the day finally arrived! after 2 failed blood tests that would check for the overall health of baby sprout & reveal the gender, coupled with the delay of the routine 20 week check-up, i was feeling quite anxious about G-day (gender reveal day).
the night before i couldn’t sleep.
i felt just like a child the night before CHRISTmas – awaiting the big surprise!
truth be told, i was also battling feelings of anxiety as i was desperate to know if baby sprout was indeed ok. the 2 failed blood tests (both “inconclusive”) along with the realities of friends losing babies while we were in the states & since returning created in my heart a deep desire for a report… even if the “report” concluded baby sprout wasn’t developing normally, i wanted to know.
as a family we arrived at the special hospital that will accommodate foreigner’s desires to know the gender an hour & ½ before we were actually seen. even so, we all waited somewhat patiently. immediately upon entering the ultrasound room there was a hubbub of hushed voices as the technicians debated if they could/would tell us the gender. thankfully a nurse from a nearby hospital assisted us & convinced them to do it.
we all got in position. i laid down on the “bed” with the big screen tv on the wall opposite my feet, liberty in the chair, sterling standing by my side & jarod (poor guy) responsible for wielding the camera phone, video camera & dslr – which was forgotten.
ironically, as soon as the ultrasound tech placed the wand on my stomach the gender was revealed.
immediately i started crying. sterling was concerned that i was in pain. sweet boy. thankfully everyone else in the room accurately surmised that i was happy. i never expected to be overwhelmed with emotion. but there i was, crying & laughing, simultaneously. such a wave of relief & joy as i saw baby sprout snuggled in his cramped quarters moving his hands & feet. he kept putting them in his mouth. yes, even his feet. he was one active little boy! and with all that activity along with the 4D images i experienced great comfort in knowing he was healthy & growing beautifully. in fact, i kinda felt sad for him, snug as he was with his “long legs.” made me feel better about the size of my baby belly. 😉
as one might expect of 5 & 3 year olds, they each wanted baby sprout to be of their same gender. needless to say, sterling was thrilled with the outcome & gave me a high five while liberty, as usual, took it in stride. obviously not overly concerned that she didn’t get “her way.” so appreciate her ability to go with the flow.
afterwards jarod confessed that he “knew” the gender all along. funny since he never let on to me… except now looking back he would only refer to baby sprout as “he” (when he wasn’t referring to him as “them!”) & he would never give an opinion about any of the girl name possibilities, though he did have opinions about boy names. sneeky guy.
reality is, i had absolutely no idea! in a small way i guess i assumed baby sprout would be a girl, thinking the 50+ hair bows would all eventually be used. but knowing that it’s a boy thrills my heart too for many reasons but also because now all those boy toys – wooden train tracks & legos – will experience the joy of being recycled back into our family!
sterling will be approximately a month shy of 6 & liberty 3 months shy of 4 when baby sprout makes his appearance. sterling’s already proven he’s got his big brother role down – eager to show him the ropes literally & liberty, well i’m positive she’ll be a sweet & helpful big sister.
and us, we’ll be grateful the older two are potty trained & somewhat independent as we all welcome our newest – oh boy! – bundle of joy!
God is so good, gracious & loving to bestow yet another mighty miracle upon us. We invite you to rejoice with us & pray for us as he continues to prepare our hearts for this next season of life.
great expectations!
she also blessed us with some sweet maternity shots. baby sprout at 6 months gestation.
(sometime we’ll also have to share Sterling’s “view” of our world!)
jdavis2 