Nine-1/2 Months: Girl, Boy or Lollipop?

I’m a control-freak planner. I’ll be the first to admit to it, and my hubby will definitely vouch for my endless daily/weekly/monthly lists, which I know he just loves.

But when it comes to finding whether we're having a girl or a boy, the planner in me flies out the window. I love the surprise. And not just for us: I enjoy when other people wait to find out as well.
There’s a certain excitement that accompanies that announcement of “It’s a Boy!” or “It’s a Girl!”

And having friends and family guess the gender beforehand (I’ve yet to be wrong, by the way) and then waiting for that surprise is always fun.

As a mom who didn’t find out ahead of time with my first baby, I can honestly say it is the best surprise of your life, because no matter what, you have a perfect baby who wraps his or her tiny hand around your heart the second they’re born.

And I do really think it gives many women, myself included, that little extra bit of pushing power at the end, wanting to find out if you have a son or a daughter.

What about clothes for little Lollipop?
Don’t get me wrong: I understand the reasoning behind wanting to find out. Decorating, buying clothes, coming up with names, etc.

For us though, none of those were or are too important. I’m not a fan of the typical blue and pink gender schemes and in fact, I have a slight aversion to all things pink. Even if we knew whether we are having a boy or a girl, I wouldn’t be one to go out and create a very gender-focused nursery.

The same goes for clothes. I love the creams and soft earth tones of gender-neutral clothing, which newborn babies grow out of before the next laundry day anyway.

I’m all for sweet dresses and cute little man sweaters down the road, but those first few months consist of a whole lot of onesies, sleepers and easy-to-access clothing.

My only caveat is that I love to bargain hunt and buy second-hand, so knowing the gender ahead of time would enable me to stock up on clothing for the first year or so.

That being said, clothes are easy to come by, and most moms I know tend to pass around clothes to each other—we all know what it’s like. Once the baby is born, I’m sure we’ll have no trouble borrowing a whack of clothes or finding decent used ones at baby sales or thrift stores.

As for names, we have a few of each picked out and we’ll wait until the baby is born to see what he or she suits the best. Or, if my 3-year-old gets his pick, the baby will just be named Lollipop. It’s pretty gender-neutral.

Still, I am curious
I wouldn’t be completely honest, though, if I said I’m not a wee bit curious to find out this time around. Even though my son tends to refer to the baby as “she”, it’d be kind of nice to actually know what we’re having so we can discuss it with him.

And I’m much more curious than last time. We have a late ultrasound coming up next week and the thought of just finding out has definitely crossed my mind.

We’ve come this far, though, so waiting another couple of months is really nothing.
And the one thing I come back to constantly when I think about finding out, is this practical reason: They can be wrong.

It’s true. Even with our state-of-the-art equipment and technology, it’s still possible for ultrasound techs and doctors to make mistakes or miss something.It was actually the ultrasound technician herself who reminded me of this, after exclaiming how happy she was we weren’t finding out the gender. Apparently the vast majority of people do.

So even if I were to give in, the planning and practical part of me would still be plagued with that nagging knowledge that they might be wrong.

I can’t help but think about the mom and dad who painstakingly decorated the perfect girly nursery for little Emma, a pile of purple and pink sleepers ready to go, only to be surprised at the end of the journey with a little Jack instead. No thank you, I’ll take the surprise any day.

Bottom line
The truth is I have absolutely no preference about whether we add another little man to this household, or more female power.

I know that the second I see and hold this baby in my arms, he or she will be exactly what I wanted.

Follow along as Megan Powell prepares for her second baby—due this spring—while chasing her energetic 3-year-old and trying to squeeze in bathroom breaks and naps. Megan also blogs at henfamily.com