online search and called several companies.  Eventually I found one that offered a Gender Reveal Package for $50.  It was by far the least expensive and although it only included a 10 minute gender reveal session (no fancy add-ons - you couldn't even hear the heartbeat), it was all we needed.  I booked the appointment immediately.  It was later in the evening so unfortunately I had to go on my own, allowing Jordan to stay home and get the kiddies into bed.

I arrived feeling beyond excited.  I had never had a 3D ultrasound before but after discussing it with friends and family I was lead to believe I would have an answer immediately.  That wasn't exactly the case...my 10 minute session turned into a nearly 40 minute observation with very little progress until the final few minutes.  Thankfully I was her last appointment that evening so she had some extra time.  It made sense considering I would have to come back if they were unable to determine the gender (most companies will invite you to return at no charge).  We tried everything...changing positions, taking breaks, lightly jogging on the spot, you name it - we did it.  We were both becoming very frustrated and almost at the point of giving up, however as a last resort she asked me to go to the washroom.  Although your bladder is usually expected to be full during an ultrasound, it was worth a shot.  Immediately we started to make progress.  Going to washroom had relieved just enough pressure to allow the umbilical cord enough space to move forward (once again it had been directly between the legs the entire session).  Then in a matter of minutes she captured one photo after the next...I just lay there motionless anticipating the results.  "Congratulations" she announced, "You're having a GIRL!".  Finally we had an answer and I was so excited to call Jord and tell him the news.

The Ultrasound Clinic: http://www.gvm3d4dbabyworld.com/address-map.html

Considering we had already made the announcement once before we decided with Family Day and my grandfather's 99th birthday coming up we would do something extra special.  I searched Pinterest and found a number of gender reveal ideas.  My hubby loved the thought of cutting into a cake and revealing the colour...and the kiddies definitely agreed (what kid doesn't like cake?).  I baked two cakes with the help of Hudson and Georgia - they even managed to keep it all a secret before our families were able to cut into them. 

 

 

Everyone agreed another little girl was the perfect final addition to our family.  More importantly knowing that the pregnancy was progressing well and to date our little girl was healthy and happy was all that really mattered.

 

Have a wonderful week!