I am really grateful for the support and kind words from so many people about this little surprise bump I announced recently. I gotta say…it is nice to hear that I am not alone in the pregnant-and-didn’t-know-it-until-later category.
SOoooo….I thought in the spirit of love-month, I would fill ya in on the answers for some of the most frequently asked questions….also, you get random pictures of the boys because that is never the wrong answer 🙂
Question – Is it a boy or girl? Will you find out? Do you already know?!
Answer – We don’t know yet. We honestly have loved finding out the sex of the baby in the past but the last couple times it was very…well…unexciting. (By the way, my mother mocks me openly for wanting everything to be exciting…complete with eyeroll.) For Weston, I assumed it was a boy and when we went in for an appointment at 14 weeks, Dr. Tate asked us if we wanted to know and then told us that he thought it was a boy too….but that he wouldn’t know for sure till 20 weeks. So that was sort of like a YES WELL MAYBE. Eh. Not really the most exciting reveal ever. And then when we tried to find out early with LJ (we had a panorama test done), there was all these mishaps that prevented us from knowing till almost 19 weeks. And then we got the phone call that you have no control over….so I was in the parking lot of a Walgreens….and I told Jeremy in a doctor’s office while waiting for a checkup. It was all very anticlimactic. So this time we have discussed the option of finding out early and the option of waiting till the baby is born…and we haven’t quite made up our mind. Jeremy definitely wants to find out as soon as possible. I definitely feel like everything is flying by at light speed and it just doesn’t feel right to know quite yet. We are however far enough along to find out. I promise that if we find out, we will let you know.
Question – So do you want a girl this time? Are you excited to see a girl? (one million versions of this same question)
Answer – Obviously any baby is a blessing. And we all want our babies to be as healthy and whole as possible and if we get a baby at the end of this pregnancy, we will be THRILLED….so that’s the very obvious and politically correct answer. In terms of preference, if we had any control, Jeremy is definitely in girl town and I am firmly planted in boy camp. I know most people probably think that is crazy but my dad is one of four boys and I always kinda thought that would be what I would have…lots of boys. And honestly….now that I have lived in boy-world….girls kinda scare me. They are definitely ‘the unknown’. And yes….I realize that I am a girl. But honestly…I’m not even that good at being girly. On the other hand, I LOVE being an aunt to a baby girl and Yaya (that’s what we call Isla) is the sweetest little nugget on the planet that I get to shop for and snuggle whenever I want. And all the girls clothing and accessories and PINK stuff that I have found at thrift stores and consignment shops over the years and anything that I find now online or in stores get a good home at my sister’s house. Also….I don’t mean to brag but here I go….but I am a dang good boy mama. I love wrestling and teaching them gentlemanly manners and playing with mud and worms and making tooting jokes. Those things come very natural to me. And I have all the boy things. Some of my friends think I am crazy but yes…I want another little Jeremy Bower…and if things turn out differently….well, I guess I’m gonna have to google how to change a girl diaper.
Question – Are you going to do the panorama test again?
Answer – At my first appointment, Dr. Tate asked me if I was gonna do the test and I said no. Then he told me that he believed I was 21+ weeks along. This causes some issues. Because I am a VBAC and didn’t have a pre-20-week ultrasound, they have made it mandatory that I get an anatomy scan done. This is just to double check the development of the baby and to tell me a more reliable due date. The due date is really important this time around because my hospital won’t induce me because I didn’t have that pre-20-US. It’s a weird rule but I guess it is in place because they don’t wanna evict a baby before it’s full-grown. (I don’t know what will happen if I go overdue…if induction is out of the question then how do they get the baby out? a csection?….all questions for my next appointment) So I need a really accurate due date and I need to go into labor on my own (that could be an issue because of my history but I always say that it’s nothing till it’s something so I am not worrying about it right now). I did go into my anatomy scan last week and basically some measurements came back a little off. So the doctor told us that we should do the panorama test just to be well informed. So we did do the blood draw and will find out anything in a week or so. Again…it’s nothing till it’s something so I am not worried, just eager to hear results so that we can move forward. So yes…we did the test….unexpectedly.
Question – Are you still nursing? Is LJ weaning?
