It's a...

Two weeks ago, we drove to OKC for our second and final appointment with the high-risk doctor. Because our first pregnancy was a molar pregnancy we were referred out of an abundance of caution. Fortunately, Dr. Smith was able to clear us after everything checked out.

Being there again reminded me of our first visit with her. We knew we would be having an ultrasound to find out the gender of the baby that day. We were so excited to finally learn if we were welcoming a little girl or little boy. I had put off planning so many things until we knew that critical piece of the puzzle, so I was ready to find out.

Unfortunately, neither of us felt well that day. I had been in a fog all day thanks to sinus issues, and I was completely out of energy. Kyle was having similar problems with a headache that just wouldn't go away. It was the one flaw in my great plan for that day.

I may have considered not finding out the gender had Kyle not been so eager to know. I didn't feel strongly either way, though, so the planner in me was easily persuaded. :) As the day neared, I tried to talk Kyle into a gender reveal party but to no avail. He was adamant that he did not want a big production. I was a little disappointed by that because I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion. So I came up with a compromise. Instead of finding out the gender in the doctor's office, I had planned a special photo shoot for just us later that day. We would give the envelope to our photographer and let her capture the moment as we learned the news. We could then share the photos with family and friends to share the news in a special way. Kyle wasn't thrilled, but he agreed to the plan.

The next step was finding a photographer, which turned out to be pretty easy. I work with some talented people, and one of them is in the process of building her photography business. I asked her if she would be up for something like this, and I was pleasantly surprised when she came up with lots of fun ideas at our first meeting. I knew she would be the perfect person for the job, and she didn't disappoint. If you are looking for a great photographer, I encourage you to check out her work at: http://www.mrsmarymc.com/.

After a 40+ minute wait at Dr. Smith's office, we were finally called back. I must have a very sensitive stomach because ultrasounds are always a little uncomfortable for me. This one lasted a while, so I squirmed on the chair as Kyle laughed at me. The baby's legs were over it's head the whole time, so it was very easy for them to tell the gender. Kyle kept asking if I was sure I wanted to wait to find out. I stuck to my guns, though. We watched our little one off and on as they completed all the measurements. All looked good, so they sent us on our way.

We drove back to Stillwater just in time for a quick change before the photo shoot. Once we got to the Botanic Garden, I was no longer thinking about how poorly I felt. I was just excited. Mary had everything set up for us. We did a few test shots and then it was the moment of truth. Kyle was sure it was a girl because he had counted key strokes when the ultrasound tech was typing it in. I truly did not have a strong feeling either way, but because of a few dreams I'd had, I was leaning toward a girl as well. That will explain our shocked expressions as blue smoke started rising out of the box. As you can tell, Kyle was thrilled. He was nervous he wouldn't know what to do with a girl. I think he's most excited to have someone who will share in his love of cars, sports, etc.

It was a day or so before the photos were ready. We were too impatient to wait to tell our families, so we ended up face-timing them that night to spill the beans.

We are so excited for how this little guy is going to change our lives in wonderful ways. It's hard to believe that something that seemed so far away on Sept. 6 when we took these photos is now just around the corner!