We had our 20 week ultrasound on Friday and ... it's a boy!!! We are thrilled to add a little blue to our house and can't wait to meet this precious baby at the end of March. We bought Claire a big blue balloon to tell her the news and she has warmed right up to the idea of having a baby brother. She even helped us pick out some little blue socks for him at the store.
I have always thought of this baby as a boy. During my last miscarriage, I had a dream that I had just delivered a baby and was laying in a hospital bed holding my newborn son. (I wrote about it in this post.) The dream was so vivid and I woke up with a real sense of peace about that loss. I felt like God was reassuring me, encouraging me that there would be joy at the end of that pain. Finding out that this baby is indeed a boy feels like confirmation of that promise, and I am filled with gratitude for what God is giving us.
The rest of the ultrasound went very well. Everything they were able to see looked healthy. At the end of the ultrasound, however, the tech said she would like us to come back in four weeks for a follow-up ultrasound. There was a "shadow" over the baby's heart and she wants to check in on it again to see if we can get better pictures. I admit I am a little concerned. I wonder if there is a problem with the heart, and I read online that "shadows" can be a soft marker for downs syndrome. But we did have the early trisomy screening and our numbers were very good, so I'm trying not to spend the next 4 weeks worrying. Instead, I'm going to focus on that dream of our baby boy, pray for a clean bill of health at the next ultrasound, and trust God to take care of our family.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Telling Claire
After our 14 week appointment, we decided it was time to tell Claire. I ordered a big sister shirt, gift wrapped it with a pretty pink ribbon, and grabbed some books about becoming a big sister.
After Claire's nap, Josh and I sat down with her to read one of the books. When we finished the book, we presented her with the gift (the big sister shirt) and explained that she was going to be a big sister. When we told her there was a baby growing in my tummy, she looked confused. She stared at my belly, then put her face right up against it.
"But I don't see a baby."
She wanted proof! So I pulled out the latest ultrasound pictures and showed her the baby. Her eyes lit up and she said, "Awww, it's so cute!" From that moment, she has fully embraced the idea of being a big sister. Here's a picture of her in her new big sister shirt.
She talks about "our baby" and sometimes even calls it "my baby", and I love that she sees this baby as her own. She asked for her own ultrasound picture of the baby, which she actually slept with for several days until we convinced her to move it to her bookcase. She tells random strangers at restaurants that there's a baby in my tummy. She whispers "secrets" to the baby in my belly (should I be concerned that they're already plotting together?). And when we go to the store, she's always asking to buy things for the baby. I tell her we should wait to find out if our baby is a girl or a boy before we buy things, so we haven't done much shopping yet. But this Friday, we're hoping to find out the gender, so there is definitely a onsie shopping spree in our future!
I'll update after Friday's ultrasound, but if anyone wants to guess whether we'll need pink or blue, feel free to comment and cast your vote!
After Claire's nap, Josh and I sat down with her to read one of the books. When we finished the book, we presented her with the gift (the big sister shirt) and explained that she was going to be a big sister. When we told her there was a baby growing in my tummy, she looked confused. She stared at my belly, then put her face right up against it.
"But I don't see a baby."
She wanted proof! So I pulled out the latest ultrasound pictures and showed her the baby. Her eyes lit up and she said, "Awww, it's so cute!" From that moment, she has fully embraced the idea of being a big sister. Here's a picture of her in her new big sister shirt.
She talks about "our baby" and sometimes even calls it "my baby", and I love that she sees this baby as her own. She asked for her own ultrasound picture of the baby, which she actually slept with for several days until we convinced her to move it to her bookcase. She tells random strangers at restaurants that there's a baby in my tummy. She whispers "secrets" to the baby in my belly (should I be concerned that they're already plotting together?). And when we go to the store, she's always asking to buy things for the baby. I tell her we should wait to find out if our baby is a girl or a boy before we buy things, so we haven't done much shopping yet. But this Friday, we're hoping to find out the gender, so there is definitely a onsie shopping spree in our future!
I'll update after Friday's ultrasound, but if anyone wants to guess whether we'll need pink or blue, feel free to comment and cast your vote!
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