Answer – At Thanksgiving, I was still breastfeeding around the clock….every three hours. And then slowly over the last two months, he started REALLY liking food. Like a lot. Especially meats….which is weird because none of my other kids liked them but LJ LOVES it. And then he got sick and basically stopped nursing in a matter of two weeks in the last month. It was kinda heartbreaking because he was a comfort nurser and such a mama’s boy but in the end, I am really grateful we got at least ten months. Now I am hoping to put some serious weight on the kid because he is a bundle of energy and burning every calorie even though he eats like a horse!
Question – What do your boys think of the baby announcement?
Answer – LJ is so opinionated about it 🙂 And Weston loves babies (a little too much sometimes) so I imagine that if he understood, he would be excited. Will does understand and he is really cute about the whole thing. He originally started off saying that it should be a boy….but the other day he told me the other day that we should pick a baby girl this time because we have too many boys. I think that may have something to do with the fact that we have two little girls living in the basement and he thinks they are pretty cool playmates 🙂
Question – When are you due? What’s your due date?
Answer – Dr. Tate put me due on June 13th. That might be changed when he gets the results from the panorama test. We shall see 🙂
Question – Do you think that is why you were sick on the cruise? Any other symptoms?
Answer – I honestly don’t think that is why I was sick. I mean…my dad was basically sick the same exact times I was and I am pretty sure that my sixty-something year old father wasn’t in his first trimester. It could have added to my motion sickness sensitivity though so I am not ruling it out completely. I will say that on the cruise, I was sick when we were moving and it completely subsided when the ship stopped and when I was on land….it could have been a timing thing but I doubt it. As for other symptoms, I haven’t really had any. It is kinda like when I was pregnant with Will or Weston….no morning sickness, no real cravings (although pickles and banana peppers do sound really good), and overall in a pretty solid mood. In the past couple weeks I did get some sciatica action which is a real pain in the rear but I have found that if I do my stretches and limit how much I am carrying the boys, it helps tremendously.
Question – Where are you going to put this new baby? What room is the baby going in?
Answer – We are not really orthodox when it comes to getting the nursery done before the baby comes. Also we believe in co-sleeping and room-sharing. So right now Will and Weston are in the ‘big boy room’ (Will’s room) and we are thinking that we will transition LJ to the ‘nursery’ prior to this new baby arriving. That means that I have to repaint the big boy room (the walls and ceiling both need it) and make it represent both Will and Weston and then we will figure out a double crib/bed situation for the nursery. If our track record proves anything, LJ and #4 will be in the nursery in 2017 🙂
Question – Do you have any baby names picked out? What are you gonna name it if it’s a boy/girl?
Answer – Yikes! We definitely don’t have a boys name. We have tried to use a lot of family names and Jeremy and I have very different tastes. And we have a girls name from a long time ago and we are big fans of it because the first name is my great grandmother’s name and the middle name is basically every other grandmother’s name. I’m not telling you because I know you are name thieves and you would steal it outright. That’s a joke….but I am still not telling you 🙂 So long story short…we are still deciding for a boy and got one for a girl.
Well folks, that’s it! And tomorrow I am coming back at ya with a big basement kitchen post….it’s gonna be juicy and delicious and meaty (am I describing a hamburger here?!)….and I will need some help so there are things to vote on. You will need to be here.
Just wanted to say congrats!! =) Hope you have a wonderful pregnancy. We were like you in finding out the gender with #3, and on top of it we were moving and living in separate states so we figured we wouldn’t find out together. We decided to go to one of those 3d ultrasound places together when he was home on the weekend, when that didn’t work out (something got bumped with the date, I can’t remember why anymore), I had the ultrasound and she wrote it on a piece of paper. That way it was something different than the other two (just regular ultrasounds), and we got to find out together. It was fun (and shocking – a girl after two boys!). She was born the day after LJ… can you believe it’s almost been a year!?!? =) on a side note, I was terrified of having a girl too.
Can I kindly say that girls are not that different from boys? And that your fears are coming from what society’s view of what a girl should be? I am also not the excessively romantic type that grew up thinking only of weddings, tea parties and jewellery. And my two girls are the same. They love dinosaurs, have toys that are not all pink, they love their blue rooms, and generally do not fuss much about the whole princess culture. It is there for sure, but they can have a tea party one minute, then the next be playing Superheroes capturing the bad guy.
Your daughter will be more than willing to play in the dirt and with worms if that is what your family does. It is only outside influences that will tell her that is not what girls do, and you can shield her from that nonsense.
This is sent with all positivity and support.
