Not that I haven’t known this before, but now it’s definitely official; I have the greatest sister in the world. (Read on to find out why).
The timing was somehow perfect. Dan had a weekend off so we decided to go to Jacksonville for my birthday. In the midst of the planning, we realized the trip was going to fall right at my 15 week doctors appointment, and at 15 weeks an ultrasound technician can most likely determine the gender of the baby. It all started coming together. Mimi and Doot decided to also come on the trip (this was also Mama’s birthday weekend). So, the plans were made along with all the drama we could think of. Dan and I were to find out the baby’s gender on Thursday, we would leave after my appointment, drive to Jacksonville and do the “unveiling” of the gender after arriving to Florida. (Keep in mind that Dan and I didn’t find out the gender either so it was going to be a surprise to us all).
Dan had gotten a “feeling” from the ultrasound technician that it was a boy. She pointed “something” out…and if there wasn’t anything there, then what would she be pointing out, right? THIS was the main topic of discussion for the 5 hour drive to Jacksonville. Mimi, Doot, Brittain, Dan and I all stuck in the same car for the duration of the trip. The baby’s gender? It was well placed in the back of the truck…a pink or blue bow in a small box that we vowed not to open until we arrived and the cameras were rolling.
I honestly don’t know how, but somehow we finally made it without Dan intentionally driving into a tree just to finally STOP THE TALKING because we spent the entire drive trying to figure out what the technician meant when she said “this” or when she said “that.” There was even a text message from Cec at some point that said something to the effect that she thought the technician was trying to trick us and even though she eluded to the fact that it was a boy, she was playing a joke on us so it would be more of a surprise when we opened it and saw that it was a girl. (It was at this point that Dan almost ejected himself from the car…and he was the one driving.)
Poor Brittain…she was so excited because she was going to be the one who opened the box. She gave it her all, but about 30 minutes before we arrived to Jax, she fell asleep and there was nothing that was going to wake her up.
When we walked into Cec and Matt’s house, I felt like a celebrity mother going to a baby shower. She had put so much thought into this knowing how special it was to me. The living room coffee table was decorated with pink and blue candy and the kitchen had this:
For some reason, I guess I was nervous because I suddenly completely forgot how to operate my camera. This is why there is only one picture of all that she had done. It was unfortunate because everything was so cute.
So, it was finally time to open the box. Cec and Matt opened a bottle of champagne, we all had our glasses, we gathered on and around the sofa and started the camera rolling. Although Brittain was sitting cuddled up to Aunt CC, she determined she was too tired to do the emotional unveiling so she chose Cec to take her place as the official box opener.
It was no secret to anyone that I thought it was a girl. There were so many reasons for this, but I guess the main reason was because I really wanted another girl. I only knew the joy my little girl had already brought me…and how in the world could a BOY bring that much joy? But at this point, despite Cec’s prediction of the technician’s obvious sense of humor, I knew for sure that the box was going to reveal a blue, not a pink bow. The reveal finally happened. It was as if life started in slow motion as I watched Cec slowly…very slowly open the box…to reveal… a blue bow. The reaction from the family was nothing less than completely hysterical. In an effort to OVERDO whatever emotion they were feeling, everyone screamed and clapped…totally seemed forced and fake like, “If we cheer REALLY loud then it’s going to make Valerie feel better about all of this.” I have to admit that I’m laughing outloud as I write this. We have watched the film clip from that moment a lot, laughing as we hear the comments we were all making, trying to figure out the right thing to say at that moment.
So, it’s a boy! It was a surprise to us all, to me especially. We’ll see how I handle a boy. We’re excited…although the thought is going to be an adjustment for me.
While we all felt that we had been there an entire weekend just after that first night, we had a lot more fun to have, and we definitely had it.
The weather was so nice so we spent a couple of evenings at the beach, relaxing, drinking wine and enjoying our time as a family together. It was a fantastic weekend.
