It's A Girl!!

Our future is looking pink, pink, and more pink! On January 15th, we had a revealing party to find out whether we would be having a boy or a girl. It was such a fun party and Hannah completely outdid herself planning it. There have been lots of people who wondered how you go about throwing a party such as this. And to be honest, at the time, it sounded like a fantastic idea, until it came down to it. Let me explain.

Early on, after finding out about BB2 (that's short for Baby Butler #2), we toyed around with the idea of not finding out the sex and doing it the old fashioned way. Well, as inspirational as that sounded, we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it knowing there was a chance it might be a little girl. We knew we would want to give this baby the same welcome as we had for Owen. Although now, it really doesn't matter because we are nowhere near as prepared as the first time. Oh well, intentions are everything and our hearts were in the right place at the time.

So, we took the middle of the road, and Hannah with all her enthusiasm, decided to throw us a "Revealing Party!" How fun is this idea? You have an ultrasound, see the baby, never expose the sex of the baby, request the technician to secretly stash the results in an envelope, hand off the results to the host, and find out the sex of baby by cutting a cake to find pink or blue icing, all while in front of friends and family at the revealing party. Why not? Sounded pretty good at the time.

So the day came for the big ultrasound. It was Wade's birthday too, which added excitement to the mix. I've always considered myself a strong person, but this tested my honesty like none other. The technician did the sex at the end of the ultrasound, and when she did, she just said, "Okay, cover your eyes." What!?! Was I crazy to have agreed to this? Talk about a true test. I never wanted to cheat at something so bad my whole life. It took everything I had to not look at that screen.

I just remember asking, "how good are you at your job?"  I somehow doubted that she could make a judgment call like that without my expert eyes viewing the screen with her. Who was I kidding? I can't even tell what is what in there when I've ever even viewed an ultrasound of my own uterus. I acted like I was some sort of expert on the subject or something. She just kept smiling and saying that she has never been wrong in the fifteen plus years she's been doing this. And all I can say now is I hope she keeps her winning streak.

Then, the worst part came. I had to carry the results with me until I saw Hannah that night. I think Wade wanted to smack me a time or two for holding the envelope up to the light in the car and taunting him with how nobody would even know if we took a little peak. Yep, I was a MANIAC! I tried to play it so cool, but I had a hard time playing by the rules.

We went to dinner at Demos that night with some of our best friends, Blake and Christy, who were in town, and Hannah met us there. It worked out great since it was Wade's birthday and helped to celebrate both occasions. And, since Blake and Christy weren't going to be able to make it to the party, Hannah and Christy decided to slip off after dinner and look at the results, which was absolute torture.

Did I mention that I was convinced that I knew it was a boy and could prove it? Listen at how dumb this theory is...although I had covered my eyes during the ultrasound, I forgot that I had my handy dandy ears for listening. I definitely was counting how many letters she typed, and I counted four, which obviously made it a boy.  See, B-O-Y, Enter.

What a theory, right? I swear I think Wade wanted to kill me before it was all over. And, I was disappointed because I had convinced myself I already knew the results with my go-go gadget ears and there was no need for a party now at all. Talk about a "Know-It-All!" That was me, at my finest.

Luckily, only a day and half had to pass before the big party. The whole thing had me on edge.  I couldn't sleep.  It was like I was a kid at Christmas waiting for Santa Claus.  I was nervous about seeing Hannah and just knew that as soon as I laid eyes on her, I would know what the baby was. We've been best friends since the seventh grade, and after one look at her, it would give it away. Nope! She stayed so cool and never made a fast move one way or the other. She just kept focused on the task and never sat still long enough for me to use my brain reading powers.

All of our friends and family were there. They joined in the fun by wearing pink or blue to represent their vote. We took a tally and had everyone sign their name to a banner casting their vote. Wade voted girl with a very nice pink shirt, but there was a nice mix between both blue and pink.  I wasn't sure whether people would understand what sort of party this was, participate, or even care at all.  But much to our surprise, we had a great turnout and were so happy to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and family.

After we ate, it was cake cutting time! You could hear a pin drop. Wade held Owen and the three of us cut the cake together. I was SO nervous! You would think I was getting married or something. One cut in and I was crying like a baby. I could see the pink icing peaking between the layers. . Wade had no idea what I was crying about! I blew the surprise for him, when I screamed, IT'S PINK!! He never even had a chance to see the icing for himself. Poor Wade.

I'm not sure what shook me up to be honest. It wouldn't have mattered one way or the other. It was just really emotional and knowing made it so real. It sort of hit me all at once. I never really even considered that it could be a little girl. That sounds weird I know, but the last two years plus have been all about a little boy's world. And as girly as I am myself, I feel a little unprepared for a little girl.

I can't even begin to imagine how different it's going to be. And, Owen. Oh man! That little guy has a big adjustment coming. His little sister is going to tag-along and want to do everything he does, with a side of kisses. Not sure what that's all about, but little girls think it's their God given right to give kisses to any and all who will accept them.

So, there you have it. It's a girl. Wade and I will have our first daughter.  We couldn't be more proud and are very excited to see her little face. I'm sure she will exceed all expectations and add so much life to our life.  It's going to be very different, that's for sure.

I would like to say a very big thank you to all our friends and family who took time out to come and share in our big news! We are beyond lucky to know each and every one of you. We love you all more than you know!! And Hannah, I pretty much think I would follow you off a cliff if you showed enthusiasm. Thank you for being you and for giving us a day we will never forget. I love you.

Here are some pictures from the day. Hope you enjoy!

IT'S PINK!!!!!!