A few weeks ago I decided to give myself an early birthday present and booked a special ultrasound to reveal the gender of our third baby.
The place we went to was in Hamilton, inside a home, with comfy chairs and a big screen to watch the baby on.
We brought our two daughters (who were both born in May, when our third child is also due). We also found out their gender at an ultrasound.
I am not a patient person, and each time I was pregnant, I eagerly anticipated finding out if there was a baby girl or boy kicking up a storm inside of me.
This time around, I laid in the chair waiting as the technician studied the images, his eyebrows knit tightly in concentration. I felt my heart beating quickly and I grabbed my husband’s hands, and whispered, “I’m nervous.”
Looking at the image projected on the screen, I could determine the gender myself even before the technician said anything. I feel like I’ve become an expert, having studied these images with my two daughters before.
“It looks like a girl,” I said.
And within a few minutes, the technician confirmed.
“Yes, it’s definetly a girl.”
Knowing that my third daughter may one day read this, I hope she knows she was fiercely loved, from the moment I discovered I was pregnant — her gender undetermined — and even more so when she was declared to be a “she.”
A little girl will fit in perfectly with her two older sisters, and I’m excited to welcome a third daughter into our home in a few months.
This Christmas, I am cherishing my family, the last year it will be a family of four, and excitedly anticipating when everything will change next year as a family of five.
The past few weeks, I have shared with friends, family, and the occasional stranger who asks, that we are having our third baby girl.
Typically, people respond by either laughing, “How funny, three girls, what are the odds?”
But there are also many people who are expressing their condolences.
“Poor Mom, three daughters!”
“Poor Dad . . . four girls in the house!”
“You should try again!”
“Oh no! Wait until the teen years.”
To these people I say: "We are celebrating our little girl, and we hope you will too."
What difference does it make that we’re having a daughter, instead of a son?
Regardless, there’s a little child growing inside of me that has her own unique personality and characteristics. She will grow up to have her own unique interests, hobbies, delights, and desires.
Yes, she will be a girl, just like her two sisters, but she will be so much more than that.
Each of our three girls are unique, with their own story to tell, their own history unfolding. I’m delighted to be a witness, to guide them and impart whatever wisdom I can. To cherish them and kiss them and love them all the same.
I hope I don’t have to field negative comments and furrowed brows once my little girl is here, out in the world, making her mark and blessing our lives like I know she will.
To me, she’s the greatest Christmas present I could ever ask for. The perfect gift: a daughter to cherish and love for all my life.
