girlchild

I know some people don't want to know the sex of their baby until the baby is born, and that's great.

Me, I always want to know beforehand because I'm impatient.

We knew for sure with J. and E., but with H., they told us they were pretty sure he was a boy, but couldn't be 100% positive. So there was a little bit of a surprise factor there.

I find that after I know the baby's sex, I start to feel more connected to her, like she's a real person and not a strange medical condition causing me to blow up like a blimp. That's exactly how it has been for me since finding out our baby is a girl a few days ago. The pregnancy seems more exciting and more real. I find myself talking to her and patting my tummy, which I wasn't really doing before. It's easier to know what to start buying for her.

ALso, it's nice for the kids to know. It makes the whole thing more real to them, too. J. is so excited about having a baby sister, I thought herhead might explode when I told her. E. wanted a boy, but after some discussion, he realizes that there are some advantages to remaining the special, youngest boychild. And H. is 15. It's another baby sibling, you know? After all, H. has two younger siblings and 9 younger cousins on my side of the family alone, so he's used to whole new baby thing.

Yesterday my sister surprised me with an adorable pink newborn outfit that will be perfect for Baby Girl to wear home from the hospital after she's born, and I found myself having a moment of "Wow, there's a real human baby girl in there, and in a few months, she'll wear this," and was really excited.

I am looking forward to Jon settling on a name. That will make it even more tangible ("Charlotte" seems to be the favorite at the moment). And I can't wait to meet her.