Bow or Beau?!

The closest comparison to June 25th this year would be December 25th. Daniel and I went to bed on the 24th with visions of a baby boy or girl in our heads, and the excitement that was running through our veins on that beautiful Tuesday morning were so similar to those of Christmas morning. 

We were scheduled to find out the gender of our growing babe on that blessed day at the earliest appointment available, but ten 'o clock just didn't seem soon enough. Since Daniel and I were all ready to go to the appointment far before our scheduled time, we decided to take some photos to document our curiosity as to whether our baby would be a he or a she.

Although we tried to stall getting to the doctor's office too early, we still arrived nearly fifteen minutes prior to our appointment. I'm pretty sure you could see the extreme anticipation radiating off of Daniel and I as we sat in the waiting room rhythmically flipping through random magazines hoping to pass the time.

Finally, we were taken back to the ultrasound room. Without an ounce of shame, I immediately unclothed my ever growing belly and with another touch of the doctor's magic wand, we were able to see half of me and half of Daniel developing into what I'm sure will be the most wonderful baby.

Contrary to common belief, the real reason for an ultrasound at twenty weeks isn't actually to find out the gender. The more important, and often stressful, reason for this particular appointment is to document and confirm that all essential parts of the baby are measuring and forming properly. The overwhelming and often terrifying possibilities that can be revealed during the twenty week ultrasound can certainly worry an expectant mom like me, but luckily we were able to see:

a strong, fast heart beat,

a perfectly growing spine,

a couple strong arms,

ten little toes,

ten tiny fingers,

and a cute/creepy baby face.

The doctor went through every important picture to ensure that Baby Spice was in prime condition, and, thankfully, everything checked out great. We were thrilled with all the photos and information we were being fed, but the doctor was clearly building suspense as he was obviously saving the images of the gender for the very end of the photo shoot. 

The doctor then announced that we could now move on to find the gender, but Baby Spice was a little shy at first, covering up the private parts with the little hands and fingers we had ooed and awed over just moments before.

This actually made us all laugh a little, and I couldn't have planned a better picture to have on display at our "gender reveal party", or "coming out party" as my dad kept accidentally calling it, for our family members that night. 

We decided to get together with both of our families for a small and simple party. The theme was bow or beau in honor of Daniel's love for France. We made most of the decorations or found them at the dollar store, which worked out perfectly. As everyone arrived, we had them choose a mustache or bow to proclaim their guess. 

Now, don't let the picture of my parents fool you. They actually guessed boy, along with everyone else in both families, but they took a picture with bows too just in case they were wrong. 

We had everyone gather around close while Daniel and I cut the first piece out of the cake we had made earlier that day. The cake was either blue or pink on the inside, and everyone was at the edge of their seats to see the color of that delicious dessert.

"What color is it?!"

"It looks like it might be pink!"

"It's looking really pink!"

"Aaahh! It's pink!!"

"IT'S A GIRL!"

As you probably could have guessed, the final exclamation was my mom. Everyone was completely ecstatic and ultimately thrilled that we were going to be having a little miss Spicer, but my mom, along with my entire family, is pretty pumped to finally have a granddaughter coming their way this November. 

As for me and Daniel, we couldn't be happier! A girl is just what we ordered, since a girl name is the only name we've been able to agree on this entire adventure. I can't wait for headbands and hair bows, and Daniel is just hoping for a little athleticism. 

Daniel and I don't know too much about parenting, but the one thing we do know is that our love for this sweet little girl is already above and beyond. We just can't wait to meet HER! (I'm still getting used to saying her, and I get more and more excited every time)!