IT'S A .... ????

Today was the big day - ultrasound day! I have been looking forward to today with much excitement, but also some anxiety. It was after our 20 week ultrasound in our last pregnancy that we found out about Jacob's hand. Fortunately, our doctor allowed us to schedule an early 16 week Level II ultrasound this time! So of course, I scheduled it for the day we reached 16 weeks - 4 days before Christmas!

I was nervous as we drove to the appointment, but fortunately Dan provided some comic relief and said, 'Well, today we find out if we'll be paying for a wedding someday.' HA! I love the way he thinks. We both laughed, but I think he actually started sweating after he thought about that comment ... ;)

We arrived at the office, said a prayer and knew we had to trust God because he was in control of this entire situation. Still, I held my breath for most of the ultrasound. The nurse came in first to take a look and get measurements - it was so neat to see our baby on the ultrasound! He/she was moving around and touching his/her head - so cute! The tech took measurements and told us that everything looked good. We felt some relief, but needed to hear it from the doctor before we could celebrate! :)

The doctor came in and told us that he would share everything he saw so that there were no surprises after we walked out that door. SO appreciated that! :) Even though it is early in the pregnnacy, we knew we would probably be able to find out the sex of the baby - but we decided to not find out during the appointment. Our main focus was to get through the ultrasound and hopefully find out everything looked healthy. Then, hopefully after a sigh of major relief, we could learn the sex (not caring whether boy or girl, just a healthy baby!) and celebrate together, just the two of us! So, we had them write it down on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope :)
Back to the ultrasound. The doctor was very thorough and said everything looked great, as it should - spine, brain, heart... and we even saw 10 fingers and 10 toes! I couldn't help it, the tears were falling like water - happy tears! It was a huge relief and I felt peace wash over me. What a great blessing. It is amazing to me how much can be seen on an ultrasound - we were able, at 16 weeks, to even see the cerebellum in the brain! How amazing is that?!

We left feeling so blessed, and before we could even get out of the parking lot, Dan was begging me to open the envelope! haha So, since we were hungry, we decided to stop for brunch at one of our favorite Libertyville diner's that we used to frequent when we lived there. Dan said he couldn't wait any longer (okay, I won't completely put it on him, I was dying to know, too!) So we decided to open the envelope then, together, just the two of us. I pulled the little folded up piece of paper out of the envelope, then we each took an end, knowing that what it said would completely change our lives forever, and pulled slowly to reveal...... 'It's a ...... BOY!' We both locked eyes and started crying. It was a special moment and we were just so happy that our baby was healthy. That our baby BOY was healthy! :)

We are thrilled that we are having another little boy and that he and Jacob will be so close in age! I absolutely love having a little boy and having two little buddies running around my house will be wonderful! (well, most days - we better plan on having good homeowner's insurance! ;) Here is a picture of our second precious little baby boy, at 16 weeks!

Since this was an early ultrasound, we are going back at 21 weeks (when they typically do this type of ultrasound) so the doctor can get a better look to make sure everything is progressing as it should. We go on Monday January 24th at 2:30. I cannot wait to see him again! We are not completely out of the woods yet, so we are praying that there are no surprises when we go back, but we feel like this is a huge relief and great news to be celebrated! I am so excited to plan for another boy!!