We found out some exciting news regarding the stats in our family. It's a win for team blue!
I say a "win for team blue" but as we explained to the girls last night, it's a win for all of us to celebrate the upcoming addition of another little buckaroo to our family! In regards to the photo above, you might think the twins were hoping for a sister when you set your eyes upon their identical stone cold stares haha! Maybe our next little mister can be the cheeseball of the family offering more smiles than we can handle ; )
Friends of mine at the Women's Clinic where I do ultrasound offered to put me on the schedule this week. It didn't take long for me to agree! Steve, Jenny, our nieces, nephew & Robby's parents were spending the day at our house. Rob had stayed awake all night with the smoker fired up, the kids were wild & dirty digging around in the backyard while the rest of us were keeping the house moving along. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of brisket & pulled pork followed by lounging on the patio. Some dozed off to sleep while Charlotte created her own "ballot" for the family to cast their votes.
All said & done we were tied at 9 for girl & 9 for boy. Owen & Anson were asked over 20 times each this past week & held true to their first response which was "girl" for Owen & "boy" for Anson. I started this pregnancy thinking it was a boy then the girls were relentless referring to the baby as "she" & I fell into line with them. Robby guessed boy the whole time while the rest of the family was all over the board...evenly. My Dad, a big Short Circuit movie fan has called this baby "Johnny number 5" from the day we shared another baby was on the way. He was pleased to find out that the gender was right but I had to let him know that "Johnny number five Valentine" would not be on the birth certificate...maybe it can be his nickname ; )
Charlotte & Eloise joined us to see the babe via a screen at the clinic. Our plan was to watch all of the ultrasound until the "peeking" part when we would turn our heads away. We were wanting Gina to circle boy or girl on a paper that we would take home & open as a family. The plan was in effect until my friend commented on the amount of umbilical cord in all the wrong places further complicated by crossed ankles & position of legs. I had to laugh as I thought about my conversation with the girls en route to the "pregnant center" as Charlotte called it. I told them that most of the time you can see if the baby is a boy or a girl but on occasion the baby is not in the right position & you leave without knowing. I also laughed because they never asked (like I thought they might) how they can tell if it's a boy or a girl. Soooo many conversations bound to be headed our way in the near future ; ) Robby & I decided to look with Gina & try to figure out what we were seeing. After a lot of maneuvering we took a break from the ultrasound & chatted for a minute. We discussed just waiting another couple weeks then decided to give the baby one more chance. I did a little wiggling/rolling side to side on the table & when the transducer was back on, what do you you know? It was definitely able to be confirmed that ....
I don't find it necessary to post the "proof" if you know what I mean : ) What is much more darling to look at is this sweet baby boys' face...
tootsies....
and all other wiggles we saw including some thumb-sucking, not sure where these kids pick that up but I should have looked into it long ago ; )
What a treat it was to even see him in 3D!
The girls were precious as they watched the baby move around on the screen & surprised me with how they knew where the head & feet were. Their eyes were huge when they heard the heartbeat & they had all kinds of comments that an almost 4 & 6 year old older sibling would have. The three adults spoke in code the whole time so the girls were unaware of the news until we told them in the car. Charlotte took it pretty well even though I think there was a little disappointment since she had baby girl on the brain for weeks & weeks. She has remembered that "baby brothers are the silliest & goofiest people to have around." Eloise on the other hand didn't take it so well. We
were on the tail end of a four day party with the other Valentine clan & all kids were living on the edge of emotional stability so I think some of her "unstable" reaction is due to that fact. She let us know that she definitely wanted a sister instead of a brother & if it really was a brother that I needed to have one more baby...Charlotte agreed. I think they were most mad about the fact that a baby sister would have eventually been their roommate so the thought of Owen & Anson enjoying an overnight guest really got them riled up. On Lolo's part, there was a little yelling & a little kicking but as she is snuggled up next to me now, she says she loves baby brothers & their small baby feet. We knew it wouldn't take long : ) On that roommate thing, they reminded us how they really want to take care of the baby all night long so we assured them that whether boy, girl or puppy....they can give it a whirl!
Once we arrived home, Grammy & Papa got to open the envelope to find out the exciting news & they were definitely excited! This little guy evens their grandkid tallys to 4 boys & 4 girls. I think Steve & Jenny may have enjoyed the evening more had Steve not been feeling sick & if there had been less chaos in the 5 year old & under age group. Sharing a special moment during this pregnancy with them was important knowing that they will likely not meet this baby for at least a few years since he will be born just months after they head to Poland.
Rob & I love thinking about two big sisters & three little misters in our Nest. A sister would have been well doted on & protected but I am guessing a brother will experience these same things in a different way. Looking down the line to outings or special events, Mom & the girls + Dad & the boys sounds great considering the ages. Since the girls have been potty trained I have taken them to the restroom in public 99% of the time although every now & then I have begged Robby to. His response back in the day of two little ladies was "You take the girls & if & when we have boys, I will take them." I agreed. Once we knew twin boys were on the way I made more than a few comments about how fun it will be for "boys' trips" to the restroom. When I called my mom last night she made me laugh out loud when she said "Well, it sounds like Robby is going to be one busy man when you all go out to dinner!" SO true! By that point, Robby & I can just enjoy our chips & salsa while the well trained mini mamas take care of the three little misters ; ) We were laughing about this last night & Robby said that we never really needed to potty train any of the boys....he's rather take out another mortgage on diapers for the next 10 years than take three boys to the bathroom.
All that to say, we loved finding out a bit more of what's coming our way in October! My favorite part of our conversation with the girls about "we all win" even though we had made different guesses was reminding them that God is the one who designs a family the best way He sees fit. It could mean by timing & gender or through adoption or even through pain. Knowing He cares for us, knows what's best for us & does all things for his glory, adding baby boy number three to the mix puts some big smiles on our faces!
This little one has been making some big enough moves that I have felt about once a day for the past week....LOVE IT! The ONLY downer is that boys are super hard for us to name. I guess we have "Johnny number 5" as a back up plan ; ) Come on hot summer....fall comes next!
