The results are in!

I had everyone vote: Bow or Beau. Girl or Boy.  I asked people in person, via text messages, via Facebook and via Instagram.  I wanted everyone's vote!  I expected the polls to show a more bias divide; there were a whole lot of votes on either side.  But one side did win.

The results were: Boy: 17 / Girl: 24

Our little one is pretty patriotic; this I've known.  I have always liked the country in which I live, but since I have been pregnant, I have felt an immense amount of patriotism - more than possibly ever before.  I get choked up seeing the purple mountains' majesty; I nearly bawl when the soldiers march by in the parade.  It's been intense.  So it would make sense that our baby would concede to the popular vote.

It's a GIRL!

I was so, so anxious and excited for the ultrasound.  I seriously was having to take deep, calming breaths and was honestly scared I would throw up.  I don't know what was wrong with me.  I wasn't worried about anything in particular.  I genuinely would have been thrilled with either gender.  I have been there / done that twice now, for heaven's sake!  I'm not sure why I was so worked up.  But the second I was in the chair with the goopy jelly on my belly, I calmed down.  There was my baby.  Healthy, measuring to-date, and perfectly formed.  ((Huge sigh...))  The obstetric tech asked if we wanted to know the gender; we said yes.  She asked if we wanted her to check that right away; we said no, that we could get there when we got there.  I think she was sweetly trying to accommodate my anxiety, but it really had dissolved by then.  I felt calm and happy and good.  So she measured and checked the technical things she needed to: the femur, the head circumference, the lip and nose, the stomach, the heart and its chambers, the brain, etc.  She explained it all as she went along, and it was beautiful to see.  No problems, no concerns.  Then she showed us the genital region, and ta-da: it was a girl after all.  I asked her to check and double check and triple check.  I need to know for sure before I start planning/decorating, lol.  She did, and she said she was confident: our baby is for sure a little girl.

I was convinced during the ultrasound that it was going to be a boy.  This didn't disappoint me in any way; I was just sure that my intuition was faulty and there was no way I could have known.  But I did!  In Jolie's words, "My knowed!"  Maybe I have motherly intuition after all!  James and Derek had both voted "boy."  I asked Derek if he was disappointed, and he said of course he wasn't.  Then he admitted that he honestly just voted boy because I voted girl... to cover both bases.  That little stink.  And James said he wanted it to be a boy so that we could eat the blue M&Ms that are in the fridge, lol.  My boys... 

After the appointment, Derek and I went to Kohls to pick out a little gift for our bitty baby girl.  We have a tradition of going out to buy our baby a gift the day we find out the gender, etc.  For James, it was a little newborn (preemie, maybe) outfit and a snuggly blue blankie.  For Jolie, it was a set of cuppie cake onesies for her to come home in.  This adorable outfit was the winner this time.  It was the colors I love, love, love: coral and navy (with gold, grey and white... so pretty).  And it was the first item we found that made Derek swoon.  "Awww, loook at the little jeggings!" he said.  I could have melted.  What man even knows what jeggings are?!  You can tell he has a little girl.  He's such a good daddy.

We also bought James and Jolie a little present each: a skirt for Jolie and some super hero undies for James.  When we got home, we had the oh-so-excited kids gather around for the big reveal.  I pulled out Jolie's skirt and said, "This is way too big for a baby; I think it must be for you!"  Then I pulled out Jamesie's undies and said, "And these are cool, but still way too big for a baby; they must be for you!"  Finally I pulled out the teeny little girl outfit and said, "But this looks like it would fit a baby!!"  And they both lit up, and said, "It's a GIRL!!"  No disappointment, not a titch.  Just sheer joy at the sweet little sister they have growing in Mommy's tummy.  They were so happy.  It was so sweet.

We all are so happy.  This baby belongs in our family; we can already tell.  I am so, so grateful that she is measuring appropriately and developing well.  I am super grateful that my cervix is nice and long, and that my body is accepting and embracing this pregnancy.  I am grateful for my beautiful children, all three of them.  And I am so grateful for our wonderful little family... 

Anderson, party of five?  Your table is ready.