Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Dilemma in the belly


It seems like just yesterday I was attempting to surprise Dima with a fake newspaper that revealed that I was pregnant again.  It didn't take long to get to that point (ok, no time at all) but it did take a LOT to make it to week 18 of this pregnancy.  While I've been lucky enough to escape the horrors of morning sickness not once, but TWICE now, my exhaustion levels didn't come close to getting as lucky this time around.  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate being pregnant?!
We are well into the second trimester now, and are inching closer and closer to being halfway to meeting our little one.  As my belly just starts to pop out this week, panic and excitement are beginning to form in both of us as this is all becoming more and more real!  As we approach this halfway point, we come to you all for advice and suggestions on where to go from here.  
The big day is fast approaching.  On April 27th, we have our anatomy ultrasound.  What does this mean? This means the doctor will be checking numerous things in baby to make sure he/she is doing ok.  They will check the chambers of the heart, height, weight, brain, spine, limbs, lungs, skull, and so much more.  It is really cool to see and last time Dima missed it because he was deployed.  This is a very important visit, and I'm excited to have him there with me this time! What's exciting about this visit, is this is also the chance where you can find out the sex of your baby.  This is where we are stuck.  
With Zach, we never had doubts that we wanted to know.  We wanted to plan, and be able to buy clothes and set up a nursery.  This time we are on the fence.  Do we want to know or do we want to be surprised?  Here is our pro/con list:

Reasons to find out:

If it's a girl, we can get rid of the BOXES AND BOXES of boy things we have taking up our very limited amount of space upstairs
If it's a boy, we know we have tons of clothes already and won't have to worry about buying much new this time around.  
Easier for friends/family to buy baby shower gifts
It's a little easier to feel like you're connecting with the baby if you can refer to the baby as him or her instead of "it"
We can have a gender reveal party in the states and find out what it is with our family!
Less to buy later!
It would save us a lot of trouble in the naming department (it took us months to agree on Zach's name!)
It would be nice to know if Zach is going to have a little brother or a little sister
I'm not a huge fan of surprises (surprise parties, etc. are not something I enjoy on my end not to mention I was a peeker at christmas!)

Reasons NOT to find out

We are most likely moving just 2-3 months after baby is born, so no need to set up a nursery
We have a LOT of neutral stuff (car seat, bouncer, pack and play are all green, plus lots of green/yellow clothes)
The surprise would make this delivery day just a little more special
We think it's one of the last surprises left in this world

As you can see, the reasons to find out outnumber the reasons to NOT find out.  However, I think some of those reasons should count as more.  And so, we are stuck. I know this is a topic that can often cause much debate, so please be nice.  But we are honestly so stuck and are looking for some opinions.  Ultimately, the decision will be made by us, but we are just looking for some other sides here.  

Thanks so much to all for your help.  I also want to apologize for not having posted belly photos yet.  My belly has JUST popped, so really there has been nothing to see until now.  We have plans to post some monthly photos on here very soon, so bare with us as we have some creative juices flowing over here in Japan!

4 comments:

  1. I think if I were you I'd find out! :) Especially since a lot of your items are boy items already.

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  2. I would find out. With Keira, I was convinced for 20+ weeks (as the 20 week ultrasound was kinda inconclusive) that I was carrying a boy. When I found out I wasn't, I mourned. I know that sounds silly, but it took me a few days to a week of going through the stages of grief - anger, resentment, acceptance. I had wanted a boy and trusted my gut. I can only imagine how I would have felt if I had waited til delivery day for that surprise.

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  3. For both of ours I've really wanted to have a surprise but neither Suzy nor I are that patient. If you think you won't go crazy...go for the surprise.

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  4. Don't go getting rid of all your boy stuff if you think its a girl.. mistakes do happen. (no reflection of Dima's .. um , well anyway)

    For us, we wanted to know.. especially with twins. Plus it helps for name choosing.

    You also have the option of one know the other not.. but that might lead to some pretty good arguments.. I say find out.

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