Baby #2 is a...

GIRL! Whoa, what a shocker! We had our ultrasound on Friday and I felt so nervous as I got up on that table. Not about gender, about abnormalities. I just so hoped that everything was going and growing okay in there. This pregnancy has been so easy and comfortable (so far) that I often forget I am even pregnant, so the pessimist in me has been thinking things have been going a little too well. Plus we have heard so many sad stories from our friends recently, from infertility to miscarriage to stillbirth. Just yesterday my friend's sister almost died from complications from her repeat, scheduled C-section and is in ICU. Anyway, the baby is fine--all structures look good and I made them check twice that it truly is a girl. We are so grateful for a healthy baby and pregnancy and we don't take it for granted, not for a second.

That being said, finding out it was a girl was a surprise. All of my friends and family swore up and down that this must be a boy b/c the pregnancy is so different from my first. I was so sick with Lana and it was the whole time (except for month 6), whereas with this one I was only a bit queasy. Last time I had no headaches at all--this time I have headaches probably 3 times a week. Last time I could barely eat anything and if I did, it was all fruits and veggies. This time veggies ick me out and I want spicy, really flavored foods and a lot of junk food. I mean, I actually ate cheese fries the other day--with the liquified orange cheese and it was AWESOME!

Anyway, when we saw the girl parts on the screen, all I could think about was how disappointed Bill is. He looked so sad. He wanted a boy SO bad and we had decided previously that 2 kids is my limit. So I promised him on the spot that we would wait on permanent birth control and see how it goes with having 2. I really don't want 3 kids, but when I was 20 years old I declared that I didn't want any children, so I know things can change. After the initial shock wore off, Bill is warming up to the idea of 2 girls. In Chinese culture, having a boy is kind of an important thing, so I was wondering how his parents would take it, but they insisted that they are not traditional about this and they are thrilled to have another granddaughter. I think this helped him feel better too. If this all sounds strange, remember Bill and I are both only children. We don't understand sibling relationships--the good or the bad. We are in for quite a ride! Most of the sisters I know are quite close and are great friends as adults. I hope that my girls are no exception.

I am super excited to re-use a bunch of Lana's stuff. A lot of the baby clothes are not going to work b/c her 0-3 month stuff is summer wear, but the shoes, the winter boots, the raincoats, the girly toys, and the toddler clothes (especially that hand-knitted purple sweater that Lana's Aunt Nancy made her) will totally get a second use! Even so, I am itching to go shopping :)

So we are settling into the idea that we will have 2 girls. We are a little scared about the teen years, but we have some time to prepare or at least cross our fingers. I want to pick a name as soon as we can so we can get Lana used to the idea of her baby sister. Its really hard to pick another same gender name when you have already used your favorite. We bought a name book and we can only find 2 names we can agree on as possibilities. Good thing we have lots of time to decide.

Miss Lana is going to have a hard time adjusting to a new baby no matter how much we prepare her. She loves to be the center of attention. She loves me to do everything with her and she is so used to it. She is in for quite the shocker. I am really working on getting her to do things more independently, but at the same time I want to really enjoy each other this summer. I often have moments where I wonder what the heck was I thinking to have another kid. Like the other morning when she was freaking out screaming at 6am about how she didn't want to go to school or me to leave and it just went on and on and she was following me around and covering my clothes with snot and tears and I literally couldn't handle the noise and ridiculousness of the tantrum and I screamed at her. All I could think about was how will I ever do this with 2 kids? I will take any advice given to me and I will be grateful for it!