ANOTHER Boy???

This post has been brewing in my head for months now. It came to me one day that I HAD to write about this, but I've been thinking over how I would want to do it. I still don't have exactly what I want to say and how I want to say it planned out in my head, but I'm going to give it a go anyway.

Like many pregnant women, I found out around 20 weeks the sex of my baby. And this time around, I again found out I was having a boy. A healthy boy, at that. A boy with 10 fingers and 10 toes. A boy that was developing perfectly. A boy with a normal brain, heart, spine. A boy! A BOY!

I was ecstatic. Was there part of me hoping to hear that it was a girl, so that I could run out and buy a pink outfit for my own child for the first time? Absolutely. Was Scott a tad bit sad that he would never have a daughter? Yes, he was. Would we have welcomed a baby girl with open arms? Of course! But we were thrilled beyond belief to have another son to fill our busy home. We've watched Carter and Tyler grow to be the best of friends, and we were so happy that they would have another brother to play with. I began to have visions of football games in the backyard, wrestling matches in the basement. My three boys giving each other a hard time, but in their core, really loving each other.

Then came the sharing of the news. Most friends and family were thrilled for us. Excited for our boys to have another brother. But then it started. The "ANOTHER boy???" comments. Mostly from complete strangers.

"Did you get a girl this time around?"

"Please tell me there's a girl in there."

"I guess you're going to go for a 4th now, huh?"

"ANOTHER boy? Wow. Good luck with that."

"3 boys? Oh my. You're going to have your hands full."

"Oh, a boy? Were you hoping for a girl?"

I was shocked by how many people felt sorry for me. They would have hopeful faces when asking about the sex of the baby, and after hearing my answer that it was a boy, their faces would fall. They felt so bad for me.

Seriously? I didn't just tell you that I lost the baby. That he was going to be born with a major abnormality. I told you that he was a BOY.

I know that these people did not mean to offend me. But they did. I'm guessing that most, if not all, of these people did not have 3 sons. They didn't know the never ending excitement and fun that comes with boys. The true love that a mother can feel from her boys. That we wanted another child, no matter a boy or a girl.

The first few months of this, I would get so irritated inside when I would get one of these "ANOTHER boy???" comments. Now, I just smile and tell the commenter how thrilled we are to be having ANOTHER boy!

I mean, look at these guys. Why wouldn't I want ANOTHER one????

We love you, Cupcake!

Cupcake's big blog debut....

With the last post dating all the way back to March, I realized that baby Cupcake has yet to make his debut on this blog. Who is Cupcake, you ask? He is the new little guy growing in my belly, who has so fondly been named Cupcake by his older brothers. Carter's friend, Andrew, has a new baby brother, and before that new baby brother was born, Andrew decided that he would be named Cupcake. Shockingly, Andrew's parents chose a different name for their newest addition, James, but Carter held on to the idea of naming the unborn sibling Cupcake. And thus, many months ago, when the subject of naming the baby came up, Carter proclaimed that he would be Cupcake. No questions about it. No consulting Scott or me. He's Cupcake.

At first, I would remind Carter that he could call him Cupcake, but that isn't going to actually be his name. After a while, though, all of us just began to call him Cupcake. Scott and I are still working on deciding his "real" name, but I wouldn't be surprised if this little guy's nickname ends up being Cupcake. Not the most masculine nickname, so hopefully a new one will emerge by the time he's in school.

Cupcake may have not made the blog yet, but he has been receiving lots of love here at home. He has a newly repainted room- that I painted ALL BY MYSELF in my energy-filled second trimester. (Can you tell I'm proud of that?) He has new bedding, a few new outfits in the closet, and a new car seat. But more importantly, he has been getting hugs from his older brothers every day. Literally, every day. When I drop off Carter at preschool, he gives me a hug, gives Tyler a hug, and then hugs my belly and says, "Bye, Cupcake. I love you." Tyler asks about every other day when Cupcake is going to come out. "In two minutes?" he always asks. Just this morning, Tyler was telling me how he would share his Elmo blankie with Cupcake when he cries. Now, that's love, because Elmo blankie is sacred around here. I know full well that the boys may change their tune once this Cupcake has arrived, and they get less attention from me, but I'm enjoying the brotherly love while it lasts.

Now, I'm a "never say never" kind of girl, but this is most likely the last time that I will be pregnant. I never had any maternity photos taken when I was pregnant with Carter or Tyler, so I wanted to do that this time around. I enjoy being pregnant. I want to remember these days. So, we got Melissa E Photography to do a maternity and family photo session with us. It was literally in the 90s that day, and I was sweating my butt off, but somehow, Melissa seemed to capture some amazing photos. Check them out:

http://melissaephotography.blogspot.com/2010/09/baby-number-3-durham-maternity.html

So, Cupcake, you might be our third baby. You might be our third BOY. And you might be wearing a lot of hand-me-down outfits from your brothers once you get here. And your blog debut may have only been 4 weeks prior to your due date. BUT...

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH, CUPCAKE!