Almost 17 Weeks
So, we got to find out the gender of our little cupcake the other day. In a crowded ultrasound room, surrounded by my mom, dad, stepmom, and husband, the ultrasound technician slowly typed letters across the screen and it was revealed to us:
“BABY GIRL”
Everyone gasped and cheered & I started crying (of course) and B and I smiled at each other. It was a huge surprise, considering I was so convinced it was a boy that I told B the ultrasound was a waste of time & money and we might as well start buying blue clothes.
Something transformed in that very second. The baby wasn’t an it any more. She wasn’t a blurry fantasy. She became real and I could start to imagine her laugh, her dimples, her tiny ears. B & I both agreed that we loved the baby 100 times more after finding out, not because she is a girl, but because she has an identity now. She has her own little legs & buttcheeks & tiny lips & curved nose. A tiny person that will have her own food preferences and musical tastes! How funny!
I was a bit overwhelmed for the rest of the day. I had to entertain family members, and that can get difficult for me. My older sister is definitely the entertainer in the family, and sometimes when all eyes are on me, I actually shut down (like at my wedding) and get really quiet. My sister and mom took me shopping and bought adorable little outfits, this bathing suit being one of them:
B & I bought her a pack of five onesies, each with a different treat on the front (lollipop, cupcake, gumball machine, etc.) and it still wasn’t real.
To be honest, I just wanted to go into a corner and talk to her and rub on her. Her and I have been developing a very special understanding between each other the past few weeks. She calms me down a lot. She reminds me of my strength when I need it most, and I just wanted to tell her how proud I was of her, and how I think she’s going to be really funny like her daddy & that’s why she’s been tricking me into thinking she was a boy. I imagine her on four-wheelers and fishing like I did when I was little. I refused to wear a shirt for most of my childhood, because if my male cousins didn’t have to… I sure as Hell wasn’t going to. I can see her catching crawdads in the creek and pushing the boys down when they try to kiss her. B even joked, “How did you even MAKE a girl?” because I’m not much of one myself. 
The next “big step” is the name, which is becoming increasingly annoying. I don’t really mind people asking, I’m just amazed that we seem to be some of the only people that don’t have a name picked out the day after conception. I’m not even halfway through and I’m supposed to be decided already… and I’m just not a decisive person about those types of things. Some of the names I like?
Story
Aslea
Evia
Isla
Olive
They’re all weird and super controversial, apparently. Everyone keeps saying, “You don’t want her to get made fun of on the playground!” and then they make some sort of horrid suggestion that I can’t stand and I have to say, “Oh yes, that is cute…” A few people have made suggestions I like, though (like Azlen) but mostly people keep failing. 
So. I have a doctor’s appointment this week to do bloodwork, and they in a few weeks we’ll do the “big” anatomy ultrasound to make sure our little buddy is forming just right, and then it will probably be time to start working on the nursery and baby showers and such.
Whoa.
But until then, I just want to enjoy our cute little girl & her long little legs that I can’t wait to nibble on.
I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!
Don’t worry about the names. I like your suggestions – “Story” really stuck with me.
Paul and I have already made a decision that if I can have my boy’s name of choice, he can have his girl’s name of choice. My boy name I absolutely want is “Keitaro” (kay-tah-roh) and we’d call him Kei for short. Of course this prompted Paul to mention how he’d TOTALLY GET CALLED GAY ALL THE TIME. I said, “Well, you’ll just have to toughen him up and teach him not to care!”. The girl name Paul wants is Raven Marie. At first I was like “ehhh…” but the more I hear it, the more I like it.
I can’t get enough of these posts and I’m very happy for you and B!
Desiree
January 25, 2010 at 11:34 am
Oh girl I am so SO excited for you! I have to admit to you here and now that I love the name Isla but Jason isn’t a big fan, we also have Olive as one of our girl names!
Great minds think a like. I do love your name choice, very unique and beautiful!
Courtney
January 25, 2010 at 11:35 am
The names are definetly different and unique. I like story.
erica
January 25, 2010 at 1:25 pm
I’m sooooo excited for you!!!!!!!
I like Isla and Olive
At least you’re not picking names that you think are unique that end up being on the top 5 baby names, like I did! LOL oops. 
You’re going to loooooove being a mommy! Ahhh I’m sooooo happy for you!!!!!!!
Sarah
January 25, 2010 at 1:40 pm
I like names that are different. I like Story, Isla and Olive. LOVE them in fact. You’re going to do just fine.
Rachie
January 25, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Yay! How exciting. Another preggie friend told me she really bonded with her baby once she found the gender out too. I guess it helps being able to say ‘she’ instead of ‘it’
I love all of your names! Who needs a boring name anyway? I hated my name (Lyndall) as a kid and I did get teased, but I love it now and I’m glad to have a unique name! Our choices for the future are Odin for a boy and for a girl… Well -I-really like Leda but B said no, boo. So now we’re thinking Kisheva which is a Hungarian name, since our future baby will be 1/4 Hungarian. Ah, I love name talk, hehe.
Lyn
January 25, 2010 at 5:00 pm
I really like Isla! And Azlen. Both are very unique and pretty! I suck at picking baby names . . . especially boy names. There are literally almost zero baby boy names that I like. Hope God gives me girls!!
Brittany
January 25, 2010 at 11:30 pm
I’ll get to crafting!
I’m so excited for you!
I like some of the names you’re contemplating! You shouldn’t feel pressure to come up with a name any time soon. In Judaism, the names aren’t even announced to the community until the first Sabbath after the birth for a girl, or at the circumcision (8th day) for a boy. There’s nothing wrong with meeting your little girl first!
Emily
January 26, 2010 at 1:19 am
man, i’m so excited. i’m glad hannah will have a girl cousin to play with. girls are so much fun! i was actually thinking the other day and i believe you and i are meant to have girls and that’s probably all we will ever have. don’t ask why i think that, i just do. it may be because our parents only had girls, or the fact that we wouldn’t know what to do with boys. lol.
jess
January 26, 2010 at 2:30 pm
I really like all those names, A LOT. Not like, gonna steal, a lot, but just, those are good choices a lot.
emmysuh
January 26, 2010 at 3:49 pm
that’s what my sister said, jess. she said, “i don’t think we’re even capable of making boys” hahaha.
mom had 2 girls, and her mom had 4!
Mrs. Raspberry
January 26, 2010 at 5:22 pm