And with this, we shall move forward....

So everyone pretty much already knows now....but.....

Yep, that's right. I got what I wanted. Neil says he was 50/50 with his wants, but he divulged right after we found out the news that he thinks he might have wanted a girl a TAD more. But now that he's had time to process it....the visions have set in and he's excited to have a little Bardolph (that is the name he's been calling our first son since I met him... ) to tag behind him when he does work around the house, checks the weather, looks at clouds or goes on walks. And makes fun of me.

So the ultrasound experience was definitely memorable. For starters, my amazing husband was 17 minutes late. Which means I was there, with my belly being probed...watching the nugget in my womb room...without him there to watch with me. The U/S tech kept asking, "are you sure he's coming?" So I was like, "yes, I swear... please wait for the gender announcement until he gets here."

Neil called me and said that some dumb elderly lady went down the wrong side of the road on Metcalf (through a construction zone) and freaked out when she did so, and ended up driving over tons of cones. These cones got stuck under her car, which caused her to stop, and barricaded the rest of the traffic until someone helped her remove said cones...and therefore, my baby's daddy was delayed in getting to us. As an aside....let this just be one more argument why people over the age of 75 should have to retest to drive each year. And give them scenarios as described above so they don't eff up other people's lives.

So while I'm lying there, my heart all a pitter because I want to know so badly if it's a boy or a girl... I am so irked that Neil isn't there and I know that I've studied enough YouTube videos that if the netherregions come up on the screen, I will know. I will KNOW.

And I knew.

My heart lurched with joy, and then I got all cautious and thought that there is a possibility I really don't know what the heck I'm looking at and that maybe it was a toe or something. So I kept mum and pretended I was oblivious.

And finally, at 1:17 p.m., my husband was there. The U/S tech hurriedly went through all the "fun" parts to show Neil (this was his first ultrasound that wasn't just a murky blob, so I think he was a bit in awe of what was before him....but he didn't make a sound because I'm sure he was feeling sheepish for missing the first 15 minutes.)

When she finished pointing out the major landmarks, I said, "Ok, I'm ready for you to see what gender it is..."  The U/S Tech said, "Well, I already know," with a coy smile.

(Backstory: I did tell her when I showed up that I was nervous and that I wanted a boy and if I just told her now, maybe I'd cry less if I found out it was a girl. She soothed me by saying that she's seen all the responses in the world and nothing will shock her. Oh yeah, that's right. It's her job.)

She went straight for "that" area and as she did, I said, "I think I know, too." Then Neil piped up, "Is it a hot dog or a cheeseburger?" (I had just taught him these terms the night before. If you don't know, a cheese/hamburger is a girl, and a hotdog is a boy; the girl descriptor confuses some...so google it and you might see why it's called that.)

A few moments later, U/S tech confirmed what I did see. "A hot dog!"she triumphantly announced. And showed us.

I squealed and teared up with the assurance now that my hunch all along was right, even though I doubted my own hunch because it was a hunch. Hooray!!!

So here is our kiddo. And yes, Troy, you will be the first to comment that he looks super creepy, nearly alien-like. We are aware of this. I trust he'll become more Earthling-like the closer we get to January. This is not the sound that was LIVE with our finding out....but I did narrate it a bit dorkily while recording it off of the DVD player on my iphone. (Yes, you can get your U/S recorded if you call ahead to see what type of disc to bring....)

And the madness has indeed begun. I thought I wouldn't want to buy clothes galore...cuz it's "just" a boy. (I have a separate post on my thoughts about boy clothing offerings.......) But I was wrong. I went shopping with my friend Gina right after and bought $100 worth of stuff at Once Upon A Child, mostly...and a few things at Baby Gap...then I went with my pal Cara on Friday night and got more things from Target. Then I went to Wal-mart tonight while waiting for my To Go order for dinner to be ready...and got more. (But I got 7 things for $17 there cuz everything was on clearance.) And then every morning, I look on Gilt and Zulily and I MIGHT just shop from the comfort of my bed. What a way to wake up! Cute onesie? Cha-ching! Darling romper? Fun pajamas? Why yes, I will get up for that!!

So yay. This mama-to-be is super happy on that level. And I'm feeling pretty good too...!!



p.s. I feel horrible this is just a postscript, but I'm all about honesty. All the other detailed screenings during this U/S looked good too...so that's a bigger yay than finding out there is wing-wonger in our future. (that is a term from my mom.)