I guess I missed the big announcement. Congratulations! I am due in two weeks and I am all about pregnant ladies. Of course I am getting to the point where I do not want to be pregnant.
It’s unfortunate you feel like you have to explain/defend yourself.
I admire you for putting it all out there like you do. I hope you get nothing but the best news in the upcoming months from you doctor 🙂
I totally feel you on wanting there to be excitement when you find out the gender of your baby. My husband and I went back and forth trying to decide whether we wanted to find out the gender of our first (due in 9 weeks!). Once we decided that we for sure wanted to know, I had a hard time with simply finding out in the ultrasound room with a complete stranger. We decided to ask the tech to write down the gender and put it in an envelope (she ended up printing out a sonogram picture instead) so that we could decide when/where we found out. I’m so glad we went that route. It was a special moment for just my husband and I.
I just love your blog posts. So real and so sweet. Wish you all the best and praying for a healthy beautiful baby Bower 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your life with us! I love reading about your journey and your boys are adorable. They are growing so quickly. My little guy just turned one and I’m still trying to figure out where the year went.
Congratulations! Whatever the results of your panorama test, things will be fine. I’m a new mom of a baby with Down Syndrome and he is the best thing on the planet. He/she will be one lucky baby with all those big brothers!
Here’s what I want to know; what are you doing with graham crackers in the food processor?
You make cute boys 😉
i get that this is the worst comment ever, but in blog land i feel like people are pregnant forever (obv not). JUNE is so close! i’m super excited for you. as a mom of 4 boys all within 4.5 years, you’ll ROCK it. i know you don’t know the gender yet, but it really seems that you present yourself well enough to be a mom of both genders. ha ha ha. 🙂 (and i always thought i would have boys for kids, and am one of 2 girls. i think God just laid it on my heart… and it happened. i just didn’t think we would have more than 2 kids, bc that is what i knew!)
i’ll be praying for the end part of your pregnancy. i had TOTALLY forgotten about your VBAC and all that jazz (i was super glad it worked for you, b/c i’m a 4 c-section lady)… and with a date that is hard to pin down, i can imagine some trepidation. I’m so glad God has control over this whole situation. 🙂
Great post. 🙂 I really enjoyed the random pics of the kiddos. I’d love to see more of them. Also, as the mama of a 4.5 year old girl and 2.5 year old boy I can tell you that my daughter can be just as dirty and rambunctious as her little brother, sometimes more so. She can make mud pies and tell fart jokes with the best of them. She makes me proud. 😀
I love all this baby talk! It’s so exciting! I know what you mean about boys. I love my daughter but boys get you right in the heart. My daughter didn’t want to know the sex either at her ultrasound until the tech said you do know you’re having twins!!
Is Weston still in a crib, toddler bed or has he moved up to a twin? Just curious because my little guy (a month younger than him) moved to a toddler bed at 12 months due to his ninja climbing skills and I’m wondering if moving him to a twin before he’s 3 will be overwhelming. What has your experience been like? Thanks
Very exciting stuff about baby! Although I wish you would tell us your baby G name! 🙂
Also, off topic, but I wish you could show us your house floor plan! (maybe you have but I haven’t found it). Your house is SO big and its hard to figure out how things are laid out and flowing together!
They won’t Electively Induce you before 39 weeks. 38 weeks and 6 days won’t cut it. So the hospital needs to know the exact dates.
Congratulations by the way! Hope you have a safe VBAC.
Stacy, RN
Yay! So excited for you. Boys are awesome. I’ve got my money on another one for you. 4 boys sounds amazing!
Congratulations! We waited to find out for our 3rd child since we knew it would be our last. So we had both names picked out. Since we both liked the name Quinn we decided for it to be a girls first name or a boy middle name.
I was 99% positive it was a boy and I was right!
Best decision ever. I hope you wait until he/she is born. It really is a great feeling to wait.
I have to tell you that I loved your answer to do you hope it’s a boy or girl. I hate that question! Because, so what if I hope it’s another boy (I too am a boy mom) or what if I’m secretly praying it’s a girl–does that mean I want the world to be any less thrilled to the moon & back about my new scrumptious baby because it’s “another” boy. You handled that question well! I may have ignored that question!
