According to this study. . .

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/special-features/girls-are-made-of-fruit-and-rice-boys-are-made-of-potaroes/story-e6frg1ac-1225981712134

I'm pretty sure I'm giving birth to a grilled cheese sandwich.

Well before this baby was conceived I decided, I mean, Andy and I decided, we wouldn't be finding out the sex. Don't get me wrong, I was THRILLED to know Jackson was indeed a Jack at only 16 weeks, and wouldn't do it any other way. But this time I feel more prepared. I don't think it will change very much. And who doesn't LOVE a surprise?

The reason(s) I'm nervous. 1. Ultrasounds. In Germany we get them every visit, and while it hasn't been an issue yet, I know it will get more difficult as the time and numbers tally up. We all know pregnant women can be a little irrational at times and often change their mind at a split second. I just hope I can stick with my decision for the next 10? u/s. The other reason is the language difference. Germans are GREAT at English. However, with learning any second language, there are always the 'minor' pronoun issues. I just hope no one says the word 'he' or 'she' to me. If I started to think I had 'accidentally' been told what it was I might decide to find out. . .but again, hopefully not.

So we have ALLL our baby stuff for Jackson, and I plan on picking up a few things for (what I think) will be our baby girl . . . Another great thing about having a surprise is not having to pick a name until the baby comes. I wanted to do this with Jackson, but his name was the first one we liked, always the clear 'leader;, and ultimately decided on early on. PLUS I wanted to make this :)

(Uh, totally hoping I get some of that shiny pregnancy hair again!)

So, if you ask us our name choices, our pre-determined answer will be "Jackson II, cause we liked it so much the first time!" My mom insists we will have to call him J^2, or J Squared, so there isn't any confusion :)


My to buy list for this baby?

A couple of cute bows, one or two pink things, a super cute neutral newborn knit hat (I so wanted one for Jackson but never bought it) and a couple of neutral pajamas/sleep and plays.

Camera equipment. Have you seen my 'new' blog? http://www.adaylate365.blogspot.com/ One of my resolutions this year was to work hard on my photography skills. I started this blog and my goal is to take a picture every day using the manual settings of my camera. . .BUT no stressing if it doesn't happen, or if I have to post two pictures a day to make up, I mean, I already started 'A Day Late', get it? I really hope this encourages me to learn the settings on my camera better. I want to get some awesome shots of our new little bundle, and will quite possibly want/NEED a new lens or flash or some other piece of fancy photography equipment that will only help me if I actually know what I'm doing.

A scale. Jackson had trouble gaining weight in the beginning and I took him in frequently to be weighed- it would be so much nicer to do it at home, you know instead of dragging out the newborn and active toddler. But as sure as I buy a scale, I'll have a little porker and no need for it. Maybe just a food scale that goes up to 10lbs?

We are planning on moving back to the states in the fall, so this baby will likely be born over here (Germany), but with the military anything can change. Just wanted you to know where we were with all the baby crazies.

And for those who want to see the ever expanding pooch? (Ahem, Dena) Here is a picture. 13w 5d, crazy.

They aren't kidding when they say you show faster with your second! I've been saying for a while I'm TWICE as big as I was with Jackson. Maybe it's a bit of an exaggeration, but not much!