Yesterday we had our ultrasound to check on the baby and to hopefully find out what flavor of baby I have growing in my ever expanding belly. Leading up to this appointment, I worried that the baby wouldn't cooperate and it would remain a mystery. Obviously, we would have dealt with it, but it helps to plan and prepare the baby's arrival if we know the gender. It helps prepare the boys, it helps with the shopping and it helps with the name selection.
So we went in for our appointment and the ultrasound tech asked us if we wanted to know the gender. We said "absolutely"! The baby had its legs crossed and arms over its head so I wasn't sure if we would be able to tell, but the ultrasound tech moved the wand over to a different angle and there was our proof! It is definitely all boy! Jason and the boys really wanted a girl. I was indifferent. While I would have liked to have a little girl to dress in pink and bows, I am comfortable with raising boys. I know their quirks. This pregnancy took us by surprise so any other changes may put me over the edge! I didn't realize how nervous I was for it to be a girl until we found out it was a boy and felt a relief wash over me. I am not a fan of change and I worry about starting over with a baby after all these years with big boys in the house. Now that it will be another boy, I am more comfortable with the transition we will make from a family of 4 to 5. If it would have been a girl, I think I would have been more cautious around it until I got back into the baby groove, but another boy doesn't scare me at all! I have no problem throwing this one into the baby sling and carting it off with us for a hockey or soccer game.
Aidan was disappointed when we told them it was a girl. He really wanted a sister. But he is starting to come around. We have tried to explain that now he won't have to play Barbies with his sister or go to her dance recital, etc. When we go back to Disney, we will still be able to bypass the Princess stuff and head right for the Pirates!
I know a lot of people, friends and family members, were hoping for a girl this time, but the most important thing is that this baby is healthy and growing quickly! Actually he is a little bigger than he is expected to be at 19 weeks. According to my baby app, at 19 weeks, the baby is supposed to 8.5oz. This baby is measuring about 11 ounces. And in my experience, that has always been a low estimate. Carson measured out at 6 pounds, 7 ounces at his last ultrasound. He was born less than a week later at a whopping 8 pounds 8oz. So this one will likely come early as Aidan and Carson did. I guess my babies "cook" faster. Aidan was 8 pounds at 3 weeks early and Carson was 8.5 at a little more than 2 weeks early. According to my baby app, this baby is about 2 weeks ahead of schedule.
So far this pregnancy has been fine. I didn't experience any morning sickness but I have been really exhausted. It has lessened a little in the second trimester, but being in the middle of tax season is enough to make anyone tired! I have less than a month left of tax season so hopefully I can relax soon.
The baby is head down and is straight up and down right now. So that explains all of the pressure on my bladder lately. Hopefully he shifts a little as he gets bigger or I will be heading to the bathroom every time I stand up!
Now that we know the gender, the battle of the names begins. Before we knew what the gender was, we wrote down a bunch of names we liked and figured we would revisit once the baby revealed itself. Jason has liked the name Max for a while. I really like the name too but I want his proper name to be longer. I don't really like any of the longer "Max" names, so we are stuck on that one for right now. Jason also likes Jackson. I like the name too but we would probably call him Jack and we know a lot of Jacks already. So I was looking online for other name ideas and came across a different spelling for it, Jaxxon and we could call him Jax for short. I think this is the name on the top of the list right now. There are several that I like and Jason has vetoed and vice versa. So we will see if the name sticks or if we find another one we like. With both Aidan and Carson we decided early on in the pregnancy and we have loved their names always. Other names on the list so far are Axel (Aidan's favorite), Chandler, Harrison (I love this name but I don't want people to call him Harry-so this one might be out), and Jakob. We also have Maddox and Maxson on the list as a longer version of Max, but we have a nephew, Mason and that is too close to Maxson and Jason doesn't love Maddox. I guess I should just mark these off now.
For a middle name, we were first thinking Michael, after Jason's middle name, but then a friend pointed out the similarity to Michael Jackson. Ok, pass! We are also looking at Grandpa and Great Grandpa names. We are between 2 favorites right now and are debating if we should just give the baby 2 middle names. Is that weird? Do I care? Not sure. Middle names are seldom used, so I am not sure I care if it is weird or not. Something to ponder.
Now that we know the gender, let the shopping and decorating begin! I am between a couple different bedding sets. I would really like to do something besides blue again, but I am not finding any that I really love with other colors. Plus the room the baby will be in is already painted a baby blue (as Jason pointed out), so less work there if we went with blue. Since this baby was a surprise, we don't have any baby clothes from Aidan or Carson so I need to start stocking up again. Since this will be a summer baby, I think I need to buy more onesies and cooler outfits than the sleepers and fleece outfits I had for the older boys.
I can't believe this baby will be here in about 4 months. This pregnancy has gone so quickly already. Keep growing baby boy Grey and we will see you in July/August when you decide you are "cooked" enough!
