Better late than never...

So one week ago tonight I was eagerly awaiting the big ultrasound...if you know me you may be aware I was pretty confident it was a baby girl we were waiting to see. The last time we tried to take a peak to see whether blue or pink was in our future Baby wouldn't give us a good view...however, at this appointment we did and BOY, oh BOY...it's a BOY! I think I'm still in a little bit of shock, thus the delay in the post...that and I can't seem to come up with a good picture to post & I can't figure out the scanner on our new printer...therefore, I bring you a picture less post.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about the idea of a sweet boy to worship and adore me...most of my friends have boys and everyone of them is precious, so I look forward to having my own...but here are a few things I've been thinking about as I approach raising a little boy...

1. I'm not raising a Boy, I'm raising a Man

These are the wise words of one of my closest friends...Amanda Newman. She has a little boy who will be 3 in November and I've heard her say these words many times. Until I found out Baby McCarty was in fact a boy, these words didn't really mean that much to me...now they weigh heavy on my mind. I feel like I'm still figuring out how to raise a little lady and my plan to conqueror the middle/high school years was to send her to school in homemade clothes with freshly permed hair...by making her look as dreadful as possible I would be protecting her from the dangers of high school popularity. Then the perm would grow out and I would allow her to blossom in her years at Auburn. Easy, right. But raising a boy into a self sufficient man...I feel ill prepared for this task and just can't wrap my mind around the task set before me.

2. God is big believer in Justice

I don't know why I ever started believing this baby was a girl. From the moment I found out I was pregnant the first thing I thought was I would have a boy and be forced to relive every fight my brother and I ever had through my mom's eyes. It's now official, I'll be saying things like "Stay on your side of the car", and "I don't care who started it, you end it". I know first hand exactly how much two siblings can fight with each other and now I'll be learning how much it hurts your heart to see two of the people you love most in the world not get along.

3. Little boys don't look good in pink dresses

Or big hair bows. I'll be honest and admit a tear was shed when I realized I would never be using all of Ruth Ann's cute dresses and bows again. Every time I packed her clothes away after she outgrew something especially cute and part of me wished for another little girl to share these cute clothes with...now I'll be sharing them with the highest payer of at the local consignment sales to begin paying for blue clothes I need to purchase. Doing a little retail therapy in the last week has helped me realize baby boy clothes are cute...maybe not equally as cute, but still cute none the less. I'm also looking forward to making matching brother/sister outfits for next summer...my mind is racing with the idea of matching john-johns and smocked dresses!

4. Little boys LOVE their mommas

Several mothers of little boys have reminded me several times this week how much little boys love their mommas and how much mommas love their little boys. One friend had a little girl first and then, like myself, had a baby boy. She claims from the moment that boy was born he stole her heart. She loves her daughter, but she has a different relationship with her little boy...I can't wait to find out what that feels like. I'm also really hoping this baby is a snuggler...Ruth Ann is anti-snuggle and it breaks my heart. I've got my heart set on a chubby little snuggly boy and I hope my prayers get answered...I'm also hoping this will be the first baby boy in history that doesn't get dirty or stinky, but I have a feeling I can't get everything I wish for!

Matilda Jane

No, this is not the name I've picked out for Baby McCarty...we go tomorrow afternoon to find out if Baby is a boy or girl, and this time I'm not getting off the ultrasound table until it's confirmed! Nope, Matilda Jane is a clothing brand I had never heard of until this past Spring and now am addicted to! I was sold even before I saw Ruth Ann in their clothes but after seeing this...



and this...



I'll take one of everything they have in the catalog please!

Friends

About 2 years ago 4 couples decided to stop eating out together and start eating in together instead. Not because we were watching our checking accounts, but because our families were expanding and a table for 8 was rapidly growing to a table for 15. So now once a month these friends gather together and now it's not just the adults that share a friendship...it's the kiddos too...

Here Ruth Ann and Betsy are taking a little break from cruising the backyard for a quick Capri-Sun...



Right now these are the only girls in this group of friends...I'm looking forward to years of sleep overs with these two!



Unfortunately, those were the only 2 pics I caught of Betsy when she wasn't flashing the camera...





Betsy and Jay have a fantastic playground, which is always a hit with the kiddos...







Now, I'm going to brag on my own friend...thank goodness our supper club is not graded on creativity because I would receiving a failing grade...Sally on the other hand would be the head of the class...take a look at how she decorated the kids table...



Personalized cantaloupe boats...with the most delicious cantaloupe I've had all summer...



So cute and such a sweet touch...at my house the kids barely have a place to sit down to eat, but at Mrs. Sally's the kids get special kid-friendly treatment...thanks Sal!

3 more weeks to go...

So some of you already know I used my powers of persuasion this week to get an ultrasound at 16 weeks...actually, my doctor was surprised to see Arch joining me for my regularly scheduled visit and assumed he was only there in case I got an ultrasound. I like to think she just likes me above all her other current OB patients so she worked me in for an impromptu ultrasound...but actually I think she felt bad for having made me wait for 45 minutes at the very end of the day and she was just doing what she would have most likely done for any of her patients.

The ultrasound tech was less than thrilled to have to do an un-necessary ultrasound at 4:45 in the afternoon...which I feel her pain because nothing makes my blood boil more than a work-in hearing test that results in normal hearing...but anyway, I realized pretty quick that she and I were not going to leave this room as friends.

We got a couple of profile shots, which are always my favorite and I actually think this baby has a different profile than Ruth Ann...it may just be the wishful thinking of a woman who desires at least one of her children to resemble her just a little bit. She also said Baby looked healthy...I've been concerned about the strangest things this time around...like my umbilical cord and the position of my placenta...thankfully everything, including the baby looked healthy...which is music to a pregnant momma's ears! Then we got down to business...gender identification. And after much anticipation I'm proud to say were having....

a very modest baby...Baby wouldn't open those legs to let us take a peak! However, after looking at the picture she sent us home with once or a hundred times I left convinced it must be a girl because surely at least some boy parts should be visible.

All day on Tuesday and Wednesday I discussed this with my co-workers and one of them mentioned a gender identification test her sister purchased and it correctly identified her baby's gender. So off to Walgreen's I went to buy my own test. The directions said to use your first morning tee-tee, so at 4pm this morning I felt like Mr. Wizard conducting a science experiment in my bathroom with my gender test, my tee-tee and a syringe. Then I had to wait 10 minutes to read the results....

it said BOY! This kept me up for about an hour thinking about all the room re-locating and house renovations we're going to have to get done in the next few months if Baby is actually a boy. It made me realize I need to start preparing Arch for the potential tail spin a baby boy is going to send me into until this house is equipt to sleep all the members of our family adequately. Many have suggested Ruth Ann and her possible baby brother temporally share a room...but if you've never visited my house you don't know that Ruth Ann' room is girlly with a capital "G"...pink walls, chandelier, floral curtains...the works. I just couldn't do that to a baby boy.

So here's the score for the gender identification game...

Chinese Gender Calender: Girl
16 week ultrasound: Inconclusive
Tee-tee Gender Test: Boy

What does this mean...I've got 3 more confusing weeks to go before my next ultrasound!