On Having Another Boy and Our Gender Reveal Party

Anyone who knows me well knows that I BADLY wanted a little girl. I was basically to the conclusion that if I had a girl, I would be done having kids.

Colton and I went back and forth on whether or not we would find out the gender early. Our doctors office offers a blood test that can determine gender around 12 weeks. It also checks for other potential problems like down syndrome and Edwards syndrome. I wanted to find out, but I also didn't want the added stress of having any "potential negatives" that would cause unnecessary worry.

Despite that, we ultimately decided to find out (Colton was dying to know.) Originally we went to Fetal Fotos, but they couldn't tell the gender because it was too early (I was about 14 weeks along.) At that ultrasound, the tech made a comment at one point that she was trying to figure out whether something was "the cord or something else." I knew what that meant.

We took the blood test later that week, and scheduled a gender reveal party. When I got the results back I took them to Fetal Fotos and they gave me some gender reveal cannons for us to use at the party. When I was walking out to my car I could see a blue "B" written on the top of the cannon and scribbled out. It was visible in the sunlight because it had not been scribbled out well.

I. Was. Furious.

We had waited so patiently to find out the gender together, had planned a big surprise party, and I found out because someone didn't bother to cross out a giant, blue, B.

I bawled. I think it was a mix of finding out in such an unexpected way, at an unexpected time. I wanted to be surprised when everyone else was. I also really had my hopes up for a girl. I know that's terrible to admit, but that's how I was feeling.

I drove back down to Orem, where I was supposed to meet Colton for date night. I ran into Target, got a few "baby brother" outfits and put them in a gift bag. I didn't feel like it was right for me to know and for Colton not to know.

When Colton saw me, he immediately knew I was upset about something. I handed him the gift bag and he opened it and I could see how incredibly excited he was. He badly wanted another boy, and he honestly couldn't contain his excitement. He was also mad that I found out the way I did, but was glad I didn't wait to tell him.

The next day we had our gender reveal/baby reveal party with our friends. We are always getting poked and prodded about when we would have another, and Colton's go to answer was always "one is good." So we were excited to surprise everyone AND do a gender reveal all in one night. We planned it all around an Easter Egg hunt, and it ended up being quite the celebration of life as several of our friends announced surprised pregnancies that night.

The most exciting announcement of the night was finding out my friend Katy was also pregnant. Tai and her son, Kru, were born two weeks apart in 2012. We have both been on the "maybe one is good, we will see" bandwagon for years while we have watched our other friends have their first and second children. Knowing that we would be pregnant again, together, was the icing on the cake for me. Our babes will be 2 months apart, to the day.

Another big announcement was that my friend Briana will be having TWINS around the same time I am due. (She will likely go 4+ weeks early, and I will likely have a c-section 2 weeks early.) She has always wanted a big family and I couldn't be happier that she is getting a 2 for 1 special.

All in all, it was a really fun and memorable get together. We loved spreading hundreds of Easter Eggs across our yard, having all of the kids bring baskets, and celebrating with our friends.

Getting Ready

A lot of people who I have talked to about this pregnancy have made the comment that it's like i'm doing pregnancy for the first time. I feel like I can talk about it, and ask about products, and get excited about stupid little things like picking out pajamas.

With Tai we were so broke that we really depended on (and appreciated so much) help from our friends and family. I didn't really get the experience of picking out clothes, or nursery colors or being picky about baby gear. We were given a lot, we did a lot of yard sale-ing and bargain shopping and it was perfect. We honestly were so blessed with the support that we received. A lot of my focus was on making things as affordable as possible-even if it meant the products we got weren't the best fit for my physically.

Part of my excitement with this baby has been preparation. We were able to paint the walls in his room, buy a brand new nursery set and even pick out the bedding (which, if you ask Colton, was quite the ordeal for me.)

Even bigger, we have been able to find things that really work for me and my unique body. We have spent a lot of time picking out the perfect rocking chair (I had a hard time breastfeeding Tai because I could never position him right in the chair we had) and making sure that we find products that allow me to feel more independent as a mom. Things I never even thought of before-the lightest baby carrier, a stroller that I can lift myself, and a playpen that has an alternate access point so I can actually reach the baby. Even things like a heart rate and oxygen monitor (the owlet anyone?) that wil reduce my anxiety so I can get more sleep.

One of my favorite purchases has been the MamaRoo. I remember walking through a store when Tai was brand new, and seeing the MamaRoo for the first time. It was so fancy and sleek, and I thought, what would it be like to have the LUXURY of being able to buy that? How would it feel to bring that bad boy home? It was the very first thing we bought when we found out we were pregnant. I was just so excited I couldn't wait (and I found a used one in Heber for a really good deal. The bargain hunter in me can't be tamed.)

I continue to feel so lucky that we are in a position where I can do silly things like pick out nursery colors and pajama sets. We have honestly worked so hard in the 5 years since we were pregnant with Tai, and being able to enjoy this pregnancy in a whole new way has made it worth the wait.

P.S. If Colton makes a point to tell you not to buy anything for our baby, just smile and pat him on the head. He is determined to let me be enjoy every choice and purchase for this little guy and gets a little aggressive about it. I dearly love him.

Pregnancy 1 Vs Pregnancy 2

This pregnancy has been a MILLION times different than my last pregnancy.

