The January bandwagon

A beacon of (somewhat recognizable) light in this dark month...

Lest I be the only blogger who hadn't complained about January: I am sick of this!





*David woke up from nap today with a new fever - he's been fussy and uncomfortable and pitiful. So far that's the only symptom, but that cancels at least 2/3's of our plans for the weekend. And this will be the third weekend in a row we haven't been able to go to church because one or both of the kids has fevers.





*The kids are dying to go outside, but temps in the teens aren't conducive to that. And when we're constantly sick, the indoor playgrounds aren't an option either (maybe that's what keeps getting us sick in the first place?)





*We thought our home remedies had gotten rid of our skunk-under-the-porch problem, as we hadn't smelled it since October. But this week the scent has popped up here and there. Then last night, all the sudden, our house reeked so badly of skunk that our eyes were watering and it was almost unbearable. There was nothing we could do - open the windows and let the stench in even more? In 5 degree weather? Brian looked it up and apparently skunks come out from their winter slumber and empty their scent glands (is this true, Erin?). Lovely. The smell is almost gone today, but we're going to have to decide how and when we're addressing this problem...the expensive way.



*Actually, this is a good thing: Brian finally convinced me to spend the extra money each month and get a DVR. Ironically, I've been recording like crazy and he has barely touched it. But it's so convenient for the kids' shows, and with all the sickness lately that has come in quite handy. And it's nice that when I get a rare moment to sit and just relax, I can have shows that I'm interested in watching at my fingertips. And I'm able to enjoy Letterman for the first time since college. This is definitely worth it.

So I thought I had a good plan for getting through the winter with lots of scheduled activities, but when you can't go to them because you're sick, it doesn't help much. And I suppose that as soon as we get well and go back to the activities, we'll catch something else. It's the plight of families with preschool-aged children. *sigh* We'll get through it. Here's dreaming of spring.

What do I know...

My head is spinning from this afternoon's events...

First of all, the ultrasound showed a healthy baby with everything in the right proportions and placements. Huge THANKS for that. The baby was moving and kicking like crazy - serious acrobatics. We got to see some neat angles where various parts of the body were pretty clear. It's amazing how much they look like full-fledged babies at a great big 14 ounces.

Within 30 seconds of starting the ultrasound, the baby was kicking the little legs around, and all the sudden all three of us went, "WOAH!" We were quite certain that this baby is a BOY. We didn't need the doctor to point THAT out to us. She said, "Well that was easy."

I don't know WHY, but I'm a little bit shocked. I have no idea where it comes from, but I am always certain I'm having a girl. What the heck?!?

And even though for the past several years, I've thought of myself as a girl-mom, now I'm going to have TWO BOYS?!?! I just don't know what to do with two boys. Two. boys.

So after catching my breath (oh, and stopping at CVS to fill a prescription for my sinus infection - urgh), we came home to show Katy. She was mesmerized by the pictures and asked to see them again. We said, "Can you tell from the pictures if it's a boy or a girl?" and she said, "Hmmm...let me see if the it has hair or no hair...I don't see any hair, so it must be a boy!" Yes!

She seemed happy (never mentioned disappointment about no sister), and we decided to let her call the grandparents to let them know. It was so much fun. She's been doing so great on the phone lately and it was so much fun to listen to. She kept saying, "I have some very exciting news. I'm having a new baby coming out. But not until after my birthday. It's a boy baby. His name is Jackie. (?)"

At one point after she had said that several times, she said, "Everyone keeps laughing at 'Jackie.'" Which made us laugh harder. It was so hysterical.

Speaking of names, neither of us has any one single name for a boy that we can even mention that we know we like. It's like we don't know any men or something. Coming up totally blank. So dig out the baby name books...

So I'm relieved, surprised, and a bit overwhelmed by it all. Once the doctor left the room, Brian said, "Does this mean you're going to want another one?" Ummm....

Boy v. Girl

(BTW, this is not where I announce what the gender IS - that's tomorrow. This is just a reflection.)

It's funny, but I've noticed that when you have a girl and a boy, and are expecting a third, people often say, "So I guess you don't care whether it's a girl or a boy?"

And I'm sure there's a different vibe, say, if you have two boys, and perhaps you're really hoping for a girl, or vice versa. But if you know me, you know that I have been over-analyzing the impact of gender #3 for months (or, *ahem*, years). So I thought I'd share a list of my thoughts regarding the gender of this baby.

If the baby is a BOY...

*He and David will be close in age, and thus hopefully close in relationship, playing well together, and perhaps sharing a bedroom in the future (more on this later). There's something cute about 2 boys.

*But our neighbors have 2 boys close in age and then a girl, and the girl is always playing by herself, and I feel badly for her.

*David has been such a joy. He's a happy kid, fairly laid back in personality, a decent sleeper, and a good eater. If he is any indication of what raising a boy is like, I'll gladly have another, thank you. (Yes, I do realize that I cannot assume all boys will be like David.)

*When the kids are older and you do the whole "dad takes boys" and "mom takes girls" thing - a boy would put more in Brian's court. (For example, Father-Son camping trip practically empties the house)

*I'll be surprised AGAIN, because I'm pretty much convinced that it's a girl, just like I was last time. (But actually, after being surprised last time, I'm more hesitant to be convinced.)

If the baby is a GIRL...

*I still feel slightly more confident in the girl arena...just based on sisters, nieces, and general life experience.

*I love having a sister, there is something so special about sisters. I'd love that experience for Katy.

*Might not be as ideal for room sharing, since Katy and baby girl would be farther apart in age. But definitely still a possibility.

*I have this perception that girls fight with each other like cats and dogs, especially when they get to middle school and beyond.

*From a functional perspective (with 3 nieces and an oldest girl), we just have more hand me downs for girls.

*This may be hard to explain, but I'm wondering if a girl would bring a more cohesive feeling to the kids, since the boy is in the middle, rather than 2 boys close together and one girl. Does that make sense or is it crazy?

But of course, either way, whatever we find out, we'll be excited. Girls and boys are both delightful for different reasons. Brian says he sincerely "doesn't care." That's just not my style. I always have a few thoughts to share.