The Gender Reveal

The verdict is in! Baby Gaultney No. 2 is a GIRL!

But wait – our anatomy ultrasound isn’t until November 1. So how do I know the sex, you ask? Well why don’t I just tell you!

Our five-year anniversary was on Saturday, October 27. We had big plans for celebrating in San Antonio, the city where we got married. I had won a two-night stay with valet parking at the Westin Riverwalk, and Brad made us a bunch of reservations at really fun and yummy and occasionally shi-shi restaurants. Yay!

I wanted to get Brad a really good gift, but he doesn’t particularly love/need “stuff.” He likes experiences. So after I tried to get him a couple of anniversary “experience” gifts that fell through (a pack of Crossfit training sessions was one, but I won’t tell you the other in case I try to resurrect it later), I thought, “Hey, he’s so eager to know the sex of the baby – what if there’s a way we can find out early?” I contacted El Centro Community College, which has an ultrasound school, and after a few emails, I had an appointment to come see the clinical director for an ultrasound! Since it didn’t work with my timeframe to do one in the classroom for instruction purposes (I wanted to do the appointment before October 27, but they didn’t have an ultrasound class until October 29), I had to pay $35. But all of that money goes toward student enrichment programs, and it is a very reasonable price compared to an ultrasound at a doctor’s office or at a vanity ultrasound place. So on Tuesday, October 23, I secretly went to El Centro for my appointment. Brad watched Ford while I “ran an errand.” The technician could not have been sweeter, and she spent TONS of time with me! She showed me the baby’s face in 3D, the heart, the cord, bloodflow, kidneys, bladder, hands, feet… everything! It was such a beautiful moment. Then when it got to the gender part, I looked away and she wrote the sex in a greeting card I had brought. She also sealed up all of the pictures inside.

In the interest of full disclosure, at the beginning of the ultrasound she was calling the baby “he, him,” etc. I asked if she was hinting at something and she said, “Oh no, I always call babies ‘he.’” Then after the part where she identified the sex, she started saying “she, her” and so forth. So I had an inkling, but I didn’t want to start thinking a certain way.

I had planned to wait until October 27 before telling Brad about the card. I had these visions of us walking along the San Antonio Riverwalk or sitting at a fun restaurant, and I would just pop out the card and say, “Here’s your gift!” But within about 20 minutes of me getting home that afternoon following my visit to El Centro, I couldn’t stand not knowing. I asked Brad if he wanted his anniversary present early. He said, “sure.” So I asked him if he knew what it was, and he said he thought so. So I asked him if it was a big present or a small present. He said “medium.” Then I asked him, “If you could know RIGHT NOW if we’re having a boy or a girl, would you want to know?” That caught him totally off guard! He said yes, so I handed him the card. He peeked inside, we saw the words “Sweet Baby Girl!” and started jumping up and down and cheering. Of course, that totally freaked Ford out, so the celebration calmed down pretty quickly.

It was so fun to find out together like that. And we are so excited to welcome a sweet baby GIRL in March! Bring on the ruffles and bows!