EEEEK, all this baby talk has me wanting another one. Almost! When we were pregnant with our first I was obsessed about having everything ready and just right. By my third he slept in a pack n play in our room or our bed until he was well over 1. Then we got around to giving him the crib. It did not help that my middle was barely 17 months old when my youngest was born. He still needed the crib. Boy names are tough. I have a gazillion girl names for my never going to happen second girl. We struggled with the two boy names we needed. Good luck with that! This baby will be loved, adorable, and sweet. Just like your 3 little guys are now. So exciting!
Congrats again! I am also due June 13 with my second boy and EXCITED! Everyone seemed to be sad I wasnt “getting a girl”…well boys are great too! Love that my son will have a brother and I would not mind being the only princess in a house of princes!
You guys make pretty cute babies 🙂 Can’t wait to see your new one. It is so sweet of you to share with all of us! I have two boys and just went through target touching every frilly pink dress in the little girls section while I walked by. My boys thought I was crazy…
Your comment at the very beginning made me think you should do a parody video… “I’m pregnant and I (don’t) know it.” To the tune of Sexy and I Know It…obviously. 😛
Firstly congratulations! What an amazing, exciting, crazy time in your lives!
Just my two cents (not that you asked for it) on the finding out the sex conundrum. After reading your last few experiences I really feel you should not find out until the baby is due. I didn’t find out with either of mine & it was honestly the best surprise at the end of the emotionally and physically and mentally draining (but amazing) experience of giving birth. It’s like a little added bonus of surprise!
While I’m super excited for your new baby…At this stage I’m more excited about the basement/ laundry room/office and playroom happenings than nursery happenings! I feel like I’m baby-roomed out being a baby-less person at this stage hahaha!
PS, this will totally change come June and I’ll be all like ‘hey, when are we getting stuck into the nursery!?’
;-D Keep it up, and only happy and healthy vibes your way xx
Also- since this is such a shock, I’m wondering if you have a list of things you want to check off pre baby? Like the one with LJ? x
Congratulations on the baby! My husband and I are expecting our third and just did a gender reveal party to find out the gender! Totally exciting! We didn’t even know, I had the technician write it on a card and gave the card to my friend. She bought silly string and wrapped each can in brown paper so we didn’t know what color it was. Then after we had food everyone got in a circle and counted to three and sprayed it at the same time. So fun for everyone and we had it videotaped so we can look back on it whenever we want.
I also didn’t know that I was pregnant until into the second trimester – it’s shocking how easy it is not to know! I was coming off of a D&C from a miscarriage and kept feeling ‘off’ but it was easily explained by my hormones resetting, haha. Our first was adopted from Korea and we were planning on a fully adopted family at that point but now, here I am due June 24th with another surprise – and my daughter is turning one this weekend. We’re almost exactly in the same boat! Don’t worry about the girl thing either, I’m a super tomboy with a 4 year old son, a 1 year old daughter and another girl on the way and while there are differences, they’re not crazy. You just have to know where to go to avoid having pink and purple be your only choices for clothes and you’re fine (btw – Old Navy and Target are good for more neutral selections, most children’s specialty stores are a virtual array of glitter, tutus and hot pink disasters!) Good luck and it will be great either way, obviously. And I totally know what you mean about feeling like everything is going so fast – I felt like that finding out late with my daughter. Nesting hit hard and fast!
I missed the announcement. Congrats!!!!! That’s so exciting!
Ditto. My daughter is definitely a blend of what we exposed her to as a family. She loves fishing with her dad as much as she loves having tea parties and playing dolls.
Very well stated comment, Kristine.
One exciting way I’ve seen folks get the gender results is having the tech write it down, seal it in an envelope, and then the parents give it to a bakery. Then only the baker knows the gender until the parents (or whoever) cut it open and see either pink or blue cake. (I don’t have kids but I’m weirdly excited to do this one day.)
Also, I have seven younger siblings (three boys, four girls) and girls are fun because they do all the dirt and worms stuff but can also be soooooooooo much fun when it comes to dresses and stuff.
Congratulations to your family!!!
Thanks for the info! I will definitely still ask Dr Tate but it helps me feel more secure till then!
xo kb
We were making chocolate chip cookie cheesecakes!
xo kb
Whoa! Game changer!!!!
xo kb
Love the gracious way you respond to SO MANY comments and questions about this very personal part of your life. 🙂 I also love the photo of LJ in that unbelievably cute little brown sweater-all!!!
I always know I’m pregnant within a day of the missed cycle, and have sometimes wished I could be in your shoes – halfway done before I know it!
