Sugar and spice and everything nice

We're having a girl! That's right, this pregnancy just got real. Names, nursery, clothing, all these things must be taken more seriously now that we know we're having a little girl come October.

On Friday, Robert, Aidan, and I went to the U to have my 18 week ultrasound. For perhaps the first time in our marriage, Robert beat me to the maternal diagnostic ward, which showed that he understood the gravity of this appointment. Luckily, we were soon ushered back to the ultrasound room where a technician started checking the baby right away. Our little family waited with bated breath as she checked out the baby's anatomy. For those of you who haven't done the 18-20 week ultrasound, there truly is nothing like it. The anticipation, the fear, the excitement. Aidan was in awe at what was happening inside of me. He kept alternately saying, "This is so crazy" and "This is so creepy." Every time I saw legs on the screen, I tried to get a look at the baby's nether regions. One time, I distinctly thought I saw a penis. But when it came time to actually look, the tech said, "See those three lines there?" -- and I knew what that meant -- "It's a girl!" Robert, Aidan, and I looked at each other, all of us grinning. Even Aidan who wanted a boy was like, "Oh my gosh, we're going to have a girl." It was one of the coolest moments of my life and, cross my heart, I am even tearing up now as I write about it.

Ziggy's a girl! 

After about a minute of grinning and awed silence Aidan said, "Maybe Ziggy will be a lawyer like Dad. Or maybe she'll be a librarian like you, Mom." I love that in Aidan's mind this baby can already be anything.

Of course, he had to stick his foot in his mouth at least once. At one point the tech was trying to see something in the baby's brain and said, "The baby is just not cooperating." Aidan, tactful as ever, said, "Maybe she doesn't like you." **Mortified**

At one point Robert said to me, "We have officially become the All-American family -- Dad, Mom, son, daughter, and a dog."  It was a very meta observation.

As soon as we left, Robert and I immediately called my mom, his mom, my sister, his sister, my two brothers, my sister-in-law, and Kristen. I held off on calling Christine and Lenore because we had planned a small gender reveal party with the kids for the following night. Basically I tried not to talk to them for a day because I know I would end up squealing, "It's a girl!" the second I was on the phone with them. I even took a trip to Costco without Christine on Saturday because I knew I couldn't make it through a shopping trip without spilling the beans. Props to people who can keep a secret for months. I can't.

On Saturday night Christine cooked dinner, and I baked a gender reveal cake that would either be pink or blue on the inside depending on the sex of the baby. The kids and Lenore were dying to cut the cake first so as soon as everyone was assembled, we jumped straight to the main event...

I love Silas' look of anticipation

It's pink (and delicious)! 

Christine had two presents ready to go - one for a boy and one for a girl.

Current score - Boys - 4; Girls - 3 - Aiden, Silas, Mimi, Betty, Aidan, Abby, and Jude 

Team Gender Reveal - Robert, me, Sam, Chelsie, Christine, Lenore, Danny, and Baby Betty

Big thanks to Christine for feeding the 14 of us (sixteen if you include the babies in utero) and to all our friends and family for being almost as excited as we are!