It's a Boy!

Well, here I am at about 23 weeks. We just found out a few weeks ago that we're having another little boy. To be honest, it has been a really tough adjustment for me. We both were hoping for a girl, but Brent has more peace about this whole thing than I do. I still catch myself thinking things like, "I'm glad that Gavin has a play kitchen now, and it'll be great to have things in the house that a boy and a girl will enjoy playing with." What girl? My first thoughts upon finding out were, "What about my childhood doll house that we've stored in our basement for our little girl?" and "What about that whole big box of my old dolls and 'girlie' toys that I was saving?" One of the things that has struck me the most in all of this is the great sense of finality that I feel, just knowing that we're only planning on having two children, so this is it! I knew that it would be hard for me to find out about a second boy--not because it's a second boy as much as the fact that it's not a girl--but, frankly, I didn't expect to find it this difficult. In that regard, I'm very glad that we elected to find out the gender so that I have plenty of time to get adjusted to this reality. Brent reminds me--as have many of you--that the bond between brothers can be quite strong, and I am praying that our boys will be great buddies someday. It's funny how much our expectations are based on our own, personal experiences and frames of reference. I just always assumed that, because I have a brother that I've always been close to, that's how it would work out in our family too. That's just the only thing I had ever known. Despite all of these emotions, we are, of course, so grateful that the baby boy looks and sounds healthy and strong. He sure is kicking like a healthy little dude! I know that I will love him with all of my heart, and I hate feeling ungrateful for this wonderful gift that God has blessed us with.