May blessings overflow to this new tiny person of yours!
Congratulations! I’m a boy Mama, too, so I totally get it. I know that whatever you have, he/she will be beautiful and loved. Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy.
Here is the post about the floor plan for the first floor…and the second floor…and the basement.
xo – kb
Well, I do have a list…it’s mostly just rooms though…like the playroom, office, basement kitchen, dining room, and the big boy room!
xo – kb
Weston moved directly from a crib to a twin and it was a great transition for him. He doesn’t tend to move around a lot when he sleeps (Will did) and he actually does a lot better than we had expected. We did do the whole pool noodle under the sheet trick and he hasn’t fallen out of bed even once although there is some issues with darkness that we are working out (he likes to fall asleep in pitch black but when he stirs, he likes a low light otherwise gets scared…but then has a hard time going back to sleep….we are working out the kinks!)
xo – kb
I was curious too! 🙂
Thanks for this post….answered about every ? I had.
I really wanted to wait with our second, but I got too nosey in the moment at the ultrasound. Both times it was pretty anticlimactic. I wanted some exciting moment too! I have 2 princesses that love to climb and run and play outside, a lot of the time in Tutus. You could totally rock being a girl mom. The only difference I see between them and boys is the level of drama!
I second that. I have girls and they are dirty loving, car racing, ballet dancing, horse back riding bundles of energy. As I tell them all the time, there are no girl colors or boy colors, just colors. For everyone. You’re a great mom, therefor you’ll be a great mom to a girl.
So excited for you! I have 2 under 2 right now, and after entering boy world (which is awesome btw) I was terrified about having a girl. But now that we have her, she is super sweet and so calm comparatively.
But I still wrestle and make toot jokes with my 21 month old, probably because I grew up with 2 older brothers and never had a chance to become prissy.
But yeah, total learning curve with changing girl diapers. Way more nooks and crannies when they chunk out!
It must be surreal being so close to meeting this baby!
With my first, we found out the gender ahead of time. I thought it was exciting calling our friends and family telling them, ‘it’s a boy.’ With my second, we waited to find out until he was born. Now, THAT was exciting- holy-crap-I’ve-never-known-joy-like-this exciting. When we called people to tell them, we could actually hear the surprise in their voices. It was priceless.
Thanks for the update! Love all the pictures of your boys.
Our first kid was a boy, and the second a girl. My husband was super terrified of changing/bathing our daughter when she was first born, but he got the hang of it. As for worms and farts and stuff – little girls like that just as much as boys. 🙂 (I’m sure if it’s a girl her three big brothers will teach her all about it!)
Glad you’re doing well, and congrats again!
I love these posts… no kiddos for us, but reading about your blessings is so wonderful!
BIG QUESTION: Will we get another awesome Bower Build-off before the baby? (can you acronym that? BBBB?)
I just love babies! Sure, initially I wanted a boy first, but I think you just learn to love what you get. Now that we have a girl first (and our only one so far) we will both be happy either way when the time comes for number two. I would be ecstatic for another girl because one of the great joys of my life is having a sister and I would love for my daughter to have that same joy. But I would also love a boy next too because it’d be something new and different – and I could raise him to be a little gentlemen. I think God gives us the babies we need when we need them 🙂 And if I end up with all girls, well that just means my nephews will be extra special too me!
I just wanted to say congratulations and thank you for sharing! You’re the best KB!
Dear Katie,
I like to read your posts because you are such a positive, happy and self-assured person. Your sense of humor and the occasional non-political correctness, are an extra plus bonus! No matter what you write about, it always gives a good feeling to my day.
Thanks for writing, and congratulations on your lovely 3-almost 4 + 2 family!
Greeting from Germany,
WR
I’m a long time reader and lover of your blog, but this is my first comment. Congratulations! Wishing you and your family nothing but joy and happiness. I agree with some previous comments. Thank you for sharing such a personal experience in your life. You are so kind and gracious with your thoughtful posts and responses. Prayers for healthy mommy and baby.
Let me tell you about that panorama blood screening. They made this big deal about how the gender blood test was more accurate than even an ultrasound, like 99% accurate. I didn’t want to know the gender, but my husband did so I told him we could find out on the condition that we didn’t tell anyone we knew the gender. They said we were having a boy. I had wanted a girl (my oldest is a boy) but got really excited about a boy by the end of the pregnancy. When the baby was born, the midwife put it on my stomach and asked me if I saw what the gender was. I said no, because I secretly knew. She lifted the baby up and…it was a GIRL! I told my husband not to question me again because I changed our son into a daughter in utero. Ha! Best of luck and congrats. Hope it all goes well. I went two weeks overdue with this pregnancy and had to go have acupuncture/pressure and all that to let the baby know it was ok to come out.
