Baby Shandler is a GIRL! I’m still getting used to referring to her as “her” and even occasionally by the name we’re leaning toward (which we’re keeping quiet until her arrival!). I feel like we’ve really entered Phase Two of pregnancy – we’re more than halfway there at 21 weeks and can now get into the fun stuff, like picking out clothes, registering and getting the nursery ready.
We decided to find out the gender in our sonogram appointment. Gender reveal parties are so much fun, but we had some family members who would be out of town the week following our sonogram and were fine with finding out just the two of us (and the sonogram tech, of course). Right when her profile popped up on the screen Dave said “Wow, he’s really moving around a lot!” The tech immediately responded with, “I don’t think this is a he…” Then she zoomed in and confirmed her suspicions. I even asked how sure she was and she answered “100 percent.” So, we are 100% preparing to add a little girl to our family!
I didn’t have any strong feeling that this baby was a boy or a girl, and I didn’t do any of the gender prediction tests, so I wasn’t going to be surprised either way. However, I will admit that I was a little disappointed at first! I’m not sure why, but I’ve always pictured myself as a boy mom and really want at least one boy, so I was hoping to get that out of the way first. I felt disappointed and then guilty about my disappointment for a couple days (apparently mom guilt sets in early). Reading this article from The Bump made me feel a little less guilty, since it sounds like this is a fairly common issue.
Luckily, after a few days of mulling it over, I got over the disappointment and am actually really excited! Obviously shopping for girls and decorating a girl nursery are just a little more fun, but more than that I feel a sense of responsibility to raise a strong, independent woman who feels like she can do and be anything she wants to. I am so excited to meet her and to see what kind of person she becomes. And I might be most excited to see her with Dave and her big brother Rico, who I know will overprotect and spoil her rotten from day one.
From Morgan to Mom 