It's a....

Boy! We went in for our scheduled Amniocentesis yesterday morning. Right before it, we - baby and I - received a thorough ultrasound check up. And there, after a few minutes of looking at the vital organs, backbone, bone structure and so on and so forth, the technician asked us if we were interested in baby's gender. We said "yes!" She maneuvered the - whatever that thing is called - to the baby's genital area and we saw quite clearly that bun 2 is going to be a boy! Even though Dennis and I didn't really have a preference, we were both overjoyed to hear that bun 2 is going to be a boy (subject to the results confirming this of course). A girl and a boy we would have. What happy news. Zoe is going to have a little brother, and Dennis and I are going to be parents to a boy too.

Baby Inside

Zoe knows of the baby growing inside me almost right from the beginning. We thought she deserve to know, and should be prepped for it, since her life would be vastly impacted after the arrival of another little one in the family. So far, aside from a short period where she was at turns extra clingy and extra hard on me, and insisting that she is a baby (and no longer the "big girl" she was so proud of being), she is taking it very well. She says things like "I'll sit right here next to Mama so that I don't squeeze baby, alright?" or "I'll sit down carefully on Mama's belly, alright?" She obviously took to heart what Dennis said about her being careful with mama and not plopping herself down to hard on my lap. The other day, she stuffed one of her animals under her dress and proceeded to tell me how she too she a baby in her belly!

Of course, no matter what, there must be a period of insecurity when a new baby comes home. For the first couple of weeks, as I recuperate and adjust to taking care of a newborn again, I'd have less time for Zoe. No longer will she have (almost) undivided attention from me. She'd have to share!

We are preparing her for it - at least trying to tell her about the things she can do. We tell her that she can teach the new baby things. In fact, when I told her as much the other day, she thought - with her thumb in her mouth - for a minute, and then declared that she would teach the baby "how to suck the thumb!" (Of course, She removed her thumb from her mouth just long enough to make that declaration).

Sixteen weeks inside!