With Tai we didn't announce pretty much at all. Only our close family and friends (and those who read my blog) knew that I was expecting. And they found out when we were very far along. I think I told my parents at 15 weeks with Tai, and Colton's family found out a few weeks after that.

This time around, we told my family pretty early on (because Colton couldn't contain himself) and Colton's parents when I was about 10-11 weeks. We told Coltons extended family around 18 weeks (even though it was supposed to be a lot sooner but weather put off our family get together.)

We found out the babies gender at around 14-15 weeks. (Versus 20 with Tai.) We did a gender reveal party (instead of just calling our parents from the ultrasound room in Cedar City.)

I have worked full time and gone to school full time this entire pregnancy. With Tai I stopped working pretty quickly after we found out-I think a lot of the reason for that was emotional.

I gained about 40 pounds when I was pregnant with Tai. I've only gained about 1 pound so far in this pregnancy, so I hope I can continue to slowly gain and not get past my highest pre-pregnancy weight.

I seriously remember almost nothing about being pregnant with Tai. I was sick until just about 12 weeks exactly with this pregnancy-but I can't remember how long it lasted with Tai. I also didn't take any anti-nausea medicine with this baby and I've been A LOT better about prenatals.

I think it's crazy how freaked out I have been this whole pregnancy. Every symptom and cramp and pain has completely alarmed me and I cried every time I heard the babies heartbeat for the first few appointments because I was so relieved. With Tai I think I was so worried about the big picture that I didn't even look into what could go wrong or what certain symptoms meant. I had to ban myself from google and pregnancy forums early on because I made myself crazy.

Other milestones: I felt the baby move around 15 weeks. Now I am feeling him move constantly.

I have the same AWFUL sciatic nerve pain that I had with Tai, but i'm finding much better ways to manage it so that work doesn't become unbearable. (Thank you ice packs, massages and stand up desks!)

I've had some problems with low blood sugar this pregnancy. We tested early for Gestational Diabetes, but I passed just fine. If anything my sugar is usually way too low, so I monitor it with a blood sugar monitor to make sure i'm eating enough. (Ask me about how I passed out in a meeting with all of my bosses and coworkers-that was fun.)

One of the best things about this pregnancy has been being able to share it with people. Telling my family and friends. Having Colton there every step of the way. And watching Tai's excitement grow. Tai is beyond excited and has been involved in all of the appointments. He talks to the baby every day, watches videos with me about each week of pregnancy, and is always taking toys and other presents into the babies room.

Overall things have been going really well. A lot of the things that we were worried about have been totally fine. I have been able to work, go to school and have a healthy pregnancy and it has been such a happy time for our family. I've honestly really enjoyed the whole process and continue to be so excited for each milestone.

Finding Out

When Colton told me he thought the time was right to have another baby, he obviously had divine inspiration because we had a positive test almost immediately.

Which completely stressed me out. We had a lot of friends who were trying to get pregnant-it was taking them a while and I had prepared myself that it would take a while and not to stress.

The day we found out I was pregnant I told Colton that maybe we should wait a little while. We had just booked a Disneyland trip. I was trying to finish school. My work would be moving to a new city soon. And I wanted to keep losing weight and get in better shape (I had lost about 20+ pounds in the months prior.)

I had started to feel sick and was beyond exhausted. Which I knew was crazy because I MAYBE could be 3 weeks along at best. I didn't even tell Colton I was taking the test. I didn't expect anything.

I got a positive almost immediately.

I screamed. Colton came running in. I basically threw the test at him.

He.Was. Ecstatic.

I was crying from shock, surprise, fear and happiness. And he was just beaming.

The next day he called me at work just to tell me again how happy he was that he got to be a daddy again.

He wanted to tell everyone he came in contact with. He couldn't wait to announce to our families. That has pretty much been how this pregnancy has gone and I love it.

Baby #2

Baby #2 was quite honestly a lot of back and forth between Colton and I.

-Colton has had this long time fear of not being able to love another child the way he loves Tai, which has made it hard for him to even want to consider having another child.

-My pregnancy with Tai was HARD. It was emotional, it was draining, it was scary and lonely and we were really trying to figure out life at that point. We were trying to build a better relationship with each other, while preparing to be parents and being completely broke. We were far from family, far from friends and going through something where we needed so much support but didn't feel like we could take it. Because of this Colton especially related me being pregnant to something very, very hard.

-Colton was worried about the effects pregnancy would have on my body. I spent a lot of time sleeping during my first pregnancy with Tai. I was sick, I was uncomfortable, I was scared and I was lonely. Looking back I don't think I dealt with a lot of my symptoms or even had an understanding of why I was feeling the way I felt. I was really nauseous, so I didn't eat-so I had no energy. If I got headaches, I would sleep them off. It was uncomfortable for me to sit and so I spent a lot of time in bed. I spent a huge portion of my pregnancy at home by myself while Colton worked multiple jobs.

-Colton wanted me to be in a healthier state physically before we had another baby. I gained so much weight after I had Tai, and he knew I couldn't put any additional weight on my body without the effects being harsh.

Despite all that, he knew I was aching to have another baby. He knew that I wanted Tai to have a sibling. We talked about it, talked about it some more. Agreed on a time frame. Talked some more. I think what finally altered everything was his last MMA fight. He saw how much I sacrificed and supported him to do something he was passionate about. And he knew how strongly I felt about having another baby. He basically said "I know this is your dream, I think it's a good time." That was in December.

To be continued...