Not sure if you know but all the best bloggers and DIY-ers have 4 kids (fixer upper -hello!!) So Im pretty excited for you! As for girl diapers – waaay easier and this is coming from experience…good luck to you either way! You’re an awesome Mama ans I cant wait to follow along with this one too!
We didn’t find out the gender of our son that was born in July and it was the best experience!! If you are looking for an exciting experience definitely wait–you don’t have that much longer anyway!! So so so fun and it makes that big day even better!!
I know you must LOVE getting unsolicited advice from strangers 🙂 , but i just HAD to give a plug for waiting to be surprised by the gender at the birth! I have the opposite of you (three DAUGHTERS) and waited until the birth to find out each time. I truly can say that there is no other moment like it when you have just pushed out a baby and you are on such a high because the pain is over and your hormones and emotions are going crazy and then your husband says, “it’s a ____!” NOTHING COMPARES! (cue Annie Lennox) My first birth was an emergency c-section and then my second two were drug-free VBACs. go VBACs! (Sounds like i’m cheering for a sports team!)
I also totally get being nervous about having a girl (for me it was a boy). I felt the same when i was pregnant with #3 and all my friends said, “i bet you want a boy” and i would tell them that part of me did, but part of me wanted to just stick with what we already knew! Obviously i would have been fine EITHER way, but i sure do love having all of one gender! And having the perfect nursery all painted and decorated and ready to go before the birth is SOOOOO overrated! The baby won’t know either way and it just doesn’t matter! Congratulations. Such a fun time for you and your family! You are all such great examples of kind and selfless people. We need more of you in this world!
Thanks for the update- I love hearing more about your family, along with all things “baby.”
My daughter was born the same day LJ was (10 days overdue, 24+ hours of failed induction = unplanned c-section). I didn’t want to find out the gender at 20 weeks, but my husband insisted on it. The compromise was to have the tech put it in an envelope which we saved for two months until Christmas Day. In the end, I was glad we found out, because I was reeeallly expecting a boy. I needed some time to wrap my head around a girl. (BTW, girl diaper changes are completely different than boys- you can’t just smear the poop around every which way.)
One last ranom thing- I read about a woman in Florida who didn’t know she was pregnant until 35 weeks and ended up having a 14 pound, record-setting baby boy. So there’s always that to put your life into perspective. 🙂
What a sweet post. We have waited until delivery all 3 times and will this go around as well. It is such a sweet moment and gives me something to look forward to getting ready for/during the c-section. Where I live they will not induce for a vbac ever – I’ve always found it interesting they would where you live. Hope you are feeling well. Your boys are adorable, btw.
I know you can feel overwhelmed any kind you find out that you are expecting, it’s so much responsibility. I can imagine how overwhelming it might be finding out so late in the game. But honestly, I wish I was as fertile as you. What a blessing! Maybe a blessing in disguise, but a huge blessing.
I’m infertile. I’ve been blessed with two take home babies and many angels that didn’t make it home with us. I love my babies more then I could ever imagine and I know I’m so lucky to have them. My heart isn’t done, I’d always hoped for 4 kids. However, it seems like my wallet and spirit are done. Each of my kids cost us over $10K – and that is super cheap in the infertility world! We’ve exhausted our insurance for fertility coverage now, so it would be more like $20-25K if we had another. And I’ve had so many losses, I just don’t know if I can handle that again. Plus I’m high risk during pregnancy, I bleed the entire first two trimesters, so I have to have full time childcare to help me. At least I get to be at home and not in the hospital though. It’s just too much to do it all again, I’m afraid.
And I completely realize that I’m one of the lucky ones. I have friends who have been told it was best for their own health to stop trying and only go the adoption route.
I just wish I had the option to have one too many sips of wine, maybe a few chapters of 50 Shades and no one except my husband and I in the room. The last time I got pregnant, there were 6 people in the room with us. They were training a new nurse at the clinic and asked me to let her observe since I was a “veteran” patient. Yeah, super romantic!
