it's time to tell

The hub and I have decided to ruin Britton's only-child status by adding to our family. And unlike today's hipsters, we went with another child and not another dog we treat like a child. So, what I'm taking the long way to say is....

 I'm pregnant!

We weren't planning on it, but we weren't preventing it. And honestly, not even three years ago, I was certain Britton would be an only child. It was so hard after she was born, whether because of her protein intolerance or our lack of baby knowledge, but I remember the night the hub and I agreed that the only way we could get through it was to know we'd never have to do it again. And for three years, we meant it. We really did.

But time has a way of softening the hard edges, and the idea of Britton growing up without a sibling was gnawing at me. And, as ridiculous as it may sound, I wanted a chance to do it again - without the fear of the unknown, without the inability to deal with a protein intolerance, without postpartum depression and anxiety turning me into a mother who hid in the pantry so my baby wouldn't see me. I want a chance to do it right.

 The hub and I are scared, there's no doubt. Because it's all going to be new again. We may have experience raising a baby, but we have no experience in raising a baby while parenting a child. I get it that this experience will be different, as I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to give birth to Britton's clone! And my pregnancy has been completely different. I was sick every morning of my first trimester.  But with Britton I had morning sickness for three weeks only, at nighttime.  Instead of the sweets and fruit I craved with Britton, all I want now is carbs and easy cheese in a can. Yes, you read that right, and no, I'm not proud of that.  I'm tired all the time, and my belly stuck out the minute the test came out positive.  I've been in maternity pants since 11 weeks!

I'm fifteen weeks and two days along, with a due date of May 11, 2013.  And because I am an old mom (ahem) I submitted to the battery of tests that tell you if your baby has any of the diseases or issues everyone fears.  Because of my advanced age (seriously, having a kid at 34 makes you old) my probability for Down's Syndrome was already out of the normal range.  So I got this incredibly new DNA test that tested the DNA of the placenta cells in my bloodstream - no amnio, no invasion.  And good news, I am 99.9% clear of any chromosomal abnormalities.

But the genetic counselor also found sex chromosomes in the test.  And she wanted to know if I wanted to know.  See, when I was pregnant with Britton I had a chance to find out the gender, but the hub wasn't there so I didn't find out.  He said if it ever came up again, just to go ahead and find out without him!

So I got to call him up afterwards, tell him there were no issues with the test, and that he was going to have a......

son.