Baby Gender

This photo is from 3 years ago when Eva was just born. My Granny had sent matching pj's for the girls. You can tell those smiles are the real thing. They were so happy to get their little sister.

Ross and I have always been a little old school when it comes to baby delivery stuff. We have had 4 babies now and all of the following have applied to each one: we chose names but never revealed the name ahead of time; we never sought out induction (letting the baby choose its own birthday unless induction was needed medically) and had them all naturally (ok, I did that, not Ross); and we never found out the gender. This is NOT at all to say doing all these things ahead of time is wrong, we just did it that way, loving some good surprises. It has been fun for us, especially overseas, to be able to call home and say, "It's a...." (and that answer was always GIRL!) and leave everyone wondering until the last minute, including ourselves. We also have never 'tried' for a gender (meaning to keep having babies until we get a sampling of both genders!).

God has always given us little girls. I have a couple of theories as to why we have all girls. My current theory is that Ross makes quite a statement here with 4 little blonde girls bouncing around him. The Turks have their children 8-10 years apart typically AND they usually have 1-2 children only. To have 4, all so close together, makes us stand out alot. I have been asked why we kept all of them (meaning why we didn't abort in hopes for a boy later). We are able to explain that this is what God has given us, they are blessings to us, and their Baba (father) wants them all. That statement packs a punch in a male-dominated culture.

So, here we are with #5 on the way. We are past the head scratching and quizzical looks to one another and on to that wonderful feeling of "We didn't plan this, but God did, and we wouldn't change a thing now." It is amazing how quickly one bonds with a baby on the way. We begin to see how he/she will fit in, how things will change, how we can't imagine that due date month passing without him/her appearing, etc.

But this time, we are breaking with tradition. Gender discovery we are going to do. Why? Well...when you have 4 of the same gender already, ALOT of people become VERY anxious to know about this last one. And there's this whole realization that I'll need to borrow BACK all those pink onesies I gave away (thinking Eva was the last) if it's a girl. And we are going home to the US for the summer where I can pick up whatever is needed for the baby. But mostly, if this sweet babe is a girl, I want everyone to know up front, have a good 5 months to think of us as an "all-pink basketball team of 5", and love her and welcome her just as fondly as the first 4. Of course, they will love her deeply, but a little notice ahead of time will get us all thinking of that early on.

And oh my, if it is a boy. That will give me plenty of time to find out from all of you experts out there, what exactly do you do with a boy? I live in a land of polly pockets and tea sets and cats dressed in doll clothes and pushed in strollers. I need time to do a little thinking. And I need time to relish the thought that ROSS finally gets to take him to the bathroom all those times while I sit in the restaurant and finish my meal. Now that would be nice.

So Friday is the day to find out. I'm a little scared. This is a first for us. I'll let ya know what I find out.