I know that stress comes your own perspective, not from another person’s perspective. I just wanted to tell you that while you might feel stress about your situation, others are envious of it. I’d love to have your problem over mine! I’d love to be so fertile that I got knocked up without realizing it!!! That would be a fantastic problem to have in my world!
Congratulations! I wish you the best! Can’t wait to find out what you’re having, whenever that might be! And I’m excited to see the basement kitchen reno. We are just starting on a kitchen reno and I’m needing a few ideas!
Best Wishes!!!
Oh I hear ya Jen. I do and I am fully aware of how truly blessed I am. I hear the ache in your comment and how you just love those babies and want more and I know that you are one of the many reasons and one of the many people WHY I don’t take what I have for granted. I know it’s a unhealthy habit to compare different journeys but I want you to know that sometimes that comparison…when gracefully offered like you did…it lends perspective and that is a good thing. We all need more of that!
xo – kb
Geesh I hope so!
xo – kb
Congrats! One thought to make the reveal more exciting might be to have the doctor put the sex into an envelope and then do one of those reveal celebrations with the boys – whether you cut into a cake or all take guesses then reveal or the balloons in a box thing. Just an idea…
Congrats Katie! I’m always inspired by your energy levels with all your boys (due with my second boy in 2 days)! And as I’m attempting a VBAC I love reading your birth stories, especially Weston’s. Will you be posting LJ’s birth story at all? Would love to read it if you do. Blessings and prayers your way for a healthy pregnancy!
I hope to post it on his birthday.
xo – kb
Great post. I thought when I was pregnant that I wanted a girl. When I found out I was having a boy, I just switched to boy mode. And I LOVE having a boy. We hope to try for no. 2 soon and I really hope it’s another boy (my husband does too). I LOVE being a mom to a little boy for the same reasons you said (I’m not much of a girly-girl and my dad and I used to come up with different names for “fart” and “poop” when I was a kid. See what I’m saying?) Congrats, Bowers! I’m so excited for you. I hope we have a healthy baby no. 2 when the time comes, and my husband and I both hope we can afford to have three babies because I’m an only child and he only has one sibling and we think it would be fun 🙂
Thank you Kristine for perfectly stating my thoughts!!! I was just going to comment: 1) Congratulations Bower Family!! Such exciting news and wishing you all the best!! AND 2) Kids are kids! Girl, boy, it doesn’t matter (it is the marketing world that has driven a wedge between the genders so that people feel that they have to buy two sets of everything = more money in company pockets). Girls also love all the things you mentioned you do with your boys. Sure some little girls naturally like pink and sparkly dresses, but just has many love playing barefoot in the mud. Just like boys can totally play with dolls and pretend to be daddies, there are no rules when it comes to child play 😉 If baby is a girl, she’ll guide you to what she needs, just as your boys have… No matter what, you know baby is going to be a cutie-patootie, just like the big brothers 🙂 Congrats again, and can’t wait to see if you decide to find out early!
I know it’s personal, but I wanted to say I hope you got good results from your panorama test. I know they can come back with scary (and not always accurate) results sometimes. Praying for baby Bower and you!
I know what you mean about wanting the reveal to be special! For our first, my hubs and I found out and were going to keep it a secret until we had a gender reveal party/baby shower later on. It lasted one day until he slipped up and dropped a definite “he” to his co-workers. So for our second, we had the tech write it down and seal it. Then we opened it (a month later) on Christmas morning. Then we got to tell all of our family that we were having a girl when we saw them later that day!
A delayed comment.. congrats on Baby Boy #4! You do make some pretty cute boys and there’s something special about brothers—you’re going to have a great time. 🙂
My husband and I are 32 weeks along with our first, and found out at 15 weeks that we’re most likely expecting a baby with Down Syndrome (we declined the amnio since the risk wasn’t worth it to us for the extra certainty); but we’d always planned to wait to find out gender on Birth Day… despite it driving all our family crazy! Well, at our appointment about a month ago doctor slipped in describing the orientation— “Head is down here, elbows poking you here, there’s the little penis…” So we ended up being able to share the news after all, and considering we all just FELT like baby was a ‘he,’ it was the biggest non-surprise announcement!
Anyways, your family clearly adores one another and even though blog-land usually makes life look rosy-er than reality, you definitely seem able to juggle chaos and kiddos and do it all with grace and whilst looking pretty darn good. Will look forward to meeting the littlest Bower Boy and wish you all the best!