It's A Boy!!!

This is the picture we used to announce to our parents that we were expecting
Our first sneak peek at Baby Smithson #3

We gave both sets of grandparents 2 boxes like these and told them we would call them after our sonogram revealing the baby's gender with instructions as to which box they could open

Finally the news came and they were told they could open the box with the green polka dot ribbonHere's what they found inside...

Surprise...It's a Boy! (For those of you curious as to the significance of the Almond Joy bar, just think back to the old advertisement jingle...What does Almond Joy have that Mounds doesn't? By the way, I am proud of my Dad for picking up on my weird attempt at humor with the candy.

Like I said before, this is a picture we had never seen before with any of our previous sonograms

Sweet Little Cooper's side profileThe girls celebrated the news of Cooper with blue balloons (however Abigail's first response after finding out she was going to have a baby brother was, "I wanted a girl"...cue the pouty face and arms folded. I then reminded her that she originally said she wanted a baby brother and that she wanted to name him Popcorn Pop...to which she responded again with a pouty face and arms folded, "I changed my mind"). Surely it's just a phase?!?Less than 24 hours after receiving the big news, a few sweet friends showered me with fun boy clothes. Let the shopping begin! (Thanks Shelby and Cara for the adorable outfits!)

It's A Boy!!! I honestly never thought I would hear those 3 words. With that being said, you can imagine the surprise and excitement that filled the room on Monday afternoon when Dr. Wampler told Josh and me that we were going to have a boy.

Before Abigail came along I had it in my head that I was going to be a mommy to lots of boys. There were no facts or logical reasoning to support this theory other than I had two older brothers and always tended to lean more on the side of a tomboy rather than a girly girl growing up. The thought of raising girls terrified me...in fact, in some ways it still does. Between the drama, the money, the high maintenance, the hormones, and the fact that I was all too often more than a handful for my mom during my teenage years, I always assumed it would one day come back to haunt me if I was a mommy to lots of girls. While that verdict is still out, I have to say I have grown pretty comfortable over the last 3 years in my role as Queen Mommy to my two little Princesses.

With all of my pregnancies, I never had a strong feeling one way or another as to "what I was having". While there was always the hope that we would someday get to experience the other side of parenting in the world of little boys I saw my chances this time around as pretty slim, especially considering the fact that this pregnancy has been identical to the other 2 when it comes to first trimester symptoms, the way I carry the baby, etc. Going into our appointment on Monday I had no idea what to expect. While Josh kept saying he had a hunch it was going to be a girl I still wasn't feeling strongly one way or the other. I spent my morning preparing myself to hear the words, "It's a Girl", and kept reminding myself of all the many reasons why my life is so much more complete and full of joy because of the little girls I have in it. While it sounds drastic and in some ways harsh to admit that I had to "prepare" myself for the idea that I may have another little girl, I'm just being honest. While I love my life and the princess costumes, jewelry, and sparkles that sometimes overtake it, I couldn't help but be curious as to what the other side of the spectrum would be like if it was filled with dump trucks, dirt, bugs, and the color blue.

It wasn't long into the sonogram before it was obvious to Dr. Wampler what we were going to be having. She held off on telling us as long as she could in hopes of showing us by picture the proof as to what we were having. (Note to self, having a Coke right before your sonogram appointment helps to wake the baby up and get it moving but also makes it difficult for your doctor to catch good stillframes of the baby and all of his/her parts). Finally she couldn't keep the news to herself any longer and told us that we were having a boy. Almost instantly the tears of joy began to flow as I asked Dr. Wampler at least 2 or 3 times "if she was sure". I just couldn't believe the news. However after catching a good glimpse and realizing that the picture I was looking at was definitely something I had never seen on a sonogram before, the shock began to wear off, the reality sunk in, and we were all "sure"...we were going to have a boy!

While girl names have always been a challenge for us to come up with for some reason, Josh and I have always been in agreement on what we would want to name a boy if we ever had one. With that being said, we can't wait to introduce our family and friends to Cooper James Smithson.