One of the most exciting parts of being pregnant is finding out the gender. More power to the people who can wait 40 weeks, but I am most definitely not one of them! From the minute I conceive I just WANT TO KNOW WHAT I'M HAVING!!! haha!
This pregnancy was very similar to Avonlea's.
I.WAS.SICK.
Every day, all day, for 18 weeks.
While I threw up 16-20 times a day with Avonlea, this baby didn't quite make me throw up as much (which I was grateful for). But I also had the exact same cravings as my girl pregnancy...give me ALL the rice and beans from Sol (A Mexican restaurant in town!), and all the sweets and cold fruits!
So naturally I guessed I was having a girl. I had felt very certain Avonlea was a girl, and in the same vein, I had felt very certain that Everett was a boy. And I was clearly right both times. So I trusted my instincts.
Avonlea also was convinced she was having a sister. Every single time I asked her if the baby was a boy or girl, she flat out said "girl", never hesitated or ever said boy.
So...by 19 weeks I had already planned my baby girl's nursery in my mind, Kevin and I had decided on a name we both loved, and we were kind of referring to the baby as a girl, especially around the kids (as Avonlea would only take girl/sister as an answer anyway!)
Well...the day of our ultrasound came, and it was like Christmas morning to me. I was so excited:) The ultrasound tech was nice, but rather chatty, and was resolved to measure every single thing before telling us the gender (which I was kind of like JUST TELL ME NOW!!! but I refrained from that haha). After almost an hour, she casually said "what do you think the baby is?" to which I replied "girl" and then she matter of factly said "it's a boy". And then pretty much our ultrasound was done.
Friends...I was SHOCKED. Like...what in the world?!?! I actually wanted to say, "wait...are you sure? Can you look again?". But even I could see the evidence on the ultrasound screen, haha!
Soo.....It's a BOY!!!!
We really are so excited.
But I won't lie. I don't think I realized how strong my expectations for a girl were. Like I said, it was all planned out in my mind. I didn't realize I had so many emotions about the gender, but my body just let loose and I actually cried in the car for 30 minutes before we went home.
I think I wanted Avonlea to have a sister so bad. I have 2 sisters and love them dearly. Sisterhood is a sweet thing. And I was really nervous to tell her that she wasn't getting a sister.
Fast forward to the gender reveal, and both my family and Kevin's family all poured themselves colored lemonade and berries (pink lemonade and strawberries for girl, and blue lemonade and blueberries for boy).
The majority of people guessed girl, but a few people guessed boy!
When we sprayed whip cream into the blueberries and everyone shouted "it's a boy", Avonlea was stunned, not sure what to make of the news. She looked at me with her big blue eyes and said "mama, it's a girl". And I had to tell her that it is going to be a baby brother. She ran to me, threw her arms around my neck and burst into tears. "I wanted a sister" she sobbed. It broke my heart, truly.
But by the end of the party, she ran up to me, hugged me, and said "mama, I think it's a boy too". She kissed my face, and then ran off to play with all her cousins.
As I've had time to process, God has given me and Avonlea both so much peace about adding a sweet boy to our family. She is so excited for her brother, and I am so excited to have another son. I've been comforted by the fact that God is the one who puts us in family's, He knows exactly the right family structure for us, and He is in control working out his will for God's glory!
This sweet baby boy is for God's glory, and I am so honored and excited to carry him, birth him, raise him, and love him forever.
So here's to another baby boy joining our family!!
